Our HAL tour today was not until 11:00 so we slept late and had a very late breakfast in the Lido. I missed the sail-in to Puerto Vallarta and was greeted by a familiar sign when I did go out on the balcony.
I was really looking forward to today’s HAL tour: All-Inclusive Sea Lion Encounter in the Water
ABOUT THE EXCURSION: Sea lions are lovable rascals — comical, mischievous, playful and very friendly. They are also fast, agile and adorable, and their inclination to engage in play and include humans in the game makes this sea lion encounter so exhilarating.
A trainer will brief you on sea lion physiology and behavior before you enter thewater and have an opportunity to play, pet, shake a flipper, and possibly receive a big fishy kiss. You are sure to cherish this encounter for years to come.
See photos of your experience and enjoy lunch and a beverage at the sea lion facility before returning to the ship.
Notes: Maximum group size of eight people in any one session. Do not wear sunscreen or jewelry as these can injure the sea lions’ skin. Wear your swimsuit under your clothing; bring a towel and a hat. To avoid sunburn, bring light, long clothing suitable for use as a cover-up. Cameras are not allowed in the pools. Photo service images are available for purchase. Pregnant women or guests with back, neck or heart conditions are not allowed to participate. Waiver must be signed and medical conditions disclosed. Minimum height 4 feet. Minimum age is 5 years. Children must be accompanied by a participating adult in the water.
Vallarta Adventures was the vendor who was handling this tour today. We walked as a group to an area to board a large catamaran. I thought it was a very large group that was going to do the sea lion encounter. Then I found out that some of the people on the catamaran were doing a dolphin encounter.
We were heading to Nueve Vallarta. The guide said that we could have gone by bus, but it would have taken over an hour. It took less than 30 minutes to get there by boat.
Once we were at the dock, we were divided into sea lion encounter and dolphin encounter and boarded smaller boats that sailed us directly to the Vallarta Adventures compound. Then, the the two groups were directed to the appropriate venue in the compound.
We had time for a bathroom break and then we were given a safety briefing before being allowed to enter the sea lion enclosure. They reiterated that we could have no jewelry, no glasses, no perfume, no hats, and no hair ties or rubber bands. One girl who had her hair in elaborate braids was kind of upset about the hair ties, but she took them out. We all had to stand under showers to ensure that we rinsed off all sunscreen.
Our group of 10 was divided into two groups of five. One trainer stayed with us and the other trainer took a group to the opposite side of the very large pool. The two sea lions who had been swimming in the pool jumped out of the pool when we got in.
Our sea lion was Kaila who was 12 years old. She had been born in captivity and was expected to live until she was twenty or so. The trainer talked about how to tell the difference between a sea lion and a seal. He also talked proudly about their Center holding the Humane Conservation certification with the American Humane organization and how he was also part of their Rescue Team who assists in freeing marine wildlife entangled in ropes or debris.
We all formed an arc in the pool, and Kaila was allowed into the pool. She floated by all of us and allowed us to stroke her back. Then the trainer allowed her to swim around and she kept swimming up next to Chuck and bumping him. She didn’t really like me getting close to him and would put her flipper out to keep me away.
We were all allowed individual sessions with Kaila as the photographer snapped away.
Once our session ended, we showered again and got our stuff back. We had an hour to look at the photos/videos taken and to eat lunch at the buffet.
I went to the photos and there were so many I got overwhelmed and couldn’t pick just a few. I ended up signing up for the whole photo and video package which would be close to $200. The lady next to me bought that package along with a photo book and some souvenir things like a photo paperweight – it was close to $500.
You don’t get the photos right away. You get a receipt and they take your email. You are told you will get an email in 24 – 48 hours with a link to the photos and videos to download. I don’t know what happens when you order the photo book or the souvenirs.
I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t get the link but I figured the company has been in business for quite a while and wouldn’t jeopardize its reputation by not sending the link.
The buffet lunch was excellent. I had ribs, chicken nuggets, chips with cheese and guacamole, fruit, and cheesecake. There was fruit punch to drink.
Soon the guide rounded us up and we reversed the order – small boat to the dock in Nueve Vallarta and then the large catamaran back to the ship.
We were back well before the 5:30 all aboard time. We got cleaned up for the evening and decided on a late pizza dinner. It was a fun day. And, I got the link to my photos that evening.
So, Chuck’s back had been hurting for a couple of days. When we reviewed our upcoming HAL tour for Manzanillo, we decided we needed to cancel it for him. If you are going to cancel a HAL tour and you want your money back, you must do it 72 hours prior to the docking time at that particular port. You can go to either Guest Services desk (open 24 hours) or you can go to the Shore Excursions desk which has limited hours each day (check the app or the printed program for hours).
The money goes back on your onboard account as refundable onboard credit. Refundable onboard credit means that if you don’t use it to cover purchases or miscellaneous charges, you will be able to get it refunded to the card you used to set up your account. If you have non-refundable onboard credit (usually issued to you as an incentive for booking – such as early booking bonus, AARP membership, HAL casino, etc), you either use it or lose it. We always find a way to use it. 😊
If you are going on a tour that you booked with a company independently, please check their rules carefully prior to booking. Some are very generous with their cancellation policy and some are very limited.
Chuck was leery about me going alone on this tour. I promised him that I wouldn’t wander away from the group. I do have a habit of hanging back from a tour group to take photos but promised I wouldn’t do it today. I also promised that if there were a lot of buses at the same location, I would be sure of which bus was mine.
With those promises in mind, I headed to the World Stage to meet up for my 10:30 tour.
The HAL tour: Plantation Mangrove Tunnel & Birds
ABOUT THE EXCURSION: Travel south by coach through lush tropical landscapes for 40 minutes. Your destination is Palo Verde Lagoon.
Your guide discusses the flora and fauna of this ecosystem before you hop into a 12-seater boat for a ride through the mangroves. With a bird identification card, watch for the resident and migratory birds of Palo Verde. You’ll pass nesting areas and a dark mangrove tunnel that is home to countless creatures. Have your camera ready for great photo opportunities.
At El Paraíso Beach, step ashore to cool off and reset at a restaurant right on the black-sand beach. A non-alcoholic beverage and a light snack are included with a magnificent ocean view and a pleasant breeze.
Back on the coach, continue your journey to Armeria — one of Mexico’s lemon-growing capitals. Stroll through the small central plaza, visit the Catholic church, and peek inside City Hall.
If you have a chance to try the local artisan ice cream (at your own expense), it is delicious.
Notes: Minimum age is 10 years. Not advisable for guests with a heart or back condition. Tour requires walking. Terrain includes even and uneven surfaces, inclines, gravel, grass, and steps. Life jackets are provided and must be worn.
We boarded the bus at 10:30 but we didn’t actually leave the parking lot until 11:00. Not sure what the holdup was as everyone who was on the tour had been checked-in by our guide.
Because of all the road construction, it was a longer trip to the lagoon than 40 minutes. The bus was comfortable and the air conditioning adequate. It was hard to hear the guide as the sound system wasn’t very good. He kept trying to adjust it but never had much success. I wouldn’t call the landscape lush but we did pass acres and acres of coconut trees.
After a bathroom break at the visitor center, we trooped down to the dock on the rocky path to don our life vests (which smelled musty). When I saw our boat, I knew Chuck had made the right decision not to participate. His back would have really given him trouble.
The little boat seated twelve and, yes, you are seeing rugs covering the hard bench. I ended up on the last row on the outside. I felt bad for the woman seated in the middle of our row. I told her to let me know if she needed me to shift around so she could take some photos of any birds on shore.
The guide handed out a bird guide and then started up the outboard motor. It sputtered to life and made quite a bit of noise. Therefore, when we did get close to birds, you had to be quick for a photo because they took off to get away from the noise. I got a lot of photos of bird butts. 😒
Some of us had to duck as we entered the mangrove areaSnail KiteFrigateWood storks and EgretLimpkin
We were out on the lagoon for an hour. You know what doesn’t run from a noisy outboard motor? Bugs and more bugs. I was happy that I had put on sunscreen and bug spray. Other people were really slapping themselves.
I assumed from the tour description that we would be docking at a restaurant from the little boat for our snack. Nope. We got back on the bus and drove to a restaurant near the beach. It was an open-air venue, and I was surprised and happy that they served a full lunch and one drink – a beer or non-alcohol drinks – included. The lunch was very good, and I sat with some passengers from Missouri.
There were several vendors on the sidewalks who wanted us to purchase trinkets, and some did while others walked toward the beach for the view. I just stayed around the restaurant and took photos of flowers. (No, I wasn’t hanging back from the crowd. The guide and others were there too.)
We then went to a farm which I didn’t see on the tour description at all. They served lots of fresh fruit and juice. We wandered around and looked at the lime bushes and coconut trees. I noticed they didn’t have any nets attached to the coconut trees, so I did not go directly under any of them. I did hear some thumps from the grove that I have to assume were coconuts falling down.
Even the farm rooster only wanted to show me his butt
The last stop was a little town that the guide promised very good ice cream at one of the shops. Yay! However, when I got to the shop -what nobody told me, and nothing was mentioned in the tour description – was that the shop only accepted local currency. I didn’t have any. If I had known, I could have gotten some at Guest Services. They also didn’t accept credit cards. No ice cream for me or for most of the other guests. Only 3 or 4 people came with any local currency, and they thoroughly enjoyed their ice cream. 🙁
On our way back to the ship, the traffic was slow and the road construction was tedious. All aboard was 5:30 pm. We pulled into the lot at 5:25. Another bus was right behind us. We set sail promptly at 6:00.
I have never seen the vaping warning on any previous cruise that had Mexico on its itinerary, so I assumed that this was a new rule. The ship was taking it seriously as the Cruise Director made several announcements about it.
Puerto Chiapas is a very small port, and I heard that it was a newer port just trying to get started. Our day in port was an early one and a short one. We had no tour scheduled today and the day was very hot so we just decided to stay onboard.
The port had two large buildings – one was to have some shops and the other was a restaurant with a pool open for guests. I spent the morning walking around the ship taking photos. The port itself looked very well maintained.
Pool in the background – no guests yet
I also got distracted by the birds and iguanas that were all around the port.
Not sure what these birds were but they flew in a large group for quite a while
You guessed it. We spent the remainder of the day at the pool.
Fort Lauderdale – You may be wondering why I am including Fort Lauderdale as a port of call since it is an embarkation/disembarkation port. When you are on a B2B, the embarkation port becomes a port of call for all those people who are staying on for the next cruise. You are called an in-transit guest. Just as disembarking guests received paperwork explaining how to get off the ship smoothly, in-transit guests receive paperwork on the procedures they need to complete.
In addition to the two options as described in the photo, Holland America does offer excursions in Fort Lauderdale for those guests who will be returning to the ship. Our Canadian friends opted to take a HAL airboat tour of the Everglades. We had already done that tour, so we chose to stay on board. If you signed up for a tour, you will get a different set of instructions from the one above.
We had a light breakfast in the Lido and then proceeded to the World Stage a little before 9:00. There were a lot of people who had also decided just to stay on the ship. We had to wait there until all disembarking passengers had gotten off the ship. They kept announcing over the intercom for 4 guests who hadn’t left yet (give it up people, your vacation is over).
Finally, we were escorted as a group to the port terminal and met with Customs officials. The facial recognition system was only working sporadically so some of us had to meet face-to-face with the officials. (At least it wasn’t as chaotic as the April embarkation snafu – if you don’t know what I’m talking about go to the Caribbean link of this blog and find Embarkations).
Once we had all met with Customs, we were escorted back on the ship and were free to go about our business. We were back on board by 10:00. We had pizza for lunch and then went to read on the covered balcony because it started to rain and hard. I felt bad for those new embarking guests who were caught out in it.
Later on, we had to deal with another issue -attending the safety drill. Our in-transit paperwork (on the back page) said that we would not have to participate in that afternoon’s safety/lifeboat drill. We only had to watch the video in our room. The Cruise Director kept coming on the intercom urging the new passengers to go check-in at their life boats. I was taking a shower, and Chuck was napping when all of a sudden she announced (and not kindly) that all passengers including the in-transit guests MUST do the safety drill or we would be interfering with the operation of the ship by preventing sail-away.
I jumped out of the shower with my head full of shampoo, almost slipped on the floor, barely toweled off, and threw on clothes. Chuck was mad about being woken up and thought I had misread the instructions. Nope. I showed him our paperwork. We both went down to our lifeboat and checked-in. We were not the only in-transit guests fussing at the poor crew at the lifeboat.
Once we were done, Chuck went down to Guest Services to show them the paperwork and have them explain why we were just now hearing of this change to procedure. I went back to the room and sent a message through the Holland America app expressing the same sentiments. We both got apologies from Guest Services, but the Cruise Director just came back on the intercom and said “Disregard the last announcement. In-transit guests are exempt from the safety drill.” We thought she could have at least said “Oops, my bad. I received incorrect instructions. So sorry for the inconvenience” Nope. Nada.
Poor communication drives me crazy.
Half Moon Cay – Yes, we returned to the private island on this leg of the cruise. We were sharing the island again with the Rotterdam but this time we were first so there was plenty of loungers to choose. As I mentioned, the island is a tender port for now. However, Carnival Corporation is building a dock at the other end of the island to allow their Carnival mega-ships to be able to port there. They are also doing some other construction on various parts of the island. I hope they don’t put so much on it that it finally loses its laid-back appeal.
Our Canadian friends and Chuck decided to snorkel again. But I was not going to be fooled twice. I knew the water hadn’t warmed up in a couple of days, so I was going to spend it either on a lounger or strolling up and down the beach.
Our friends and Chuck went on in the water, and I was talking to a person on the next lounger when – Surprise! Dark clouds rolled in quickly and the rain started coming down so hard it stung and it didn’t look like it was going to blow away any time soon. Light, pleasant rain I don’t mind if I am on the beach, but this rain was too much. We joined the long line at the tender area and at least we weren’t being pelted since that area was covered. We had to wait quite a while to get on a tender as they had suspended going back and forth because the waves were too high. What a mess.
I was glad to finally get back on board, dry off, and get some food at the Lido.
Ochos Rio, Jamaica – The only time we have ever been on the island of Jamaica was when we stayed at an all-inclusive resort in Montego Bay many, many years ago. While there, we were able to climb Dunn’s River Falls (so much fun), shop at the Straw Market, enjoy the beach, snorkel, kayak, and try to windsurf (major failure). For today, we talked about the Jamaican bobsled excursion or the river float excursion. Finally, Chuck decided he was going to walk into town, but I decided I was just going to stay on the ship and enjoy the pool.
However, the rain and humidity upended both plans and we found ourselves on our covered balcony again reading and people-watching. Not a bad way to spend the day.
Double Rainbow on Jamaica day
Grand Cayman – So today, we had a HAL snorkel excursion, and we were joined by our friends.
REEF n’ RAYS SNORKELING
About the Excursion – A sandbar inhabited by curious, graceful stingrays awaits you just a short boat transfer away across placid, turquoise waters in the company of a smiling crew.
You’ll set out by coach, headed to a private dock in Snug Harbour. A professional crew welcomes you onto a spacious boat for a transfer across North Sound.
At the world-famous Stingray Sandbar, enter the water to interact with graceful southern stingrays. The experienced crew will feed the rays and allow you to touch them. You’ll learn about the southern Atlantic stingray, including its anatomy, habitat and lifecycle.
Make the most of a snorkel stop at one of Grand Cayman’s beautiful coral reefs. Expect to see beautiful corals and prolific marine life, including a wide array of tropical fish such as angelfish, parrotfish, sergeant majors, lobster and maybe even a turtle.
At the end of your adventure, you’ll transfer back to the pier in town.
Notes: Guests with all snorkel experience levels are welcome. Wear your swimsuit under your clothing; bring a towel, reef-safe/biodegradable sunscreen, light clothing to act as a full cover-up for further protection from the sun, and a hat. Swim at your own risk. Minimum age is 8 years; maximum age is 70 years.
We had to meet in the World Stage at 7:00 a.m. (yes, 7:00 in the morning – ugh). When our group was called, we all made our way to the tender area and climbed into the lifeboat (ugh again). Thankfully, it was just a 10-minute ride to the Cayman dock.
From the HAL dock, we had to board a bus that would take us to the tour boat dock. Then, the boat ride to the sandbar was 30 minutes. It was overcast and I thought I heard thunder in the distance. When we got to the sandbar, we were just one of many, many other tour boats. We also saw some large stingrays floating around.
We had actually done this excursion a long time ago, but our friends had not. I had told them how much fun it was just to stand in the shallow sandbar water and let the stingrays float right by you. They might even touch you. You might even get lucky enough to feed one. Well, not this time.
This time, we had to stand in a large circle, and the tour operator had grabbed one of the stingrays and was taking it around and letting people pet it and feed it. Of course, the other tour person was out there taking photos. We fed it and then just got back on the boat without a photo. I noticed that the other tour operators were doing the same thing with their groups. I just wondered when the process changed. I was not a fan.
Once everyone was back on the boat, we rode for about another 5 to 10 minutes and were allowed to jump in and swim near the reef. The reef was very nice and there were lots of different fish. We had about 35 minutes to snorkel and Chuck and I used all of the allotted time. We were the last two people to get back on the boat.
Going back to the pier, the crew cranked up the music, and we had fun dancing and singing all the way.
At the boat pier, we got back on the bus for the ride to the HAL pier. However, the driver did not drop us off at the spot where we were picked up. He dropped us off at the South Terminal. We realized it when we didn’t see the HAL ship in the distance. We asked a port official and he said that HAL was at the North Terminal. We had to walk a block up the street to get to it and then stand in the line to wait for a tender.
The tender ride back to the ship was bouncier than the ride over. The wind and waves had picked up. It was a challenge to get from the tender back onto the ship. The crew on the tender basically grabbed me by the arms, lifted, and passed me over to the waiting crew on the ship like a sack of potatoes. Oh well, whatever works. I was ready for some lunch.
Cozumel, Mexico – I think every Western Caribbean itinerary for every cruise line includes Cozumel. I have lost count of how many times we have been here. Our excursions have included a day-stay at an all-inclusive resort, snorkeling, island tours, and shopping. However, I think our most memorable excursion was the one where we took a class on how to properly snorkel. We had tried on our own several times and either kept sucking in sea water or our masks leaked, etc. We were on a Carnival cruise, and they offered an excursion called “beginner’s snorkeling class.” We signed up. It was us and a bunch of 6-year-olds. Hah!
I didn’t care. The instructor was excellent and we have been snorkeling successfully ever since then.
Cozumel is also famous for “pier runners.” You can search YouTube for those poor souls who spent too much time in Senor Frogs or maybe just didn’t set their watch correctly. Whatever the problem, you will see them running wildly down the pier (and it is long) waving their arms over their head, while people on the ship are yelling “run Forrest run!” and other catcalls. The really sad ones are the ones who get to the end of the pier and no ship is waiting for them. When the ship has to leave, it has to leave.
Today, there were six ships in port. I have seen more. We were sandwiched between the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas and the Norwegian Escape. We were close enough that we could wave and shout to the people who happened to be on their balconies too.
We stayed on the ship and spent our last remaining on-board credit money on a couple’s massage at the Spa. I was concerned that the atmosphere would be ruined by the masseuses trying to upsell some products, but they did not. It was a very nice, relaxing experience.
On a 5-day cruise, there are typically two ports of call. Cozumel is usually one of those two ports. Multiple cruise ships on the same day in this port are common.
Our first 5-day cruise, we stopped in Cozumel from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Our next five days, we stopped from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Cozumel is notorious for pier runners – people who have not kept up with the time to get back on board and are trying to make it back before the ship leaves.
Will the ship leave you? Yes, it will. Once we were on a cruise and met a couple who missed their ship because their phone switched to local time, and they didn’t realize that it was no longer matching the ship time. Our captain was gracious enough to let them board our ship.
All they had was their beachwear, so they had to buy clothes in the shop. Our ship was going back to Tampa. Their ship was going back to Port Canaveral a day earlier than ours was set to arrive in Tampa. Consequence – they had to decide if they wanted to fly home (California) from Tampa and have their belongings shipped to them or rent a car and drive to Port Canaveral, get their belongings, and then fly home. Not an easy choice, and we never knew what they decided. Expensive mistake.
If you want to see some pier runners in action, YouTube has several videos for you.
These are our Cozumel port photos from this trip:
First week –
The portOther ships in portExcursion Catamaran
Second Week –
Moon over Mexico
Travel Trivia:
Mexico
Chocolate and vanilla flavors both originated in Mexico.
Between the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts, Mexico has 5,778 miles of shoreline.
Mexicans drink an average of 43 gallons of Coca-Cola annually.
Over 60,000 registered taxi cabs operate in Mexico, making it #1 in the world for the largest national taxi fleet.
There are 42 active volcanoes and thousands of dormant volcanoes scattered throughout Mexico’s landmass.
On Valentine’s Day in 2009, nearly 40,000 Mexicans came together to set a new Guinness World Record for the number of people kissing at the same time.
Corn was first developed and cultivated from a type of Mexican wild grass more than 5,000 years ago.
Tequila is only produced in one place in the world — the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Cozumel, Mexico
Cozumel, Mexico is one of eleven municipalities in the state of Quintana Roo. It is located 37 miles south of Cancun, and 12 miles off the mainland of Mexico.
The Maya are believed to have first settled Cozumel by the early part of the 1st millennium AD
There are many ruins found on the Island of Cozumel. Most were built in the Post-Classic period (100-1500 A.D.).
The first Spanish expedition to visit Cozumel was led by Juan de Grijalva in 1518.
Cozumel means the island of swallows.
Scuba diving is still one of Cozumel’s primary attractions, mainly due to the coral reef on the western shore of Cozumel. These coral reefs are protected from the open ocean by the island’s natural geography.
Cozumel is featured as one of the primary settings and filming locations of the 1984 film, Against All Odds.
