input on shore excursions on Panama canal cruise; 9/21-10/10

[donnap]

Hubby and I are cruising the Pearl thru the Panama Canal from Sept 21 to Oct 10 2008 and need imput on best excursions in Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Catagena (Columbia), Oranjestad (Aruba), Willemstad (Netherland Antilles). Have been to the Mexican ports in 2005 on the Star, but didn't do any excursions. Did we miss anything? We are new to this forum, but are enjoying the chats !

Donna & Drew

Ncl Sky 9/02
Ncl Pride of Aloha 7/04 (inaugral- oh boy!@#$)
Ncl Star 11/05
Holland Osterdam 9/07

[Koala]

Hello....
I would recommend the San Sebastian Tour in Puerto Vallarta. You get a lot for the $$$. The lunch is nice, and it is a pretty little town. You get an excellent tour of the area surrounding Puerto Vallarta... not just the "turista" sections !! This is a good tour for any age, but young adults/college students may find the Sierra Madre Tour more fun. Most of the other tours are not worth the money. It would be better to walk a couple blocks to the Krystal Hotel and hire a taxi by the hour. By the way, the Krystal pool area is a beautiful place for photos.

[Koala]

Aruba and Willemstad.... if you aren't claustrophobic and have never done one... the little submarine tour is nice. You know you are just below the surface, but the water is so clear you can usually see the bottom and lots of fish. Our diver brought up an octopus in Hawaii... to the portholes... as well as urchins and other things. The price is fairly good through NCL, but you can also reserve the tour directly with the submarine people, and they will provide transportation to and from the ship.

Cartagena... be sure to see the city. The historic buildings are very pretty and interesting. Most tours will drop you for shopping at the end anyway!

Acapulco... mixed feelings on tours. There are taxi drivers highly recommended (on Trip Advisor) that you can write to directly and they will give you a quote for anywhere you'd like to go... usually about $15 an hour. Comfortable mid-size car, too... like a Mercury Marquis.

Huatulco is new... but they put together some tours pretty fast !! If you are interested in local culture I think the tour that goes to 4-5 towns would be interesting. La Crucesita itself sounds like an interesting town to explore on your own... from what I have read. The bird-watching eco tour sounded good.... but there may be a lot of "insectos"! The rafting trip is probably easy and just a scenic float... might be some nice pictures along the way!

[donnap]

Thanks for the info Koala, we leave tomorrow, can't wait.