Our First Ever Real Vacation, Mexican Riviera Cruise June 1-8, 2008 - Page 9 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
Glad you're feeling better!
Great update! The show looked like fun!
An impromptu PP meet, how cool is that!?
Palo looks so good!
Can't wait for more...!
Sue, I'm hanging on your every word!! We leave SUNDAY (I can't believe it's so close!), and I've enjoyed reading your trip report so much. Thanks for taking the time to give such a thorough re-cap!! The photos are driving us crazy with excitement to see it for ourselves. GREAT JOB!
Sue!!!! I'm so glad to hear you are feeling better!! DD is just now getting better, but she is anxious to write your DD really soon! Love the update, and while we did a slightly different shore excursion, I am fascinated by how similar ours really were, even to the dancing performance. We had a buffet lunch, however, and were on our own getting back to the ship. Your recollection of us meeting up in Twice Charmed seems so long ago! Still wishing we had had a pic taken of the two of us......keep up the great TR!
__________________
**TRACEY**
Last edited by YoHoTales40; 07-30-2008 at 08:53 PM..
Reason: typo
Sue, I'm hanging on your every word!! We leave SUNDAY (I can't believe it's so close!), and I've enjoyed reading your trip report so much. Thanks for taking the time to give such a thorough re-cap!! The photos are driving us crazy with excitement to see it for ourselves. GREAT JOB!
I'm glad you've been enjoying it. I'll try to get the next installment before you go.
Quote:
Sue!!!! I'm so glad to hear you are feeling better!! DD is just now getting better, but she is anxious to write your DD really soon! Love the update, and while we did a slightly different shore excursion, I am fascinated by how similar ours really were, even to the dancing performance. We had a buffet lunch, however, and were on our own getting back to the ship. Your recollection of us meeting up in Twice Charmed seems so long ago! Still wishing we had had a pic taken of the two of us......keep up the great TR!
That does seem like forever ago.
Now that I think about it, the bus didn't take us back to the ship, but to the port entrance where we caught a tram back to the ship.
We woke up at 8:00am, but we crossed a time zone during the night and lost an hour so it felt like 7:00am. I was tired but very excited for today's excursion, the “Outdoor Adventure,” described on the DCL website as “Embark on a thrilling ecological adventure that includes riding a mule, zip-lining, climbing, hiking and more amidst the unspoiled splendor of the Sierra Madre mountains.”
I quickly showered, dressed, and skipped up to Topsiders for some breakfast goodies while Theo tried to drag the girls out of bed. At the buffet I filled a tray as high as I dared with cereal, muffins, bacon, eggs, hash browns, bagels, and fruit. I was glad that the milk came in cartons because I don't think I could have made it back without spilling otherwise!
The food was good and I really appreciated being able to have a hot breakfast while we got ready so we didn't have to get up any earlier.
At 9:45 we took the kids to their clubs, informed the counselors we would be gone all day, and headed to Sessions for our 10:00am departure. Our DCL tour guide was just as excited as we were. She said she'd begged, bargained, and finagled to get this excursion. Among the group was another DCL employee who was going on her day off, and two of the DVC reps.
Our DCL guide
When everyone was checked in and ready she lead us down to the Forward Tender Lobby and off the ship. I was surprised and impressed by the dock and port here. For a port, it was quite lovely! Right off the ship was a beautiful green lawn and clean sidewalks. The weather was about 70 F, and a little overcast...just the way I like it! There was hardly any walk at all to get to where the speedboat was waiting for us just up the dock.
There were 30 of us in the group, and the boat (hard bottom, soft sides) fit exactly 30. Before getting on, we were instructed to take off our shoes and socks and drop them into a canvas bag because at our destination we would be disembarking right onto the beach.
On the speedboat, waiting to go.
Once out of the harbor we could see just how large and magnificent this bay was. Banderas Bay is largest bay in North America. This horse shoe shaped bay is about 20 miles across and nearly 30 wide at it's most inward point. This morning the bay was very smooth, hardly a ripple. On the way to our destination, the driver took a few detour to show us the sites.
Here is a stock photo of the bay I bought from Shutters
This is Puerto Vallarta's version of Los Arcos, an underwater national park protected by the government of Mexico.
A snorkeling excursion
This area is home to the endangered Blue-Footed Booby. There were hundreds all around here. Unfortunately my disposable camera didn't do a very good job of photographing them.
This is the area where the Night of the Iguana and the Predator movies were filmed.
After 45 minutes we arrived at Boca de Tomatlan, a secluded fishing village at the edge of the Sierra Madre jungle. It looked like paradise!
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Okay, Sue, at least I've gotten a taste of all 3 ports! Keep up the good work, and then I'll be racin' to catch up with you on my OWN trip report when I get back!
We're LA-bound this morning, and will be thinking of you as we sail away tomorrow!!
WAH-HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
Arriving at Boca de Tomatlan, the speed boat pulled right up to the beach (see photos in Day 5, Part 1). We jumped down from the boat into the shallow water. Since I am quite familiar with the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, I expected the water to be cold. So I was quite surprised that here, at least, it wasn't. It was more like cool swimming pool temperature.
We made our way through the sand to a covered sidewalk area with chairs and several vendors hoping to sell us silver jewelry. We were given back our shoes but my feet were absolutely caked with sand. I wadded up one of my wool socks, used it to brush the worst of the sand off my feet, and put on my boots.
The fifteen of us who were ready first were led to an all-terrain yellow Mercedes jeep-like truck. The back had a long bench on each side and strap handles (like one might use to keep from falling down on a bus or subway) hanging from the ceiling. We squeezed in and took off through the village, which was old and rustic, but in a clean and picturesque way.
The roads were narrow and winding. I was so glad I had taken a Bonine tablet before I left! I watched the scenery, eager to see the Puerto Vallarta jungle/rainforest up close. In Southern California we have plenty of beautiful terrain...mountains, desserts, beaches, and fertile plains...but no jungles or rainforests. Getting to see a jungle up close was a highly anticipated part of trip for me. So I was somewhat surprised that the Puerto Vallarta jungle looked incredibly like the terrain near where I used to live in Ojai, California, just with slightly different plants and trees. But the shape of the mountains, the color of the dirt, and the smell were the same.
Afterward I figured out that the reason the mountains looked so similar to me is that (although they are over 1,000 miles apart) they are all part of the same mountain range. Only by us the mountains are called the Los Padres National Forest. So although I didn't get to see the incredibly wet, lush, jungle of my mind's eye, I did get a renewed sense of what a beautiful part of the world I am lucky enough to live in!
At noon, after a bumpy 45-minute ride, we arrived at the Vallarta Adventures facility. This “base camp” for the Outdoor adventures consisted a few Spanish hacienda-type buildings and two covered gazebo-type areas, one with benches and dozens of harnesses, and the other larger one with t-shirts, etc. for sale and computer terminals that I assumed were for purchasing pictures. (I was right). It was really pretty with lots of shade and tons of fresh air. The weather was perfect, not too hot or too cold.
We were met by a guide who brought us to the harness gazebo and instructed us to put all our backpacks and changes of clothes (Why did we need a change of clothes! Nobody told me to bring a change of clothes!) in a huge duffle, and all our watches, sunglasses, wallets and other valuables into a lock box. For safety reasons (things getting caught, in the way, or falling off), we were to bring nothing with us. I reapplied sunscreen and packed away my stuff. I was somewhat reluctant to relinquish my sunglasses because I have really sensitive eyes, but I took their word for it and handed them over. Fortunately the day wasn't too bright and the trails were well shaded by trees.
Next we were fitted with harnesses and helmets, and then clipped a pair sopping wet, thick, leather gloves onto the harness. There were about five guides working with us, so it all went very quickly. When we were all equipped, they led us to the corral where we sat on a big long bench and were each matched up with an appropriately sized mule. The photographer assigned to our group was snapping away the whole time. You will be disappointed, I know, that neither Theo nor I opted to purchase the humiliating pictures of us on on those poor mules valiantly lugging us up the mountain.
After an enjoyable 20-minute ride up we arrived at the first zip line. I dismounted as gracefully as I could (read nearly fell off), thanked the mule, and went to a shaded area where we were given zip line instructions.
Then just like that it was time for our first ride! Each of the zip lines had a sign with a nickname. I forget which was which but I have pictures of two of them (two stock photos we decided to get instead of the humiliating mule pictures).
Although I have a heights phobia, I had a feeling that I would be OK with ziplining and repelling. The thought of getting too close to the banister on the second story of the mall makes me queasy, the thought of being near the edge of the grand canyon – panic inducing, but ziplining and repelling – exciting! After some introspection I came to the conclusion that the difference is the harness. If I'm strapped to something I feel safe. And I was right. I wasn't scared at all. It was fantastic. I loved the view from above.
Between the first and second zip line was a 15-minute steep hike that was kind of difficult (but it was the only difficult hike; the rest were mostly flat or downhill). Just as my legs were about to give out we reached the top I was grateful to see a station with water and gatorade in thermal cooler drink dispenser things. Theo didn't want to take any because he was worried that the water (being from Mexico) would make him sick. I figured, this is a Disney approved excursion by a company that makes its living off tourists. If people repeatedly got sick from the water they served, they wouldn't stay in business very long. And I was goshdarn thirsty, so I took the risk (and I did NOT get sick, BTW).
After a couple more zip lines we got to our first rappel. These aren't the bouncy kind of rappels. For this one we walked down the rock face beside a waterfall.
A quick hike brought us to the next rappel. This was a straight rappel, (i.e. Just sliding down the rope), next to a waterfall into a pool of water about six feet deep. Now I understood why they thought we might like a change of clothes!
The water was cold, but I was hot so it felt great! Of course, now I was totally soaked and my water-logged wool socks squished with every step.
After a couple more zip lines we began a very pleasant 15 minute hike back to the base camp. During this hike we crossed two short rope bridges and stomped through a stream or two, ensuring that my socks continued to squish merrily away.
Upon arrival at the base camp we were helped out of our harnesses and directed toward the photo/souvenir/snack shop kiosk and an area with complimentary snacks (water, apples, pears, chips & salsa).
We purchased a $79 photo package that included 8 photos we could download back at home. The souvenirs were fairly reasonably priced. For a total of $32, I got a bandanna, we each got a t-shirt, and Theo got a Gatorade and a Snickers. We also gave our guides a big tip because they really did an outstanding job. They were nice, competent, efficient, and funny.
After we all made our purchases and rested a bit, we got back in the jeep for the return ride down the mountain. The ride down was much, much faster and crazier than the ride up. The vehicle was going so fast that I couldn't take get any pictures and had to hold on tight. Back in Boca de Tomatlan we waited about 10 minutes for the other group of 15 from our boat. It was nice to have a chance to explore the beautiful beach there and I didn't mind the wait at all.
When the second group arrived we compared notes with them about the excursion. They were not as happy with their guides as we were with ours. They said their guides were highly capable, but a little grumpy. However they still really enjoyed the the excursion and would highly recommend it.
It was kind of hard to get back into the boat and very few of us were able to accomplish it gracefully. With a semi-humiliating roll and a flop, I was back on the boat, and we took off. The ride back was quite different from the ride over. The pilot took no detours for sightseeing and drove much faster. Also the water was now a little choppy and several times the boat caught air. It was fun, but I definitely held on tight and hoped I wouldn't bounce out of the boat.
We were brought back to the dock close to the ship.
We went straight to the cabin to change out of our soggy things, then fetched the kids from the clubs to get ready for dinner.
Summing up: This excursion was fantastic! Theo and I both felt it was the highlight of the whole cruise. I wholeheartedly recommend it and the Vallarta Adventures excursion company to anyone who might be interested in this sort of thing. One thing to note however, although it was advertised as a 5.5 hour excursion, we were gone closer to 7 hours.
Coming soon: Pirates in the Carri bean in the Pacific
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
More please 
PassPorter Guide Author
]
I wholeheartedly recommend it and the Vallarta Adventures excursion company to anyone who might be interested in this sort of thing. One thing to note however, although it was advertised as a 5.5 hour excursion, we were gone closer to 7 hours.
Linear Mode
