Mazatlan Cruise Port

[Kendall James-Vargas]

Has anyone visited Mazatlan cruise port before? I would love to explore this area, as I have never visited in the past. For those that have visited this area, do you have any recommendations? It seems like shopping near the port could be worthwhile. 

[3Sisters]

@Kendall James-VargasI don't think you can go wrong with exploring the Pacific Coast! El Faro lighthouse seems like a must see while in Mazatlan. The scenery looks unbeatable. 

Edited January 2 by Kendall James-Vargas
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[Kendall James-Vargas]

@3Sisters Thanks for the recommendation! It looks like a must see, with the most majestic backdrop. 

[Woody14]

On 12/28/2022 at 9:53 AM, 3Sisters said:

@Kendall James-VargasI don't think you can go wrong with exploring the Pacific Coast! El Faro lighthouse seems like a must see while in Mazatlan. The scenery looks unbeatable. 

did the lighthouse this summer, it was great.  We walked there from the port took about 25 minutes then hiked the trail up (note it does have 336 stairs).  it was a work out getting up.   it was a hot day so definitely do in the morning as there is basically no shade on the trail.   We then took a pulmonia (golfcart type taxi), they were at the bottom no problem,  to one of the shopping areas and walked around a bit then took another pulmonia back.    it seemed the pulmonia's gave better rates in USD than Peso but maybe that was just my conversions,  the vendors in shops usually gave a slightly better rate with Pesos.

 

[3Sisters]

@Woody14 This stop sounds like an exercise. I guess I would wear some sneakers and bring a water bottle for climbing the lighthouse! I bet the pulmonias were more fun than the traditional taxi! I have never ridden in a pulmonia before. Would you recommend exchanging currency one arriving at the port to get better overall rates?

[Woody14]

20 hours ago, 3Sisters said:

@Woody14 This stop sounds like an exercise. I guess I would wear some sneakers and bring a water bottle for climbing the lighthouse! I bet the pulmonias were more fun than the traditional taxi! I have never ridden in a pulmonia before. Would you recommend exchanging currency one arriving at the port to get better overall rates?

I brought currency with me so I am not sure about exchanging at the port or the rates they offer sorry.   pulmonias were fun (especially if the drivers english was decent)

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Woody14 Do the pulmonias offer seatbelts? How many do they usually seat at a time?

[Woody14]

1 hour ago, Kendall James-Vargas said:

@Woody14 Do the pulmonias offer seatbelts? How many do they usually seat at a time?

no seat belts, most were 2 seaters but some sat 4

[3Sisters]

@Woody14 That sounds like a wild ride, no seatbelts! How fast do those things go? Do they travel on the sidewalk or the main road?

[Woody14]

On 1/6/2023 at 9:45 AM, 3Sisters said:

@Woody14 That sounds like a wild ride, no seatbelts! How fast do those things go? Do they travel on the sidewalk or the main road?

not sure about speed, but it always felt safe.   The travel on main roads.  At times there seemed to be more of them than any other vehicles.

[3Sisters]

@Woody14 I'm glad to know you felt safe. I was thinking if it would be a smart mode of transportation with children. It would likely be the most affordable option! Do you know if they allow a lap child to ride? 

[Woody14]

1 minute ago, 3Sisters said:

@Woody14 I'm glad to know you felt safe. I was thinking if it would be a smart mode of transportation with children. It would likely be the most affordable option! Do you know if they allow a lap child to ride? 

I am pretty sue they did yes.   if the group was bigger you would need to use one of the open air trucks.   you can do this too with any size group as they were there and left when full,  we didn't use that service so I don't know much about how it was but it was popular as well.   

[3Sisters]

@Woody14 Thanks for sharing that! Do you know if the open air trucks were priced about the same? That would likely be the best option when traveling with a large group. 

[Woody14]

10 minutes ago, 3Sisters said:

@Woody14 Thanks for sharing that! Do you know if the open air trucks were priced about the same? That would likely be the best option when traveling with a large group. 

they might have been a bit cheaper on a per person basis if i remember correctly.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Woody14 When you were in Mazatlan did you get into the ocean at all or walk the beaches?

[Woody14]

4 minutes ago, Kendall James-Vargas said:

@Woody14 When you were in Mazatlan did you get into the ocean at all or walk the beaches?

we just did a walk along the Malacon and stuck our feet in the ocean that is it.    the hike to the light house and the heat of the day zapped a lot of the energy. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Woody14 Do you think the Malacon would bee a good place to swim? I love swimming in the ocean, especially if there aren't too many waves and the waters are clear. 

[euroguy]

I have traveled via cruise ship to the Mexican riviera 5 or 6 times. Ports of call cabo, mazatlan, LA Paz, xtapa, Manzanillo, Puerto vallarta, Acapulco. Out of all these stops Mazatlan is my most disliked. Before I go into why it's my most disliked, I want to point out the U.S. depth of State has placed a travel advisor to level 4 which is the highest threat level. That area is one of the main areas for the drug cartel and big problems have been happening.  With that put aside when you dock its at a commercial dock and is ugly ugly ugly. You have to take a tractor pulled trailer with seats to.the port entry. Once.you get.to the port bldg it's filled with tons of trinket shops, walk through to the other side and they have an outside area that plays music more trinket shops and bar. It's kinda a cool vibe. If you walk through that you are immediately hounded by local guys trying to sell.you rides or trips and they can be a bit aggressive. Rwgarding the town it's self it's not a pretty city and is pretty dirty.  On the far far side east of the port you can get.to the malecom which is.on an interior bay. It's not much to write home about, but they do have a lot of hut type restaurants right on the beach which some have great food other's not so. On the south east side of the bay from the Malcom you can see tall condos being built and sky line rising up from the beach area. I've not been in that area but suspect it's a nicer part of mazatlan.  Mazatlan really is a industrial port city and frankly the offerings imo are not that great and not sure why the cruise ships even stop there. On my recent trip 4/26/23 due to State Dept. Warnings and not a great port I saved money to use at nicer ports and only got off the ship to stretch my legs on land and only grabbed a couple t shirts from the port center vendors which cost $15 ea. Then got back on ship and enjoyed a less crowded boat. Went to serenity jacuzzi (only 1 other person) took a dip in the pool (only me) got a massage (ship spa $100 for hr.) and had a specialty dining ($38) on board. Was a great port day 😀 

[3Sisters]

@euroguy This is some very good feedback on the Mazatlan cruise port. It's really nice to hear a personal perspective since you have so much experience cruising there. I too enjoy staying on the ship sometimes when everyone else is gone! I love when it's so tranquil and less crowded. If it isn't a port of interest to me, staying onboard is usually a highlight of my day from napping on a beach lounger, and actually finding one, to dining at the buffet without a line. You make a really good point to check the travel advisories before visiting any place, including ports of call. This is just good for awareness and personal security. Travel advisories could also be health-related, so it isn't always about personal security!