We did the Snorkel & Sail to Santa Maria Cove excursion. This was one of the highlights of our vacation. The weather was beautiful. The water was fairly warm. The surrounding are beautiful. But most of all, the staff of the boat is excellent. The snorkeling in Santa Maria Cove is not great (you'd be disappointed in the snorkeling if you're used to spectacular reef snorkeling). But the crew of the catamaran made what could have been a mediocre excursion into something great. The crew was attentive and helpful without being obtrusive. They had a fun and varied selection of music that seemed to be exactly right for sailing around Cabo San Lucas. The crew was fun and entertaining throughout. If you're looking for a fun and relaxing day, I can't recommend this excursion highly enough. 


Cabo San Lucas

The port area at Mazatlan is much more industrial than the other ports on this cruise. We did the Stone Island Beach Getaway excursion here. The beach is pretty and the water is nice. The waves were reasonable for body boarding, but you have to pay an extra rental fee to get one. There are outdoor freshwater showers available to rinse off the saltwater and sand. There is also a freshwater pool where you can swim if you don't like or get tired of the surf. The lunch included with the excursion was reasonably good. I especially enjoyed the fresh salsa. 
We had read reviews of this excursion, and heeded the advice to sit at the back of the carriage that is pulled by the tractor to get to the beach. This was very good advice. The sand and dust does get kicked up directly behind the tractor. 
The only really negative thing I have to say about this excursion is about the vendors. Getting off the ferry, there are a bunch of people with iguana's trying to get people to pose with them. My husband had a pet iguana, and knows the salmonella risk in handling them. No one mentions that, and before we knew it, someone had set an iguana on our son. There are also vendors at the beach area. There was a little store set up, which I don't mind at all. I didn't enjoy being chased down every time I left the water at the beach by a guy trying to sell me a sun dress. They were prominently displayed at the store area. If I wanted one, I would have walked over to browse. There were also vendors that went from table to table at lunch selling puzzles and bracelets. 


Mazatlan

We had booked the Marietas Islands Eco Adventure. On the day we were in Puerto Vallarta, we were docked alongside the Holland America Oosterdam and the Carnival Splendor. With the number of people and the number of boat excursions being operated by the same company, there was some confusion in where we were supposed to be. The staff member who was walking us from the pier to where we were supposed to board the boat told us to keep going and another staff member would meet us to guide us the rest of the way. That staff member never appeared. So once we got to the area where they were loading boats, there were lots of people waiting in lines, and no indication where we were supposed to line up. We ended up at the end of a line for a boat that couldn't hold all the people that were waiting. So we ended up on a different excursion (Wild Dolphins & Snorkeling offered through Carnival) operated by the same company. This confusion was the low point of the day. 
Being on a larger catamaran (not a little sailing catamaran), the experience was less personal than on the "Snorkel & Sail" in Cabo San Lucas. This wasn't a catamaran where people could sit/lay around on deck (or on the webbing in the front of the catamaran). So the boat ride itself wasn't really a highlight of the experience, as it had been in Cabo San Lucas. However, the crew on this boat was excellent. They served a light breakfast (fruit, pastries and coffee) as we departed. The snorkeling instruction was very good for those who hadn't snorkeled before. The guide giving the instruction was so entertaining that those of us who have snorkeled a lot didn't feel bored. The captain clearly knew where to find the dolphins, and we had a few "shows" of dolphins jumping and playing in the wake of the boat. The crew of the boat dancing on the way back was very entertaining. 
The islands are largely rocky, but there is a small beach. There are small boats to take you to the beach from the catamaran. The beach is very small, but beautiful. Be forewarned that this is not a swimming beach. There are rocks that stick out of the sand, and the surf is very rough. You also will be sandy on the way back. The beach is the last activity, and there is no opportunity to get back in the water to rinse off, and there is no hose on the boat with which to rinse. 


Puerto Vallarta

We spoke with other passengers that suggested that NCL makes the food in the main dining rooms so bad in order to get more people to pay extra for the specialty restaurants.Your options are to go to the dining room very early or very late to get in with a wait of about 10-15 minutes, wait in excess of 45 minutes for a table at a more normal dining time, or pay extra every day for a reservation in a specialty restaurant.

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