As the sun set over Puerto Vallarta, my husband and I set off across the Bay of Banderas for date night. There is an island where the 1964 film Night of the Iguana with Richard Burton and Ava Gardner was filmed. Now, the island is decorated with thousands of torches and lanterns for a special dinner evening. We took a rocky ship ride across the bay and were greeted by winding paths of torches to an outdoor amphitheater built into the jungle, There, we saw an incredible display of acrobats, musicians and other performers in the style (and talent) of a Cirque de Soleil performance.
After the performance, we were lead to a candlelit table for two and had a lovely dinner under the stars with fresh fish, salsas, beans, grilled vegetables, tortillas, rice and more. Since the show lasted until nearly 10pm, I was famished and thankful for the buffet of local selections.
After a bumpy ride over, I was dreading a bit the return trip across the bay. It took about an hour to get over and I was tired and ready for sleep. However, the on board guide had promised us some excitement if we chose to stay downstairs on the ship on the ride home (while upstairs was reserved for those who wanted to rest). We decided we might as well give it a try. My only regret was that they handed out comment cards for us to complete before what happened next and it was, far and away, the highlight of our evening.
The ship crew including the guide, bartender, safety officer and first mate put on the most phenomenal impromptu show with impersonations, dancing, lip syncing and magic. All were truly fantastic. Though their jobs were ship crew, they could have each had their own show in Las Vegas. Among the stellar 'cast', the safety officer was the most entertaining of the bunch. He provided a spot on near perfect imitation of Prince with lip syncing, dancing, facial expressions and interactions with those of us in the audience that were so perfectly Prince that I almost forgot I was watching an act. He kept in character with mannerisms that made us all howl with laughter and the ride back to shore flew by, making me wish it was longer so that I could see it all again!
Adventure Life has been an extraordinary travel resource for us over the years and today was no exception. Our River Cruise booking was handled by Jess (who has been our personal trip planner for several years) the same day as our inquiry. Suggestions were given for cabin choice and pre-trip options (that were not shown on the cruise line's website) like airport transfers and prepaid gratuities. Trip insurance recommendations followed and we were assigned a travel co-ordinator till the end of the tour. All we have to do is show up! Great service from friendly folks.
APtravelwell
1 day ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
1 day ago
Although there was a lot of paper work, I received help and guidance when I needed it.
Donna Kirby
2 days ago
Our travel was flawless! The rider pickup (airport, hotel, ship) was seamless. Jane's recommendation for Emerald Cruise Sakara was everything I wanted but the experience was soooo much more. Adventure Life took care of each and every detail and this was the easiest of all my travels.
Anne Petty
3 days ago
Follow up was effective any questions were answered in a timely manner