Beach Time/ Alligator and the Pirate Ship Marigalante
Today we enjoyed all the beaches of Puerto Vallarta have to offer. The water temperatures and waves are perfect for boogie boarding and I spent much of the day riding the waves again and again. As a mom of 4, I seldom get out of my head and bouncing in the waves was a perfect way to shut down my worries.
Puerto Vallarta is home to a replica of the Columbus ship Santa Maria. The ship has traveled across the Atlantic and has settled into the port of Puerto Vallarta where they host evening pirate shows, traveling out into Banderas Bay for a dinner cruise. Every family is assigned a personal pirate and ours, Alligator, was exquisite.
My mom tends to walk much slower than my 6 ft tall kids and quickly gets left behind. Alligator immediately noticed her in the back of the group approaching the ship and said 'this will never do'. For the rest of the evening, she was 'Mi Esposa' (his wife) and he personally escorted her everywhere. She was beaming!
Onboard the pirates were fantastic musicians including a violinist who could give Lindsey Stirling a run for her money. Dinner was less exciting, but the ambiance traveling in the hull of a pirate ship with lively musicians was unbeatable.
All around, the staff were incredible and they even let my son drive the ship!
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.