Islas Marietas Bahia Alegre - 48333 Puerto Vallarta

Crucero Bahia Alegre: The boat was super crowded and there were no covid safety protocols being followed. We headed to first destination which was snorkeling at Arcos water was super murky and we were only snorkeling for a bout 15 minutes vns fire we were rounded up to wait for a boat to take us back to shore. The waiting at the island is too long my son had fun jet skiing but mostly we just sat on the beach and waiting for boat to come back. At the end of the day you could clearly see that there was a huge storm coming over the mountains towards the boat. The captain of he would of been putting the safety of passengers first would of sped up the boat and stopped the giant drunken party. But he did not and we ended up on the ocean in the middle of a tropical storm. It was the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced as we were being tossed about like rag dolls that captain made no announcements or attempts to ensure safety of his passengers. People were screaming and crying and I hit my head, arm and back which caused his huge bruising when the first swell pushed all of the cheap plastic chairs and people into a pile on one side of the boat and the next giant swell pushed us all the the other side of the boat. The staff never handed out life vests or checked on those of us that were obviously hurt I was bleeding. Instead they joked and danced. I will never go on a excursion like this again. Just glad we all made it back ashore my sunglasses along with many other peoples valuables went overboard.

In a summary, this trip is a complete, unabashed scam. If you're sold this trip by someone saying it has "bottomless drinks, an unlimited buffet, and exciting excursions," you're being lied to. When you enter Puerto Magico, you have your picture taken as well as before you board the catamaran; which costs two hundred pesos to buy each photograph. Everyone also has to pay an additional, undisclosed port fee. Onboard the catamaran, seating is made up of almost a hundred plastic lawn chairs placed right beside another, making for an uncomfortable two and a half hour journey, not to mention the slow pitching of the boat in the swell which caused multiple people to get seasick. Our breakfast was scrambled eggs and chilaquiles, which was satisfactory, but far from "unlimited," similar story with the lunch (burgers and potato chips) served a whole six hours later. Don't worry if you get hungry between breakfast and lunch, you can always buy snacks onboard for fifty pesos, which is incredible because of the promised "unlimited food." Snorkelling was boring and not worth the time it took to travel out to the islands, especially since we did it for about fifteen minutes. Afterword, we were dropped off at a beach which was interesting to walk around and look in all the little caves. Our final activity was kayaking and paddleboarding, where we were only allowed to stay right beside the boat, not exactly fun, because the paddle I was handled was poorly fixed and broke in half as soon as I tried to row. Next, guests could choose if they wanted to go for an "eco-tour" which cost an additional twelve hundred pesos. Unimpressed by the experience this far, we decided to sit it out, which was boring because the staff would not serve alcohol until we were underway, so we had to sit and wait in the hot sun for an hour and a half doing nothing. On the way back the drinks were mediocre but at least bottomless. Before getting into port, the crew went around with bottles requesting tips with a suggestive two hundred peso bill in the bottom. It was fairly deceptive, as they held the bottle inches from your face making you obligated to tip. Crew had really bad management skills, didn't balance people on either side of the boat so it developed a small list with everyone on one side. Also, for the second half of the trip after the snorkelling, we had no life jackets near us, which was incredibly unsafe. In the end, a final cherry on top was the captain smoking the dock upon arrival, nothing serious just an amusing summary of the trip.

Regardless which tour, about a 2hr boat ride there and 2hr back minimum. However they blasted the loudest most insufferable level of music on both trips. . I just want to relax after spending my energy at the islands. Instead - they blasted your ear drums to death on BOTH rides. The boat ride with fresh breeze was great, spacious, and had shade from the sun. The level of sound/music was INSUFFERABLE.

Bahia Alegre and Shamballah offer great trips to the Marietas for very affordable prices! The trip was fun, on time and informative, and full of good food and drink! The Shamballah staff provided excellent customer service! Bonus was the whales and dolphins spotted on the way out and way back! I booked the trip through Chon's Tours across the street from Puerto Magico (by the gas station) and Dario was extremely helpful. All staff take extra steps to make sure passengers are safe at all times. There's plenty of options -- snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboard and going to the hidden beach once the boat arrives at the Marietas. The islands are really fascinating and the crew shares a lot of good information. The bar opens once the island activities are over, along with lunch which is excellent, by the way, and the trip back to port is leisurely and very relaxing. I would recommend this trip to anyone!

Do not use this tour!!! The crew is not professional at all...Mariettas Island hidden beach is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays...The food was not fresh or great. The snorkeling was not a great place to see any fish at all...The crew just wants you to get drunk and play loud music!!! The boat takes two hour's to get to the island and two hours back...Save yourself and don't use this service !!!

19 April 2022 took the tour, Paid for pictures. Crew stated pictures would be available that night through a link via email. Pictures or link did not arrive, not in spam either. By the next night they had not arrived either. It’s been 5 days Tried contacting company, but no answer. I feel I got scammed for a service I did not receive! It’s been a week and still no reply no answer and issue has not been resolved they stole my money. Food is not buffet as advertised. You can either pick a plate of fresh fruit yogurt and 1 pancake OR 1 flat plate of chilaquiles and scrambled eggs. Chilaquiles are covered in a tomato sauce that is very runny plate is flat, boat is rocking so several of us ended up covered in the sauce. You don’t get both. Guides stated included food at the beach would be served at a certain time, took an our to be served a very bland plate of beef fajitas. When we arrived at the beach the boats carrying you off loaded at a dock easy enough To leave the beach however was different, they lined you up on the beach out on the sun and boat would be driven onto the beach/water and they had you go into the water and have you climb into the boat. Waited approximately 30-40 minutes standing to be loaded. Dock was a few steps away and not occupied or being used. Update 5/05/2022. Still can not get in touch with company Municipal information center where I got the tour package has been very helpful and he has not been able to contact company

Multiple people told me this is the best option for a company. However - Price on the beach is verbally confirmed upon arrival but beware the "eco tax" for Marietas. 100 pesos plus port fee of 29 pesos. 2.5 hour slow boat ride to the unorganized snorkeling area among multiple families and kids crying and whining. I was misinformed about how much time we could spend snorkeling. 30 mins tops with an uncomfortable life jacket that rides up your neck in the water. Then we're sent to a small with amazing water but crazy current. The private beach that I was sold on when I signed up- it was closed on Tuesdays which doesn't make sense. They then offered a eco tour of the islands that would replace that fo an extra 200 pesos. The crew is super friendly and the chef made great food and great happy hour drinks on the way home. The water and view are beautiful but wished I had booked a more private tour with a smaller group. Good luck!

AVOID THIS COMPANY. We did a tour last week on the SHAMBALLA and the catamaran broke down in the middle of the bay. We were stranded for 3 hours on the water. They had no control and the waves were tossing us around. The pilot fell out of his chair. What did they do? They told us over and over to just "get drunk". They minimized the problem. Terrible communication. Compensation? NONE. Apologies? NONE. My wife and kids were terrified. OK - the above is for the owners of this company. From our experience, they don't care about their customers. But I don't want the crew to be punished. The guide was great. The food was decent. The activities were well organized. If the catamaran was properly maintained, we would have had a good day.