Traveler Reviews

• Peggy_c 09-Jul-2023

  The individual attention from the pirates for each family. The photographer captured so many great moments The food was excellent. Snorkeling and riding the banana boat at the beach we could have Kayak too but choose to hang on the beautiful beach. The Pirate show and the games for the kids snd adults was very entertaining. We had a 5 snd 17 year old and they both had alot of fun.

• Stay35801763676 27-Apr-2023

  It was good. The most time you spend on the ship, but the show is good and the ship itself is cool. Snorkeling depends on the season I believe, we eere unlucky with seaweed bloom. OK with food and drinks.

• Karen M 16-Apr-2023

  We did the day trip with our son and his family ( 2 boys 6 and 8 ) and had a great time. The staff is very organized once you understand the system. Upon checkin you are but into a small group and have your personal pirate. Our pirate was named Floky and he guides you through when to eat and line up etc. They do fun contests and a full pirate batlle on the way to Majuitas beach. At the beach Floky helped get us set up in chairs, THey have a lot of fun activities for the kids and the banana boat for all ages. Open Bar tip order tequila shots to add to your drinks. All sounds corny but we had a great time! Also the food is OK too

• Nathaniel_h 24-Nov-2022

  Check out this review of Pirate Ship Vallarta on Tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g150793-d1575698 -r869517701-Pirate_Ship_Vallarta-Puerto_Vallarta.html

• Tortilla_joez 18-Oct-2022

  Poor experience, mostly forgotten by personal pirate during experience. Ship smelled like a dirty locker and kids could barely stomach eating on the ship. Show was kinda funny, and the beach was nice, but at the end of the tour my personal pirate took my tip that was meant for the whole crew and said it was for him. Like a true pirate! Pretty lame, would not go again.

• Jamie_g 25-Aug-2022

  This is cute for ages 8 and below and should be marketed as that age limit. The biggest reason for the rating is you MUST fluently speak Spanish inorder to fully enjoy the experience and understand instructions. Grey Line & Viator sell it as English, and the ship itself may claim its bilingual, but about 90% is in pure Spanish with about 10% repeated in English. They don't even consider your language when assigning your group or Pirate. The check in process and intin is not well communicated by Grey Line Tours at all. You just need to figure out when to show up and how to navigate the terminal. Generally Speaking, you can show up as early as 7:45am but you must be checked in by 9am. There is a building OUTSIDE of the Marina you need to go to for check in and paying port fees. Port fees are NOT INCLUDED though the trip through Viator says they are. It is only 30 Pesos per person however. Also, you must have an ID with you. Once aboard, you get crammed in with lots of people very tightly. There is little air and its HOT with all the people. You sit at dock for a couple hours before actually leaving, but have the opportunity to eat breakfast at somepoint in the window. The mess hall area for eating is tough. It smells horrible (non-food smells) and is very hot...you need to muster through for both Breakfast and Lunch. Once you depart, the trip is slow. The pirate show itself is cute, and the younger ages loved it. Though it is mostly in Spanish you can get the gist as a non-speaker. Once you are almost to the island, this is where it breaks down. Hardy any of the instructions are repeated in English and you are not sure what you are in for...You will need to ask other tourists for help. Snorkeling: You need to commit to snorkeling on the ship, and they inform you on the boat that you must be able to swim 250 meters to do this. I didn't know how big that was but figured its can't be that bad. IT IS! It took about 15 minutes of straight swimming to do this, but they only give you 10 mins for snorkeling. If you are going to do this, you really should demand a lifejacket that fits properly. (They hand them out at the begining just randomly.) The other issue with snorkeling, you are unable to take ANYTHING to the island. No towel, camera, money, etc as they drop you in the water and your stuff you have to leave on the ship. Maybe, if your pirate is attentative and /or speaks your language you could ask they bring to the island for you, but we rarely saw ours. Anyhow, the fish are plentiful, they feed them to ensure you get to see a lot, but causes for a lot of fish waste in the water. There are no colorful corals/reefs really to look at. Island: This is open bar and probably the main draw. You are given chairs that your Pirate services (if they are not assigned to an activity). There were banana boat rides, and some games....mainly tug of war. We did NOT do the treasure hunt as it was clear it was for 5yrs and below. Other than that its sitting and day drinking. After about 2 hours on the island, its time to depart. You load up on the ship, get crammed in again, and then each pirate group gets called down for lunch. Lunches were ok, but the smell of the hull is so tough. There is no real show for the ride back once your lunch is done, but they do have the kids play games which are cute and entertaining. Final notes: Wear your swimsuits (no good changing areas on ship, bathroom stalls are small). Bring non-sprayable sunscreen (you are crammed in so tightly there is no way to use spray). Bring snacks and/money for theirs. Bring coins to tip bathroom lady. Skip the experience if your child is over the age of 8.

• Erica_l 09-Aug-2022

  We had a great time and the staff went above and beyond! It was fun and entertaining the whole time as well as we felt safe the whole trip.

• Edline_m 18-Jul-2022

  Such a great experience for solo, couples, family, friends Such great people !!! Food was so good, the island, cruise & entertainment on board

• Alex S 12-Jul-2022

  The cruise started out a bit slow, meaning it took awhile to get people organized, etc, but once things got underway, we had a blast! The staff did an amazing job keeping everyone happy and engaged! Thanks so much!

• Betsy_c 21-Jun-2022

  This is a long day! But If you can handle that this is a great activity for families with kids I would say 8 and up. Definitely fun for teens too. The show is cheesy at times but they are so funny it makes up for it. But the little ones could hang too if needed- The customer service is 100! You are assigned your own “pirate” for the day and they take amazing care of you making sure you have drinks, food etc. Our pirate “Dragon” was excellent and gracious and took note that our child has sensory issues and is a picky eater and offered us accommodations. Our ticket included full lunch and breakfast. You travel to a remote beach. A few things to note- bring your own towels and extra snacks for the kids. Get rest the day before and after. There’s also plenty of drinks all day if that’s your thing.