The third port on our Norwegian Mexican Riviera cruise was Cabo San Lucas. Before going on this cruise, it was Cabo San Lucas that I was most highly anticipating. After spending enjoyable days in Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, I wondered if Cabo San Lucas would be a disappointment, but it was anything but a disappointment!
Cabo was the only port in which we had arranged our excursion directly through Norwegian Cruise Lines and I am glad that we did so. The Norwegian Star had to tether in Cabo and those who had arranged their excursions directly with NCL were not required to take any special action to obtain a favorable time for tendering.
We made it to the dock well in advance of our excursion start time and took advantage of that to look at some of the stores that were just opening. There were quite a few people on the docks selling boat rides to the arch, whale watching, and other destinations. The majority of the cruise ship passengers seemed to be going on excursions that toured Cabo.
We had selected the Two Bay Snorkel by Zodiac excursion. It was impressive how much tour guide Fernando and Captain Julio were able to get in for us to do in the three hours from 9 am to 12 pm (the Cabo cruise day allows for less time for excursions to accommodate the long traverse back to Los Angeles). The speedy Zodiak was a big part of being able to fit so much in.
Fernando and Julio started by taking us out to the sites that Cabo is arguably best known for: the arch of Cabo San Lucas (El Arco/Land's End), Pelican Rock, Lover's Beach (Playa del Amor), and Divorce Beach (Playa del Divorcio, which connects the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Cortez [Gulf of California]). We only got to see these sites from the boat and only very briefly given the snorkeling on the schedule.
On the way to Santa Maria Cove and Chileno Bay, we stopped to watch humpback whales staying close to the surface.
After watching the whales for several minutes, we headed to Santa Maria Cove for snorkeling.
From Santa Maria Cove, we next went to Chileno Bay for more snorkeling.
After snorkeling, Captain Julio took us back to Cabo San Lucas port by going along and near the shore so that we could see the expansive beach more closely. We walked around the dock some more (now with numerous open restaurants), had a fruit-filled churro, and then rode the tether ships back to the cruise ship.
Cabo San Lucas's primary industry is tourism. I was impressed at all the aquatic activities there are to do there. Besides the snorkeling and whale watching we were able to do, there are multiple beautiful beaches, sea kayaking, banana boat riding, and para-sailing activities to readily enjoy. Sightseeing and photography around Land's End may be the most popular activity of all.
Cabo San Lucas has been ranked #2 on U.S. News and World Report's "Best Cheap Spring Break Destinations." I would love to return to Cabo with more than a portion of a cruise excursion day to enjoy more of what it has to offer.
