Calling all cruise enthusiasts! Cabo San Lucas awaits, but navigating its busy port and short shore time can be daunting. Fear not! This guide will equip you with the knowledge and tips to conquer Cabo like a seasoned pro.

As always, before I give you the details let’s learn a bit about Cabo so you know what to expect.

Cabo San Lucas

Nicknamed “Cabo,” it sits at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula. It was a quiet fishing village until a new paved road came about in the 1970s which opened Cabo to become the tourist town it is today.

Cabo has a small population of around 200,000, but the surrounding Los Cabos area, including San José del Cabo is close to 350,000 residents. The town itself is walkable, with most tourist attractions clustered around the marina and downtown area that was built to attract the tourists.

Why do people come to Cabo? It is a cruise stop first off, and it is best known for their beaches and the iconic El Arco “the arch” rock formation. Cabo does have world-class diving and snorkeling, sport fishing, and whale watching during migration season. 

Every Cruise company will be different as the come and go to each port. This is based off of the Carnival Miracle Cruise Ship.

So let’s dive into navigating your trip.

Planning Your Cabo Escape from the Cruise ship

Let’s start out with getting your tender tickets since this port requires a tender boat to get to shore. Make sure your tender boat, or what were told on the cruise we took that it called a “water shuttle”. Whatever they call it, make sure you get your tickets the day before your arrival. If the cruise ships says tickets are available from 5-8PM the night before then show up 5-10 minutes early you are looking for the first group to get off the boat. If it doesn’t matter when you get off, still show up and at least get a ticket. Now if you booked your tour through the ship, then you do not need to get a tender ticket and they will take care of that, just be ready to meet the morning at the right time and the right place on the ship.

Let’s say you got your tender ticket and you are in group 3. Just wait until they call your group and that is when you go to the boat exit and take your tender boat, shuttle, or water taxi. The smaller boat will take you 10 minutes to shore.

Let’s start with tours. If you are the type that wants to be safe and get back on the boat, pre-book your tours through the ship for guaranteed return times. Remember, the cruise waits for no one (except tours booked through the cruise ship). I seldom book anything through the cruise company as their prices are much higher and you don’t get the local experience most of the time. 

If I book something early, it would be from either of my two favorite places: Airbnb experiences and Get Your Guide. We have booked between the two of them over 25 tours.

We didn’t go to Cabo during whale season, but we still some a few whales from our cruise ship as we were pulling into the port. I also talked to many locals that said this is one of the best places for whale watching. So if you are looking for a great local experience I would highly recommend checking out some of these options.

The Pier

Once you get off your “water shuttle” you will go through a small Mexican military check point to check through your bag. After that the pier is buzzing with pushy vendors offering tours galore – dolphin tours, snorkeling, boats to the beach, boats, kayaks, paddle boards, or a pirate ship to the arch, and even camel tours. Their businesses are built on tourists so they will have every option imaginable and will have you back to the pier in time to catch the water shuttle, but just ensure their schedule aligns with your ship before you pay.

I do want to remind you, that this port had such little time on shore it was hard to squeeze a lot in. The first water shuttle was 10:30am and the last boat back was 5:15. Most of the tours start right by the pier and will take you back to the pier. It is not a large area that you have to worry about getting back to the boat unless you venture off to San José del Cabo. 

Next is where you navigate the pier. I want to warn you about this pier because it really is like walking the red carpet at the Oscar’s with you as the star. Everyone wants your attention, so brace yourself for a wall of pushy vendors. Just decline or keep walking – if you get them a second to look they will not leave you alone and they will talk you into something they offer, which is going to be much cheaper than the cruise excursions.

If you are like me and you are looking for souvenir shopping, this is one port with a huge market right off the pier. After the security inspection turn left and follow the sidewalk about 1 minute, and there is a large covered indoor flea market selling everything souvenir you can find in the city. Shirts, hats, hoodies, Mexican Vanilla, leather, magnets, and anything else that you need. 

Make sure if you shop here you haggle because they are expecting it. Now the prices can change, but I am going to share my experience in the fall of 2023.

I was looking for vanilla in a larger size (which you can take on the boat with no problem) they started trying to sell them at $35-$40 and by the time I get them down it is $25 and then I said I will go check out other vanilla prices they would say, “ok $20”. Now they say the vanilla is also a lower quality if you buy from someone else. Which they are almost all the same. We found one place that would sell the large ones for $10 but they are half the quality. That is up for you to decide. But I found the same vanilla in Rosorito Mexico a few years ago for $7 for the large size. It was authentic and high quality. But now most of them sell for $20 and you can buy two or three like i did and get them around $18 each. 

And clothing, if you are looking for hoodies they are selling at $40 and you can get them for $20 if you work the deals, but they are not great quality. T-shirts start at $20 and go down to $10 for a lot of them. As you walk away they tend to give you the most savings. So keep that in mind. 

Getting to the City

If you decide to walk to the city and explore, it is a short 5 minute walk to the city area. It is a tourist area that has restaurants on every corner, and so many shops all selling the same things and that gets to be a little boring even for the best shopper.

The hardest part about a new city is finding a place to eat, and you search a blog or Pinterest or ask on the boat. And places close, or are not what you expect. We picked a local place from asking the locals at each store. They all assumed we liked American food and sent us to the only American style food place and we should have realized it was not the right place when a gringo was working and it was showing football. 

What we needed to ask was where are the best tacos. A word of advice. If you are looking for a good place to eat on foot. Find one of the biker taxi drivers and ask them to take you to the best tacos in Cabo. You do not have to walk and it is cheap ride. 

If you want to tour around the city, we paid $40 for an hour bike taxi tour. Our driver asked us if we wanted to stop at local places. We saw a glass blowing store, a local ice cream shop and then took us to the their local beach and we got to walk around in the sand and water. 

Outside the city

If you are looking for something outside of the city, take a 40 min drive from Cabo to the Flora Farms. It is nestled in the foothills of the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains, a 25-acre organic working farm. A Farm to table experience, spa, grocery shopping and more. If you are looking for cooking classes there is no place better in the Cabo area since you would be cooking right in the heart of the farm. 

Returning to the Ship:

If you are in Cabo during a busy day in the port pay attention to your specific cruise line as the port can get crowded with multiple ships.

Remember, prepare for one final security screening before boarding your water shuttle back to the ship. You also have your cruise screening as always, and if you did purchase alcohol it must be left at the storage facility on the boat when you get to security, but your souvenir vanilla and sodas are welcome aboard.

Bonus Tips:

• Research Cabo in advance to identify specific interests and tailor your shore time accordingly.
• If you do not want to take a small boat to the Rock Arch but still want to see it, when you first arrive in the morning go on boat deck and capture your arch photos and you will get a great view.
• Carry cash for smaller purchases and haggling to get the best price (most of the shops do take credit card)
• Don’t be afraid to ask locals for recommendations – they’re often the best source of hidden gems!
• If you are Kayaking or paddle boarding to the iconic Cabo Rock Arch be prepared for bustling waters. It’s a fun experience, but consider alternatives if crowds aren’t your thing.

Whatever you do, we hope that you’ll create unforgettable memories on your Cabo cruise adventure.

¡Buen viaje!

As a Get Your Guide Affiliate I get a small portion from what you might book. And it is worth it.