Mexico's original seaside resort, Acapulco has enticed vacationers for more than half a century. The Kennedys and the Clintons honeymooned there, Elizabeth Taylor was married there, Placido Domingo and Danny DeVito have homes there, and other film stars have been relaxing beneath its palms since the heydays of Errol Flynn and Frank Sinatra. These days, Acapulco is bigger and, in some ways, better than ever.
The seaside city of Acapulco is also a backyard beach to residents of Mexico City (the national capital is just 250 mi/400 km away). As a result, Acapulco feels more authentically Mexican than resorts such as Cancun or Los Cabos, which are tailored to vacationers from abroad.
A playground that never sleeps, Acapulco is home to dazzling restaurants and decadent discos. Dine on sushi one night and posole (a regional specialty) the next. And if heavy metal and pulsing techno are not your thing, hold hands at a piano bar. But don't expect to get much sleep. The way to experience Acapulco is to dance all night, sleep half the day and fuel your body with sun and spicy foods in between.
Location
Cruise ships stopping in Acapulco sail into Acapulco Bay and tie up at a dock west of the hotel strip (also known as the Golden Zone) along the Costera Miguel Aleman, usually just called the Costera. There's room for two or three ships. When the berths are full, ships may anchor in the bay and tender passengers to the dock in smaller crafts.
A hospitality desk in the terminal building offers information to cruise-ship passengers; it's open whenever a ship is in port. Other services include a bar, handicrafts shop, a spot with Internet access and a fleet of taxis outside the terminal. From the dock, you can walk across the Costera and up to Fort San Diego on an overhead bridge that overlooks the cruise pier. Old Acapulco's main plaza, the Zocalo, is a five-minute walk northwest, but the main Costera tourist zone is much farther east—you may want to take a cab.
Shore Excursions
Consider signing up for the excursions offered by your ship. They may not be the least expensive way to see the city, but you won't have to waste your limited time making arrangements—and you won't have to worry about missing the ship. Shore excursions—and their prices—vary from cruise line to cruise line. Some will take you on a tour of the city's attractions and celebrity homes, some will explore nearby towns such as Taxco (if you are in port for more than one night), and some will engage your sense of adventure with deep-sea fishing or a trip up a river through the jungle by jet boat. Check with your ship's shore-excursion staff or your travel agent for additional information.
