Terminal Marítima de Puerto Vallarta

The Terminal Marítima is Puerto Vallarta's seaport and cruise-ship terminal, on the north side of the city between Marina Vallarta and the hotel zone, about 5 km north of downtown along Avenida Francisco Medina Ascencio. It is run by ASIPONA Puerto Vallarta, the federal port authority under the Mexican Navy, and is one of the busiest cruise ports on Mexico's Pacific coast, a regular stop on the "Mexican Riviera" itineraries out of Long Beach and San Diego.

The port has three cruise berths, numbered 1 to 3, assigned to each ship by its length and draught, so on busy days three large ships can be alongside at once. On November 25, 2025, for example, the Norwegian Jade, the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Carnival Panorama arrived together with more than 13,000 people on board. The terminal received 171 cruise calls in 2025, up from 167 in 2024, and between January and November 2025 the port handled a million passengers including those on local excursion boats. In September 2026 the federal tourism and navy ministries announced plans for a new 95,000-square-metre terminal with three cruise berths and separate embarkation and disembarkation areas, aimed at making Vallarta a home port where cruises begin and end.

For passengers the port is a gateway rather than a sight: you walk out onto the main avenue, where taxis, tour buses and city buses wait. Directly across the road are a big Walmart, where the buses to Sayulita and San Francisco stop, and the local neighbourhoods of Aramara and La Aurora, with a busy market selling fresh fish and seafood and stands serving tacos, tortas and fruit. Marina Vallarta's boardwalk is a short walk north, and downtown and the Malecón are 15-20 minutes away by taxi or bus.