What is Manta Cruise Ship Port Like?
MANTAS MODERN CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER TERMINAL
We have heard some very interesting accounts of what some ports are like around the world. Some good, Some Bad, Some truly terrible. Thank the powers that be that Manta has one of the nicest port terminals in all of South America. So nice in fact that it has one several awards for the service as well as the architecture of the modern building. Our clients are always pleasently surprised when the arrive for the Day tour or shore excursion in Manta. Here we will explain a little about what the Manta Port area is like and what to expect when you get here.
Manta´s port is a very busy place. The tuna industry is one of the biggest in the world here so the harbour is always full of large purse sieni The other main use of the port are the giant car carriers. Every imported car into the country rolls off these mammoth vessels and into Manta. Then of course we have the cruise ships. Pre-Pandemic the port was really starting to get busy with nearly 30 ships a year. In 2023 we are set to receive around 24 cruise ships.
What happens when you dock in Manta?
The Cruise ships always docks at one of the seaward quays, so you will be a long walk tothe main street. Thankfully the port authority (Terminal Portuario Manta or “TPM”) do a great job of organizing shuttle bus services to and from the ship to the passenger terminal. I really like the wau they go the extra mile to ensure shuttle buses run all day. Even if there is only 1 o 2 passengers aboard each time. They stove to make getting on an off the ship as quick and easy as possible. Special thanks to Isamar and Kimberly at the TPM for all their great work. The logistics of receiving thousands of tourists is no small order.
Where do the Shuttle buses go?
The buses will take you the 2 or 3 minutes along the Quay straight to the Award winning Cruise ship assenger terminal (Terminal de Cruceros). As you can see in the photo above the bus will park right outside the passenger entrance and you can walk straight in. This is the best bit. If you have booked a day tour or shore excursion in Manta with us, We will be waiting for you right in fron of the door in our Red Manta Tour Guides Uniforms and Panama Hats. From that moment on you can relax and enjoy your day. We will take care of everything.
Foto MTG uniforms in terminal
What is the passenger terminal like?
This modern building is very nice, well air conditioned, big open space. On tour days they will have a sample of different local products for sale such as panama hats, T-shirts, coffee etc. Some of the products are very nice and fairly priced. I would recommend going further afield for the best deals though. For example the true home of the Panama hat is in Monticriti, just 25 minutes away. We take virtually all of our day tour and shore excursion tourists to Monticristi to see the amazing process of these handmade products. To see more details about our Day tours to Monticristi please click here.
if you are interested in learning more about the historic headwear have a read of our most popular blog, “how to buy a panama hat and not get ripped off.”
You will find a nice coffee shop at one end as well as some very nice public toilets. Not something so easy to find in the rest of Ecuador. Free public WIFI is available in the terminal for passengers and we will give you the password on the day of your tour as it changes for every ship.
Difference between MTG and competitors
Where are all the tour operators?
One of the major differences between Manta Tour Guides and the other tour operators is we are usually the only ones that pay to have a Kiosk in the passenger terminal. This means our clients can wait for the group to finish arriving in comfort and security. It pains me to see many tourists that have booked tours with competitors forced to wait outside in the street. Between the baking Sun, honking traffic and street souvenir peddlers, I think this is a terrible way to start a tour. We also pay the fees to get our buses into the passenger terminal car park so the group can board with ease. I mus have for many passengers with mobility issues.
What its like outside the terminal?
Walk a few steps out side the passenger terminal and you will pass through the security guards checkpoint. THis is the main street or avenue connecting the north and south of Manta, Specifically the Malecon esenica. A 5 lane very busy road running along the edge of the bay, past the port and the beach. So you get a lot of traffic from the bustling port as well as the beach and general through-traffic.
You can turn left and walk perhaps 200 meters (about 650 feet) to the cities modern and well equipped shopping center the MALL DEL PACIFICO. Great if you need to pick up something from the drug store, supermarket or anything you would normally find in a Mall. The main beach is right in front of the Mall, with some mediocre restaurants and cheap souvenirs on sale.
I wouldn´t recommend turning left. you will have a long walk past the port shipping and fishing industry entrances until eventually getting to the Plaxa civica and small park Parque de la Madre.
Safety concerns
Please remember that Ecuador is a developing country with a lot of poverty and street crime. Minimum wage here is around $400 a month for full time employment so if you are walking around with thousands of dollars of jewelry, Iphones and watches between the members of your group, you may be asking for trouble.
Please be careful with taxis. We often see cruise ship passengers take a cab and get dumped at one of the local attractions with no guide, no reservation or entrance ticket and a lost look on their faces. Just last month we rescued a group of 4 cruise ship passengers who got a Taxi out to Pacoche rainforest. The could not get into the national reserve as it was fully booked with groups of pre-booked doy tours. Worst of all there are no taxis out there to get back. So they had to wait until we finished our tour, then we had to squeeze them into one of our buses and take them back to the city center.
2023 Cruise timetable
Arrivals | Departures |
1.718 passengers | 1.718 passengers |
11 Jan 2023 – 05:00 | 11 Jan 2023 – 20:00 |
540 passengers | 540 passengers |
13 Jan 2023 – 08:00 | 13 Jan 2023 – 18:00 |
779 passengers | 779 passengers |
14 Jan 2023 – 05:00 | 14 Jan 2023 – 18:00 |
540 passengers | 540 passengers |
17 Jan 2023 – 12:00 | 17 Jan 2023 – |
408 passengers | 408 passengers |
19 Jan 2023 – 05:30 | 19 Jan 2023 – 20:00 |
803 passengers | 803 passengers |
29 Jan 2023 – 05:00 | 29 Jan 2023 – 18:00 |
2.258 passengers | 2.258 passengers |
17 Feb 2023 – | 17 Feb 2023 – |
781 passengers | 781 passengers |
17 Feb 2023 – 11:00 | 17 Feb 2023 – 17:30 |
1.447 passengers | 1.447 passengers |
24 Mar 2023 – 08:00 | 24 Mar 2023 – 19:00 |
3.214 passengers | 3.214 passengers |
27 Mar 2023 – 10:00 | 27 Mar 2023 – 19:00 |
2.429 passengers | 2.429 passengers |
02 Apr 2023 – 05:00 | 02 Apr 2023 – 19:00 |
2.712 passengers | 2.712 passengers |
06 Apr 2023 – 08:00 | 06 Apr 2023 – 18:00 |
2.400 passengers | 2.712 passengers |
24 Aug 2023 – 05:00 | 06 Apr 2023 – 19:00 |
1.718 passengers | 2.400 passengers |
14 Oct 2023 – 08:00 | 24 Aug 2023 – 18:00 |
2.429 passengers | 1.718 passengers |
23 Nov 2023 – 05:00 | 14 Oct 2023 – 22:00 |
3.214 passengers | 2.429 passengers |
10 Dec 2023 – 05:00 | 23 Nov 2023 – 19:00 |
1.447 passengers | 3.214 passengers |
14 Dec 2023 – 08:00 | 10 Dec 2023 – 19:00 |
728 passengers | 1.447 passengers |
15 Dec 2023 – 08:00 | 14 Dec 2023 – 18:00 |
829 passengers | 829 passengers |
15 Dec 2023 – 08:00 | 15 Dec 2023 – 18:00 |
3.420 passengers | 728 passengers |
16 Dec 2023 – 08:00 | 15 Dec 2023 – 19:00 |
