About the Mazatlan Star. She is 29 years old and was built in Marseille, France. She is about 230 meters long. Kind of a strange layout, but she is really a truck and semi hauler.
Cost: 1078 Pesos per person each way. This includes dinner from 5 to 7pm and breakfast from 8 to 9am.
Meals included - Not gourment, but not un-edibile, either.
Dinner: meat, fish or chicken. With rice, beans and tortillas.
Breakfast: eggs with salchichas or machaca. With chilaquiles, beans and tortillas.
They sell fruit plates, juice, pop, beer, muffins and rolls, fruit, sabritas, etc.
Take your ticket with you to the meals to be scanned.
Cabins with windows and bathrooms: 770 Pesos The cabins are on the 6th deck and most look out onto life boats or air vents. Don't count on a view. The sheets are clean, there are reading lights, lots of hot water in the shower, shampoo and soap with towels provided. Don't plan on charging your cell phone, kindle, computer or camera while on the ferry. No plug ins. The carpet might not have been vacuumed recently, but better than I expected - cleanliness wise.
To take the truck: 2303 Pesos each way. Note: if you have a kayak rack or any type of rack on your truck, that is classified as a cargo carrier and has a different cost.
Depart LaPaz 5pm and arrive in Mazatlan about 10:30am.
Depart Mazatlan 4pm and arrive in LaPaz about 9 or so am.
Took us 3 hours to get through the Military Inspection XRay point!
Also the LaPaz ferry dock has some sort of longshoremen's union or something called API and they get you for 150 Pesos going and returning for using their facilities.
Also after the military inspection on the return to LaPaz, there is a 30 Pesos Agricultural spray - like the one in Guerrero Negro.
Mazatlan is easy to depart the ship and to board the ship and no extra costs. LaPaz is a nightmare.
Also, if for some reason you need to change your reservations, they will do that, but it is 180 Pesos per ticket. We had 3 tickets: Passenger, Auto and Operator and Cabin. So to change the reservations was 540 Pesos.
Also, cabins sell out fast. The non windowed cabins also have no bathrooms and have bunk beds.
There are big TV's in the salon and cafeteria going all the time. Beethoven, Toy Story - a big variety of viewing pleasure. Reception also rents DVD's.
Pets: the first pet is free. The second costs 105 Pesos each way. They do have a pet area now. You take your pet from the car and car deck, or if a walk on passenger - take to the reception area on the 5th deck. There is an elevator from the 3rd floor car deck (where walk on passengers arrive) to the 5th deck reception. From reception someone will guide you down the hall, through the salon and out on to the back deck. You go through a locked gate, down a flight and 1/2 of steep stairs, hang a short left. You are now back down on the 4th deck. There is a big open door, with 4 huge plastic installed, permanent crates with stainless steel bar doors. You can leave water with the pet in the crate, but no food. The door is left open all the time, so there is fresh air. At the end of the trip, do the same in reverse.
Also if you buy you ticket the day before you can get your auto permit the day before.
From the BajaNomad forums
