Mexican Rivera cruise

[HydroAngel831]

My husband and I were talking about going on a cruise to Mexico and we had a few questions. What is the best ship to take? Is it worth it to have balcony for a Mexican cruise? When is the best time of the year to go? Lastly is there anything there that we should not miss?

 

Liz and Dale

[RickEk]

My husband and I were talking about going on a cruise to Mexico and we had a few questions. What is the best ship to take? Is it worth it to have balcony for a Mexican cruise? When is the best time of the year to go? Lastly is there anything there that we should not miss?

 

Liz and Dale

 

At this point, Sapphire Princess is the only Princess ship making the Mexican Riviera run from LA save for a few voyages on Sea Princess from SF.

[Pam in CA]

My husband and I were talking about going on a cruise to Mexico and we had a few questions. What is the best ship to take? Is it worth it to have balcony for a Mexican cruise? When is the best time of the year to go? Lastly is there anything there that we should not miss?

Personally, I think it's worth having a balcony. The first day or so leaving San Pedro and returning might be a bit too chilly to spend much time out there but for the rest of the cruise, you'll use it a lot. At least I do.

 

I don't think there are a lot of ship options for the standard 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise. The Sapphire is the only one doing this itinerary. I happen to like the Sapphire and am booked on her on a 10-day Mexican Riviera cruise in January.

 

To me, Cabo is always amazing.

 

The best tour I've ever taken on a Mexican Riviera cruise was the "Swim with Sea Lions" in Puerto Vallarta. Loved it.

[lovevacadays]

When are you thinking about going? I've cruised there 8 times. My last 4 were on the Sapphire Princess. I love that ship. There are others who really like RCCL's Mariner of the Seas. I think she's leaving the West Coast at some point but not sure when.

 

I find the best time to go is between December and February - skip about a month and a half because of Spring Break and then end of April into May is good as well.

 

What kind of things do you like to do? I've been on lots of different kinds of excursions typically depending on who I was traveling with.

 

In Puerto Vallarta one of my favorite excursions was one offered by Princess that was a Mercedes all terrain vehicle that took you to the villages outside of PV, to a jungle to hike, and then to a private beach for lunch. On the way back they cracked open the tequila bottles and many got toasted. I also really love Las Caletas in PV.

 

In Mazatlan, any tour with Mazatlan Frank would be good but I really like his full day city tour and lunch at Tony's on the Beach. A fabulous way to see Mazatlan and get a better appreciation for this city than many, many cruisers do not.

 

In Cabo, I just actually love the beauty of Cabo. I happen to really love marinas and you tender in Cabo and end up in the marina area with a great view of Los Arcos on one side and Medano Beach the other way. There are many good restaurants there. It's fun to take a boat ride over to Los Arcos. You can do that by water taxi (glass bottom boat) or most snorkeling, kayaking etc excursions will go by there. Also, if you are there in whale watching season (Jan-Mar) it is fun to go whale watching.

 

I also love having a balcony for this cruise (well any cruise)

 

Hope you decide to go. I love Mexico!

[HydroAngel831]

When I looked on princess website says that the Coral, Sea, Sapphire and Island princess all go to mexico?

[Pam in CA]

When I looked on princess website says that the Coral, Sea, Sapphire and Island princess all go to mexico?

The Coral and Sea Princess offer Panama Canal cruises. The Coral/Island goes between Ft. Lauderdale and San Pedro or partial Panama Canal cruises R/T out of Ft. Lauderdale. The Sea Princess has only two cruises scheduled that go to Mexico; these are a 10-day R/T out of San Francisco and a Ft. Lauderdale to S.F. 15-day cruise. These are not your standard 7-day "Mexican Riviera" cruises.

 

Were you thinking of a 10- or 15-day Panama Canal cruise that includes Mexico? It wasn't clear from your original post.

[chasetf]

When I looked on princess website says that the Coral, Sea, Sapphire and Island princess all go to mexico?

Coral and Island are making reposition cruises from FL to CA. They just stop in Mexico along the way. The Sea is also doing a repo, but in 2010 they are doing a one-of SF 10 day RT.

 

So the Sapphire will have the most options.

 

(Pam must be a faster typer.) ;)

[2fercruzin]

My husband and I were talking about going on a cruise to Mexico and we had a few questions. What is the best ship to take? Is it worth it to have balcony for a Mexican cruise? When is the best time of the year to go? Lastly is there anything there that we should not miss?

 

Liz and Dale

 

Hi Liz & Dale,

 

We love the 7 day Mexican Riviera which is on the Sapphire Princess.

 

To us a balcony is a waste in Mexico, not really a scenic route, but it depends upon what you like to do on a cruise. We enjoy being with other people out at the pool or at an indoor activity. We are always doing something and have found we have little time in our cabin, much less on a balcony. The only time we really used our balcony was in Alaska and there it's a must.

We have been in February, May, September and December and have never had a bad cruise weatherwise. September was rather warm & humid, but not unbearable.

Not to miss . . . thousands of ideas pop into ones mind. PV has a great City tour with a stop at a tequila manufacturer for tasting and then a fiesta lunch with folkloric entertainment. Fantastic! If you're looking for adventure, they also have great ziplining at Los Veranos. Mazatlan is a good stop for Randi's Happy Horses. It's on Stone Island and you walk, trot or gallop (your choice) your way down the beach on the gentlest horses I've seen. Afterwards you stop at Victor's for a free soda or beer and you can purchase a lunch (the grilled shrimp are to die for). Cabo is great just to walk around and stop for a drink while looking out over the waterline at Los Arcos and Lover's Beach. All sorts of water activities are available (we are partial to the snorkeling) or do a walk on the bottom of the Sea of Cortez with a Helmet Dive. (No diving experience required).

Whatever you do & whenever you go please enjoy yourselves :)

Patti

[Working 2 Cruise]

We love the 7 day Mexican Riviera which is on the Sapphire Princess.

 

:)

 

Patti

 

Patti, there you are! My husband has been asking if you were going to be on our upcoming cruise! Unfortunately, I had to say no, that you will be on the same one, albeit later on... Hope all is well with you!

[hydrodriver831]

My husband and I were talking about going on a cruise to Mexico and we had a few questions. What is the best ship to take? Is it worth it to have balcony for a Mexican cruise? When is the best time of the year to go? Lastly is there anything there that we should not miss?

 

Liz and Dale

 

Liz and Dale,

 

Let us know when you are going. We would love to join you.:D

[kath00]

We took Mariner of the Seas down in March and had an amazing time. The ship is gorgeous and the food was superb! So much so that we are going again for Thanksgiving. However, the Mariner is leaving in January 2011 permanently.

 

I love Princess (and the Sapphire especially) but I truly enjoyed the Mariner cruise. The food was superb, the shows were amazing (especially the ice show) and yes, there is an ice rink, which we ended up using way more than you would think 2 grown adults would use! ;)

 

I think a Carnival ship is also an option out of LA to MX but I am not a big Carnival fan...

 

We will be on the Sapphire in December, barely a month after we get back from Mexico, to take the short 4 night cruise around LA and Santa Barbara.

 

Oh, and I disagree with whomever said a balcony is not necessary. The weather was gorgeous and we had breakfast on our balcony every morning. We spent many evenings just sitting out and chatting too!

 

Katherine

[ASeaPrincess1]

We took Mariner of the Seas down in March and had an amazing time. The ship is gorgeous and the food was superb! So much so that we are going again for Thanksgiving. However, the Mariner is leaving in January 2011 permanently.

 

I love Princess (and the Sapphire especially) but I truly enjoyed the Mariner cruise. The food was superb, the shows were amazing (especially the ice show) and yes, there is an ice rink, which we ended up using way more than you would think 2 grown adults would use! ;)

 

I think a Carnival ship is also an option out of LA to MX but I am not a big Carnival fan...

 

We will be on the Sapphire in December, barely a month after we get back from Mexico, to take the short 4 night cruise around LA and Santa Barbara.

 

Oh, and I disagree with whomever said a balcony is not necessary. The weather was gorgeous and we had breakfast on our balcony every morning. We spent many evenings just sitting out and chatting too!

 

Katherine

I will be on the Sapphire cruise with you, Kathy, and I do have to whole-heartedly agree with you about Mariner.

 

I have only been on Golden, which is a beautiful ship, and I imagine that Sapphire is very much like it.

However, Mariner is such an amazing experience, that I would highly recommend it, especially now that she is being yanked out of LA.

 

Whatever ship OP chooses, I am sure she will have a wonderful time.

(PS. yes, a balcony; better yet, a center hump on Mariner....:D)

[Dani24]

We've done this itinerary twice. The first time was on the Sapphire. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for that ship. I wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again.

 

On our first MR cruise we had an obstructed oceanview. The next one (on the Golden) we had a balcony (we got a free upgrade). While the balcony was definitely nice, I wouldn't consider it a "must" by any means. I'd only do a balcony again on that itinerary if it were a free or cheap upgrade.

 

There's really not a whole lot to see while sailing (the ship is usually pretty far from land except for a few points along Baja California, and even then there's nothing exciting to look at).

 

I remember there being tons of space on the decks of the Sapphire to run around and stretch out. We had no problem finding semi-private areas to hang out up on deck on the Sapphire. And sure, it can be nice to hang out on the balcony -- but many of them aren't private (people can look down at you), and you could wind up with noisy or smoking neighbors (we've had both problems) that make the balcony feel unusable. Plus if you're a pretty active person or anticipate that you may be joining in activities around the ship, it may go largely unused.

 

Having meals on the balcony is certainly nice too but not something I'd fork over a lot of extra money for. You can just as easily grab food from the buffet and find a nice spot to sit up on deck. And if you're more likely to hit the buffet or dining room for your meals than order room service (from the very limited menu), then why spend a lot of money for something you "could" be doing but actually won't be doing?

[DiRon]

"To each, his own" - but personally I love balconies and especially to Mexico. Depending on when you travel you will see so much wildlife, from turtles to whales to porpoise and flying fish and the diving sea birds. Also, for us there is nothing like just the sound of the wake from the bow or the stern while sitting on your own quiet and peaceful balcony with a good book and a glass of wine.

 

However, we all have different likes, dislikes and priorities - that's what makes the world go round - so just be sure to enjoy whatever you decide to do.

[Careg]

Fur us we love the fresh sea air and a balcony at minimum is required.

[gymjunkie]

It is always worth it to get a balcony...question is it in the budget????

Love to see the sunrise/sunset with my only wingman close to me on our balcony.

Can have your own naps, happy hours, and visuals of the scenery...not really that much more money????