East vs West Mexico (not sure why the double post)

[Zeikah]

Hi all,

I will be flying in from Australia landing at LAX.

I am currently booked on Prima out of Galveston so will obviously need to connect through to Texas but I am wondering if I should change to the Bliss from Los Angeles due to the ease of joining the ship. Also Bliss around $1,000 Aussie dollars cheaper. 

To those that have cruised both east and west Mexico which would you suggest? Is one side better than the other?

 

PS Cruise not until March 2024 so I have plenty of time to change if needed

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited August 16, 2022 by Zeikah

[complawyer]

east on the gulf of mexico or carribbean wins hands down. been on many ncl cruises to mexico and the carribbean, we live in los angeles, nothing on the pacific coast of mexico that i want  to see. i probably wouldnt even get off the ship.

 

that being said, however, it should depend on the price, ship and itinerary. personally, i wouldnt consider a mexican cruise from los angeles unless it was trans-canal

 

in the end, the decision is "ALL YOURS" regardless of the different opinions you may receive here

[alysonofagun]

Cruised the Bliss out of LA in February and would not do it again unless it was bargain basement price and I just wanted a week on board. The weather was bad and the ports were ugly - I'd pay the extra to go to the East and on the new ship!

[hallux]

I'll counter the others - I LOVE the Bliss (best ship in the fleet, IMO, just based on the venues available but we'll see what Prima brings) and I liked seeing the culture in the ports on the West side of Mexico. 

 

I did a ship excursion in Puerto Vallarta, that was OK, I might have chosen a different one or tried to find a private excursion.

 

I did a private excursion in Cabo, but it wasn't as "private" as we thought and ended up delayed an hour because the others they put us with were delayed getting on the tenders to come to shore to meet the excursion.

 

I didn't do an excursion at all in Mazatlan, just a self-guided walking tour.  Walked probably close to 5 miles in/around the city - saw the cliff divers, the PACKED marketplace, a cathedral and had lunch by the side of the square in the center of town.  This on the day after Halloween - during Dia De Los Muertos time so it was quite the ambiance!

 

Weather couldn't have been nicer!   Which just goes to show that the weather is a risk you need to take when you consider the experience of @alysonofagun

 

I've also done the Eastern side, I'd do either again if given the opportunity, but I'm trying to see different places so it'll be a while before I go back unless the price just can't be beat.

[graphicguy]

10 hours ago, complawyer said:

east on the gulf of mexico or carribbean wins hands down. been on many ncl cruises to mexico and the carribbean, we live in los angeles, nothing on the pacific coast of mexico that i want  to see. i probably wouldnt even get off the ship.

 

that being said, however, it should depend on the price, ship and itinerary. personally, i wouldnt consider a mexican cruise from los angeles unless it was trans-canal

 

in the end, the decision is "ALL YOURS" regardless of the different opinions you may receive here

AGREE! I’ll add that if the price is too tempting, I don’t care where the ship’s going.  I’m sailing…being someone cleaning up after me, cleaning my cabin sometimes 2X/day, people making drinks for me, people cooking for me, finding silly trivia games I can pop in and out of, watching good entertainment every night, observing others of my ilk that I can pass judgement on…many times in here, on cruise critic.

 

I can do that while totally disregarding the ports visited.

[alysonofagun]

 

1 hour ago, hallux said:

I'll counter the others - I LOVE the Bliss (best ship in the fleet, IMO, just based on the venues available but we'll see what Prima brings) and I liked seeing the culture in the ports on the West side of Mexico. 

 

 

Just to add, I also loved the Bliss ... and did not hunt out any culture beyond that of the beer/tequila type in the ports 🤣

[seemoreroyals]

We also prefer the Mexican Riviera to the Western Caribbean.  If I were you I would save the $1000.  Go to the ports section and you will find there is plenty of stuff to do.  Camel rides, whale watching, cliff divers, much more.  The only thing I can think of that Western Caribbean has that Mexican Riviera does not is ancient ruins.  There is a lot more of that on the Eastern side of Mexico.

[Sailing12Away]

We're sailing the West coast in February 2023 for the first time, so can't say for sure what it's like over there. But 1K is a lot of money, and the trip from California over to Texas is nearly the same as you flying all the way over to Perth. It's far... and you're already traveling VERY far to begin with.

 

However, Prima is brand spanking new and supposed to be wonderful (booked on her for 9/2023 so we'll see...) The only other option I would consider is to stop in California somewhere for a few days to break your trip up before heading to Texas. That would make it more palatable to me. 

 

Definitely a tough call... but what are you more interested in seeing/doing? Do you want a nice beach to relax on? Do you want some unique ancient history & culture? Do you just want some good margaritas and fish tacos? Or do you just want an escape from home for a few days and to be out at sea?

[phillygwm]

It's a matter of personal preference.  Like to explore the pyramids and ancient sites?  The east is for you.  And I've loved the cruises I've done to Cozumel, Riviera Maya, etc.  But I also really enjoyed the Mexican Riviera.  The Bliss is my favorite ship, and I have a friend from HS who lives in Puerto Vallarta so we spent that day hanging with him.  I would do either in a minute.  If you don't have a personal tour guide in PV, YMMV 🙂

 

I much prefer the Western Caribbean route to Eastern, though.  

[cruisequeen4ever]

Eastern Mexico’s beaches are much prettier than Western Mexico’s. Eastern Mexico is more like the Caribbean. If saving the extra flight hassle is worth it, you’ll still have fun doing the LA cruise, but if it’s not a huge deal to go on to TX, do it!