Sea of Cortez Cruise

[mllewis48]

We're thinking of taking this cruise in October, can anyone add any light on the ports weather, etc. this time of year. The ship is the Zaandam.

 

Thanks

Mike

[martinsfo]

Never been on this particular route, as I don't travel on HAL. But I've been to Mazatlan, Cabo and La Paz. Mazatlan can be chilly if the winds are in the direction, as can La Paz. However, in October, that should not be a problem. It can be chilly for the first day out of CA and the last day going back.

As for ports, I really enjoyed Cabo's neighbor city San Jose Del Cabo, a very Mexican town. Nice and laid back with no panhandling. There are some nice beaches there, and the ATV adventure in the dessert is a gas.

In Mazatlan, we took a cruise through the coastal jungles to a private beach and BBQ lunch. It was scenic and interesting, the lunch was great, but it was also about 2 hours too long.

La Paz was a revalation. It is the commercial and governmental center of Baja South. It is not touristy, and it is very clean. The beaches are out of town on the north side, the food in town is very interesting. Hope you enjoy your trip.

[gizmo]

Hi Mike,

 

Recheck what cruise you are looking at. In Oct. 2007, Zaandam is doing

the 10 day Mexican Riviera alternating back and forth with Hawaii. The Ryndam is doing the 10 day Sea of Cortez. ;)

[mllewis48]

Sorry you are correct It is the Ryandam, so can you shed any light on this cruise?

[gizmo]

I haven't done the Sea of Cortez but did a little research since I was considering it at one time. There is not much information on these ports and this is what I found.

 

Topolobampo

Nothing at the port. The big draw is the Copper Canyon tour about $300 per person. It is about 14 hours. You get up very early like 3:30 in the moring if you want breakfast. I have read both bad and good reviews on this. The most recent being good. There are some other tours offered by Hal like Land of Zorro and Los Mochias and some kind of boat excursion that goes around the bay.

 

Loreto

A handful of shops in town. I read where the people are very nice in this town. Hal offers tours to San Javier Mission, horse back riding and snorkeling.

 

La Paz

There are shuttles to get you into town which is about 20 minutes away.

It is suppose to be a very nice town with some nice shops. Hal offers some snorkeling,scuba kayaking.

 

This board has a lot of information on the other ports.

 

Look at Hal's web site for excursion information for all of the ports. It will give you an idea of what is available.

 

The Zaandam is doing some 10 Mex Riveria where some of the ports are different. You may want to look at that one also.