Mexican Riviera Vs Baja & Sea of Cortez

We're thinking of a November cruise (rough year, need a treat and some relaxed cruise-time), and are looking at the 10 day Mexican Riviera (PV, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Cabo) vs Baja & Sea of Cortez (San Diego, Cabo, La Paz, Loreto, PV). While the Baja itinerary looks nice with the 3 Sea of Cortez ports, the Mexican Riviera is attractive with it's many cruise dates and good pricing. We're in our 60's and enjoy snorkeling and kayaking, but also just wandering and seeing the sights. I'm hoping some experienced west-coast cruisers will share some thoughts that can help us focus. Thank you!

I have been to all the ports mentioned and will be doing the Mexican Riviera this fall again. Loreto is a very small village and ships just started going there not too long ago. The center part is an easy walking distance from the ship but the best part to me is that the diamond and tshirt industry has not found them yet. If you wanted to see what a true Mexican village looks like, this is the place. I have been to La Paz both on the ship and on a diving trip. The ship berths some distance from the city and transportation is given into the city. It also does not suffer from the infestation of diamond and tshirt shops but there are a few.

Cabo is a resort area built for the US from what once was a sleepy fishing village. PV, Mazatlan and Manzanillo are nice with shopping, beaches etc. Neither cruise would offer a lot in snorkeling or kayaking but of the two the Mexican Riviera would offer the most which is not saying a lot.

When I did the dive trip to La Paz we were able to swim with a whale shark and saw several hammerhead sharks. The water there is warmer than in Cabo.

We were in Loreto. One of the nicest ports I've seen. Nice walking town close to the dock. There was a local talent folk show in the center square. Not sure, but probably done because our ship was in port.

We're thinking of a November cruise (rough year, need a treat and some relaxed cruise-time), and are looking at the 10 day Mexican Riviera (PV, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Cabo) vs Baja & Sea of Cortez (San Diego, Cabo, La Paz, Loreto, PV). While the Baja itinerary looks nice with the 3 Sea of Cortez ports, the Mexican Riviera is attractive with it's many cruise dates and good pricing. We're in our 60's and enjoy snorkeling and kayaking, but also just wandering and seeing the sights. I'm hoping some experienced west-coast cruisers will share some thoughts that can help us focus. Thank you!

Love the MR when they do the Sea of Cortez with it.....one of our favorite west coast cruises.....Loretto and La Paz are nice places to visit and we like those ports much better then the touristy Cabo....also...Sea of Cortez has abundant marine life......:)

Can't go wrong with either itin. For me, it would depend on where either cruise originates. Assuming one starts in LA and the other in SF. Cabo and Loreto are both tender ports. We've known pax to spend overnight in Cabo and meet the ship in La Paz the next day.

-PV is home to The Land of the Iguana. It's Mexico's answer to San Francisco.

-In Manzanillo the big tour is to see the pyramid complex and to see the towns of Colima and Comala. On the streets of Manzanillo get some coconut ice cream from one of the street vendors.

-Mazatlan take a pulmonia for a city tour, end at the Market, check out the Cathedral and walk the Blue Line back to the ship.

-Cabo is a purpose built tourist town, the most American of any of these ports.

-Loreto supports a good size expat community but isn't touristy like Cabo. Check out the 1697 Mission, one of the first of the CA Missions. Across the street from the Mission is a blanket shop. Check out the handwoven designs. (The building's pretty special also). Saw several Blue Footed Boobies a few years back, near the tender dock.

-La Paz is the capitol of Baja California. Free 20 minute shuttle into town. The cathedral is a few blocks above the bus stop. Across the Plaza from the church is a small museum. Can swim with the whale sharks here.

-San Diego lots to do here. Lots within walking distance.

We've done variations of this itin many times. It's a very hard decision to make. The only bad thing about the San Diego-PV-Cabo-Loreto-La Paz itin are the two tender stops and a shuttle bus. The bad thing about the PV-Manzanillo-Mazatlan-Cabo itin is it only has four ports.

For a decision might want to check airfare and hotel costs.

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We love the vibe of the Sea of Cortez cruise. We would repeat because of the laid back ports.

We have done both and I would recommend the Sea of Cortez, its surprisingly beautiful, was very warm this

past November. We had a great time and saw whales and whale sharks, snorkeled with seals and went to lovely

beaches.

I, too, have been on many Mexican cruises. I enjoyed the La Paz and Loretto ports much more than all of the others. Of course, it is a cruise favorite so Princess does just a few and charges more.

My take is a bit different.

Loved Loreto. Nice quiet little town with a good beach. Best Mariachi band I have ever heard in the square.

Hated La Paz. Long line to get on the bus to town (half hour in line). Half hour or so ride into town. Long line to get on the bus to return to the ship (another half hour in line). Walked along the maracon and such, had a drink or so, returned to the ship.

Cabo... Bleh. Tourist stuff. A bazillion of the same things and people trying to get you to buy it. Not as expected. Next time will definitely do stuff as we didn't really do much there either time. (Second time the TA had a lunch and drinks for everybody at a private venue so we went to that.)

PV: My wife loved the excursion to Las Caletas. May do that again or may wander. Lots to see. Was amazed that so many people headed directly to Walmart.

We don't snorkel or dive so that definitely affects my perspective. Now that we are finally retired (:D:cool::hearteyes:) we will have to return to Mexico and give it another (or a few more) shot(s). We're kind of booked up at the moment but will likely be snagging some drop and go or such sometime next year after our March cruise.

I just really wish we could do Mexico out of SF instead of having to go all the way to LA.

I have done 16 Mexican Rivera cruises and I love all of the ports. The weather is warm and the people are friendly. PV you have lot of things to do, a little less in Mazatlán but we have been there so many times we have our favorite taxi driver pick us up at the pier and takes where ever we want to go. Cabo, nothing beats Cabo. Manzanillo is the olive capital of the world and very city like, We always go over the beach where they filmed the movie 10. The ports on the Sea of Cortez are very quaint fishing villages and are fun too. You can't go wrong with either one. If you want the warmer weather then do the Mexican Rivera.

-Mazatlan take a pulmonia for a city tour, end at the Market, check out the Cathedral and walk the Blue Line back to the ship.

 

 

 

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Sadie...interesting..never heard this option before. We are starting to look at doing a cruise here.. can you tell me a bit more about the pulmonia...how much, where to get them, how long did it take and did you ask to be dropped back at the market? How long was the walk along the blue line back to the ship? We have never been to Mazatlan our 1st MR cruise that port was canceled due to the drug war issue..:(

We're thinking of a November cruise (rough year, need a treat and some relaxed cruise-time), and are looking at the 10 day Mexican Riviera (PV, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Cabo) vs Baja & Sea of Cortez (San Diego, Cabo, La Paz, Loreto, PV). While the Baja itinerary looks nice with the 3 Sea of Cortez ports, the Mexican Riviera is attractive with it's many cruise dates and good pricing. We're in our 60's and enjoy snorkeling and kayaking, but also just wandering and seeing the sights. I'm hoping some experienced west-coast cruisers will share some thoughts that can help us focus. Thank you!

We're recently back from the Sea of Cortez cruise. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I agree with others who say that Loreto is a great little Mexican town. And La Paz, while it is a bit of a trip into town itself, I think it feels like how Puerto Vallarta probably was before all the tourist trappings showed up there.

That said, I'd probably pick the "PV, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Cabo" itinerary cruise. Mostly because we've not been to Manzanillo, or Mazatlan yet.

I like Cabo well enough, even though it feels really touristy, with lots of ex-pats. Puerto Vallarta, I would probably stay onboard that day, as we've been there 4 times now.

Thanks so much for the responses - you're not making this easy with so many options to see, but you are making us eager to sail on a Mexico itinerary! :cool:

We did a 7-day a couple of years back and enjoyed it. It is a great option for those who live on the west coast and want a little warmth. We will be doing a 7-day/5-day in November this year on our favourite ship, the Emerald. I think either way you can't go wrong with whatever your choice ends up being.

I, too, have been on many Mexican cruises. I enjoyed the La Paz and Loretto ports much more than all of the others. Of course, it is a cruise favorite so Princess does just a few and charges more.

I agree, we also have done many Mexican cruises, and would say Sea of Cortez cruise shows you a more realistic view of Mexico, at least how I remember it years ago.

But if you are interested in snorkeling, you will find more of that in the Caribbean ports, just better snorkeling there. Have a great cruise.

Cori

I have to vote for La Paz and Loreto. Great alternatives to the MR. Our cruise Live From, if you are interested, is here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2002637&page=2

Question...has La Paz been rebuilt up or something. When we were there in 2011 (ship was diverted due to a hurricane and tropical depression) there was nothing there. The main drain looked run down on one side and decent on the other side along the water. however there was trash floating in the water and bars and graffiti on most the buildings. It was soo quiet when we were there it almost looked like we were the only people in the town except a few locals at some of the shops. Since it was a last minute change we had no time to research and just picked a tour that looked interesting that took us to a tile factory and a weaving place. Both were quite barren and in some rough looking areas of town. DH joking said it was more like La Pits as it seemed like a ghost town after a war. I mean do disrespect just curious as lots of people seem to be saying it is there fav so just curious if it has seen some overhaul since then.

Sadie...interesting..never heard this option before. We are starting to look at doing a cruise here.. can you tell me a bit more about the pulmonia...how much, where to get them, how long did it take and did you ask to be dropped back at the market? How long was the walk along the blue line back to the ship? We have never been to Mazatlan our 1st MR cruise that port was canceled due to the drug war issue..:(

Search 'pulmonia'. Lots of threads will pop up. Basically $20 will get you a 2 hour tour in a golf cart. Walk back is maybe a mile, flat walk.

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Question...has La Paz been rebuilt up or something. When we were there in 2011 (ship was diverted due to a hurricane and tropical depression) there was nothing there. The main drain looked run down on one side and decent on the other side along the water. however there was trash floating in the water and bars and graffiti on most the buildings. It was soo quiet when we were there it almost looked like we were the only people in the town except a few locals at some of the shops. Since it was a last minute change we had no time to research and just picked a tour that looked interesting that took us to a tile factory and a weaving place. Both were quite barren and in some rough looking areas of town. DH joking said it was more like La Pits as it seemed like a ghost town after a war. I mean do disrespect just curious as lots of people seem to be saying it is there fav so just curious if it has seen some overhaul since then.

Our first time to La Paz was in 2010. A true Mexican city. Last time there we ended up at the Mercado, had lunch and replaced the sandals my dog ate. Around the corner we got fresh churros with crema and cajeta from a cart. One cruise Mom went into town by herself. Only problem she had was with the hills. Since then we've figured out less hilly routes.

If you didn't like La Paz, you won't like Manzanillo. Loreto is nominally better. None of these are like the Cabo Marina area. That was purpose built for the American tourist.

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Sadie. .i meant no disrespect to La Paz. My main complaint/issues were not that it wasn't touristy as we do prefer local flare and the feel of local culture. We are not partiers oe drinkers so the sr frog, cabi wabo, Margaritaville spots in cabo are not our scene. We prefer learning about the local culture, area and architecture. ..but when we got to La Paz we were bussed over to the main drag only to find it empty. Not sure if it was because it was a last minute diverted stop, but no real local stores or food places were open. Only thing that seemed open was an Applebee's. .which was odd to see. What also bothered us was the graffiti and trash everywhere. It is not a great feeling to see this on vacay. We didn't feel unsafe, but everything was either covered in bars or graffiti in our way to the tile and weaving place. Then to get there and it was a rushed tour and very little to buy if you wanted hand crafted items. We were then brought back to the main area for some free time to wander and a few stores had opened but those were limited as well with items. The one store that seemed to have the most people was a pearl jewelry place. We found no local place to get fresh churros or anything local like that. Our only other options for shopping were right at the port and had a couple of what looked like hand made local crafts where we found a couple trinkets. But I was just surprised not to see more locals out and about which gave us the feeling of the only people in town was us cruise passengers. Sadly it did not give a great 1st impression so that is why I was curious. Perhaps we came during a holiday or they just didn't expect us but was thinking perhaps we missed something since lots seem to say they love it

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Personally, I would pick the Sea of Cortez cruise. Loreto is my favorite Mexican post. It's like a step back in time. A small, walkable laid back town. If you're into history the first of the California Missions is in Loreto. It is the start of the El Camino Real. I also liked La Paz, although you do have to take a 30 minute shuttle bus to get to downtown. Some have complained about long waits for the shuttle, but we walked right on both at the Port and in La Paz.

If you're interested, here are a couple of links. The first is our day in Loreto, the second is our day in La Paz:

We took the Sea of Cortez cruise last year. Really liked Loreto, great town to walk around and there was a beach right by the tender pier. If you like to snorkel, I would recommend LaPaz VIP Tours for snorkeling with the whale sharks (very safe). It was amazing! I took the 3 hour option which included another site at which you swam with sea lions, also lots of colorful fish. Got to see a moray eel as well. You can see them on their website and facebook. (the tour company not the moray eels :D). I did not have to wait for the bus either way. Hope you enjoy your trip, whichever one you choose.

Did the Sea of Cortez a couple of years ago. Absolutely loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat. As others have said, Loreto is a great little walkable town and super close to the pier.