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8 day out of CA- Acapulco, Manzanillio...what do you think?

Fourseventeen

By Fourseventeen,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Fourseventeen

Fourseventeen

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Anyone done this cruise. Rates for this cruise in Dec are super cheap! Thinking about doing a 4th cruise this year. If you have done this cruise or even been to these ports of call can you tell me what you think of them. Any pros/cons are appreciated. I have been to Cabo, Ensenada, Puerto Vallarta and Cozumel in Mexico but not to any of the below locations.

 

8 day out of San Diego- Acapulco, Mexico; Zihuatanejo, Mexico; and Manzanillo, Mexico.

Anyone able to comment on the ports of call?

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amc80

amc80

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I'm booked on the November 28th sailing. I had done the other Mexican Riviera (Cabo, Mazatlan, PV) and it was great...just wanted something different. Plus it's out of San Diego, which is a huge bonus, not to mention the extra day. And you're right, it is really cheap right now...We got an OV for just over $500 pp, including taxes.

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montekat

montekat

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We just did this exact cruise in Feb. and it was great. Our favorite port was Manzanillo--no one bothered us to buy trinkets, go on their cab tour, etc., etc. We did the evening cliff divers in Acapulco with dinner and it was well worth it. In Zihuatenejo, we did the horseback riding on the beach (it was neat, but we were sore for a couple of days!). In Manzanillo, we took the bus over to the town (it is a working port, so nothing close to the ship). We just shopped around, bought souvenirs, and enjoyed doing nothing special.

 

8 nights is nice, the extra day is so worth it. Book the cruise and enjoy!!

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Moon Cruiser

Moon Cruiser

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We did this cruise in Feb/March 2009. It was our first experience w/ Carnival and we were pleased with Carnival. We LOVED sailing the Mexican Riviera because the water was beatiful and we saw tons of marine life from the ship (whales, dolphins, turtles, rays, blue marlin). I didn't care for the ports too much. Some parts were okay but most were dirty (my opinion). We did see some cool fish in Manzanillo snorkeling but the drive to get there was very worn down and dirty. The beach in Ixtapa was nice but had jelly fish. Acapulco was a tour and was decent, but was a crazy place (driving is insane). Overall, if the price is good, I say go for it. I'd gladly do this sailing again but would most likely stay on the ship in port.

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momofzeke

momofzeke

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We were on the same cruise with montekat in mid February...LOVED the Spirit and had a fantastic time in the ports!!

 

Acapulco ~ we did a tour with Rudy...Tour by Van. Rudy spent the entire day with us, and it was only $40 per person. He will customize your tour to what you want to see. Very interesting, and we ended up at the Cliff Divers, which were neat to see.

 

Zihuatenejo ~ went to Paty's Mar Y Mar on the beach and had our best day of the cruise. Great beach, warm water, good restaurant, just a very fun day. You can just take a taxi there.

 

Manzanillo ~ we spent the day at Las Hadas resort and it was very nice. Cost for a day pass is 30 pesos or $30 dollars. If you use pesos, you will get a better deal because 30 pesos at the time we were there was only about $24 dollars. They give you a coupon book worth 30 pesos worth of food and/or drinks, so it ends up being a great deal. Nice pool, nice beach, a couple of restaurants. Relaxing day.

 

The crew of the Spirit was probably the friendliest in our 4 Carnival cruises. The ship is great...love the Spirit class ships!

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tharris0101

tharris0101

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I did this cruise in December of 2006. The weather was PERFECT. The first and last days were a bit chilly, but when we were far enough south it was in the 80s and 90s. I have no idea if this is normal for that time of year or if we just lucked out.

 

Acapulco was my favorite port and I always get the other two confused. The first port we stopped at where you had to tender was also really nice. We didn't do any official excursions but in Acapulco we got a local guide to drive us around in a nice van and take us to this awesome beach about 20 minutes from the port.

 

I want to book this cruise again and might do it in October.

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suzeqlts2

suzeqlts2

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We did this cruise in March 2008 . We loved it and really liked the way it scheduled -2 sea days ,3 ports ,2 sea days. Loved the Spirit! This was our first Carnival cruise after 2 rccl. We also did Las Hadas In Manzanillo and it was very nice. Saw the Cliff divers at night In Alcapulco and some beach during the day. Zihuatanejo was our favorite port. We just walked through the shopping area and found a nice beach bar and spent the day.

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gargoyle999

gargoyle999

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Did this cruise last Nov week after Thanksgiving.

 

The Spirit is a great ship (and I'm not just saying that 'cause I'm leaving on Sunday for 12 days to Hawaii on the Spirit! :p).

 

8 day cruise is great.

 

I did a private tour (as in only DW and I) in Acapulco and Manzanillo. In Zihu went to Ixtapa Island. Acapulco is a big and crowded city with crazy traffic. Manzanillo was nice but we had to drive a good distance from port to get to "the sights". I enjoyed Ixtapa Island and did a little snorkeling. Rained most of the day but I still had fun.

 

Did the private tours because I wanted to get a good feel for Acapulco and Manzanillo as I'm trying to find a "vacation spot" that I'd want to go back to for land vacations.

 

I will say that I would do this cruise again anytime, but I didn't fall in love with any of the ports such that I'd want to return for a land vacation. But return on a cruise, yes!

 

Just do it! :)

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Fourseventeen

Fourseventeen

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thx for the input. Wish I could take a 12 day to Hawaii. I have family in Hawaii and can stay out there anytime BUT the flight is so costly...about the same price as a 7 day cruise is per person (excluding extras of coarse) and I really like cruise vacations more then just flying somewhere.

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Kurbanfan

Kurbanfan

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thx for the input. Wish I could take a 12 day to Hawaii. I have family in Hawaii and can stay out there anytime BUT the flight is so costly...about the same price as a 7 day cruise is per person (excluding extras of coarse) and I really like cruise vacations more then just flying somewhere.

 

You must book inside cabins........no problem getting airfare right now to Hawaii for about $350 p/p out of LAX.........now if your talking Dec that is high time and more costly in Hawaii.........just like summer is more costly for cruises because that is their high time.......

I'll always take Hawaii over any cruise any day.......but that's me:)

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Fourseventeen

Fourseventeen

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Yup I love Hawaii and everytime I have been its been mid December. My Father lives there so I always have a place to stay when I go out but I really like to cruise. Getting to stop in different ports and always having something to do is nice. Leaves less to think about while on vacation.

Hawaii is beautiful without a doubt...I LOVE Hawaii. I couldnt live there (a little to slow of a pace for me) but its an amazing vacation destination.

 

As far as going there on a cruise...im sure that would be real nice BUT I dont think I could deal with having an inside cabin. I have had balconys on every cruise that offered them and the cruises that didnt I was stuck with OV and didnt care much for those rooms. I seen a friends inside cabin and it was smaller then my closet at home :eek:

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MEOWSMURPHY

MEOWSMURPHY

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Definitely do it..we did it in December and again in Feb that's how much we enjoyed the ship...we loved Manzanillo and Ziha...just not Accapulco...so we stayed on the ship in Acapluco in Feb...would do this again in a heartbeat if I had the time ;)

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glrounds

glrounds

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Have done this cruise on the SPIRIT (pics in my WEBSHOTS below)

 

Have done the standard Mexican Riviera 10 times, so this was a real treat to go further south with 3 newer ports.

 

I only crossed the street in Acapulco and spent more of the day going through the fantastic fort that guarded this port for centuries. I just tagged along on a tour that was going on and really enjoyed this stop. The SPIRIT leaves Acapulco late at night so I got some great shots of the entire harbor with the ship sitting right in the middle.

 

Although a "working commercial port", Manzanillo is beautiful. Took a cab into town and just walked along the malecon, watched the locals, and had a great lunch at a hotel/restaurant off the beaten path.

 

Great little bar in Zihauntanejo, complete with a Jose Feliciano COPY. :)He was terrific, the beer cheap and loaded with partying cruisers. Had a great time. Numerous bars and little palapa hut restaurants on the beach of this quaint little town. Didn't even have time to go to Ixtapa (think of the movie "10"):D

 

Love SPIRIT classed ships and this one, the class namesake, is a beauty with a great crew giving exceptional service IMHO. Can't beat that EXTRA day either.:)

 

Enjoy your cruise. (one of the sleeper bargains on the West Coast)

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