HAL Zaandam Mexican Riviera or Sea of Cortez ?

[jayl65]

Looking into HALs Zaandam out of San Diego in January 2011. They have two Itineraries listed. One is the Sea of Cortez 10 day and the other is the Mexican Riviera down to Huatulco, 11 days. I have been on Celebrity's Mercury on a 10 day Riviera cruise a few years ago and loved it. I have never sailed on HAL before and wondered what you guys thought of the Sea of Cortez cruise. I would not be doing the Copper Canyon tour in Topolobampo. What else it there to do there? It is the longest port day. Also suggestions for the other ports would be helpful also.

[CowPrincess]

We did the Sea of Cortez a couple of years ago, and are going back again. We could have done the 11-day coastal this time, have not yet tried it, but were so totally charmed by the small ports (Loreto, La Paz, Topolobampo) that we must go back :)

 

HAL isn't going to La Paz, it appears, this coming season, so we are looking forward to Guaymas.

 

In Topolobampo, we took the complimentary shuttle to Los Mochis, which is a working Mexican city, not touristy. Then we did the complimentary shuttle to the "beach", where the beach was not spectacular, but the people did their best to make us feel very welcome. We spent a good couple of hours on deck watching dolphins frolic by the side of the ship, too. This time, we are going back to Los Mochis and looking at taking some sort of boat tour. They REALLY want you back onboard before dark if you aren't on the Copper Canyon tour. It is a working port that you dock in.

 

In Loreto we did kayaking, through the ship, which was a great deal of fun. We'll do that again, I think. Also had lunch at (not sure about this any more) The Giggling Dolphin. Some friends went shopping -- we went back to the ship. I'll see if I can find the info I posted on (I think) the Mexico forum about our trip.

 

FYI -- we avoid all tours that say "open bar" :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

A few years ago we did the Sea of Cortez and Mexican Riviera cruises -- 20 days -- on the Ryndam -- loved it!!

 

Because of DH having a heart condition we did not do the Copper Canyon either. So we chose a tour of the city since it was the first time we had ever been to Topolobampo.

[CowPrincess]

Here's some info I posted in another thread (you don't need to read the info on La Paz :) ):

 

Quote:

TOPOLOBAMPO We utilized the free shuttles, seeing both Los Mochis and Maviri Beach. The shuttle to Los Mochis ran every hour, and the shuttle to the beach ran every two hours. The last shuttles back to the ship are quite early, around 2 or 3 p.m. from Los Mochis, and 4 p.m. from the beach. The people were very welcoming and proud of the area, and the buses had tour guides providing information and commentary for us. There were some vendors at the pier. We found their prices to be very high compared to other vendors we'd seen. We'd have been happy to support some of them had their pricing been more competitive. I suspect that will change over time, and their prices will become more reasonable. Los Mochis is very authentic, a working city where visitors can taste a different culture. Sadly, we heard a couple of comments from others on the ship about "all the Mexicans". Gee, it's a Mexican city, what do you expect? Maviri Beach had some restaurants, and the hosts were very welcoming, even carrying chairs out to the beach for the tourists to use. The water when we were there was very shallow, and there was a fair amount of "ocean debris" around. This was only 1 ½ months after a hurricane, though, so what we saw may not have been typical.

 

LORETO (a tender port) We did a kayaking trip we'd booked through HAL. It was a great deal of fun, and departed from "Inn at Loreto Bay". After the kayak tour we were able to spend time at the beach there, but had to arrange it by cab-fulls of people, so the cab driver(s) didn't end up taking only 2 or 3 people back at a time. One woman got stung by a jellyfish.

 

We ate a late lunch at the Giggling Dolphin in Loreto, and recommend it highly. Good food, friendly service and reasonable prices (menu priced in pesos). Some members of our group found their way to the shopping area and were very impressed.

 

LA PAZ There were musicians at the pier and many, many vendors. The prices were more reasonable than at the Topolobampo pier. We again had free shuttles to the town and the beach, with tour guides on the shuttles providing information, commentary and entertainment. Shuttles to town were every ½ hour and to the beach every hour. We saw the town square in La Paz and ventured onto some of the side streets, then spent time on the Malecon. We boarded a shuttle back to the ship, grabbed a bite of food, then headed for the beach on the free shuttle. This was a beautiful beach, lots of soft white sand and clear water. Beware of stingrays, though. A number of restaurants had food and beverages available for purchase, and chairs and tables to use if you bought refreshments. We grabbed a cab back to the ship, as we'd just missed a shuttle. $2 USD per person, and the cab held 8 people.

 

[jayl65]

Thanks Guys,

I just booked the Sea of Cortez Cruise leaving Jan 2, 2011 on the Zaandam. Can't wait.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We are looking at both these cruises as well. We have done the Sea of Cortez many times and love it because of the smaller ports. (We understand from a cruise last spring that HAL is no longer going to La Paz because the city raised the docking fees tremendously - rumor aboard the ship).

 

However, Loreto is such a quaint little town - the way Mexico was before it developed so much along the Riviera. We always just walk into town, explore there and have lunch at a local restaurant. We have been to Guaymas twice and both times were welcomed by a high school band. We have done a walking tour there as well as taken an ecological boat tour. One time there was a Shrimp Fest in town which was lots of fun.

 

At Topolampobo, we have taken the Bay, Birds, and Dolphins tour three times (it's two hours and best to take early in the AM before it gets too hot). Have not taken any other tours there. It is a commercial dock so you can't walk anywhere but there are usually local crafts booths and a couple of shows during the day.

 

Of course Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta are larger with lots to do.

 

The Mexican Riviera itinerary looks good to me - enjoy the towns south of Acapulco. Acapulco is the only deterrent for me on that itinerary - have never felt safe there so would probably stay on the ship. We are still deciding which one for 2011.

 

Barbara

[CowPrincess]

Thanks Guys,

I just booked the Sea of Cortez Cruise leaving Jan 2, 2011 on the Zaandam. Can't wait.

 

Okay, I want a FULL REPORT on Guaymas :) Congrats -- I hope you have a great cruise!

[jaspersmycat]

We looked at both of these and chose the January 12th Mexican Riviera because getting warmth was our top priority.