Mexico on Royal Caribbean

[iluvcruzin]

On our last cruise, 7 days to Mexico on Mariner, we paid about $750 per person for a balcony room. Royal Caribbean moved the ship to the Caribbean and they want $1150 for the same room. That price increase along with an air fare of $600 per person means a total increase of $2000.00 over what we paid for our last cruise. NO THANKS RCCL. I'll stay home.

 

The Mexican Riviera itenerary is generally prices lower than other iteneraries. To compare it to the Carribean it's going to be higher based on the time of sailing.

 

I remember those fussing for a bigger ship to come to CA. There was a reason it took so long to get the Mariner. Now they are realizing for multiple reasons it wasn't a fit.

 

I personally did the Mexican Riviera and Baja routes. Once for each was enough and even deep discounting won't intice me to book again regardless of the cruiseline. There are better places to

go.

[Aquahound]

Yes, I've seen Cuban cigars for sale on cruise ships. However, they do warn you that the cigars must be smoked on the ship because they cannot be brought back into the U.S.

 

That's still illegal.

 

But whatever, I know that's not the topic, so I'll let it go.

[Clarea]

I believe that they also had to burn a cleaner, more expensive diesel mix to comply with California pollution standards.

Yes, I think you are correct, I remember someone mentioning different fuel required out west.

[modmidget]

In California gasoline consistently runs 40 to 50 cents per gallon higher than the rest of the U.S. because the morons running our state government think we should set an example for the rest of the United States. It's not just limited to fuel, these idiots think we should be the forerunners in everything. They have implemented some very strict diesel regulations in recent years "to clean up the environment" and the cost of diesel had nearly tripled.

[Ashland]

The Mexican Riviera itenerary is generally prices lower than other iteneraries. To compare it to the Carribean it's going to be higher based on the time of sailing.

 

I remember those fussing for a bigger ship to come to CA. There was a reason it took so long to get the Mariner. Now they are realizing for multiple reasons it wasn't a fit.

 

I personally did the Mexican Riviera and Baja routes. Once for each was enough and even deep discounting won't intice me to book again regardless of the cruiseline. There are better places to

go.

Perhaps "Better places to go" but for those of us on the west coast being able to drive to the port is pretty enticing and the Mexican Riviera ports are beautiful..Baja..not so much..;)

[Puffinater]

Perhaps "Better places to go" but for those of us on the west coast being able to drive to the port is pretty enticing and the Mexican Riviera ports are beautiful..Baja..not so much..;)

 

I especially love pulling into the container port of Mazatlan:D. Cabo offers some great views from the ship.

[silentbob007]

Yes, I've seen Cuban cigars for sale on cruise ships. However, they do warn you that the cigars must be smoked on the ship because they cannot be brought back into the U.S.

 

I've seen plenty of cigars, but never Cubans on ships traveling out of the US.

[alexkrn46]

...but we were on the Mariner twice in the last 1 1/2 years & she was full both times.

 

That is because they were selling at bargain prices, not profitable.

[Ashland]

I especially love pulling into the container port of Mazatlan:D. Cabo offers some great views from the ship.

Yes..but we love the small port area just off the ship a little outdoor bar/cafe there with the best Margaritas and people watching after a day in port before getting back onboard :D...This industrial port was no worse than the many we've been in (example Gothenburg :eek:)...;):D

[wwcruisers]

RCI always seems to blink first (see, e.g., abandoning the R/T Hawaii cruises when it looked as if NCLA was going to succeed in changing the interpretation of the Passenger Services Act).

 

You're sure right about that, Critterchick! :p

And now that the PVSA broo-ha-ha has blown over, RCCL is being very tentative about reinstating the Hawaii round-trip cruises -- with just a handful of Celebrity Century cruises out of San Diego (and no RC ships)! :(

Although, since we just relocated from SoCal to the Puget Sound area, those one-way cruises to HI from Vancouver are starting to look like a more practical option (no more open-jaw fare issues for us). :cool:

[jebuell]

I'm sure California didn't make it easy for the ship to stay either (before you judge me, note that I am a Californian!). The San Diego port is a virtual waste-land these days. One HAL ship and one CC ship. That's it when I checked for cruises just a week ago! In 2010 there was a ship in there every day and now you can go several days without seeing one. LA/Long Beach is similar. I believe Princess, HAL, and CC are the only ones left with only one HAL ship, one Princess ship, and two CC ships.

[negc]

And I bet that Carnival is making a pretty penny on Paradise (soon to be Inspiration) and Splendor, now that Monarch, Vision and Mariner are gone. The cabin prices alone have gone way up, since there's no competition for the 3/4 nighters. I don't think Splendor is doing as well on the 7-night itineraries when other ships are in town.

 

RCI always seems to blink first (see, e.g., abandoning the R/T Hawaii cruises when it looked as if NCLA was going to succeed in changing the interpretation of the Passenger Services Act).

 

One could argue that Carnival does best when it has little or no competition. If, as RCI claimed, they were not meeting their profit requirements when Mariner was sailing on the West Coast, it would have been foolhardy of them to continue sailing there instead of moving to other locations which would generate more revenue. There is no virtue in losing money by operating your ships where the return is low and while Carnival is apparently able to operate successfully in markets where other lines have withdrawn their ships, perhaps it is only evidence that those markets cannot support more ships. RCI and Carnival apparently have different criteria when selecting their itineraries and what is successful for one line may not be right for the other.

NCLA wasn't successful in its attempt to reinterpret the PSA and I haven't noticed a stampede by other cruise lines to enter the Hawaii market given the restrictions imposed by the Act.:rolleyes: