best cruise to MR

[cruisepal48]

Hello all,

DH and I are going on a cruise to Hawaii this March on NCL and want to go to MR next Jan. or Feb. We also have heard of booking deals on a cruise. So are thinking of booking NCL's MR while on our Hawaiian cruise. I have not been there except for an all inclusive to Mazatlan 12 years ago. Is there a better cruise then NCL, or is it a good choise. I know the cruise to Hawaii is good as its port intensive. Thanks for all your help. The reason I'm asking now is that I may be booking next month.:)

[martinsfo]

If you are looking for deals, you will not like what I'm about to say. I took a 14 day holiday cruise on Crystal and it was spectacular, like traveling on a floating Ritz Carlton hotel. It was not cheap. The food was spectacular, the service phenominal. There are not extras for specialty restaurants, all non alcholic beverages are part of the fare. Only 900 people on the ship and there are 6 ports of call in Mexico. Great shows, great lectures, just a great experience. No nickle and diming, no announcements. You will pay for it, it is about the most expensive line on this route, but worth every penny.

[melika091900]

NCL STAR to mexico is great. we went on the star 2 times last year and loved it ..

the itenerary is awesome...

ixtapa is beautiful

you can see our pics on my webshots link below...

 

thanks

Melissa

[cruisepal48]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Martinsfo, You're right the price is over my budget. I checked on their web site and it was over 6 grand for 14 days. they did have a 7 day for over 2 grand. I still think its over my budget. I'm sure for the price you are getting top notch service and food..

Melika I do like the NCL itinerary for an 8 day.. I also see you went on the celebrity to Mexico, how was that inp comarison to NCL. They don't have their itineraries out for 2008, however I did look at this years and see an 8 day that goes to the usual 3 plus manzanillo.

Anybody go on carnival? I like their price but hear its very wild. DH and I are in our 50's and 60's:D

[melika091900]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Martinsfo, You're right the price is over my budget. I checked on their web site and it was over 6 grand for 14 days. they did have a 7 day for over 2 grand. I still think its over my budget. I'm sure for the price you are getting top notch service and food..

Melika I do like the NCL itinerary for an 8 day.. I also see you went on the celebrity to Mexico, how was that inp comarison to NCL. They don't have their itineraries out for 2008, however I did look at this years and see an 8 day that goes to the usual 3 plus manzanillo.

Anybody go on carnival? I like their price but hear its very wild. DH and I are in our 50's and 60's:D

 

 

celebrity had great service, and food,,,

carnival was fun,, me and my dh are in our 20's so we loved it

NCL is very flexible and fun, different ages on board, and many activities, less formal than celebrity , more dining options

depends on what you are looking for,,,

we are going on celebrity again to hawaii, but mostly because of the price and iten,

we would sail any line depending on price and iten which is the most important,

but ........ as far as service,, and food ,, celebrity was the best..

its more for the relaxing type not the party type..

 

melissa

[suziehmkr]

We booked Carnival with very guarded expectations, due to Carnival's repuation. We had a wonderful time! So much that we have rebooked the same ship for Christmas and will be bringing DD with us as a Christmas surprise to her. If you head over the the Carnival boards and do a search for Pride reviews, you will find that very few have anything negative to say about this ship.

 

Feel free to see my pics that are below in my signature.

[cruisepal48]

Suzie,Thanks for your reply. Now, I wonder if I should wait to book Mexican Riviera until later this spring or summer.. Carnival has wonderful prices compaired to the other lines. NCL should have good deals on the ship if you book on board. My friend wants to go with us next year but says she won't go with carnival as all they do is advertise. Also DH and I are in our 50's and 60's. I will check out the reviews.

[suziehmkr]

I have never been on NCL, so I can't compare. I just know that we had a great time on the Pride and put it on the same level as our cruise with RCCL for the same itinerary. We liked it better than Princess.

 

Is your friend concerned with the advertising on the ship? They all do that. Carnival was a little less pushy than Princess, however. It is easy to ignore. Or is she talking about TV ads? We love them because it just keeps getting us more excited about our upcoming trip.

 

The Pride is not the neon type ship that you would expect from Carnival. It is done in woods & beautiful artwork (evident in our photos) - truly a beautiful ship.

 

If you book your Carnival cruise now (or any cruise) to lock in your price... you can always cancel it (before final payment) if you decide to book on your NCL cruise. If prices go down, you can call Carnival or your TA and they will reprice you to the lower price. We had that happen twice with our last cruise and it has already happened once for this booking. I check prices 2-3 times a day. Last booking, there was a one day sale and I saved a ton of money on it by calling my TA.

 

I guess it depends on your activity level... our friend didn't like NCL because he felt there wasn't much happening on the ship. We felt like that on Princess.

[cruisepal48]

I have never been on NCL, so I can't compare. I just know that we had a great time on the Pride and put it on the same level as our cruise with RCCL for the same itinerary. We liked it better than Princess.

 

Is your friend concerned with the advertising on the ship? They all do that. Carnival was a little less pushy than Princess, however. It is easy to ignore. Or is she talking about TV ads? We love them because it just keeps getting us more excited about our upcoming trip.

 

The Pride is not the neon type ship that you would expect from Carnival. It is done in woods & beautiful artwork (evident in our photos) - truly a beautiful ship.

 

If you book your Carnival cruise now (or any cruise) to lock in your price... you can always cancel it (before final payment) if you decide to book on your NCL cruise. If prices go down, you can call Carnival or your TA and they will reprice you to the lower price. We had that happen twice with our last cruise and it has already happened once for this booking. I check prices 2-3 times a day. Last booking, there was a one day sale and I saved a ton of money on it by calling my TA.

 

I guess it depends on your activity level... our friend didn't like NCL because he felt there wasn't much happening on the ship. We felt like that on Princess.

 

Suzie, Thanks for your reply. I've been on NCL to Alaska in July of 2005 and I loved it. The reason I'm doing the Hawaiian cruise if for the port intensive itinerary. We are doing a 2 night post cruise stay in Oahu. So I don't have anything to compare with. I'm not oposed to trying other lines though. I also like to compare prices and get a good deal. My friend didn't like Carnival for all their advertising on the ship. I could ignor that very easy. NCL has an 8 day cruise. Carnival has a good price . So I could do any. I'll look at some reviews. I've already looked at some. If NCL gives me a deal I can't turn down I'll have to book it. I am open to other lines though. I appreciate other people's remarks:o

[martinsfo]

A word about Crystal, you get what you pay for. There are no surcharges for non alcholic beverages, shuttles into port, no waits for tenders, no crowds, no inside cabins and unbelievable service. You are only sailing with about 900 people with 600 crew member. They remember your names, what you eat, what you drink, etc. No crowds at the pool or the show. On the Princess board is a thread from a woman who had sailed over 20 times with Princess and then sailed on Crystal. Read it, you will understand the fanatic loyalty of those who have sailed with them. Once again, you get what you pay for.

[suziehmkr]

NCL has an 8 day cruise. Carnival has a good price . So I could do any. I'll look at some reviews.

Not trying to persuade you - just give you info from what our experiences are. I understand that the NCL ships for Hawaii have a much different atmosphere than the rest of the fleet.

 

One more tidbit... Carnival also does an 8 day - but not in the summer. The Spirit is the sister to the Pride and also has great reviews. When she isn't in Alaska, she does an 8-day from San Diego. We will probably do that one sometime too! But I need to get back to Hawaii for a land vacation first. I am having ALOHA withdrawals! :)

[cruisepal48]

Well, I sure have a lot to think about.. I would like an 8 day cruise so I'll check out Carnivals 8 day cruise. I will be checking out the reviews and the photo's. I would want an intinerary that included PV as I hear that's beautiful. I'm so excited about my Hawaiian cruise, I can hardly wait. DH and I have never been so this will be fun for us. Next year will be MR then DH want's to go back to Alaska. We don't care to go to the Caribbean. We live on the west coast and prefer to stay on the west. Thanks for everyone's help.:)

[cruisepal48]

Suzie,

 

I loved your photos they really showed me the ship. It looked very nice. DH loved the chicken nachos and the shrimp. Did you get them at Vicktors and how much did they cost?? Thanks for the wonderful advice I am really considering the Pride. Thanks again:D

[Sale Away]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned HAL as a choice for the Mexican Riviera. The Oosterdam does a 7 dayer out of San Diego with stops at Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. HAL tends to be a bit more restrained in activities but if you're looking to not be inundated with shipboard goings on, you'll be happy with it. The beds are comfortable (better than the ones we slept in on Celebrity or RCCL). The food was on par with Celebrity and better than on RCCL. I haven't sailed on NCL so can't comment on that. Some of the recent cruisers on the Oosterdam have been posting their trip reviews on the HAL board so you might want to read those to see if it interests you.

 

As for the fare, most of the lines seem pretty similar across the board and it really depends on the category you're interested in. Most TA's seem to be pretty accomodating about dropping the fare if the cruise line has dropped it. But they don't usually check till your final payment is due. I take it on myself to look online (on the cruise line's website) every few weeks to see if it's been reduced. The "deals" that they offer on board are usually for a reduced deposit on a future cruise and not a reduced overall fare. ;)

 

Have fun in Hawaii!

[suziehmkr]

Suzie,

 

I loved your photos they really showed me the ship. It looked very nice. DH loved the chicken nachos and the shrimp. Did you get them at Vicktors and how much did they cost?? Thanks for the wonderful advice I am really considering the Pride. Thanks again:D

I am glad you like the pics. I am a scrapbooker, so I take more pictures than most people... of DH likes to set up shots for me. He can't take a good pic for nothin', but can help me frame one! Odd, huh?

 

The chicken nachos were at the restaurant at Los Veranos. And the garlic shrimp & ribs were from Victor's. There is a picture of the menu from Los Veranos... but I don't remember the prices at Victor's. I don't pay attention to that when I know what I want and I know it is good. ;) What I do remember is that we had 3 meals (garlic shrimp, ribs & quesadilla), a side order of onion rings (a must!), and several beers besides the ones that Randi bought and our bill was less than $40 with tip! I am going to see if I can take a picture of the menu for me at Victor's. If I can, I will post it.

 

We really did love the Pride. DH likes to find things to complain about and there was very little for him to find! Service in the dining room was a little spotty, but he got better later in the week. And in the evenings, if you didn't go to the dining room, the selection at the buffets wasn't the greatest. When I wrote to Carnival, I suggested that they leave the grill (hamburgers, hot dogs & chicken sandwiches) open past 6:00pm... as there were a few nights, especially on port days where I wanted to just grab a burger & fries. The pizza was VERY good though, so we weren't suffering. ;)

[cruisepal48]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned HAL as a choice for the Mexican Riviera. The Oosterdam does a 7 dayer out of San Diego with stops at Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. HAL tends to be a bit more restrained in activities but if you're looking to not be inundated with shipboard goings on, you'll be happy with it. The beds are comfortable (better than the ones we slept in on Celebrity or RCCL). The food was on par with Celebrity and better than on RCCL. I haven't sailed on NCL so can't comment on that. Some of the recent cruisers on the Oosterdam have been posting their trip reviews on the HAL board so you might want to read those to see if it interests you.

 

As for the fare, most of the lines seem pretty similar across the board and it really depends on the category you're interested in. Most TA's seem to be pretty accomodating about dropping the fare if the cruise line has dropped it. But they don't usually check till your final payment is due. I take it on myself to look online (on the cruise line's website) every few weeks to see if it's been reduced. The "deals" that they offer on board are usually for a reduced deposit on a future cruise and not a reduced overall fare. ;)

 

Have fun in Hawaii!

 

Sale Away, I will look into Hal, thanks for mentioning it. Like I said, I won't be going until next Jan. or Feb. I'm just trying to get peoples opinions on the different cruise lines. I only have been on NCL so I can't compare. I will look on the hal reviews and check it out. I always (only 2 times) book a year ahead of time. I see on these boards that some book last minute deals. That would drive me nuts:eek: DH and I like to plan ahead.