Mexican Riviera-Yes or No

[lisalisa143]

Everyone has their own opinions however I am asking...have you sailed the Mexican Riviera & would you do it again. Yes or No!!

Is it like the Caribbean?

[trock]

no one.. ever... :p

 

OK just kidding... I would be interested in hearing about this too... I am hearing great things about Rivera Maya!

[glrounds]

Everyone has their own opinions however I am asking...has anyone cruised the Mexican Riviera

 

Yes, as a matter of fact TEN TIMES. :D and the Southern Mexican Riviera (SPIRIT) ONCE and considering another one later this year. ;)

 

Its actually my favorite cruise these days (no airfare) :) and I would say quite different than the Caribbean. In some ways that's good, in others its not so good. :)

 

A few pics of the PRIDE and the SPIRIT in my webshots (below).

[cathyz]

Everyone has their own opinions however I am asking...have you sailed the Mexican Riviera & would you do it again. Yes or No!!

Is it like the Caribbean?

Yes, but we mostly do it because we live in CA and it's convenient to get there without flying and no, it's not the Caribbean, competely different.

[cathyz]

no one.. ever... :p

 

OK just kidding... I would be interested in hearing about this too... I am hearing great things about Rivera Maya!

Rivera Maya isn't in the Mexican Riviera, wrong side of Mexico.

[velvetred]

Yes, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I really liked Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. The Mexican Riviera is different than the Caribbean but very enjoyable and relaxing.

[neverpar]

Did that cruise last October!! LOVED IT!! I would go again in a heartbeat....I love Mazatlan, PV and Cabo!! Go you won't regret it....and I loved the Pride....

[mytee4ever]

We've been to Cabo San Lucas once. We were on the Elation from San Diego. We enjoyed our time there, but it is not like the Caribbean. It is a desert, so not very lush. The water was still beautiful. We didn't go swimming, but it still looked amazing. Would we go again? Yes. Would we like to see the other ports on the west coast? Absolutely. I would like to see as many places in this world as possible.

 

Towanda

[newmexicoNita]

I have done it twice for different reasons: again, probably not. I think the ports are pretty much all the same, the water isn't anything like the gulf coast or the Eastern part of the Caribbean and there is little shopping. Am I sorry we did it? No, everyone needs to experience as much in life as possible.

 

Nita

[BodyAndMind]

I enjoyed it.

 

Would I do it again ... if you mean if I had the choice to go back in time would I do it over again, the answer is absolutely. I had a great time.

 

If you mean now that I've done it once would I take another cruise with the same route ... hmmm, probably not any time soon, unless I got a great bargain and/or had a big group of friends going.

[glrounds]

Rivera Maya isn't in the Mexican Riviera, wrong side of Mexico.

 

Exactly . . . kinda like trying to find New York City in California or Los Angeles in New York. :D

[triplee]

Hi,

 

Of course I would!:D

 

I spent 8 years growing up in Mexico. I lived for 6 1/2 years in Tampico, right on the Gulf coast. I loved Tampico!

 

I never experienced the Pacific side of Mexico until Oct. of 2006 & 2007. It is different from the Gulf side. I like the Gulf water more that the Pacific. Both sides have beautiful beaches but I do prefer the Gulf. If you like to eat Red Snapper, the Gulf Red Snapper tastes better than the Pacific Red Snapper (has more flavor). The food is different in each region of Mexico as is the local dress.

 

I have cruised to Acapulco (not my favorite), Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa and Manzanillo. Do I like it? Well, my wife & I plan to retire in Manzanillo. So yes, I do like it.

 

Would I cruise it again? In a heartbeat!

 

Lee:)

[azbaby8062]

We did this itinerary in October with Princess and are doing it again in June on the Splendor. I really enjoyed the itinerary. Yes, it is not the Caribbean but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It is just different. I loved all three ports (PV, Mazatlan, Cabo). I know some people don't like it but I think that many who don't like it tend to compare it to the Caribbean and I don't think you can do that, two different animals.

[tootsiescurly]

Depends if you scuba dive. Scuba diving is better in the Caribbean. More coral, fans and colorful fish. Mexican Rivera is fun because of marine mammals and interesting fish but is not as colorful as the Caribbean. The water is also not as warm with the exception of September and October.

[lovebug33]

I really enjoyed our Mexican Riviera cruise. I haven't been to the Caribbean (will be on Sunday, huzzah!). I would do a different Mexico cruise in a heartbeat. I'm a born and raised Nevadan and went to school an hour from the border in Arizona, so I am used to desert and Mexico. I enjoy it!

[BEFdoc]

Been on both sides pacific and gulf. Live on west coast so MR is better for me because no air fare. With that said, for those uninitiated,there is definitely culture shock if you are not used to Mexico in general. That is, poverty is evident everywhere except in the "golden" areas which are geared for the foreign tourist. On the other hand, the mexican locals are a warm, generous people if you get the chance to meet them. Understanding their language is a big help and there is a general impression that all americanos or gringos are wealthy. So, it is important to make sure to strike a bargain before taking that taxi ride, purchasing that trinket, booking that excursion or buying that meal. I have only really had a bad experience once in Acapulco from a less than scupulous tour guide. Otherwise, it has been a wonderful experience on both sides of Mexico.

[KLLund]

YES YES and YES ... in a heatbeat .. i wuld cruise the Mexican Riviera .. oh wait I am in Oct.

 

would I cruise the Carib again .. only for a really really good reason .. like I won the cruise or the family decided to go on a cruise there .. but on my own to just book a cruise .. NO

[Susie51]

Yes, I would go again to Mex. Riv. I have been there 3 times and I am going again in Dec. The port is close to home.

 

I prefer the Caribbean, because the water is warmer and clearer. The sand is not as rough.

[AberAlex]

Everyone has their own opinions however I am asking...have you sailed the Mexican Riviera & would you do it again. Yes or No!!

Is it like the Caribbean?

 

I loved the Mexican Riviera cruise I went on a few years ago! I'll be going to Baja Mexico this fall. Cabo will be one of the stops on the Elation when I go and it was a selling point because I loved it so much last time I was there in '05 on the Pride. If you go on the Pride or Splendor (takes over in the spring of '09) Cabo will be one of the stops. Glrounds mentioned the Spirit and that would definitley be a fun cruise too. Goes further south and has a longer itenerary which is always nice. :D Don't know what all you're looking at in terms of destination or length but I've been impressed with both of my cruises on the west side of Mexico and no doubt will love the next one just as much. You will too!

[AberAlex]

Everyone has their own opinions however I am asking...have you sailed the Mexican Riviera & would you do it again. Yes or No!!

Is it like the Caribbean?

 

BTW, to finish anwering your question, it's not anything like the Caribbean. The cultures, for one, are completely different. Also, while the the climate is hot like the Caribbean, I remember it being less muggy and more arid/desert like. I suppose the further south the coast you go the more "tropical"/Caribbean-like it might get because I do remember Puerto Vallarta being more green than any of the other ports I've seen in Mexico. Not an expert on Mexico climate/geography though. :)

[sassyredhat]

We've been 3 times, and going 2 times in 2009.

 

Mike won't fly, so it's an easy cruise fix for me since we live in San Diego.

 

Acapulco isn't my favorite, but there are some nice excursions there.

 

We always go Feb thru May to beat the heat and humidity.

 

Pat

[mytime53]

That was our first 2 cruises, and although the first one got us hooked on cruising, we wouldn't cruise to Mexico again, as we prefer to just fly there and stay for longer than a week.

Reasons:

Depending on what time of year you go, the first and last couple days of the cruise can be quite chilly.

We love Mexico, and want to be there 24/7, not for just a few 1/2 days.

[Bruin Steve]

I guess I'll pile on a bit here...

 

We've done the 7-night Mexican Riviera on...

Carnival Jubilee

Carnival Elation

RCCL Grandeur of the Seas

RCCL Vision of the Seas in March 2008

...and we're going again on the Sapphire Princess in December...

 

We've also taken "land vacations" in Puerto Vallarta and Ixtapa/Xihuatanejo...

 

So, yes we'd go again...

 

We do go as often as we do because it's fairly convenient for us to drive the hour and a half to San Pedro or the 3-3.5 to San Diego...but we also love the route and the ports...

 

They are different than the Caribbean...As has been stated, the ocean water is generally not as warm (though not bad in the summer) and snorkeling/scuba isn't anything near as good...But in many respects the ports are more interesting...and each is fairly distinct even though they are in the same country...

 

Cabo is a fairly new city with striking post-modern architecture and pastel colors set against a desert/mountain backdrop...

Puerto Vallarta is a beautiful Colonial fishing village with tile roofs and conbblestone streets set before a lush green subtropical backdrop...

Mazatlan is a big port city...but there are some incredible small, old Colonial towns in the nearby mountains...

 

Shopping is fun if that's your thing...There are also an abundance of activities (golf, off-road, kayaking, snorkeling, fishing, horses, etc.) in each of the ports...

 

Try it, you'll like it...

[Uncle Fester]

Yes and Yes again in October, but,,,

 

Don't go in anticipating the same experiences as you would have in the Caribbean. As many people above had said, the water isn't as warm and clear, and the beaches aren't white, powdery sand.

 

However, I like the food much better in Mexico than any of the Caribbean Islands we've had the fortune to visit, and, because you're not visiting an island, there is more exploring that you can do in-land. Finally, I've found the people in Mexico are little more friendly than what we've experienced in the Caribbean.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I went on the Spirit in April visiting Cabo, Mazatlan & La Paz. Didn't care for La Paz. Cabo was good. Decided to take my kids on a cruise & the Elation going to Cabo & Ensenada was the perfect option for my kids to experience cruising and swimming with dolphins. Would I go more than once? Not the exact same itinerary but would like to see other ports like Puerta Vallarta, Acapulco, Ixtapa etc.

 

For me, it is the only convenient cruise cuz I live within 6-8 hours from California ports.