Mexican Riviera or East/South Caribbean?

[Phil G]

We live in Texas and love cruising out of Galveston and New Orleans but are looking to expand our cruising experience with a cruise from the East or West coast. We would love hear from folks who have taken cruises to the Mexican Riviera and/or the Eastern/Southern Caribbean. Which itineraries do you like and if you could only take one cruise :( , which way would you go, East or West? Thanks for the help.

Hope to see some of you on the Conquest April 17th.

Phil

[karen2cruz]

Phil,

 

Well, it depends what you like to do. The Mexican Riviera was fun. We did it in February. We saw the whlaes and dolphins, did some snorkeling, horsbackriding and sightseeing. Nice cruise.

We are divers and love the Caribbean for that reason. Think the beaches, shopping and snorkeling are better too. Caribbean has more of a party atmosphere as well.

 

Hope that helps.

[mared1]

We have take cruises to Eastern and Southern Caribbean along with Western and will be taking a Mexican Reveria cruise this month.

 

We really enjoyed all the ports on both Eastern and Southern cruises. If you like to shop than St. Thomas or St. Maartin are excellent. Barbados is a wonderful port. We really liked Martinique also.

[Phil G]

Would love to hear what you think of the Mexican Riviera. Please keep me posted.

We have take cruises to Eastern and Southern Caribbean along with Western and will be taking a Mexican Reveria cruise this month.

 

We really enjoyed all the ports on both Eastern and Southern cruises. If you like to shop than St. Thomas or St. Maartin are excellent. Barbados is a wonderful port. We really liked Martinique also.

[jama05]

The Caribbean is better for water sports as the water is clearer and warmer. We have done both and the only Mexican Riveria port we liked was Mazatlan. Cabo was too Americanized and just a huge party town. I think they said they have more bars per square inch than any other place in the world. And even if you are into the party scene, you are never there long or late enough to explore it.

The water isn't as clear or warm so snorkeling was a big let down.

[karfest]

While we loved the Caribbean for the white beaches and blue water, the only itinerary I have been interested in doing a second time is the Mexican Riviera.

 

We enjoy history and culture and are not so much into the beach/party atmosphere. If you want flashier touristy type things- go with the Caribbean. For a more laid back learning experience, try the Mexican Riviera. This is not to say there aren't parties and craziness there- you just need to look a little harder!

 

I also thought the western Caribbean itinerary (Belize, Roatan) was very interesting but much poorer countries and conditions. I have heard other cruisers complain about the dirty streets and begging children (both western and MR) but if you can appreciate that not everyone lives like we do, you will find beauty and adventure. I don't need to see a Wal-Mart or Hard Rock in every port - I have that at home!

[ute_fan]

Karfest --

 

What specifically did you enjoy on the MR that was history & culture related? We enjoyed the Mayan ruins on our Western caribbean cruise, and have been wondering what there is on the MR that would be a similar experience.

[balanceok]

We love the beaches and diversity of the Caribbean, so that would be my recommendation.

 

We loved our 10-day Mexican Riviera cruise, but you have to remember that every day is Mexico. We love Mexico, so we had a great time, but you don't get the French, British, Caribbean cultural diversity change each day like you do in the Caribbean.

 

Either way, you will have fun. Go for it.

[Phil G]

Thanks for the input. We love cruising and never took one we didn't like. What are the shore tours like? We like sun and beach, shoping, and a drink now and then. What are some of the don't miss things to do on either cruise. We're not so much into ruins or meusems.

[karfest]

Karfest --

 

What specifically did you enjoy on the MR that was history & culture related? We enjoyed the Mayan ruins on our Western caribbean cruise, and have been wondering what there is on the MR that would be a similar experience.

 

I have to clarify that I have enjoyed every port I visited and would gladly go to any of them again!!

 

I've just always found the people and culture of Mexico fascinating and so different than our American perception of Mexicans. We were fortunate to find excellent drivers in each city who were very proud of their city and heritage and took us to the local landmarks- churches, houses, a few museums,etc. If you have enough time in port, I would suggest taking a tour to the outlying areas- the people are friendly and welcoming and the Food is fantastic!

 

If you are considering Mexico- I would suggest getting a Mexico guidebook such as "Mexican Beaches for Dummies" or "Frommers Mexico" to get a good feel for it. I am really excited to go back and try my new Spanish skills-hmm..what will I end up ordering?

 

Also-the Mexican Riviera board on this site has alot of good information and a cruise critic member located in almost every port who can help you with anything:)

[Nessi]

We would love hear from folks who have taken cruises to the Mexican Riviera and/or the Eastern/Southern Caribbean. Which itineraries do you like and if you could only take one cruise :( , which way would you go, East or West? Thanks for the help.

 

We've done the Mexican Riviera once, Eastern Caribbean once, and Western Caribbean twice. We'll do the Southern next month. We did the Mexican Riviera in April. While it was warm and pleasant in port, it was very cold when at sea. We were very disappointed that we couldn't lay out by the pool or enjoy being on deck. I didn't bring any jeans and sweatshirts, so I was very uncomfortable. However, it is always warm and balmy in the Caribbean. So my recommendation is you factor when you want to travel into your destination decision-making. Puerta Vallarta and Mazatlan offer numerous options for things to do. I agree with the previous poster, who said that Cabo is very Americanized and full of bars. It's not a good place for snorkeling. We shopped and had lunch and then hired a water taxi to take us out to the arch. It was one of the highlights of the cruise. The boat took us around the point where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortex. There were a ton of seals swimming and laying on the rocks. Totally awesome experience and super cheap.

 

Both our Western Caribbean cruises went to Cozomel, Jamaica and Grand Caymon. On both trips to Cozumel we went to Chankanaab Nature Park, which is so awesome. If you like to snorkel or dive, the reef is a preserve. There is an incredibly beautiful salt water lagoon and walking trails that lead you through the jungle. Tons of giant iguanas and Mayan artifacts (replicas) to look at. We are not fond of shore excursions, so Jamaica isn't so great for us (not a lot of options if you want to do it on your own). Just about very human being who visits Jamaica goes to Dunn's River Falls. I saw video of it on the cruise ship, and tromping around in my aqua socks with about a billion other tourists doesn't look like a good time to me. A fellow passenger booked a shore excursion to Dunn's in which he floated around in an inner-tube and drank Red Stripe. If I ever go back to Jamaica, I'll book that one. Grand Caymon took a pretty big hit with the recent hurricane, but I don't know what was effected. The beaches are some of the prettiest in the world. My boss did a tour of the Turtle Sanctuary, and it was the highlight of her cruise. You have to buy a rum cake when you are there. Delicious! Grand Caymon is great but expensive. Both times we went we were shocked at the price of our lunch ($20 hamburger with no fries).

 

We loved Eastern Caribbean, and I know we will do it again. St. Maarten and St. Thomas are both so beautiful. Good shopping too. As I said, we don't do shore excursions, so we went to the beach. Orient Beach (St. Maarten) and Sapphire Beach (St. Thomas) were gorgeous, and I highly recommend them. Our ship took us to their private island in the Bahamas (Princess Cay). It's a beach club owned by the cruiseline. If you like a good beach club, then you will be very happy. However it is totally devoid of any culture or history.

 

The bottom line is the Caribbean is gorgeous no matter where you go. Hope this helps!

 

Nessi :D

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[fun2travel]

Karfest-

We are planning MR cruise, I wonder if you know the names of the drivers you used?

[Phil G]

Thanks, everyone, for the info. Still don't know which way we'll go yet but I know we'll have a great time whichever way we go. In the meantime, we're counting down the days till leaving on the Conquest.

 

Phil