mexican riviera ?

[nixxhome]

Help! We have been cruising the caribbean for the last 5 yrs...(princess and rccl)...have gotten comfortable with rccl's voyager class ships..we want to change itineraries and we are considering mexican riviera...since we want to try acapulco, ncl's Star appears to be the best option...has anyone sailed a voyager class ship as well as something in Star's size? Are we going to be disappointed?How rough does the pacific get, say in February, as sea sickness is a factor with DW...thanx for the help...nick:)

[angelsx4]

It's a really great deal it looks like. Acapulco and Ixtapa will be new to me, I've been to Puerto Vallarta and Cabo 3 times now. Doing something different each time, so I'm still looking forward to those ports. I'm really sad the ship doesn't stop in Mazatlan as my FAVORITE all time cruise highlight was Randi's Happy Horses for the day. If you ever go to Mazatlan, she's a must. We've been doing some research and for the time of year we'll be going (Jan. 06) it looks like whale watching will be an option too. I've never sailed NCL, however our travel agent preferes NCL over any other ship because of the freestyle dining now. My mother in law said the only she didn't like about it was having to tell her life story all over again the next night with a new set of table mates, LOL. But, we're taking our 4 children(13,10,8,8 then) with us this time so we'll probably have more intimate seating. There are more forums on this board for 'ports of call' and you might check those out. I don't think you'll have a problem finding enough places to eat that are included in the cruise fare on board that are good quality. And even the "extra gratuity" or tariffs are not that much. I heard they're all worth it. From what I can tell the entertainment is great too.

 

As far as rough seas, we've only cruised in the summer months before. And the only time I felt it was coming back up the coast. My first was on an old Carnival 37,000 tons, and I felt it a lot, on the 2nd, RCCL Viking Serenade(a step bigger) we felt it a little less, then Carnival Elation 73,000 tons(?) we hardly felt anything, actually kind of a bummer, not feeling like you're really at sea at all, LOL.

 

Can't wait!!!

[budgetED]

I've been to the Mexican Riviera twice, both times on Carnival. We had a wonderful time in the ports and of course, on the ship. We went once in August and once in March. The weather was wonderful at sea both times; clear blue skies, warm, and we rarely saw more than a few white clouds. Nobody I met became seasick but the kicker is my wife. She's the kind that would get sick watching a boat on tv, but surprisingly she wasn't at all affected on the cruise. There was very little motion going and just slightly a bit more on the way back(but not enough to bother us).

 

This March we're cruising on the NCL Star to the Mexican Riviera. The ship was built in 2001. I've heard and seen online that she's a beautiful ship. They added a casino since she came from Hawaii to do the Mexico itinerary. People I've met here who have sailed on her love the ship. I'm sure we'll have a great time.

[ron46936]

We have sailed the RCCL Vision class ships but not Voyager. We just returned from the Mex Riv on the Star. The Star is the most fantastic ship we've been on. On our particular cruise we were the only ship in 3 of the 4 ports.

 

The sea was generally calm and even tho we were doing 25 knots the ride was very smooth.

 

The only ship other than the Star I would even consider for this cruise would be Celebrity' Mercury. I've given up on RCCL.

[Sailaway...Sailaway]

Hi! As you can see by my signature, I've sailed to Mexico a few times.:) The last time we went it was for 10 days on the Sun Princess, so we got to see Acapulco and Zihuatenajo/Ixtapa. Almost everyone preferred Zihau compared to Acapulco. It's a small fishing village with some pretty beaches and shopping. We did take a taxi to see the cliff divers in Acapulco, though. We also hung out on the beach for awhile. It was Spring break for us, but also for the Mexican citizens, as well. A very crowded beach! We've never gone in February.

 

As for rough seas, two of the earlier times we sailed down there on smaller ships, we ran into a rough patch that definitely made us feel VERY ::urpy::. However, we didn't know about taking Bonine preventatively. Usually after you leave Baja going toward L. A. you'll run into a little more motion. That's just the way it flows. However, on these larger ships it hasn't been a big problem. I just make sure I take my Bonine. I also have gotten used to the motion more so and I try to just "go with it" rather than fight it.

 

 

Help! We have been cruising the caribbean for the last 5 yrs...(princess and rccl)...have gotten comfortable with rccl's voyager class ships..we want to change itineraries and we are considering mexican riviera...since we want to try acapulco, ncl's Star appears to be the best option...has anyone sailed a voyager class ship as well as something in Star's size? Are we going to be disappointed?How rough does the pacific get, say in February, as sea sickness is a factor with DW...thanx for the help...nick:)

[capeboy96]

I have never been on a Voyager class RCI ship (only on the Empress and Legend) but don't think you'll be disaponited with the Star at all. I was on it a few weeks ago and had an awesome time. Definately one of my favorite cruises. Weather was a little cool the first and last day but we hit no rough seas. Hardly noticed the motion. Great itinerary and ports felt quite different from the Caribbean.

[TrentS]

The Star is a beautiful ship, but no comparison to a Voyager class ship. As long as you go with an open mind and realize that it's not as big (not that it's small!) and doesn't have all of the things that a Voyager class ship has I don't think you'll be disappointed at all. I liked the Star a lot, had a great time onboard, and wouldn't hesitate to go back again, but nothing can compare to a Voyager class ship - They're just in a class of their own. One thing that I really loved about NCL over RCI though is the Freestyle Dining!

 

As far as the seas go, it's impossible to say. It all depends on the weather. One thing about sailing from CA in February though is it's COLD! It's nothing like the Caribbean, and until you get south of Baja it's usually VERY cold! :eek:

[nixxhome]

Thanks everyone. Looks like we may be doing a land locked vacation in cancun next feb....hope to book cruise for the following year.....:(