What is your favorite Mexican Riviera Port?

[lesharona]

To those who have done the 7 day Mexican Riviera itineray

what is your favorite port and why?

[ChrisB123]

I'm going on the OCT 15th trip. Can't WAIT.

[Dreamer333]

Cabo! (Although it is such a shame that Princess stays at that port for such a short amount of time).

 

I didn't go into town... stayed on the beach... my SIL (and her DH) went parasailing and my DH and I rode on the boat with them...

 

We ate lunch (and drank coronas) on the beach...

 

It was VERY beautiful... relaxing... wonderful!!!

 

While we were eating (we chose to sit outside on the beach under umbrellas), we did have several sales people approach us... so our waiter brought us a big sign that said NO GRACIAS and stabbed it into the sand... and they left us alone.

[Pam in CA]

Another vote for Cabo, and another wishing the ship would stay longer in port. I'm doing the Mexican Riviera again over Christmas and I might just consider Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan "sea days."

[ghgeckos]

Another vote for Cabo.

[Baxter]

Definitely Cabo. It might have something to do with them NOT having a WalMart...yet (though I understand that Costco is quite popular). There is something not right about sailing into Puerto Vallarta and having a panoramic view of the WalMart and Sam's Club from your balcony.

[c-cruise]

Did this itinerary in April on the Diamond and found Cabo to be our favorite port even though the time there is very limited. Puerto Vallarta was not bad, but I wouldn't bother getting off the boat in Mazatlan again unless I was taking a specific tour or something. Might do this itinerary again someday, but for now it's back to the Caribbean for us.

[Iamthesea]

1. Cabo San Lucas for Whale Watching.

2. Puerto Vallarta for sight seeing, the family run tequila factory and an authentic Mexican eatery.

3. Mazatlan for sight seeing - Do not try to go to the beach at Stone Island. You will be attacked by the sales people.

[Bruin Steve]

I've done the route a few times and have taken "land" vacations in the region as well...

AND I will disagree with the folks above...

 

Puerto Vallarta is easily the best...

 

Of course, a lot depends on what you are looking for in a port...

If you are looking for water sports, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, etc., then, yes, it is Cabo...

 

And Cabo is starkly beautiful for its pastel colors and stark desert/mountain backdrop...Of course, for those of us from SoCal, desert scenery doesn't have the same appeal as for those from some other parts of the world...

 

And Cabo is fairly new, fairly sterile...with little history or culture...

 

Puerto Vallarta, OTOH, is a tropical gem...Mexican Colonial architecture, cobblestone streets fronting a lush, green tropical backdrop...The shopping is far more diverse than the modern, manufactured Cabo, the restaurants are pretty much the best in all Mexico (Something you really only learn when you stay for several days, not just a quick port stop)...And all of the nearby jungles, waterfalls, remote villages, etc. are incredible...

 

You can tell when folks have only stopped in for a day on a cruise...they note the Wal-Mart...But, you have to remember, the ships don't really dock "in town"...That WalMart is not in Puerto Vallarta per se, but in the newer northern suburban areas that function to service the large local population...Don't confuse the port area with the real city of Puerto Vallarta...the downtown, the Malecon, the cobblestone streets, the Isla Cuale...

 

I have spent time in Mexican cities from Tijuana to Cancun...and, for my money, no question, PV is Numero Uno...

 

PS...read and weep:

http://www.costco.com/Warehouse/LocationTemplate.aspx?Warehouse=724

 

Costco is everywhere...even in Cabo!

[suziehmkr]

Do not try to go to the beach at Stone Island. You will be attacked by the sales people.

I have to disagree - Stone Island was the highlight of our visit to Mexico. It depends on how you do it and what type if experience you are looking for. If you book our favorite horse back riding trip with Randi's Happy Horses you are in for a great day! While the rest of our ports were hot & humid in June, we enjoyed a nice coastal breeze on Stone Island that could not be beat!

 

We had a great ride, experienced OLD Mexico and enjoyed the most wonderful afternoon on the beach on Stone Island. Yes, there were vendors, but they would leave with a simple No Thanks - or Randi would shoo them off. They know her and don't mess with her.

 

We still talk about this trip and it is exactly a one year old memory (last week!) and I still chat with Randi to this day.

 

PV would be my 2nd favorite, with Cabo trailing in third. PV is a beautiful city and we enjoyed it immensly. The commercialization of some parts of town bugged me, especially the WalMart/Sams in port. But hop in a taxi and your driver will take you to better places. Worth the taxi drive!

 

But again, that is why we all have opinions... everyone is different.

[Beryl]

Everyone is entitled to their very own favourite! Mine too is Cabo! :D We live in the mountains so I love the desert/beach scenery!

 

That being said, my very favourite shore excursion was in Mazatlan, my least favourite of the three ports on the round trip Mexican Riviera cruise. I did the Colonial Villages tour the first time I was there and I didn't do it again on my last trip. DH hadn't been on my previous trip so he missed a great tour :(! If/when we go again I will definitely take a tour up into the Sierra Madres.

 

Have fun deciding which is your very own favourite.

[lesharona]

We are going in March. We picked a time to hopefully see some whales.

We also have read a lot of nice things about Frank in Mazatlan. I thank

you for sharing your experiences......This will be a family cruise My folks,

sister and husband, my two brothers and their wives, we are all looking

forward to it!

[nmarsh]

Hey, thanks for all the info. We are thinking of doing the Mexican Riviera on our next cruise. It is great to get different point of views.

[Druke I]

I also would say Cabo San Lucas - but I personally am not a fan of Mexico.

[Dihead]

Definitely Cabo. It might have something to do with them NOT having a WalMart...yet (though I understand that Costco is quite popular). There is something not right about sailing into Puerto Vallarta and having a panoramic view of the WalMart and Sam's Club from your balcony.

 

when you fly into puerto vallarta, you can see both the wal mart and sams club signs from the air. kind of ridiculous really *lol*