Mexican Riviera-Which cruise line for my 26 year old daughter - first cruise?

[TillThen]

I am taking my 26 year old daughter on her first cruise in Jan 09, and I am considering these four lines that depart from either LA or SD for the Mexican Riveria: Princess, Carnival, HAL, or NCL.

I was wondering which cruise would be suitable for my daughter? I have been on three cruises, with different lines (RCCL, NCL, Princess) and I'm sure I will enjoy any of those cruises. Most recent was in mid-Nov on the Sapphire Princess, and I was very happy with that cruise. In other words, which cruise, in your opinion, would a young lady enjoy? She is not a partier as such - I can only see her going to the late night club maybe once or twice, if that. She is more the type of girl that would enjoy listening to the bands or the piano bar (as I do too - I will likely stay up later than her :p)

We both like to meet people, so the Freestyle dinner seating (with NCL)may not work well-perhaps one of the lines that have traditional seating may be better for meeting other passengers?

Your opinion is appreciated!

Thanks

[hondian]

I am taking my 26 year old daughter on her first cruise in Jan 09, and I am considering these four lines that depart from either LA or SD for the Mexican Riveria: Princess, Carnival, HAL, or NCL.

I was wondering which cruise would be suitable for my daughter? I have been on three cruises, with different lines (RCCL, NCL, Princess) and I'm sure I will enjoy any of those cruises. Most recent was in mid-Nov on the Sapphire Princess, and I was very happy with that cruise. In other words, which cruise, in your opinion, would a young lady enjoy? She is not a partier as such - I can only see her going to the late night club maybe once or twice, if that. She is more the type of girl that would enjoy listening to the bands or the piano bar (as I do too - I will likely stay up later than her :p)

We both like to meet people, so the Freestyle dinner seating (with NCL)may not work well-perhaps one of the lines that have traditional seating may be better for meeting other passengers?

Your opinion is appreciated!

Thanks

Oh, definitely do the Royal Caribbean. We have done that one 4 times and once on Princess to Mexico, but much prefer Royal Caribbean for service and quality. Plus they have excellent shows.

[ugen512]

Any but HAL..she'll be bored senseless. Carnival will probably be the least exspensive. I would do PCL or RCL with a nod to PCL.

[Keith1010]

I would also recommend avoiding HAL.

 

Keith

[Arwenmark]

Just be sure you both keep a sharp eye on the crew. I took my then 30 year old extremely attractive daughter on an NCL 15 night cruise and we had so much trouble with the male crew following her making uncalled for remarks and trying to be familiar, [our waiter, kissed her on the cheek one morning as we were sitting at our table to order] that we had to get the upper level officers involved.

 

I am not saying this always happens but keep an eye out and if behaviors seem odd to you, contact someone early on. Once we did it made a huge difference.

[RoofingPrincess]

My 22yo son and his 20yo girlfriend enjoyed our Mexican Riviera trip on Royal Caribbean.

[jp2001]

Except HAL, I'm sure the cruiselines listed are fine but NCL has GREAT deals for the Mexican Riviera in January 2009, you should look at it.

 

I'm 29 and I have cruised with Cunard and NCL and enjoyed both tremendously. Freestyle is nice because you can have dinner with people you met onboard and get along with.

[Sea Born]

I would also advise staying away from HAL! BORING! Carnival would be my suggestion, not too mention they are usually cheaper.

[mlb087]

i sorta have the same question but i've been doing alot of research before i go on my 1st cruise-

so far i've found...princess, good for the older crowd

carnival...a bit cheaper, good for a family crowd...not quite as upscale

Royal carribean...more well kept, better ports and shore excursions, better service, and typically (so i hear) the best for your money.

 

I would recommend you research the actual ship you're going on... typically, the NEWER the BETTER.... overall i think the ship actually makes more of a difference than the actual cruise line.

 

have fun:)!!!

[mih13]

I'm 25 and really enjoyed RC last year when I went. Will be trying NCL for the first time in Jan.

[flamomo]

SInce you have sailed with Princess and were pleased with it, maybe that would be a good place to start for your DD.

Princess offers a classy cruise, but not stuffy or staid.

We did the MR on the Golden Princess 2 years ago, and it was very nice. Being a short cruise (7 days), there were a lot of 20-something passengers, but there was not a "party atmosphere".

[beachchick]

For what it's worth, I'd recommend RCI over HAL. NCL has Freestyle cruising, so you would need to decide if you and she would like that. We love RCI, but truly enjoyed NCL; ditto for my mom, who has been on the Star twice and enjoyed it.

 

We haven't cruised with Carnival, but would definitely consider one of the newer ships on a 7 night or longer itinerary. Like most mass-market lines, Carnivals "shortie" weekend cruises have a probably well deserved reputation of being "party time" experiences. I disagree with people who've only been on Carnival's older, smaller ships on the short cruises who say that the whole line is "white trash" or other pejoratives they love to throw at people on some of the other forums here. For example, "If you don't want to dress for formal night, why don't you cruise Carnival with the rest of the torn jeans and ripped t-shirt crowd" (never mind that people report having very nice formal nights on Carnival with almost everyone dressed appropriately) or "You know Carnival is the low-rent, white trash cruise line" (no, we don't) or similar. Often these comments are from people who've never even cruised on Carnival and say they never would because of the "reputation" Carnival had 20 years ago. I would research the specific ship and itinerary, read some reviews, and decide accordingly. I have heard that the decor on Carnival is still pretty "loud" or "bright," but as I have no first-hand knowledge I can't say exactly what that means or if it's correct. We've have heard that Pride is a good ship with many options, but don't know much about the other Carnival ships that cruise Mexico.

 

As for RCI, you have no options for Mexico in January 2009 that I can find. Vision OTS (my sister and BIL enoyed her) is transitioning from Mexico to Europe and will be doing Caribbean cruises in January. Her last Mexico cruise is the end of the month. Mariner OTS (love her and a great choice for your DD) doesn't start the 7-night Mexican Riviera until February 22. Radiance OTS (our first RCI ship; love her too) is doing 4 and 5 night cruises next fall, but not this January. Monarch OTS, which used to do the 3 and 4 night Mexico cruises, is now doing the Bahamas.

 

If you're locked into January 2009, you will probably want to look at NCL or Carnival. If you can wait until after February 22, I highly recommend that you try RCI's Mariner.

 

beachchick

[TillThen]

 

As for RCI, you have no options for Mexico in January 2009 that I can find. Vision OTS (my sister and BIL enoyed her) is transitioning from Mexico to Europe and will be doing Caribbean cruises in January. Her last Mexico cruise is the end of the month. Mariner OTS (love her and a great choice for your DD) doesn't start the 7-night Mexican Riviera until February 22. Radiance OTS (our first RCI ship; love her too) is doing 4 and 5 night cruises next fall, but not this January. Monarch OTS, which used to do the 3 and 4 night Mexico cruises, is now doing the Bahamas.

 

If you're locked into January 2009, you will probably want to look at NCL or Carnival. If you can wait until after February 22, I highly recommend that you try RCI's Mariner.

 

beachchick

Thanks beachchick - I was wondering why RCCL wasn't showing up on any of my searches, now I know why. I think I am leaning towards Sapphire Princess, as I was just on that cruise in Nov, so I know what to expect. I'm pretty sure my DD will enjoy it.

[Bruin Steve]

As to Royal Caribbean...January 2009 falls into thyat gap where the Vision of the Seas (last Mexico cruise-December 28) has already left and the Mariner of the Seas (first Mexico cruise-February 22) has not yet arrived...Sort of a shame since the Mariner would be, far and away, my top recommendation...

 

Of what is left, I would go with Princess...

Better overall experience than Carnival or NCL, even though Carnival may cater to a younger audience, it just has too many other deficiencies...

HAL is not really well geared to 26 year olds...

 

FWIW, I recently helped my 24 year old daughter book a cruise in the Caribbean for her and a friend--and I directed them to the RCCL Freedom of the Seas...which they absolutely loved...It's really a great cruise line for that age group--my daughter, surfed, ice skated and rock-climbed, enjoyed the shows and activities and her friend, who had never cruised before, wanted to immediately go back...

[TillThen]

Thanks for the info. I decided to go with the Sapphire Princess again, in January 2009.

[Leafpeeper]

We have taken this cruise several times. Our favorite was last year on NCL Star because it went to Alcapulco and Zihuantenjo/Ixtapa (which is where "From Here to Eternity" was filmed). WE prefer this itinerary--however, the only cruiseline offering a simiar itinerary is Carnival Spirit from San Diego. The cruiselines out of LA do the Cabo, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Carnival Spirit does Manzanillo, Zihuantenjo, and Alcapulco--much better ports of call. I have not been to Manzanillo but saw it on the Travel Channel. Is was built just for tourism and looks beautiful. The water is so much warmer for swimming at these ports--especially during winter months.

 

I would prefer NCL or Princess because we like freestyle dining and a choice of multiple restaurants on our cruises. However, I would opt for the Carnival ship because of the ports.