Mexican Riviera?

[IUFAN]

Living in Indiana my wife and I have always done the caribbean. Every year we always look at the Mexican Riviera but always decide against it. Can some people share their thoughts on the riviera ports? Is March a good time to go?

[Colo Cruiser]

Living in Indiana my wife and I have always done the caribbean. Every year we always look at the Mexican Riviera but always decide against it. Can some people share their thoughts on the riviera ports? Is March a good time to go?

 

It is a great time to go, good whale watching.

Try the excursion to Las Caletas in PV.

[CruisingJs]

March is great! Try going to Stone Island in Mazatlan and having some of the best jumbo shrimp you will ever have. I recommend the garlic shrimp with a Mexican beer. They're the size of your hand. Yum!

[gargoyle999]

Had a great time last month in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo! First timers there and on Princess!

 

Go for it! :)

[bubbadog]

Ya...that is a ok time or end of april/early May is good too,your going to have a great time,so just go ahead and book it:D

[stive1]

We have done the caribbean at least a dozen times and finally decided to do a 10 out of LA during the first part of March. Overall we did not enjoy this trip as well as the caribbean. It was cool the day we boarded and also the first and last day at sea since the water temps are much cooler in this area. We did enjoy the trip much more when we made it into the warmer water. Also enjoyed the ports and had a good time each stop. Personally if we had done a 7 day I would have really disliked have 2-3 cool days vs. generally getting all 7 of the days much warmer when leaving out of Florida or San Juan. Again being on a cruise is always a good vacation.....just thought I would add my 2 cents on the topic.

[critterchick]

If you want all warm weather, as Stive1 pointed out, you'll be a little disappointed by the first and last sea days. But change is good, and the ports are nice. If you're into snorkelling, it's not quite as colorful as the Caribbean (not even close, actually, until you get much further south than the 7-nighter takes you), but it's still decent.

 

And I agree with Keith - go to Las Caletas. It's gorgeous, and a great way to spend a day.:)

[J&KCruisers]

For the past 6 years, we have focused on the caribbean. Absolutely LOVE it!!!!

 

We decided to try the Mexican Riviera and had a GREAT time. The ports are a lot more affordable than the Caribbean. In both Puerto Vallerta (Los Muertes Beach) and Mazatlan (Stone Island) you sit and drink buckets (6) of beer for $10, eat tons of really good food (shrimp and other fish) very cheap and enjoy many of the same amenities as the caribbean. Literally, you are a king on these beaches for $40.

 

You do not have that turquoise blue water and coral reefs, but they have wonderful coasts and the ports are very old and beautiful.

 

Try the Sapphire out of LA. You will have a nice cruise.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We were on this itinerary in late January/early February and in mid-February. The weather will be much warmer as you get past Cabo. But you should expect the weather to be variable in Los Angeles. It's the end of our rainy season (such as it is...and there's been reports of a dry La Nina season) so you might want to double check the ten day weather reports just before you finish packing. Last month we had unseasonable freezing weather (we had snow about a mile away from us, but by the coast, that is even rarer), and this week, we've had unseasonably warm weather (in the 80s).

 

The great thing about Princess is that there are so many itineraries, so why not check out more than just the Caribbean?

[farmerjohn]

We have done the 7 day three times; two of which were on Princess. We live in Washington State and I find the LA departure to be so much more convenient than flying to Florida. As stated, you can get cooler weather on the first and last day. Overall I have loved each of these cruises and would go on this itinerary again in a heartbeat.

[gargoyle999]

If you want all warm weather, as Stive1 pointed out, you'll be a little disappointed by the first and last sea days. But change is good, and the ports are nice. If you're into snorkelling, it's not quite as colorful as the Caribbean (not even close, actually, until you get much further south than the 7-nighter takes you), but it's still decent.

 

And I agree with Keith - go to Las Caletas. It's gorgeous, and a great way to spend a day.:)

 

Just wanted to add that I think the enjoyment of the 1st and last sea day is impacted by where are from. I'm from Minnesota and had no issues at all with the 1st or last sea day, it was all warm too me! :)

 

And we went to Las Caletas as well in Puerto Vallarta and had a nice time. Took a tour with Mazatlan Frank which I'd recommend and enjoyed snorkeling and sailing on the Yael in Cabo.

[ladypalmtree]

This will be the 7th time we have taken this cruise on two different lines. Twice on Carnival and this will be the 5th on Princess. We always travel in March or April, my daughter has a week's vacation and my dh has to travel before summer..as he is in the pool industry. There will be many kids and college students on these cruises in Spring. It does not bother us at all! But it does bother some people. We will be on the Sapphire on March 21st...LPT:D

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I loved the Mexican Riviera. It is different form the Caribbean, which after several Caribbean cruises was a nice change. We focused on non-water related excursions and loved the color and the history we saw. I would also recommend Mazatlan Frank in Mazatlan. In Cabo - whale watching.

 

We usually snorkel in the Caribbean every chance we get. This time we never got wet, but it was still one of my favorite itineraries.:)

[tetons]

We never wanted to do it either because I like port intensive cruises. We finally booked it and had one of those aft balconies. It was one of our best cruises and I really enjoyed the sea days with the aft balcony. It was one of the most relaxing cruises as well. We loved Cabo and the snorkeling there was great as well as the catamaran sails. Granted not Hawaii or Roatan or Belize but still very enjoyable for snorkeling. Saw lots of dolphins when we were there.

 

I loved listening to the wake and got some of the best sunrise pictures ever. Have to get up early for those though. Well worth it.

[billet]

I did the Mexican Riviera last year. It is very different from the Caribbean and therefore worth the experience. I love Mazatland old town for its authenticity and Cabo for it millionaire playground atmosphere. PV I was not particulary enamored with but it was worth a visit and it is nice to stroll along the promenade and tour down the coast for the Tequila tasting.

 

I would recommend trying the cruise, it was a nice change (I was B2B 4 times).

[J.A.H.]

We live in San Diego, so we have been on many (too many to count!) cruises to Mexico. It is just so easy and affordable. We have never had a BAD time, however our favorite spot is the Caribbean and we feel that there is just NO comparison. Just returned from the 2 wk Sea Princess that stopped on a different Island nearly every day. It was just so wonderful. That said, we are on a Mexican Riviera cruise next month! We will have fun. The ship is great, and we know what to expect. If we had to fly to get there, we would go to the Caribbean instead however. Just my opinion. Obviously, many others don't agree. Both myself and DH think it is comparing "apples and oranges". Hope this helps! Have fun, wherever you end up!:)