What did you think about Mexican Riviera?

[grumpymakesmehappy]

Currently I have the Mexican Riviera cruise booked for Jan. '11. I'm starting to second guess it a little right now. Will we like Mexico? Will 7 nights feel too long? I booked this cruise because I liked the idea of visiting DL beforehand & then going on the cruise but now I'm starting to worry if I'll like the cruise. For those of you who have gone on this cruise, how did you like it? Honest reviews please. I will be traveling with DH & DD who will be almost 2yrs.old. We've been on a 4 night before but never on the 7 night.

 

[IWannaBeAPrincess]

I've took this itenerary on NCL last Spring Break. I think these are some of the best Mexico ports available. Cabo is breathtaking, Puerto Vallarta has the world's best pirate ship excursion, and Mazatlan has stone island which was just awesome!

The water is cold, but that's the only downside that I see!

We like those ports so much we are going again in April 2011!

 

[tecdavidt]

Are you doing the Magic Western? If yes that would be Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Key West unless DCL changed the ports of call. If on the Wonder, which could be because she moves to CA after the Dream comes out. Then I would guess it would be the ports of Cabo, Puerto Vallerta, and Mazatlan. The western is nice, we have done that one twice on the Magic and few times on other lines. The water is beautiful. Kathy

 

[clten]

If you are looking for a beach/swimming vacation, I don't think this is the best itinerary. At a lot of these stops, the water is cold and a lot of them have currents that make it dangerous to swim.

That being said, Cabo has been one of my favorite cruise stops ever. There are always fun things you can do in the ports and if you don't find anything you really want to do, stay on board and enjoy the pools and things. We have a lot of fun when the crowds are small on board!

 

[grumpymakesmehappy]

If you are looking for a beach/swimming vacation, I don't think this is the best itinerary. At a lot of these stops, the water is cold and a lot of them have currents that make it dangerous to swim.

We were hoping for a beach/swimming vacation. Our daughter will be almost 2 so I was wanting something relaxing. I'm definitely starting to rethink the Mexican cruise. Do you think the Eastern or Western Caribbean would be better fits? I was hoping for a tropical type vacation not cool weather. We have a SPH booked on the Mex. cruise so we would have to give that up & give our side trip to DL up.

 

[jilljill]

We were hoping for a beach/swimming vacation. Our daughter will be almost 2 so I was wanting something relaxing. I'm definitely starting to rethink the Mexican cruise. Do you think the Eastern or Western Caribbean would be better fits? I was hoping for a tropical type vacation not cool weather. We have a SPH booked on the Mex. cruise so we would have to give that up & give our side trip to DL up.

Do you have to cruise in Jan. from the west coast? If not can go later in the year after the Wonder comes back from AK or go just before she heads up to AK?

 

[grumpymakesmehappy]

We are self employed & the spring & summer are our busy months so it's almost impossible for us to get away then. January is our ideal travel month.Based on the time we're going would we be better suited for Mexico or the Caribbean?

 

[mom4mad]

I would vote for the Caribbean. We cruised with DCL in July 2008 to Mexican Riviera. We enjoyed the Caribbean much more.
but, if you are cruising because you like to cruise and want to just enjoy the ship, i don't think it matters. One thing I did notice, i think the seas are rougher in Mexico.

 

[clten]

Since you said you are looking for a beach/swimming vacation, I would say you are right the Mexican Rivera is probably not the vacation you are looking for. The Eastern or Western Caribbean would probably be a better fit. The beaches of St. Thomas are some of the best. All the other ports (except Key West) also have nice beaches. Personally, we enjoy the Eastern because of the extra sea day but either itinerary will be more what you are looking for than the Mexican Rivera -- plus both stop at the ultimate beach getaway -- Castaway Cay. Which is definately lacking on the MexRiv cruises.

Now cruising in January can be hit and miss with the weather as this winter has been. But we have cruised in January before and had great weather. We're cruising next January and hoping it is better than this winter was!

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

Castaway Cay is still going to have cold water in January too. It was pretty chilly last November when we were on the Magic! So in any case, January cruising is not going to be like May or August cruising.

We cruised the Mexican Riviera on Princess, in November 2007, and found the water to be pretty warm in Mazatlan (and probably it would have been even warmer in Puerto Vallarta). We snorkeled in Cabo and while it wasn't super warm it wasn't that cold either. You might want to check into what the water temps are for those months of the year. It was downright hot in all 3 of those ports when we went. Not sure how much colder they get in January. We had a fabulous beach day in Mazatlan, Cabo is gorgeous but for a good beach day you need to go to one of the hotels. I know there are beach day excursions for Puerto Vallarta as well, we just didn't choose that.

Good luck!

 

[grumpymakesmehappy]

We cruised in January the last time & it was actually pretty warm. It wasn't hot but it was warm. I've decided to email my TA today & switch to the Eastern. I think we will like that better plus I'm much more familiar with FL that I'm not as worried about transportation etc.

 

[lvstitch]

We cruised the Mex Riv on DCL in June. It was freezing cold. One day we couldn't even lay out by the pool. I personally did not like the ports on the Mex Riv IMHO. Cabo was OK but the water was way to cold to go swimming. I would say for a beachy vaca go with the Eastern.

 

[disneywondergirl22]

when we went last january on the wonder (i believe the 18th-22nd, 2009), almost all of the water activities were canceled due to the cold weather as well as a pending storm (that didn't hit until that night). but pretty much everything got canceled that day that started after about 11am and we were freezing the entire trip.

because my sister is crazy, and i had nothing better to do, we did the outdoor hot tub several times at night, when it was frigidly cold outside. but people by and large weren't sunbathing too much. we did have some warmth one day, so people were in the pool and laying out a bit then, but definitely, it was still a small percentage.

but castaway cay was soo cold in january. people were in the water, and it was nice and sunny, but it was absolutely cold out.

as for the mexican riviera, i don't know anything about it, but i'll be on the ship with you too. i'm trying to figure out how to pack. i'm afraid it will be very cold.

but it will still be fun, no matter what!

 

[bigpuma]

The Mexican Riviera is a very nice cruise. The water is not as warm as the Caribbean but it is not cold either. I have done 4 MR cruises and had a great time on all of them. That said the reason we do Mexican Riviera cruises is that we live in California and it is way more convenient. If I lived in Tenessee I would lean heavily toward a Caribbean cruise unless I was looking to do a different itinerary.