Who has done a Mexican Cruise?

[nun69]

can you tell me who you cruised with, where you cruised out of, how many days you cruised and if you enjoyed it? Thinking about going on a cruise for DH's 40th b0day only if we can a babysitter for that timeframe, but want to start doing research now :)

[jorgies5]

We did one this past March. We sailed on the Norwegian Star which we chose because we had our 4 young kids with us and we wanted the freestyle dining and didn't want to be on any kind of schedule. Ours was a 7-day cruise to Cabo, Matzatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. We were happy with Norwegian, but it was our first cruise so we don't have anything to compare it with. The weather was perfect in March - not too hot and humid. I heard it is pretty bad in the summer and early fall.

ETA: We sailed out of LA.

My husband loved it! I am kind of so-so about it but I think the main reason is because we had a 1 year old with us and it really tied us down once we got to port and even on the ship, I felt like I really couldn't relax because he couldn't go in the pool, kids's club, etc. I tried to convince my DH to wait a couple of years before we did it, but he really wanted to do it once he found a really good deal. If it would have been my husband and I, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. There were times that I got bored on the ship...I don't gamble, play bingo, and not into the expensive jewelry seminars. I felt like I was eating all the time because it was the only thing to do. Maybe if we were on a better ship that offered bowling, mini golf, and movies, it would have been better. I also didn't like having a small window of time at each port. I like to explore and try to get in everything I can when I visit places, and I felt like I didn't have enough time at any of the ports. But my husband LOVED it. He thought you can't beat the value and he really wants to go on another one.

If you want more detailed information on what are the best things to do at each port, send me a PM and I will tell you what I read on all the message boards.

You can get a lot of great information on Cruise Critic, especially on the Message Board. I got a lot of great tips from there.

[pkstew2]

Angie, how fun! Just wanted to second looking at the Cruise Critic forums. They were so helpful to us. We took a cruise in '08 with our boys (8 and 10 at the time) in August out of Ft. Lauderdale, spending one day in Key West and one day in Cozumel then one day at sea on Royal Caribbean (4 nights). KW wasn't that great for us personally as we hit the beaches but we did rent jet skis and that was alot of fun. I hear shopping there is fun but the boys weren't up for that. Cozumel was awesome - we did a dolphin excursion and hung out on the beach. I think it would have been a great mini vacation with just my hubby too. :thumbup:

[kresta]

I'm pretty sure Robin did one a while back (maybe beginning of Summer?). Lemme see if I can find the thread she posted about it.

Here it is: https://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com/forum/showpost.php?p=666277&postcount=1

[crecia27]

We've sailed several times out of Galveston on Royal Caribbean and love it. We are going again in March with a big group and lots of kids. We have no complaints about RC, we've always felt the service was top notch. I have nothing good to say about my experience on Carnival though.

[letumom]

I've sailed on Royal C for several years now, and done three cruises in the Gulf. Two from Florida and one from Galveston! Everyone of them was absolutely awesome. You have several dinner choices nowadays on RC, early, late or name your time. I highly recommend that you prepay your gratuities as part of your booking with your travel agent. You'll also want to decide on your excursions early on - sometimes the more popular ones will sell out, and you won't be able to reserve them when you get on board. If you can afford it, I suggest one of the junior suites on the outside. If not, you'll want one of the rooms that overlooks the promenade.

If you decide to sail out of Galveston, let me know and I'll try to come down to either see you off or greet you when you return (I'm only an hour away); I would love to meet you!

[TanyaH666]

I have done the Carnival Mexican Riviera cruise to Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo TWICE! i LOVE that cruise, it is one of my favorites. 7 days, leaving from Lost Angeles. This is a easy cruise for us since we live in southern California. It is A LOT of fun and totally perfect for a fun birthday getaway!

I have been on 8 cruises and we always go with Carnival. We love Carnival. Especially if you like to party and drink. which we do. I have heard really great things about Royal Caribbean as well. We really enjoy the party atmosphere because there are always about 20 of us when we go on vacations.

I HIGHLY recommend cruises. i think they are a blast!

[nun69]

the good thing is, we will NOT be taking any children....we would possibly consider taking the 2 oldest {17 and 9} but we are not going too....I am still debating and not so sure DH is convinced {even thought it's HIS birthday, I am trying to convince him!!!!:p...so thanks for the advice...we are not reall big partiers but we do like to drink and have fun and I think just a straight up relaxing vacation would be nice....

[SEJSmiles]

The DH and I been on 9 cruises. Seven with Royal Caribbean, One with Celebrity, and One with Azamara. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVED them all. If you check my gallery, that pretty much all I scrap so you can see a lot of my pictures that way.

My hubs has also been on a few Carnival cruises. He says the cruises themselves were great but it's more of a a party ship and fun for the kiddos....but he wouldn't consider it necessarily for adults only with relaxation at the top of their list.

Once again I will reiterate that Cruise Critic is a great resource. If you have any specific questions about the cruise lines or ships I've been on, though feel free to PM me.

[lizzyfizzy]

we sailed out of cali and took a 5 day carnival cruise. we visited puerto vallarta, mazatlan and cabo san lucas. it was wonderful. i really love carnivals fun approach and laid back attitude!

[Julie Billingsley]

I think just a straight up relaxing vacation would be nice....

I'd say a cruise is not really straight up relaxing. My cruise was on Royal Caribbean for 7 days in the Caribbean, not Mexico like you are wanting, but I imagine the cruise structure is the same. To me, relaxing is sleeping in, lounging, etc. But on a cruise, every port has fun and adventure and unfortunately it typically starts around 8am... which is not sleeping in. Especially if you are dealing with a 3 hour time change from West Coast to the Caribbean on top of it. On the 3 sailing days, sure it was relaxing and just hanging out in the pool and casino, taking dance lessons, catching the shows, and eating our way around the ship was fun. My husband and I had a blast and loved it, but the 4 port days were high energy and adventure for the most part, so I couldn't call it relaxing really.