Mexican Cruises On The Riviera to Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, and Acapulco
If you want to travel to mexico but don’t want the hassle of airfare and travel between cities and hotels, think about booking passage on a cruise ship. A mexican cruise gives travelers the opportunity to view parts of the country in style and with minimum effort. Several well-known cruise lines offer Mexico as one of their regular tourist destinations.
If you’ve never traveled on a cruise ship before, you are in for a treat. Depending on your home city, some cruise packages offer roundtrip airfare as a part of the deal. If you live close to the departure city, you can take a car trip and save money more money for the actual vacation.
Travel to Mexico now requires a valid United States passport. Make sure you have one with you when you board that ship. A travel agent should be able to give you a detailed list of what important papers you will need to have with you before you sail. A passport application can take several weeks to be processed by the U.S. government so apply for one as soon as you make the decision to travel.
Cruise lines come in many categories. For the experienced cruiser, a more elegant and luxurious liner may be more your speed. As a novice or if you are a family with children, a moderately priced liner with plenty of activities would suit you and your budget better. For the former, book passage on one of these three: Celebrity Cruises, Holland America, or Princess Cruises. More contemporary lines include: Carnival Cruises, Norwegian Cruise lines, and Royal Caribbean Cruise lines. Because there are so many options, passengers can look up the details and find the cruise line that is appropriate for their needs.
There are two ports from which Mexican cruises typically begin: one on the west coast and one on the east coast. Cruise ships leaving from Miami, Florida , travel to cozumel and port cities near there. If you are leaving from the west coast, your embarking city is San Diego. cruise lines that sail from San Diego visit Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, puerto vallarta and port cities along that route. You can see more than Cozumel if you are sailing from Miami, but it will be one of the main places to visit.
Cruises to Mexico are booked for peak traveling seasons. With the weather being unpredictable in that area, traveling off-peak is not advised. Hurricanes are likely in the summer months and not pleasant for the native population let alone tourists.
Cruises can be of any length you choose. Because Mexico is so close, traveling there on a cruise ship can save you money. This is especially important when traveling with others. On Royal Caribbean Cruise lines, a four night trip to Ensenada and Catalina Island is around $300 per person. For a weeklong cruise, visit places like Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta for around $500 a person.
As with other forms of travel, check the fine print. The prices that are quoted by travel agents may not include fees, taxes, and other incidentals. Ask about the total cost and then compare rates.
Cruises allow guests to enjoy a myriad of activities or just spend their time lounging about. You will spend a fair amount of time on the ship, so take advantage of the spa, onboard games, all of the restaurants, and activities for children. When the ship docks, spend some time ashore and soak up the local culture.
Tourism is essential to the economy of Mexico. They want people to visit the country and return again and again. During peak season, you can learn about Mexico by visiting Mexico City or have a good time experiencing the night life of Acapulco. Explore the beaches and the jungle atmosphere. Sample the local cuisine and have a few mojitos while you are there.
The best thing about a cruise ship is that you don’t have to worry about driving or switching hotels in each port city. You unpack at the beginning of the trip and let the ship do the driving. With so much to do on and off of the ship, this is a win-win proposition for everyone.
Tags: travel to mexico | puerto vallarta | mexican cruise | cruise lines | cruise ship | mexico city | mexico city | ensenada | ensenada | acapulco | acapulco | cozumel
October 17th, 2008 at 7:47 am
This is really helpful information - I have been looking into cruises and was a bit worried about being a bit bored on them! This sound of which mixes in visiting Mexico sounds perfect.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I prefer a vacation directly to a place vs a cruise, I have the time to take in all the fun stuff and tours Mexico has to offer. I stayed at a Maz condo last time for $750, saved a ton on food with full kitchen and felt very safe in the gated community.