Need some info about Mexican Riviera cruise?

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Ayelle

Hello :) I went to these ports last March, but I was on the Carnival Pride. One of my best friends, though, went on the Vision of the Seas in October and loved it.

1) All we did was take a taxi (WHITE not yellow) into like the main area I guess, only a few minutes away. There we did some walking around (this was a big, boring, waste of time) and then got back on the ship for lunch. We changed into our swim suits, and although we were supposed to get in a taxi again, and go to the beach in the main area, we decided not to. We just walked over some boulders at the end of a fence on the beach. It was a hotel's private beach, but there were some other cruise people there. And for the beaches...if you have been spoiled with the beaches of the Caribbean your entire life, the PV beach will seem like crap. If you have been tortured by the seaweed covered San Diego beaches, PV beaches will seem amazing. Oh yes, there is also a small cantina right outside the ship that was really really cheap and a good time. My friend did the zip line (canopy tour or adventure) and had a great time with that. I would recommend this or just going to the beach.

2) Mazatlan is... pretty much a dump. Just think of it as a cultural enrichment experience. You have to take the open air taxi to get to the beach here, because the cruise port is in an extremely industrial area. From the taxi, you will see the REAL Mexico. This is what Mexico is actually like. The beach was alright, about the same quality as Puerto Vallarta, aside from the dead blowfish that had washed up on the beach...

3) Cabo was my favorite, of course. I would suggest just going to the beach here. It is beautiful. The water is the most amazing color, but it can be quite cold. That is the difference between the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean, East U.S. coast) and Pacific Ocean (Mexican Riviera, California coast, Hawaii)--Atlantic=warm. Pacific=cold. Also, when you are leaving Cabo, you will want to get up on the lido deck as the ship is leaving. You can get the most beautiful pictures of the famous arch from here. However, if you get back on when the ship is scheduled to leave, don't hold your breath waiting to take your arch pictures. The ship isn't leaving for at least an hour and a half because of those slow tenders. Awful. My only complaint about Cabo.

4) I haven't been on the Vision... and my friend isn't the type to go tell everyone everything about her vacations :(. On sea days I guess I just sort of hung out on the lido deck and shopped on board, etc. I don't find it boring. I have seen the Freedom of the Seas with Samantha Brown episode on the travel channel, and the Vision probably won't seem completely lame, but it won't be quite as exciting. I know there is definitely rock climbing, but there is no Flo Rider.

5) I cannot compare... I have only been on RC Grandeur of the Seas, and I enjoyed that. My guess is it is the same type of food if you have recently went on the Freedom. If it has been a couple years, then it has probably changed (which usually means improved).

I can also advise you to ignore the time share salesmen. They are like sharks... and they are everywhere! Also, if you want to buy things from beach vendors, you need to know the meaning of a certain word: barter! They will go a little lower on the price if you have some Spanish skills (like me). Try to keep a positive outlook on the cruise you are going on. You seem to have a negative attitude towards it, and I am sort of wondering why you booked it. Have fun!

Dusie

Go to cruiseaddicts.com or cruisecritic.com and post your questions there. Lots of veteran cruisers have lots of information to share.

Jack's mommy loves him tons

I just got back from one on a different cruise line, but it stopped in those same ports. Cabo is by far the prettiest. it is very exotic and has bright blue water. You will have to take a lifeboat to get to shore though, which was actually pretty fun. I thought there would be white sand beaches and natural beauty in the ports, but there weren't. there are still fun things to do. In Cabo, there is tons of shopping and restaurants. In Mazatlan, you can tour a brewery. In Puerto Vallarta it was funny because the port is right across from Wal Mart! ha, go figure. But there is all kinds of shopping there too. And good restaurants. And at every port you will have the locals offering you tours and snorkeling and all kinds of stuff. Have fun! I had a blast!!!

Girl

I went to those same places this summer on a Carnival Cruise.
Basically all i did when we got to land is Just get a cab and drive around, shop, eat, have a good time! Cabo you have to rent a taxi cab boat (preferably glass bottom) and get a tour of the stones that look like scooby doo and the witch and the arch. Then you have to SWIM!!
Mazatlan is actually very pretty. It was raining when i went but it was so much fun. You have to go to this one place where these men jump off a huge rock into a rocky part of the beach! its quite intense. I'm not sure where it is..
Look on the Royal Carribean website to see what kind of other activities they have. Theres casinos, shows, clubs, im sure you wont be bored!!
have fun!!

heres a picture of us in cabo
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g286/HANNAHrawr/CAABO.jpg

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