We sailed our first Mexican Riviera Cruise 2024 | Our Honest Full Review | The Good, Bad and Ugly

I remember when Cabo only had one traffic light in 1992. Now days after 5pm it's population is mostly US citizens until 8 am when local labor return to their jobs in Cabo San Lucas. The local water supply in Cabo is mostly supplied by Desalanation Plant the Hotel resorts bought for the city. So Cabo water tabs are generally cleaner than most US cities.

I had written off west coast Riveria cruises because I too was under the impression the areas were dangerous AND because I mistakenly thought I wouldn’t be able to communicate with most fellow cruisers onboard (I’m no social butterfly but large groups stick to themselves). We don’t cruise from Puerto Rico anymore for this reason. Everyone’s in their big groups and don’t seem to want to meet new people. 🙁 But after watching this, and knowing I can trust you guys, it just moved quickly up our list! We’ve overdone the Caribbean and Alaska and are ready for something new! THANK YOU!

Thanks guys! I've been interested in a Mexican Riveria cruise. Thanks to yall I'm going. 😊

Had the best seafood and beef molcajetes. While I was in Mexico on the west coast. Terrific food and people.

Going to the Mexican Rivera/sea of Cortez again on November 30 for 10 days on Hal Koningsdam

Thank you guys!!!

Ensen-Yada. lol

Took a Mexican Riviera cruise 3 yrs ago on CELEBRITY- it was fantastic, esp. a city tour excursion thru Mazatkan! Saw everything- old town plaza, food markets, ball stadiums, flower markets. Unfortunately, CELEBRITY no longer cruises to Mexico! Why??
So Im looking to book another Mexi cruise on HA or Norwegian. Easy for AZ Zonies like us.

Thank you for the video!

Nice recap! Ensenada is pronounced as it looks, not "Ensenyada." There's no tilde over the n.

xoxoxo

I live in the San Diego area, so Mexican Riviera cruises are my local cruise. I’ve done at least two dozen of the last 30 years. The weather is always beautiful, the local people, welcoming, and friendly. Never had any trouble of any kind. The only downside for me is that most cruise lines make this itinerary the last stop for their oldest ships before they are sold or mothballs. I don’t know why they won’t put a newer ship,or at least a ship in its prime, on the west coast… of course, the upside is that they do tend to be smaller to midsize ships which are much more enjoyable. You still have beautiful ocean views, and feel you’re on a ship, unlike the mega ships that are just amusement parks at sea.

Hi guys love your channel May i help on a pronunciation?? the City of Ensenada is pronounced EN-SA-NA-DA without the ñaya accent on the last N so try to say ur Ensenada with the NADA part like you would say “i have
nothing like Nada! “ xoxo❤

My wife and I are supposed to go on a cruise to Mexico at the end of January but she’s thrown her back out in her sciatica is really bad as of 11/25. I hope we can go on a later date like April.

I have a big concern about the water drinking the water at a restaurant.

I have a big concern about the water drinking the water at a restaurant.

We are only 6 hours from LA so these are the only cruise ports we can drive to - have sailed her several January weeks as a winter get away. We have not felt unsafe in port but Ensenada is one we can do without. We do carry our own water bottle with ship water.

Thank you! I’m going on my 1st ever cruise in March on Princess Discovery and I chose the Mexican Riviera (which includes Mazatlan instead of Ensenada). I’m so excited! I am normally a Hawaii vacation girl, but one of the things I enjoy most there is going out on a boat. Highly recommend parasailing, First time at 60 years old & it was the best thing ever!

I just submitted a tentative proposal for holding a small annual conference in the future (2027 or later) on a cruise from LA, to the Mexican Rivera. And then I came across this video. Should I take this as a sign?

For what it is worth, I'm focusing on Royal Caribbean because they seem to be the line with the most dedicated conference facilities - allowing a 75-150 person event to exist mostly without getting in the way of other passengers.

And when looking at 2025 cruises to use as an example for fares, restaurants, etc. I did note that the one that best fit our needs other than being two years early was one that spends two nights in Cabo San Lucas.

My biggest fear is eating at the local restaurants as you were. It all sounds and looks delicious but I would be worried about unsanitary conditions or undercooked food. It’s not just the water you have to be careful about. Wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my cruise on the toilet.

We took two Mexican Riviera cruises in the past few years, one also on Navigator of the Seas, and one on Disney Wonder, and they were two of my favorite cruises that we've ever taken! I especially enjoyed cruising out of both San Diego and Los Angeles. We went in the fall and winter, and enjoyed much more tolerable and beautiful weather than in the Bahamas or Caribbean.

We take a Mexican Rivera cruise every year. It is one of our favorites.

Hey Guys! Glad to hear you enjoyed this cruise. We just got back from a 10 day Mexican Riviera on the Majestic Princess out of L.A. that goes into the Sea of Cortez and Loreto, which I highly recommend. Pubertal Vallarta has become a favorite destination for our family and now every few years we try to spend a week there. Keep on cruising guys!

I had the best time on my Mexican Riveria Cruise you guys booked for me. Especially on Navigator of the Seas. But yeah, the sea sickness heading back to the states is real. It's so rocky. Still worth it tho. Next tax refund.... gotta go back. Maybe someday I'll try another ship. Or not. Lol

Another good is that there are great cruise fares "deals" for this itinerary. We took 2 this summer with 2 more booked for January/February at a fraction of the cost of a similar Caribbean cruise.

Vallarta is my all time favourite resort. I've been 4 times travelling on my own from UK. People are lovely and the food amazing. As a retired granny solo travelling I haven't had any safety issues. St Lucia is also great for solo older female travellers. 😍😍

I think the real issue with the Mexican Riviera cruises is the general lack of port diversity. Sure you can get to some of the other ports on longer cruises, but the standard 7 day pretty much sees the same ports. You also don't get the newest ships on the west coast either in most cases.

We travel the Mexican Riviera cruise frequently. You never need pesos.
Carl & Patti Miller

I think so many ignorant people push Mexico as being "too dangerous" is the reason that this itinerary is underrated. I love Mexico. ❤️🎉

we loved the navigator and this is our part of the woods, west coast...

The cooler weather on the west coast caught us off guard when we did our Mexican Riviera cruise in November, 2021. But it did absolutely warm up as we headed south. A great itinerary for user!

Thanks guy's. I might just have to try it.....Great honest review as always.

Thanks for the info! We will be making stops on the northbound leg of a cruise after we transit the Panama Canal over the holidays.

Another great show guys !🎉

We did a Mexican Riveria cruise 15 years ago. I'm jyst not a big fan of Mexico. 😢

Funny story, when I first cruised, I thought there were a lot of people trying to quit smoking cause so many people had those patches on!! It probably took my the whole first day to realize they were for sea sickness!!! lol

Great video!!! I’ve cruised the Mexican Riviera 10 times plus land vacation there 4 times!! Absolutely love that I can go there year around. It is one of my favorite itineraries.❤️

Street food is the best. Fresh oysters on the beach can be found in PV and Mazatlan.

We love the Mexican Riviera itinerary. We have done overnights in Cabo on Princess and it is nice.

Gracias🎉❤visit SF and cruise to Mexico!

Love you guys. I am interested in going in one of your group cruises in 2025. You will be hearing from me in the future.

I was in the Mexican Riviera in May and I completely agree that I felt 100% safe and loved it. I hope to go back soon!

I've NEVER had to use Pesos when cruising the Mexican Riviera. Also I've gotten better deals using American cash!!!!

we just got back from our MX Riviera cruise (been there 4 times). It was very nice and relaxing. We had long hours in all of them. 9 hours in Manzanillo, PV and Mazatlan. And in Cabo we were there 12 hrs. Like you said, it was like summer there, everyday in the 80s. We would definitely recommend this cruise.

I loved your video. I did a b2b Mexican riviera cruise (with an overnight in Cabo which gave more time to get out of the port area) in 2019 on Ruby Princess and had a great time. The weather was easier to deal with than a cruise closer to home at that time of the year. It’s not a common destination for people from my country (New Zealand) either. I hope to go back again, especially since Ovation is going to LA.

I did that itinerary April 2023. It was amazing. I got sea sick on that cruise but loved it. I made sure to exchange dollars to pesos at my bank back home. With carnival we didn't need a tender ticket. Cabo was cool.

Love the Mexican Rivera.. if you are looking for something with more time i would recommend looking at Princess they offer more overnights and longer time at port than most

thanks guys for one of the most accurate review-assessment of cruising the Mexican Rivera !!! We live in central CA and going to the Mexican Rivera is one of most favorite itinerary not only due to logistics, but far more due to 1. the welcoming local folks, 2. the gorgeous scenery diverse scenery from the desert like topography of Cabo to the lushness of PV ! 3. the FOOD yum city 4. weather other than June - Sept, too hot and humid but many people don't mind, 5. being able to go to the Mexican Rivera, going on shorter over night cruises and our favorite, going to the Sea of Cortez, 6 THOSE MEXICAN SUNSETS are far more lovey than our western view of the very same sunset in CA - LOL - I have no idea why, but those sunsets onboard especially in PT - idea and so romantic.

Guys ! You summarized the Mexican Rivera best by saying the area is totally underrated cruise wise, so with that in mind and because cruises to year-round, cruises there are VERY reasonable !!! Cheers to you both and I hope you make it back to cruise the MR soon !!! When in PV you have GOT to do the entire day excursion to Las Calados - fantastic - check it out now you must 🙂 !!! And you also need to visit Mazatlán which is typically on MR cruises - such a fun port, friendly local folks and along the coast, take a fun and scenic ride down along their Malecon via a pulmonía, This is a small open air cart that doesn't exceed 20 mph if that LOL, and the driver will take you any where you want to go - and it is dirt cheap frankly. Our driver took us to the best Mexican restaurant on-the-beach with open air windows, the owners of the restaurant were amazing, and the food delish !!! It is called Pancho's and check out Tripadvisor and Yelp to see the lovely pictures pic's to whet your appetitos !!! Cheers again LOL !!! Marcia and Timbo

H, thank you for great videos! I just finished my Navigator cruise on Friday going to Los Cabos, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta, and loved the beaches at all the places. We did not do excursions but explored on our own. I agree you need pesos especially if you’re going to need the restroom because you have to pay. It’s also a good idea to exchange US dollars so you get a better rate. The food is amazing and buying things is going to be cheaper past the port areas, the people are great and attentive. In reference to the tender tickets in Los Cabos, you can skip it if you have reserved an excursion through the cruise line. An ugly for our family was the tendering process in Los Cabos. We loved Mazatlan, we used a pulmonía car with the driver to drive us all around, everywhere we wanted, the driver was also insightful and suggested places to visit, waited for us, helped us cross, he was amazing, this was all done for $80 the whole day for four of us. In puerto Vallarta we did the same thing but was a bit more expensive but still was great!