Cruising to Mexico

Cruises to Mexico don’t have to be like The Love Boat. Plenty of choices are available for the entire family to take a voyage south of the border. Cruise lines sail out of San Diego and Los Angeles for the west coast of Mexico throughout the year. Expect to pay between $150 and $300 per day, per person for three- to nine-day itineraries, with significant discounts for third and fourth individuals traveling in the same stateroom.

Best Cruise Itineraries for Families

• Carnival: Family-friendly Carnival lacks the luxury and personalized service for which most mainstream cruise lines are known, but it compensates with creative itineraries. Carnival sails out of San Diego and Los Angeles all year long, and in addition to the standard weeklong cruises through the Mexican Riviera (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta), there are also six-day cruises with stops in La Paz and Ensenada; and nine-day cruises to Acapulco, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, and Manzanillo.

• A Carnival Cruise ship is docked in Cabo San Lucas.
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• Disney: Although the two Disney ships sail out of Cape Canaveral for the Bahamas and Caribbean most of the year, the line now offers seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises out of Los Angeles from late May through early August. Although this is among the priciest of large-market cruise lines, it is a favorite with my family because of the exquisitely appointed ships and the exceptional family entertainment.

• Princess: Princess has the reputation for attracting fewer families, although traditional school holidays pull larger numbers of children. This line sails for seven-day cruises through the Mexican Riviera from San Francisco and Los Angeles September through May.

• A dome of the Riu Palace obscures a view of Cabo’s famous rock formations.
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• Royal Caribbean: The Royal Caribbean line, which sails to Mexico March through October (with special holiday cruises in late December), offers the chance to sample Mexico for a few days, with three- and four-day cruises that stop in Ensenada, Mexico and Catalina Island (one of the Channel Islands off the coast of Long Beach, California). Royal Caribbean also offers seven-day cruises through the Mexican Riviera.

Don’t-Miss Ports

• Cabo San Lucas is the most family-friendly of the heavily trafficked Mexican ports. Visitors will find inviting white-sand beaches, accessible and clean downtown zones, and numerous recreational options. Within a few minutes of the port there’s parasailing, deep-sea fishing, pristine snorkeling and diving, extensive downtown shopping, and myriad top-quality restaurants. Cabo can get rowdy (and even raunchy) at night, but most cruise ships sail off to their next destination at sunset, well before the craziness ensues.

• These dolls in a Cabo gift shop would make great souvenirs.
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• Visited infrequently by cruise lines, Zihuatanejo is a quaint and friendly small town that is easily accessible. This little fishing village has a charming town square within steps of the dock, a pretty beach, a handful of exceptional seafood restaurants and quaint boutiques. Zihuatanejo also has easy access (by bus or taxi) to the nearby beach resort of Ixtapa and (by ferry) the secluded beaches of Ixtapa Island as well.

• Cruisers will stop in Acapulco only on itineraries of eight days and longer. The Hollywood glitterati made this the place to holiday half a century ago. Although the city has lost some of its glamour since these glory days, it is still an exciting, versatile destination, with exceptionally friendly people and no shortage of activities, restaurants, and beaches. The approach into the famous harbor offers breathtaking views; be sure to wake up early enough to watch your ship pull in. On a recent cruise my family and I spotted several hundred small dolphins gleefully jumping over our ship’s wake as it slowly pulled into Acapulco Bay. And when the ship pulls out for the evening, look out toward the little park adjacent to the dock, where dozens of locals come to wave adiós to the cruise ships.