Marvelous Mexican Cruises

Enjoy fun activities and ancient historical sites on a Mexican cruise.

The country of Mexico offers a number of fun and varied destinations, from sunny beaches on the Gulf coast, Pacific coast, and Baja California to the scattered ancient Aztec ruins on the fascinating Yucatan Peninsula.

Mexico's Ports of Call
One of the most popular resort destinations in Mexico, Acapulco attracts thousands of visitors each year who travel there to enjoy the golden-sand beaches and glittering nightlife.

Acapulco is especially attractive to the twenty-something set who enjoy the varied watersports during the day and the barhopping scene at night. The snorkeling and SCUBA diving here are excellent and dining can be quite an experience as well, with hundreds of restaurants offering vast international cuisine.

While Acapulco has gained its fame as a partying town, Baja's Cabo San Lucas still maintains some of its original Mexican charm and has garnered popularity as a great sport-fishing destination.

That's not to say that the beaches aren't picture-perfect, especially Land's End, appropriately situated at the tip of the peninsula, and Zipper's Beach, a favorite with the surfing crowd.

Also on the Pacific Coast, many Mexican cruises visit Puerto Vallarta, located at the foothills of the Sierra del Cuale mountain range.

While the beaches and water sports here are certainly the main attraction, additional activities include whale watching in Banderas Bay, hiking through the nearby jungles, and mountain biking adventures.

Mazatlan is one of the premiere destinations on the Mexican Riviera and boasts a sort of metropolitan feel, thanks to its status as the largest port in Mexico. Visitors here will want to make a point of visiting both the Golden Zone beach area and El Centro, the interesting downtown portion of Mazatlan.

Thanks to famed marine biologist Jacques Cousteau, Cozumel has been a mecca for divers since 1961, long before it was recognized as a beach resort and a popular destination for Mexican cruises.

Cozumel is more serene than neighboring Cancun and is a favorite of nature lovers everywhere.

On the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexican cruise ship passengers may disembark at a number of different ports including Costa Maya, Playa del Carmen, Calica, and Progreso.

Because a few of these ports, namely Costa Maya and Calica, are not towns but were built specifically for the docking of cruise ships, you'll want to sign up for the shore excursions or else your options for sightseeing in this fascinating part of Mexico will be extremely limited.

Cruise Lines
Mexican cruises can be quite varied, though many cruise lines visit the long Pacific Coast, with its miles and miles of welcoming beaches.

Eco-tourists and those interested in Aztec history may want to book the cruises that travel to the Western Caribbean and include the Yucatan Peninsula and sometimes neighboring Belize or Costa Rica on their itineraries.

Lines that offer Mexican cruises to the Pacific coast include Princess, Carnival, Celebrity, Crystal, and Norwegian. Several others, like Disney Cruises, may not include an itinerary for the western coast beaches but do include stops at the Yucatan Peninsula during some of their Caribbean cruises.

Posted by Pat on Saturday, January 14, 2006