Not all that long ago, crime in Mexico had cruise ships on the run, skipping ports of call they had visited for decades. For tourism in Mexico, that hurt and hurt bad. Set up to handle thousands of cruise ship passengers with ease, shops were boarded up, excursion buses mothballed and the reality set in; something had to be done. Now, through a concentrated effort by the Mexican government and a grassroots effort by those who live in those affected destinations, Mexico is back. In addition to being a viable, safe place for cruise travelers to visit, they can do so and enjoy bargain pricing.
The Food
Mexico’s Pacific coast is home to multiple cruise travel destinations, all of which feature unique fresh seafood options not found elsewhere. In Mazatlan, don’t miss lunch at Al Aqua, on the beach, where you can watch them catch your shrimp, bring it ashore and cook it before your eyes.
The Culture
From Chichen Itza, the UNESCO World Heritage worthy of an all day tour to see to beautiful hand crafted blankets and other textiles country-wide, Mexico has a lot to offer. Notably one of the richest archeological finds in the world, the Mexican artisans of today offer transportable works sure to be a treasure of tomorrow.
Recreation
As your ship pulls in to any Mexican port of call, you will see magnificent resort hotels with beachfront access. Most of them allow day visitors for a reasonable fee where cruise travelers find an inclusive experience, often more generous than what they left behind on the ship.
Short Sailings From Long Beach
All along, during the height of the crime scare, Carnival Cruise Lines continued to operate short sailings from Long Beach, California to the Baja area of Mexico. Sailings to the Mexican Riviera to the East stop at ports that line the Gulf Of Mexico from Galveston, Texas; becoming one of North America’s most popular embarkation ports.
- Carnival Imagination does a 4-night sailing that stops off the coast at Catalina Island then spends a long day in Ensenada before a day at sea on the way back. A 3-day version does the same itinerary minus the stop at Catalina Island.
- Carnival Triumphsails 4 nights from Galveston with a day at sea bookending a call in Cozumel, Mexico
- Carnival Paradise sails 5-nights from Tampa, Florida with a stop in Grand Cayman and Cozumel plus a relaxing two days at sea
- Carnival Victory sails a personal favorite itinerary from Miami to Key West and Cozumel with a day at sea.
Longer Sailings Include Mazatlan
While Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta get a lot of attention from guide books, Mazatlan, Mexico was hit hard by the crime problems of several years ago. The really unfortunate part of that tourism depression is that reported crime was happening far away from Mazatlan, causing the friendly people there undo harm.
Today, more ships are stopping in Mazatlan, Mexico with even greater numbers scheduled for 2015. Currently scheduled as far into the future as 2016:
- Carnival Miracle will resume year-round weeklong itineraries with stops at Cabo San Lucas,Puerto Vallarta and a full day at Mazatlan.
- Princess Cruises will celebrate its 50th Anniversary where it began, including an overnight stop in Puerto Vallarta and calls in Mazatlan and Manzanillo, La Paz and Loreto.
- Princess Cruises commitment to Mexico goes beyond that 50th anniversary sailing too. Ruby Princess and Grand Princess with both sail itineraries that include Mazatlan in 2015
- Holland America Line will send Veendam and Westerdam south to Mazatlan this year for an assortment of select sailings, ranging from 7- to 24-nights/
- Norwegian Cruise Line‘s Norwegian Star will do a series of Mexico-focused sailings this year and next with stops in Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.
- Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Jewel will sail to Mazatlan in 2015 and have already committed to sailing there in 2016 as well.
- Holland America Line will send Veendam and Westerdam south to Mazatlan this year for an assortment of select sailings, ranging from 7- to 24-nights/
That’s good news to the friendly people who live and work in Mazatlan, truly a dream destination worthy of cruise ship calls at the new, modern Port of Mazatlan.
Better news: Compared to sailings from the East Coast, Mexico-focused itineraries cost less, even for longer sailings. Princess Cruises Crown Princess does a 7 day that hits Mazatlan along with Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas with prices starting at $549 per person + tax.
Photos- Chris Owen