7 Cruises to Mexico for Every Type of Traveler
There's much to discover in Mexico, from sandy beaches to dense jungles, modern cities to ancient ruins, and fresh seafood to traditional Mexican dishes, along with friendly, welcoming people. The country is large, and there are fascinating destinations on both the east and west coasts as well as the southern tip of Baja where Los Cabos offers luxurious resorts on the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez.
With a cruise, you can visit a variety of ports and enjoy the onboard amenities on your way to somewhere new each day. Organized excursions at each port offer a range of options from lazy beach days to exciting adventures. An obvious benefit of cruising is being able to experience several destinations with no worries about changing hotels, packing up, and transportation. Most ships offer pools, spas, fitness centers, and several dining options as well as entertainment and enrichment activities.
Courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line
Cruises range from just a few days — a perfect introduction for new cruisers — to longer voyages of ten days or more. We have some examples here that might inspire you to visit Mexico with the convenience of a cruise.
Here are seven cruises to Mexico that all travelers will enjoy.
Related: More cruise vacation ideas
Norwegian Cruise Line
Danny Lehman/Courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line
7-day Mexican Riviera Cruise: Cabo and Puerto Vallarta
Boarding in San Diego, California, Norwegian Jewel spends one day cruising south to the first port, Cabo San Lucas. Guests can spend the day in the popular tourist destination where there's world-class sport fishing, exclusive resorts, shopping, and restaurants. Puerto Vallarta is the stop for the next day, with spectacular beaches, open-air markets, and historic cobblestone streets. After cruising overnight, the ship arrives in Mazatlan, where guests have the morning to explore the city, stop for a lunch of Mexican cuisine, and shop for local handicrafts.
The next day is spent at sea giving cruisers a chance to enjoy the ship's amenities, including the spa, restaurants, cocktail lounges, and evening entertainment. The following morning, the ship arrives in Ensenada for a day in port for shopping, wineries, and a visit to the Riviera del Pacifico 1930's resort. The ship returns to San Diego for disembarkation the next morning.
Carnival Cruises
Courtesy of Carnival
5-day Baja Mexico Cruise from San Francisco
This five-day cruise aboard Carnival Miracle begins in San Francisco, departing in late afternoon so guests can spend the morning in the city. For dinner on board the ship, five restaurants include Bonsai Sushi, Blue Iguana Cantina, Steakhouse, and Guy's Burger Joint. During the next day at sea, guests can enjoy the pool, theater, cocktail lounges, and adults-only retreat. For kids, there's Camp Ocean, Seuss at Sea, and Waterworks, an onboard water park.
On day three, the ship docks in San Diego, and guests have the day to visit the San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, and downtown before cruising to Ensenada, the next port. There, the options include horseback riding, a wine country tour, Jeep safari, off-road tour, or shopping and lunch in town. Next, there's another day at sea to enjoy the ship's amenities before arriving back in San Francisco for disembarkation.
Holland America
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10-day Mexico and the Sea of Cortez Cruise
Guests board Zaandam in San Diego. The next day is spent at sea, giving cruisers time to enjoy BBC Earth Experiences, theatrical entertainment, and their choice of restaurants. When the ship arrives in Los Cabos, passengers can spend the day fishing, playing golf, whale watching, cruising in a catamaran, scuba diving, or exploring the town.
The ship arrives in the seaside town of Loreto the following day and guests can attend a Mexican fiesta, ride in a glass-bottom boat, or walk through a canyon searching for fossils. La Paz is next, with options to kayak through a mangrove forest, visit artisan studios, snorkel, or swim with docile whale sharks. The cruise continues to Mazaltan and Puerto Vallarta before one more day at sea as you return to San Diego.
Sunstone Tours and Cruises
Courtesy of Sunstone Tours and Cruises
Baja's Bounty 8-day Cruise
This small ship cruise aboard the 66-passenger Safari Voyager begins when guests arrive at Los Cabos International Airport to meet the expedition team and travel over land to La Paz for boarding and a welcome dinner. The small ship features spacious decks, big windows, colorful art, and an air-conditioned lounge.
The next day, the ship arrives in the Gulf of California Biosphere Reserve for snorkeling, hiking, or relaxing on the beach. At Bahia Agua Verde the following day, cruisers can visit a local ranchero, take a mule ride, or explore the coast in a small skiff. The next stop is at Isla San Francisco, with a desert beach where guests can kayak, paddle board, or just enjoy the rugged beauty of the island. In the Sea of Cortez, cruisers observe whales, dolphins, and marine life.
The cruise continues to Los Islotes and Isla Partida with options for beach hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, or paddle boarding. On Isla Espiritu Santo, the ship tucks into a secluded cove for the last day of exploring and the evening farewell dinner. The next day, guests disembark in La Paz for a transfer back to San José del Cabo for a flight or extended stay.
Princess Cruises
Courtesy of Princess Cruises
7-day Mexican Riviera Cruise
The Majestic Princess departs from Los Angeles, where guests have an opportunity to take a tour of the beach cities of Venice and Santa Monica. The next day at sea gives cruisers time to enjoy the ship's amenities, including cooking demonstrations, dance classes, enrichment programs, pools, and hot tubs. Entertainment includes musical productions, the casino, movies, and lounges. For young cruisers, there are teen lounges, movies, and age-appropriate activities for three to 17 year olds.
In Cabo San Lucas, guests can choose from excursions including a coastal cruise, snorkel tour, horseback ride on the beach, off-road adventure, sunset sail, or food experience. The next day is spent in Mazatlan, where options include a harbor cruise, hike, bus tour, shopping, cooking class, zipline, or turtle beach. In Puerto Vallarta, there's a choice of excursions that include a tequila tasting, dolphin encounter, city tour, art experience, snorkel, sea lion swim, and ATV adventure.
With two days at sea before arriving back in Los Angeles, guests have time to dine at the ship's restaurants for French, Mandarin, or Italian cuisine. There's the Crown Grill steakhouse, Lobster & Dim Sum Bar, Wine Bar, Bakery, and more. Cruisers can rejuvenate at the Lotus Spa with a massage and facial, or indulge in a makeover in the salon. For kids, there are Discovery at SEA experiences like stargazing in the indoor planetarium.
Oceania Cruises
Courtesy of Oceania Cruises
7-day Miami to Miami Tropical Retreat
Guests board Sirena in Miami and spend the next day at sea enjoying the ship's amenities that include wine tasting, guest lectures, cooking classes, afternoon tea, a casino, pool and sports deck, and spa. Guests can dine at the Polo Grill steakhouse, Toscana for Italian dishes, Jacques for French food, Red Ginger for Asian cuisine, and a variety of casual spots and lounges. The Dom Perignon Champagne experience and seven-course dinners with wine pairings are available at La Reserve by Wine Spectator.
The first port is Costa Maya in Mexico where guests can explore ancient Mayan ruins, kayak, scuba dive, or swim with bottlenose dolphins. The next day, the ship visits Harvest Caye in Belize with tropical rainforests, exotic wildlife, the world's second-largest coral reef, and a local artisans' village. The cruise continues to Roatán, Honduras for snorkeling or diving among shallow reefs and horseback riding on the beach and through a tropical forest.
Cozumel, Mexico is the next port, and guests have a variety of options including an ATV adventure, a visit to an ancient Mayan temple, a cooking class, and a small boat cruise through an ancient Mayan cave system. The next day is spent at sea before returning to Miami.
Royal Caribbean
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4-night Western Caribbean Cruise
This cruise departs from Galveston, Texas and continues for a day at sea aboard the Adventure of the Seas. Guests can swim in the ship's pools, visit the spa, play mini-golf, or climb the rock wall. For kids, there's Adventure Ocean, with games and activities for all ages.
In Cozumel, Mexico, guests can choose snorkeling among colorful reefs, touring Mayan ruins of Tulum, shopping, swimming with dolphins, or relaxing on the beach. Back on the ship for a day at sea, guests can dine at a casual cafe, the main dining room, or the exclusive chef's table. The ship returns to Galveston.
