Mexican Cruises

One of the many ways to know México is through a cruise, which although it is not the best option for domestic tourism, undoubtedly foreign visitors can use it. However, it is not a journey that should be taken without informing yourself first which company you are dealing with. Prices range from around 400 to 500 dlls. per person, per night, so you have to be careful what you choose and always review the clauses thoroughly, i.e. the Food Plan: Continental breakfast is very basic, (bread, fruit and juice, and refill is not included). Another aspect to consider is that a cruise is in constant motion, so if you are a person who gets dizzy easily, you must know that some companies do not include medical services and this would represent an extra expense for you.

To illustrate better the importance of your selection, let’s make a comparison between two companies: The first is a company with a large ship, which has been remodeled and re-inaugurated three times. According to travelers' reviews, the ship looks damaged and has some leaking in the restaurant.

In contrast, Azamara Club Cruises, travel with a maximum of 690 passengers which make their environment different compared to other cruises. Among its main features are: Excellent customer service, 1 employee for every 2 passengers, all-inclusive rates, including tips and some visits to ports out of the ship (the only exclusion is alcoholic drinks). Besides, the ship stops in some ports one night (and in others even two) to fully enjoy these places. However, its only departure port in Latin America is Argentina.

Some of the ports to which these beautiful ships travel are in the Mexican Riviera; amongst them are: Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, and Ixtapa Zihuatanejo.

Today, the cruises travel through México but they don’t pick up passengers here. Previously, one of the companies that use to do it was Carnival, but its port was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma and the company has not resumed operations since then. Sadly, many companies have begun to see México as a dangerous place for its tourists due to the warnings issued by their governments (as in the USA). For this reason, companies such as Mariner of the Seas, Norwegian Star and Carnival Spirit, no longer have offices in our country, but have not completely stopped its activity in México, since there is no risk while in the cruise; if this should happen, they would cease operations in a matter of weeks. Some cruise specialists believe that it is also low because the country has lost competitiveness compared to new destinations such as Brazil. Still, México is the only place where one can take a tour of 7 days.

Photo: Paulo Miranda
However, despite of this previous information, the cruise industry still looks promising, since the stops that the ships from those companies used to make, will be replaced by the “Naviera Disney”. Its ship Disney Dream will travel through The Mexican Riviera; the ship is impressive with its 10 decks all of them decorated with the Disney style. What stands out are the live performances of Disney characters, which are ideal for families with children. There are also movie theatres on board presenting Disney movies, of course, among others. Its capacity is for 4000 passengers and has over 1000 suites. But as I mentioned before, even though the ship makes stops in México, it does not board people here; however they are a wonderful way to see the country and the good news is that there is a route being tested that will probably allow the boarding in Mexico. Hopefully this will come to pass soon!



Article produced by the Editorial Team of "Explorando Mexico".
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Photo: oceanstar.com.mx