10 Greatest Mexico Cruises in 2024 and 2025

Nationwide Geographic Expeditions

With small teams of 100 or fewer friends, the Mexican cruises provided by Nationwide Geographic Expeditions are excellent for vacationers who need to develop into immersed within the locations they select. The ships’ small dimension permits them to entry slim inlets and areas near shore, and their expansive decks supply alternatives for photographing and observing wildlife. “Non-cruisers and those that desire nature fairly than nightlife and leisure take pleasure in small ship expeditions,” says Rob Clabbers.

Onboard, a workforce of specialists starting from naturalists to historians present background on the wildlife, native tradition, and setting. The ships supply comfy cabins and serve recent delicacies with elements impressed by and sourced from the locations. Friends can select each day actions of sunshine to average bodily influence, with choices for strolling, climbing, kayaking, snorkeling, or biking relying on the vacation spot. For younger friends, the Nationwide Geographic World Explorers program contains hands-on actions onboard the ship and within the area that concentrate on all the things from statement expertise to pictures and maps.

The Itinerary: The Baja California: Among the many Nice Whales cruise boards at San Carlos on Baja’s Pacific Coast for 2 days in Bahía Magdalena, one of many most important breeding and calving websites for grey whales, the place cruisers can kayak, paddleboard, or take a Zodiac to discover. Heading south, the ship passes the southern tip of Baja earlier than arriving at Cabo Pulmo Nationwide Marine Park with a chance to snorkel among the many coral reefs and marine life. Because the ship heads north within the Gulf of California, friends can discover birds and tropical fish amongst uninhabited islands earlier than disembarking in Loreto on day eight.

UnCruise Adventures

Mary Curry tells Journey + Leisure, “For an lively expertise, take into account a small ship cruise off the coast of Baja. A number of small ship traces supply yachts below 100 passengers that embody a menu of excursions — kayaking, climbing, horseback using, paddleboarding, whale watching, and extra.” Curry talked about UnCruise Adventures for example. “For vacationers who need to actually immerse themselves within the out of doors world, a small ship Baja cruise is the one method to go!”

Each of UnCruise’s present Mexican choices happen on the Safari Voyager, which holds 66 friends. The ship was constructed for ease of navigating and for the humidity and warmth of the tropics, with an air-conditioned lounge that includes massive home windows for 270-degree views. Onboard, there’s an EZ Dock kayak launch platform, a bow-mounted underwater digicam, inflatable skiffs, climbing poles, snorkel gear, kayaks, and paddleboards. Friends even have entry to health tools, yoga mats, and a library.

The Itinerary: The round-trip Baja California’s Whales & Sealife cruise presents seven nights aboard the Safari Voyager. From the embarkation level in La Paz, friends cruise to Isla San Francisco, the place they will snorkel, hike, kayak, or paddleboard to expertise the rugged island. At Bahía Agua Verde, in search of birds, seals, dolphins, and whales is on the agenda together with a mule experience and go to with an area ranchero. The remaining days embody extra secluded islands and loads of wildlife viewing — relying on the season, friends can see grey, fin, blue, orca, and sperm whales, together with lots of of dolphins and lots of species of birds.

Royal Caribbean Worldwide

“For household cruises to Mexico, I usually suggest Royal Caribbean,” Pam Jacobs of TravelStore tells T + L. “There’s a lot to do on the ships, like water slides, leisure, and lots of eating choices, so there’s one thing for all ages to take pleasure in.” This makes Royal Caribbean nice for multigenerational teams, she says, noting that their ships have a tendency to incorporate each adults-only areas and youth leisure.

Navigator of the Seas, a ship that sails solely from Los Angeles to Mexico’s west coast, options swimming pools, a splash pad, a surf simulator, and water slides just like the Blaster aqua coaster and Riptide headfirst mat racer. Leisure contains an ice skating present, unique productions, out of doors film nights, pool events, stay music, and an arcade. Adults have their locations to calm down too, just like the Solarium, a pool, whirlpool, and lounge space for friends over the age of 18.

The Itinerary: Departing from Los Angeles, the Seven Night time Cabo, Vallarta & Mazatlán cruise spends a day at sea earlier than arriving in Cabo San Lucas, the place friends can spend time on the seaside, take a ship experience alongside the shore, discover the artwork gallery district, or pattern the native delicacies. In Mazatlán, there’s the beachfront malecón, conventional previous city, and buying on the Arts & Crafts Middle. Puerto Vallarta options seashores, boutiques, avenue meals, and the Xihuacan Museum and Archeological Web site. After a remaining day at sea, the ship returns to Los Angeles.

Princess Cruises

“Princess Cruises is clearly a longtime common within the Mexican Riviera. All of us bear in mind the ‘Welcome to Acapulco’ bulletins every time the Love Boat docked for one more journey!” Rob Clabbers says. “They nonetheless go to there usually, however with far more fashionable ships, extra facilities, and extra choices on the locations.”

The Discovery Princess, the third vessel designed from the bottom up with Princess Medallion Class conveniences, is a kind of fashionable ships. The Medallion, a quarter-sized wearable system, offers for touch-free boarding, keyless stateroom entry, Wi-Fi, ordering meals and drinks to your location, onboard instructions, and ease of discovering and messaging buddies on the ship.

The Itinerary: The Mexico cruises on Princess depart from both San Francisco or Los Angeles. The Seven-Day Mexican Riviera journey embarks in Los Angeles and spends the subsequent day at sea earlier than arriving at Cabo San Lucas, the place friends can select from 22 excursions with exercise ranges from straightforward to strenuous. Choices vary extensively, from buying and crusing to horseback using, ziplining, and snorkeling. The following port is Mazatlán with comparable excursions for a full day, then the ship sails on to Puerto Vallarta and spends two remaining days at sea earlier than disembarking again in LA.

Holland America Line

The Koningsdam, Holland America Line’s first Pinnacle Class cruise ship, specializes within the North American West Coast. The two,650-passenger ship boasts an enormous roster of facilities, together with a music lounge and trivia heart affiliated with Billboard and an at-sea outpost of the efficiency venue chain, B.B. King’s Blues Membership. For days at sea, there are pickleball courts (full with tournaments and complimentary classes), a health heart, a on line casino, and actions for youths ages 3-17. Eating choices embody a poolside grill, a pizza restaurant, the informal Lido Market, a French brasserie, an Italian restaurant, and the Pinnacle Grill steakhouse.

The Itinerary: The Seven-Day Baja Peninsula cruise boards in San Diego and spends a day at sea earlier than arriving in Cabo San Lucas, the place friends can take a catamaran cruise, experience a horse alongside the seaside, snorkel, or discover the buying and humanities district. The following port is La Paz, with a palm-lined malecón to walk alongside and whale-watching and fishing expeditions to select from. In Loreto, one in all Mexico’s oldest cities, friends can discover the city, go to a mission or museum, snorkel, or hike in a close-by canyon. After two final days at sea, the ship returns to San Diego.

Celeb Cruises

“The Caribbean facet of Mexico is usually included in Western Caribbean itineraries departing from Florida or Galveston,” says Rob Clabbers. “The island of Cozumel is among the most incessantly visited ports of name, so there are sometimes quite a lot of ships — and cruise vacationers in port. Costa Maya (close to Mahahual) is on the mainland and offers handy entry to stunning seashores and Mayan ruins.”

Sailings on Celeb ships just like the Constellation supply simply what Clabbers describes. The two,184-passenger vessel splits its time between the Caribbean and the Mediterranean and presents a spread of facilities, together with a on line casino, a health heart, an artwork gallery, a rooftop terrace, and a basketball court docket. Youngsters will benefit from the “Camp at Sea” program, whereas grown-ups can take to the adults-only solarium, that includes a pool and sizzling tub. Friends can even improve to The Retreat for an unique lounge, personal restaurant, and spacious suite, or to Concierge Class for particular facilities and providers.

The Itinerary: The seven-night Grand Cayman & Mexico Cruise boards in Tampa and arrives in Costa Maya after a day at sea. There, friends can spend time on a Caribbean seaside, snorkel, store, or discover Mayan ruins. The following port is George City on Grand Cayman, the place designer boutiques, a catamaran cruise, and a snorkeling journey are on supply. Then there’s a full day in Cozumel for exploring the biggest coral reef within the Western Hemisphere, stress-free on the seaside, buying in San Miguel, or venturing out to town of Tulum. The ship then returns to Tampa after a day at sea.

Silversea

“The Mexican Riviera is usually included on Panama Canal sailings,” Rob Clabbers tells T+L. “Operated by each mainstream and extra luxurious traces like Silversea and Regent Seven Seas, these longer trans-canal sailings between Florida and Southern California supply the benefit of the canal expertise mixed with a number of days within the Caribbean and Mexico.”

The Silver Shadow is among the Silversea vessels that sails this attractive route. Its continent-crossing voyages present quite a lot of experiences, together with the joys of passing by means of the Panama Canal; port days in Mexico, Colombia, and Costa Rica; and the spacious suites and distinctive service of this Shadow Class luxurious ship. 4 eating places, the plush Panorama Lounge, the Statement Library, a pool, a on line casino, cocktail lounges, a health heart, boutiques, and a salon present some ways to spend time throughout days at sea. Suites vary from the 287-square-foot Vista Suite to the two-bedroom Proprietor’s Suite at greater than 1,200 sq. ft, together with verandas.

The Itinerary: The 18-day Cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles begins with two days at sea earlier than the primary cease in Cartagena, Colombia. Friends can discover the Previous City and benefit from the energetic, historic metropolis earlier than one other day at sea and arrival on the Panama Canal. After the memorable expertise of passing by means of the locks for the 51-mile journey to the Pacific Ocean, passengers spend a day in Panama Metropolis. From there, it is on to Puntarenas, Costa Rica, the place friends can select between excursions like a half-day trek in a cloud forest or a jungle cruise. 4 days at sea take the ship to Cabo San Lucas for a day, and the journey concludes with a day in San Diego and disembarkation in Los Angeles.

Virgin Voyages

Virgin Voyages presents a particular perk for a lot of of its Mexico-bound Caribbean cruises: an embarkation level within the cruise line’s personal Terminal V. The three-story terminal on the northwestern nook of PortMiami is an thrilling place to start a cruise, with skyline views of downtown Miami, Biscayne Bay, and Edgewater. All of Virgin’s ships have some itineraries together with Caribbean Mexico, however the Scarlet Girl is especially standard within the area, since Terminal V is its year-round dwelling port. Pam Jacobs, who has skilled Virgin Voyages cruises, notes that the road’s adults-only coverage is particularly interesting “for teams of buddies, {couples}, and nearly anybody” — in the event that they’re 18 or older.

Onboard, friends can select from greater than 20 eateries, a number of cocktail lounges, a pool, a spa, a on line casino, a health heart, and a slate of leisure that features stay music, circus performances, karaoke, and dance events. Cabins vary from economical Insider and Sea View staterooms to RockStar and Mega RockStar quarters with marble loos, terrace hammocks, in-room bars, and extra. Friends who e book suites have unique entry to the Richard’s Rooftop out of doors house and a VIP entrance on the terminal.

The Itinerary: The Western Caribbean Appeal Cruise begins in Miami aboard Scarlet Girl and arrives at Roatán, Honduras, after a day at sea. Friends can discover the island on an ATV tour, take a zipline journey, experience a horse alongside the seaside, or calm down on the sandy shore. In Costa Maya the subsequent day, choices embody a snorkel and glass-bottom boat tour, a kayak tour, off-roading, or a guided go to to Mayan ruins. After a day at sea, the ship arrives in Bimini within the western Bahamas for snorkeling, diving, swimming with stingrays, or stress-free in a Bimini Seashore Membership cabana earlier than returning to Miami.

Oceania Cruises

I cruised to Mexico on Oceania’s Vista earlier this yr, leaving Los Angeles for a brief introductory voyage to Mazatlán — and the expertise had me immediately desirous to attempt it once more. The opulent ship has a number of gorgeous areas, together with a superb pool deck, sizzling tubs, cabanas, and loads of plush lounges.

The staterooms are comfortably furnished with minibars, spacious closets, massive home windows, and handy lighting. Within the 2,400-square-foot Proprietor’s Suite, the place I used to be fortunate sufficient to attend a cocktail occasion, it’s straightforward to overlook you’re not in a penthouse house — besides once you step exterior to see you’re surrounded by the ocean. The suite’s full-sized bar, big walk-in closet, monumental bathtub, and lavish lavatory would make most friends need to keep of their room. However greater than a dozen eating places and cocktail lounges beckon, and, for quiet time, there’s the library. My favourite a part of the cruise was a night within the lounge named Martinis, listening to piano music and sipping (what else?) an ideal martini.

The Itinerary: The 17-Day Los Angeles to Miami Cruise aboard the Vista presents 4 ports in Mexico, plus 5 different stops and a journey by means of the Panama Canal. The journey begins with a day at sea after leaving Los Angeles, then explores the Mexican west coast with stops in Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanilla, and Acapulco. At these ports, friends can swim, snorkel, store, and discover the cities and seashores. Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Corinto, Nicaragua; and Puntarenas, Costa Rica, are the subsequent ports, with a day in every for exploring or stress-free on the seaside. The thrilling passage by means of the Panama Canal takes the ship to Cartagena, Colombia, after which, after a day at sea, to George City, Cayman Islands, earlier than returning to Miami.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Pam Jacobs of TravelStore prefers the Caribbean Coast for Mexico cruises, and she or he identified that folks touring from the American East Coast have many choices for boarding such voyages, together with in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Tampa, Florida; Galveston, Texas; and New Orleans. “This protects transportation {dollars} since they will select probably the most economical departure level,” she explains. Norwegian Cruise Line presents Mexican cruises from almost all of those places.

Cruise aboard the Norwegian Getaway to expertise the megaship life in your subsequent journey south. A 3,903-passenger craft that was reworked in 2020, the Getaway options 5 water slides, two swimming pools, 4 sizzling tubs, a spa, a on line casino, and a salon. For younger cruisers, there’s Entourage (for teenagers), Guppies Open Play (for toddlers), and a Youngsters Aqua Park. The number of cuisines served onboard contains Brazilian, Japanese, Italian, French, and Chinese language, and there is additionally a seafood restaurant, a uncooked bar, and several other informal choices. Staterooms vary from economical Inside and Studio rooms to expansive Haven suites.

The Itinerary: The Seven-Day Caribbean Cruise departs from New Orleans and, after a day at sea, arrives in Costa Maya. Friends can go to a water park, discover the Kohunlich Mayan Ruins, swim with dolphins, or experience a dune buggy alongside the shore to the fishing village of Mahahual. The following day on Harvest Caye in Belize, choices embody parasailing, ziplining, fishing, or exploring on a glass-bottom boat journey. In Roatán, one of many Bay Islands of Honduras, friends can tour a wildlife protect, be taught in regards to the Garifuna tradition, calm down in an overwater bungalow, or pattern chocolate and native rum. The final port earlier than a day at sea and a return to New Orleans is Cozumel, the place friends can swim in a cenote, go snorkeling, take pleasure in some seaside time, or hop on a trolley to see downtown Cozumel.