Cruising the Mexican Riviera

This year for spring break, my daughters and I joined my mom and dad on a Mexican Riviera cruise!  We sailed on Holland America’s Zaandam from San Diego with stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas.  I was so excited to sail along the Pacific coastline and visit parts of Mexico I’d never seen!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, one of my favorite things about cruising is waking up to new destination each day – and only packing once!  I also enjoy the days at sea giving you plenty of time to relax, explore, and enjoy the ship.

Our first stop on this cruise was beautiful Puerto Vallarta!  We decided to explore on our own here and took a taxi to El Malecón, the famous beachside promenade.  We walked along the beach and shops and ate lunch at a yummy Mexican restaurant on the beachfront.  After lunch, we visited The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe and then took an afternoon swim in the Pacific Ocean – with whales!! 

Our second cruise stop was Mazatlán, the Pearl of the Pacific!  Here we decided to be adventurous and begin our day with a hike to El Faro lighthouse, the highest lighthouse in the Americas and one of the highest operating lighthouses in the world. What a climb!  After our hike, we hopped in an open-air taxi to Old Town where we ate another delicious lunch outdoors (and a bird pooped on my daughter, lol).  We then walked part of Mazatlán’s 13-mile Malecón and watched the cliff divers – these guys are loco but amazing – before heading back to the ship!

The third destination on our cruise had been on my travel bucket list awhile… Cabo San Lucas!  This was the only port where we had a planned shore excursion – kayaking and snorkeling at El Arco (the Arch).  And it did not disappoint!  I shared a kayak with my brother, the girls kayaked together, and my dad paired up with our awesome Aussie guide.  Pretty sure I had the toughest job since my bro spent more time taking pictures than paddling (the scenery was amazing so I can’t really blame him, lol).  We made it to the Arch at Land’s End and stopped at Lovers Beach to snorkel at Pelican Rock where we saw all kinds of tropical fish and sea life.  After our excursion, we walked around the marina, had another fantastic lunch, a fish spa experience, and did a little shopping before tendering back to the ship!  Note:  If your cruise port requires you to tender to shore, make sure you account for extra time when planning a shore excursion.  

Upon our return to San Diego, we spent a day at the world-famous San Diego Zoo!  After our day at the zoo, we headed to San Diego’s Old Town for some souvenir shopping and dinner at Miguel’s… we couldn’t get enough Mexican food on this trip.  Don’t forget when planning a cruise to think about adding extra days pre- or post-cruise to explore the port city!

If you’re interested in a Mexican Riviera cruise, Pineapple Escapes would love to help!  Reach out to an agent today!

Share Our Post To Social Media!

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin

Post By

Subscribe

Receive Notifications of Our Newest Posts!

Fill the form to subscribe to our mailing list!