Nat

Hi, I apolologize in advance if these questions have all been asked before, but here goes . . . <BR><BR>My husband and I have cruised once before, to Alaska on Princess. We enjoyed it so much we were thinking of trying another cruise vacation, this time to Mexico. We can get a good price on a Sun Princess 10-day Mexican Riviera cruise this fall. The cruise goes RT from Los Angeles with stops in Cabo, Mazatlan, Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Puerta Vallarta.<BR><BR>Has anyone taken this trip or have any comments to share?<BR><BR>Is September a good time to take this cruise? <BR><BR>Also, how does the 10-day cruise compare to the 7-day cruise (no stops in Acapulco or Zihuatanejo)? Is a longer cruise necessarily better?<BR><BR>Can anyone compare the mini-suites on the Sun to the Star or other Princess ships? On the Sun, is there a preferable location/deck/side for an AC mini? Are the AC mini-suites nice? Is there a big difference between AB and AC?<BR><BR>Thanks in advance for your comments.

John

Nat,<BR>We were on the 7 day which ended in Puerto Vallarta. We went in November and the only problem we had was that the weather was cool to cold for the first day and a half and the last day ( the sea days). We left LA and it was in the mid fifties and with the cool Pacific breezes it was that and colder on deck until we reached Cabo.<BR><BR>It might be that you leaving in September you won't have that problem - but just a heads up!<BR><BR>Also, if you like to horseback ride, email me and I'll give you the website of a trustworthy operator in Mazatlan.

elaine

Nat,<BR>I hestitated prior to posting, but here goes:<BR>My husband and I booked a future Mexican Riviera Cruise (Star Princess) while onboard Golden Princess March '02. <BR>Two couples took this cruise in March '01 and complained of the very chilly weather. We emailed them onboard and they confirmed. Good friends also took this cruise in July and also were startled at the chilly weather. So we phoned our t/a (while in port) and he confirmed the Mex. Riviera cruise is always very chilly while sailing in the Pacific.<BR>At the advice of everyone, we changed our booking back to a Caribbean cruise.<BR>We have enjoyed land trips to Mexico and thought the cruise was a good idea.<BR>I am not reporting from first-hand experience, but thought it a good idea to mention. I think Sept. could be rainy in Mexico. <BR>Should you book Star Princess, the mini-suites on Golden are identical and we really enjoyed our cabin (an AB mini-suite). (The size of all mini suites are the same; the difference between an AB vs. AC is location). Hope any of this is helpful.<BR>

nat

Thanks for the info. We are not too concerned about cool or even rainy weather; rough seas would be more of an issue for us. I think we would even prefer too cool to overly hot (we're Northern Californians).<BR><BR>The itinerary sounds fun, and we enjoy the sea days; I think we will probably book this one.

marie

I just came off a ten day cruise aboard the Sun Princess. What a great ship...food was excellent! We had a cabin with a balconey on the aloha deck, I think it was cat AA? Cabins are smaller with the balconey but love the fridge that all Princess cabins have.

Sandy

We returned two weeks ago from the 10-day Sea Princess trip to Mexico - loved it, love Princess. We had a standard balcony cabin, (Baja deck, aft), and highly recommend it (or higher) if you can afford it. The weather and seas were very good once you got out of LA - it was a little windy/choppy to and from San Pedro (which apparently is typical all year) but Mexico was warm and wonderful and I didn't see anyone feeling seasick at any time. We liked the 10-day over the 7-day for the pure luxury of more vacation time - you really have a chance to unwind on a 10-day cruise - two more ports and more "at sea" days are great and we definately weren't bored! The last two days before returning to LA were "sea days" and couldn't have been a more relaxing way to end the vacation. Be aware that unless school is out for holiday, a 10-day trip may appeal to a slightly older crowd (and we're in our mid-40's)but the up side is that leaves no problems getting a deck chair by the pool (as complained on many other boards)!

Nat

Thanks for all your helpful comments. Sandy, I was glad to hear you enjoyed the same cruise. Any suggestions for shore excursions?

Sandy

Hi Nat, here's a brief listing (and some comments) of our shore excursions. We did the Sail & Snorkle Fiesta in Cabo, a good time was had by all. It's a "party" boat but it didn't get particularly wild and crazy, just had a good time with the music and cocktails and the ride (and an impromtu conga line!). We didn't snorkle because we felt the water was a bit cool (and we're from Northern Cal. too), but alot of people did and said once you got in it was fine. After the snorkle stop, the tour takes you out around Los Arcos for open sea sailing and picture taking. A high point was on the return we circled the Sea Princess and waived to everyone on board! We didn't bother to walk into town, but looked around the mercado at the pier and then took the tender back to the ship since the port time is short. We happened upon the promonade deck (forward) when they were ready to drop anchor in port, quite a "hold your ears" loud experience and impressive to watch. A number of people booked independent small glass bottom boat rides from the pier or walked into town to shop and sightsee. Cabo isn't particularly pretty since it's high desert, though. In Acapulco we had independently reserved a T-time at the Acapulco Princess for a round of golf. Excellent course and lovely hotel. We also independently booked a 7:30 reservation for the cocktail package to see the Cliff Divers (since the ship didn't leave until 11:00 p.m.) $18/pp with 2 cocktails included and we're really glad we did it. If you don't want a package (cocktails or dinner packages are offered) for approx. $2/pp you can walk down to the viewing platform to watch the divers, too. No problem getting taxis at the cruise terminal and alot of people raved about hiring a taxi and tour guide for the day for sightseeing. Just be sure to confirm what the price will be (by the cab, not per person) for the ride before you get in (and ask if it's air conditioned or not, if not, offer a lower fare and hold firm). In Zihuatinejo we slept in and took a late tender into town, did some shopping and walked around. It's small so not alot to see. Some booked the tour (or you can catch a cab, plenty of independent drivers waiting for you) over to Ixtapa - didn't hear any complaints. Ixtapa's basically a hotel zone with some shopping so that's all to expect there. In Mazatlan we did (the infamous) Randi's Happy Horses (independent broker, not a ship tour). If you decide to do this tour, be aware that this is not Disneyland, you're in Mexico, it's raw and real. But the horses are well behaved and well cared for and Randi (and her partner Stuart) take good care of you from start to finish. The "ride" includes stopping for a couple of hours for lunch at a bare-bones mexican beach bar with tastey, inexpensive food (the chips and salsa are homemade and excellent) and the beer is cheap. If you take this tour, be prepared to be inundated with vendors when you sit down, but wait until you're ready to leave for purchasing, the prices drop dramatically! In PV (since we've been there before) we did the Las Calitas excusion - really good. The boat ride to and from is nice (although about 45 minutes each way)and the personnel on board are excellent. The Las Calitas property is simply beautiful and the personnel there are excellent, too. It's all inclusive for food and drinks, kayak and snorkle tour plus a very interesting and informative nature hike. I also enjoyed the cooking demonstration! Unfortunately it was over too soon to take advantage of everything there was to see and do there. Those are our tours, let me know if you have any further questions or want more information. Great sites to check out for loads of information and reviews is: cruisecritic.com, cruisemates.com and cruise-addicts.com