Please help me choose a ship for a Mexican Riviera cruise for my 88 year old father and me
 

My 88 year old father would like to go on a Mexican cruise. He has been on a couple of cruises with my mother. She passed away last year and recently I had to move my father to an assisted living residence.

Physically he is in good shape, but cannot walk too far or climb too many stairs. He can take care of himself, but is forgetful and can get confused at times. I would be with him the whole time and think mentally the crusie would be good for him.

My question is would one cruise line be better than the other for him. I don't see him wearing a suit or getting too dressy. He always wears a dress shirt and slacks, but not even sure if he has a jacket anymore.

I would also like for him to have his own bedroom, as he snores and I would never fall asleep with that going on, but for us to be in the same cabin.

My budget is $5,000 for both of us. Any suggestions on which cruise line would be best for us? I'm looking at this April or May so I need to get going on this.

Thanks

I believe there are only 3 cruiselines that go to the Mexican Riviera from Los Angeles that time of year, Carnival Pride, Princess Diamond, and Royal Carribean Vision of the Seas.There is also an 8 night from San Diego,not sure what ship. We are taking the Vision in April. I would chose the Vision for your father as it is not quite as big as the other 2, and would be easier for him to get around. Adjoining rooms close to the elevator would be a good idea.

I would strongly recommend NOT booking on Carnival. IME and IMHO they are geared to first time cruisers and those who do not place a value on good food and service. The decor is garish and the constant announcements and overall volume is offensive, to me anyway. I would call it tacky.

I would never take my mother on a Carnival cruise.

That being said, Holland America Line would be a good choice and I believe they have some itineraries that meet your needs. They cater to an older crowd and their ships are quite service oriented.

I sailed Vision last June and it is a very nice ship. The food, however, was about the worst we have ever had on Royal Caribbean and we were very disappointed.

I would stick with your plan of two cabins and not try to squeeze into one. I think you will both appreciate the privacy.

P.S. to my previous reply!!
I inadvertently "cut" one paragraph from my previous reply. Here it is..
--If you want to leave right from Los Angeles, there are three choices: Carnival, Princess and Royal Caribbean. I would definitely say NO to Carnival for your father. Princess and Royal Caribbean would be ok, with a slight edge going to Royal Caribbean simply because it is a bit smaller (though still larger than the Holland America out of San Diego.)
Sorry to have omitted this--nothing personal about Royal Caribbean and Princess cruises, both of which might be good choices for you!
Mary Beth

First, it is a wonderful idea to take your Dad on a cruise. You are a great daughter:) We did the Diamond Princess (a new 1 year old ship) mid Dec. and had a great time. There will be plenty of folks in his age groups. Your father will fit in fine for the dress code except for the 2 formal nights, if he doesn't want to wear a jacket you can always enjoy the horizon court buffet. I love the Diamond because it has 4 themed personal choice dining restaurants.

You will be able to get 2 balcony cabins for less than 5k. Be sure to check cruises-n-more, they have excellent online pricing.

We had a fabulous 1 week Mexican cruise on the Radisson Mariner out of Los Angeles with elderly parents. They loved it!

We have just been on NCL Norwegian Star excellent , they have free style dining & you can dress smart Casual even on formal night . cruisecompete.com is an excellent site as they have lots of agencys who compete for your business, I use them all the time.

We cruised last March on Holland America's Ryndam out of San Diego. HAL caters to older folks and your father would probably be comfortable. There are dining options so you can avoid getting dressed up if you wish. If all else fails, there's 24 hour room service.

If you're patient, you can use the elevators rather than the stairs (be sure to get cabins near the elevator banks---else he might have an uncomfortably long walk).