Whether you live on the East Coast, the West Coast, or somewhere in between, cheap cruises to Mexico have never been more accessible. If you’re looking to pay less than $500 for a cruise that visits Pacific ports on the Mexican Riviera or Cozumel. Progreso. and Costa Maya on the Caribbean side, a bit of research will net a wide range of sailings. Here’s everything you need to know about cheap cruises to Mexico.
1. Search for deals from these cruise lines.
Some lines known to regularly offer up to seven nights of Mexican sun for less than $500 per person.
Princess Cruises. which made a name for cruising the Mexican Riviera from Southern California during the “Love Boat” era (the TV series was filmed on its ships), remains the leader on these routes with four vessels offering four - to seven-night sailings starting at $349 per person.
Norwegian Cruise Line has some great deals. Norwegian Jewel. for example, has five - and seven-night cruises from Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta. Mazatlán. and Cabo San Lucas through April 2017 (with fares as low as $399 and $499 per person), while six ships, including Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Escape. cruise to Cozumel and Costa Maya with cheap fares ranging from $279 to $499 per person.
With three ships sailing two - to seven-night cruises to Ensenada. Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas, and 12 ships visiting Cozumel, Progreso, and Costa Maya, Carnival Cruise Line has plenty of cheap fares on its “Today’s Deals” page — such as four nights from Miami to Cozumel and Key West for $174 per person.
Royal Caribbean International cruises to Mexican ports in the Western Caribbean on 13 ships — with fares as low as $325 per person for a four-night Western Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale. Florida.
MSC Cruises. which has homeported its mega ship MSC Divina in Miami for almost three years, regularly offers four - to seven-night Western Caribbean fares for $299 to $429 per person — and it has a Kids Sail Free program. A second ship, MSC Seaside. will join MSC Divina in late 2017.
2. Know your embarkation options.
You can find cheap cruises to Mexico from four cities on the West Coast and seven in Florida and along the Gulf Coast (known as Western Caribbean itineraries). Here are your choices:
Pacific Coast (Mexican Riviera) Itineraries: Ships visit Ensenada, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas.
- Los Angeles — Norwegian and Princess Long Beach — Carnival San Diego — Holland America Line (Fares generally don’t fall below $549 per person.) San Francisco — Princess (Fares are generally more than $600 per person.)
Western Caribbean Itineraries: Ships visit Cozumel, Progreso, and Costa Maya.
- Miami — Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and MSC Fort Lauderdale — Carnival and Royal Caribbean Port Canaveral — Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean Tampa — Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean New Orleans — Carnival and Norwegian Galveston — Carnival and Royal Caribbean Mobile — Carnival
3. Settle for an inside cabin.
Those cheap fares you see promoted are almost always for inside or interior cabins. Sure, they lack windows and may be a bit smaller than ocean view and balcony cabins, but how much time are you really going to spend there when you’re cruising sunny Mexico?
4. Test the waters with a short sailing.
Two to four days can be yours for as little as $149 per person. These short itineraries visit Cozumel in the Caribbean and Ensenada on the Pacific coast.
5. Five nights can be the sweet spot.
With a five-night cruise, you’ll visit two or three ports and really get your money’s worth — for as little as $244 per person on Carnival and $349 per person on Norwegian.
6. Older ships are the cheapest.