As regulars on west coast cruises, we love the Mexican Riviera. Recently, though, it seems like there’s been a big cutback in 7-night itineraries going to Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlán in 2024 and 2025. Does anyone know what’s going on?
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As west coast cruisers, we love the Mexican Riviera. Recently, though, it seems like there’s been a big cutback in 7-night Cabo/PV/Mazatlan cruises for 2024/2025. Anyone have an idea why?
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Carnival just moved the Firenze ship to Long Beach this year. They’re running longer cruises along with the Panorama, while Radiance is still handling the shorter ones.
Sage said:
Carnival just moved the Firenze ship to Long Beach this year. They’re running longer cruises along with the Panorama, while Radiance is still handling the shorter ones.
Thanks! Do you happen to know what’s up with Princess? I used to follow Cruisetipstv for updates, but they’ve shifted focus to Texas and don’t cover the west coast like they used to.
@Luca
We’re not big Princess fans, so I’m not entirely sure. Royal Caribbean did move their Navigator to Los Angeles too, so that’s another choice.
Running shorter 4-day and 3-day cruises can make more money than a full 7-night cruise. They charge more per night, and people spend more onboard. Plus, they make extra off drink packages since there’s more boarding and leaving, which means people buy packages more often.
@Hadi
Appreciate it! This is exactly the kind of detail I was hoping for.
Carnival shuffled things around a bit. Now Radiance is doing the old 3/4 day Ensenada trips, Firenze does 4-day trips to Ensenada, and two 5-day trips to Cabo, while Panorama handles 6-day Cabo trips and 7 and 8-day Mexican Riviera cruises. Plus, between January and April, Radiance goes on a 14-day to Hawaii once a month.
Pretty packed lineup!
@Remi
Thanks for explaining! Really helpful.
Just came back from a full ship on that itinerary. I haven’t noticed any reduction in options, though it may vary by cruise line. We did excursions in PV and walked the blue line to dive rock in Mazatlán, no issues. I’ve lived in parts of South America long-term, so Mexico feels fine, especially in tourist spots.
@Koa
I wonder if they’re trying to max out bookings post-pandemic? Maybe a shorter season with higher occupancy? It felt like there were more options from both Princess and Carnival in previous years from October to April, but now Princess sends Majestic/Discovery and Carnival only has Panorama.
@Luca
Nope, there’s still more going on. I just came off the Carnival Firenze on a 7-day trip out of Long Beach, which is running alongside the Panorama. Plus, there’s usually another rotating ship. Maybe Princess switched up, but I haven’t seen any drop in the number of ships leaving from there. Seems as busy as ever, judging by recent booking rates and earnings calls.
@Koa
I probably need to get back on Shipmate to check the full schedule. We just spent a week in Cabo, and I didn’t see as many ships as I remembered around this time in 2017. But I believe you!
Luca said:
@Koa
I probably need to get back on Shipmate to check the full schedule. We just spent a week in Cabo, and I didn’t see as many ships as I remembered around this time in 2017. But I believe you!
So it sounds like your only comparison is a trip back in 2017 and now 2024, but you weren’t on a ship this time? I can’t speak for 2017, but bookings are higher now than pre-COVID, based on news and earnings calls.
@Koa
I wouldn’t say I’m drawing hard conclusions. I’m just asking a question, not debating. Being on a ship would be less helpful for noticing the overall flow of ships at a port. I cruised west coast routes 3-4 times a year from 2016-2023, and availability seemed different while I was planning my vacation last month. I also noticed fewer ships when I was in Cabo, where I’ve done plenty of land vacations too. Maybe, as another person mentioned, more 3-5 day options are running, and I usually skip those in my searches.
Are you looking at all the lines? Some only do the Mexican Riviera after the Alaska season since those ships are already on the Pacific side. If ships get moved to Florida, Texas, or other Caribbean spots, there’d be fewer options here.
@Quinn
I mean all the lines. Norwegian and Celebrity are barely offering anything. Princess and Carnival used to have consistent options here, but it feels a lot less now compared to 2016-2022, even during the pandemic.
It could be related to travel warnings, especially around Sinaloa (Mazatlán). We did a 10-night trip with 6 ports years ago, and it was a fantastic cruise.
Jordan said:
It could be related to travel warnings, especially around Sinaloa (Mazatlán). We did a 10-night trip with 6 ports years ago, and it was a fantastic cruise.
There are travel warnings for parts of Mexico’s west coast, and some cities specifically, issued by my government. If I wasn’t set on a particular spot, those warnings would make me look elsewhere. The cruise lines might be seeing demand drop off.
Looks like Celebrity has mostly left California.