Cruise to mexico Help?

Question

Possibly a 5 day cruise There are 2 days where we will be at port of call..How much average money for off shore excursions should we be looking to spend....?also anyone who has cruised to mexico before have any helpful tips?

is carnival the cheapest cruise line...are websites like expedia and orbitz good for booking cruises?

Answer 1

I have been on about 20 cruises, including to Mexico, and generally do my booking on line.  Here are some tips for you.

-  Book very early, as far in advance of the cruise as you can; cruise lines give discounts for early booking.  If you want to go this summer or later this year, NOW is the time to book.  The further in advance you book the lower the price will be.

- Use the cruise line web sites to find deals and discounts; Carnival and Royal Caribbean have easy to use links to specials on their web pages.  Look on their web sites for "Hot Deals" or "Specials".

- Select a cruise date when the price is best.  That's one of the benefits of using cruise line web sites vs other sites like Expedia and/ sites that advertise cruises.  You can look at ALL of the dates for the cruise that you want to do and pick the lowest priced date.  In addition, if there is a problem with your booking or you need to make a change in it, its a lot easier to do that directly with the cruise line than through another company.  The cruise line web sites have a phone number for you to talk with a person should you have a question or problem with your reservation.

-Carnival is the cheapest and the party cruise line that many young people and first time cruisers go on.  But, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean are good comparable alternatives.

- Even before you book your cruise you can look at the cruise line web sites to see what cruises are/will be available and how much they cost.  Example:  For NCL: http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/shorex.html?de...

For RC:  http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruis...

You can book your tours and pay for them or have them added  to your on board account  before the tour or while on ship.  So you do not need to take cash for tours off the ship.  The prices or tours vary with the more exciting ones being higher priced.  In general the city overview and/or walking tours are generally in the range of $35 to $55 per person and the more exciting things like jet skiing, para-sailing, off road treks, etc.,  will be around $90 and up to about $150 per person.  So use that as  a guide to determine how much you want to spend in the 2 ports stops.

Answer 2

I use cruisetocash (has the best cruise prices. ) But you do need to book in advance. You can get the codes to the cruisetocash vouchers ( www.cruisetocash.com/redemption ) by emailing [e-mail] . If you don't mind booking in advance, it will only cost a fraction of what you will pay otherwise

Answer 3

My wife, 2 teenagers and I have cruised Mexico and Belize twice.  The first time, we booked the excursions with the ship, and spent on average $150 per person for each one.

The second time, we decided to "wing it" and sign up with private excursion companies that meet you off the ship.  We easily cut excursion cost in half.

The problem with the "wing it" method is simple.  If you book with the ship, and a delay happens that prevents you from returning to the ship before it deports, then the ship will wait for you.  If you go with a private company, then you will wave goodbye as the leave you behind.

The "wing it" method requires more responsibility on your part.  But we found it much more beneficial.  Beside cost saving, we were able to have a more personalized tour.

Answer 4

Personally I'm a fan of the 7-day cruises out of San Diego.  The shorter ones tend to be booze cruises ... but maybe that's not all bad.  =)  Also leaving out of San Diego means fewer days at sea and more time in port, but cruises out of Los Angeles are more convenient for a lot of people.

Carnival isn't necessarily the cheapest.  RCI is about the same.  Really depends on the ship and the specific sailing.

Shore excursions vary in price.  We paid $35 each for mountain biking and that was fun, or about $100 each for "jeep rhino" excursion -- driving 4x4s through the desert to the sea, which was also awesome.

In terms of booking, Expedia, etc. are OK but not that great.  They charge a $15 to $20 "service charge" AND they don't have a low-price guarantee.  You might want to check out this article on how too book a cruise:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/bu...

There's more general cruise info (including what it's like onboard, how to avoid getting sea sick, tips on what to pack, etc.) here:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide

Answer 5

I would strongly suggest using a travel agent for your trip they will be able to handle many details for you and walk you thru the process of room placement, cruise doc's etc.  I can suggest one for you if you like.  You can go to the cruise web sites and they will have a section on excursions and what is available at each port what is included, some include snack, meal or drinks and cost.  I would say they range from 40.00 per person and up.  I always find the one that gives me best bang for the buck.  I don't know which section of Mexico your speaking of but I have been to Cancun and Cozumel several times and love it!  Wait till you see the water.  Bring a few bucks if you want to buy silver from a street vendor, Oh it is wonderful I am excited for you.  I have not been on Carnival but I understand it is a real party ship if that is what your looking for then ok.  I personally like Holland America I have been on the zuiderdam and the Westerdam.  I have been on RCL Freedom and NCL Pearl.  You can go to CruiseCritic.com to see reviews on all aspects of cruising and individual cruise lines.  I personally would look for a Princess or Holland ship and then look for a newer ship.  But what ever you pick if you do your homework you will have a great time and it's really a bargain.  Use a good Travel Agent tho they can guide you thru alot.

Answer 6

i too am in my 20's and did all my planning for my upcoming cruise myself....i'm leaving on the Carnival Legend on Sunday....check out the mexican riviera...i heard thats great and good on the budget tooo....just do your research...go to cruisecritic.com which was a great help......all the prices from those websites were the same from the carnival website....carnival has something like the lowest price guarentee....

         if u book far in advance thats the CHEAPEST way to go....We also went on a RCCL for 4 days and was absolutely amazing!!! anywhere u go see if they have a Senor Frogs....the best time ever!!! be sure to get ur passports b/c it will be mandatory pretty soon!!! Good Luck and u can call the cruiseline wenever if u have any questions throughout ur planning process!!!

   OooOOoo and the shore excursions u can book thru the boat....or on cruisecritic they have some great referrals...depending on what u want to do i would say it's probably gonna be around  $50 per person if not more....

HAPPY CRUISIN!!!

Answer 7

If you want to party, take Carnival.  If not, take another line such as Royal Carib.  They are very different.  I found a great deal on Travelocity, they often offer ship credits if you purchase from them.  Any more questions?  Email me!  I just took a Mex. cruise a few weeks ago.

Answer 8

An awesome website to go to is http://www.ticketsavvy.com, I just got back from a mexico cruise it was awesome....this website has great deals on carnival if thats what you are planning on going with ..average shore excursions are around 100 bux.