Nieuw Amsterdam - Mexican Riviera & Baja Peninsula

Where this cruise calls, day by day

8 ports and 7 sea days over 14 Nights.

1. Day 1

   San Diego, CA

   United StatesDepart

   San Diego is one of the easiest cruise arrivals in the country: the B Street and Broadway piers sit directly on the downtown Embarcadero, with the aircraft carrier USS Midway permanently moored a few hundred yards along the same waterfront. The Gaslamp Quarter is a flat ten-minute walk. It works as both a turnaround port for Mexico runs and a pleasant one-day call.

   • USS Midway Museum, with the flight deck and hangar open to walk
   • Balboa Park's museums and the San Diego Zoo
   • Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, the original Mexican-era settlement
   • The ferry across the bay to Coronado and the Hotel del Coronado

   Getting ashore

   Docks downtown at the B Street or Broadway Pier; the Gaslamp Quarter, Midway and Little Italy are all walkable.

   Best months

   Year-round (Sep-Oct warmest and clearest; May-Jun often grey until afternoon)

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3

   Cabo San Lucas

   MexicoPort
   Cabo San Lucas port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

4. Day 4 · At sea

5. Day 5

   Mazatlán

   MexicoPort
   Mazatlán port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
6. Day 6

   Puerto Vallarta

   MexicoPort
   Puerto Vallarta port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8

   La Paz

   MexicoPort

   La Paz is the capital of Baja California Sur and a working city rather than a resort. Ships use the Pichilingue terminal, a ferry and cargo dock about ten miles north of the malecón, with nothing at the gate. The Sea of Cortez is what you come for: sea lion colonies at Isla Espíritu Santo, whale sharks feeding in the bay through winter, and Balandra, a shallow turquoise cove that caps how many people can enter.

   • Snorkelling with sea lions at Los Islotes, off Espíritu Santo
   • Balandra Beach and its mushroom rock
   • Whale shark swims in La Paz Bay, roughly Oct-Apr
   • The malecón and its bronze sculptures

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock at Pichilingue, 25-30 minutes by road from central La Paz; there is nothing at the terminal itself.

   Best months

   Nov-Apr is mild and dry with whale sharks in the bay; Jul-Sep is very hot and humid

9. Day 9

   Loreto

   MexicoPort

   Loreto is a small Baja town on the Sea of Cortez with the first Spanish mission in the Californias, founded in 1697 and still standing on the main street. Ships anchor off and tender in. The setting does more work than the town, which you can see in an hour: the Sierra de la Giganta rises behind, and a marine park of bare desert islands sits offshore.

   • Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto and its museum
   • Isla Coronado's sea lions and white sand
   • Blue whale watching in the Gulf of California
   • Panga trips in Bahía de Loreto National Park

   Getting ashore

   Tender port - ships anchor off Loreto and tender to the town waterfront, roughly 10-15 minutes.

   Best months

   Nov-Apr is mild, with blue whales roughly Jan-Mar; summer is brutally hot

10. Day 10 · At sea

11. Day 11 · At sea

12. Day 12 · At sea

13. Day 13 · At sea

14. Day 14

    Ensenada

    MexicoPort
    Ensenada port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
15. Day 15

    San Diego, CA

    United StatesArrive

    San Diego is one of the easiest cruise arrivals in the country: the B Street and Broadway piers sit directly on the downtown Embarcadero, with the aircraft carrier USS Midway permanently moored a few hundred yards along the same waterfront. The Gaslamp Quarter is a flat ten-minute walk. It works as both a turnaround port for Mexico runs and a pleasant one-day call.

    • USS Midway Museum, with the flight deck and hangar open to walk
    • Balboa Park's museums and the San Diego Zoo
    • Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, the original Mexican-era settlement
    • The ferry across the bay to Coronado and the Hotel del Coronado

    Getting ashore

    Docks downtown at the B Street or Broadway Pier; the Gaslamp Quarter, Midway and Little Italy are all walkable.

    Best months

    Year-round (Sep-Oct warmest and clearest; May-Jun often grey until afternoon)