Mexico Cruises

Mexico cruises from California come in two lengths. Short Baja trips of three or four nights run from Los Angeles, Long Beach or San Diego to Ensenada, often with Catalina Island on the way, and they are the West Coast's answer to the Florida-to-Bahamas weekend. The week-long Mexican Riviera goes much further south: a typical seven-night loop spends a day at sea, then calls at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta before two more sea days home. Cabo is often an afternoon-and-evening call rather than a full day, so check the port hours before booking anything ashore.

October to April is the comfortable season - cooler and drier. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season starts earlier than the Atlantic one, on May 15, and runs to November 30, with the most storms from late August into early September; that is when a Cabo or Puerto Vallarta call is most likely to be swapped or dropped.

Mexico is raising what it charges cruise visitors. Its non-resident duty went from $5 to $10 per passenger on August 1, 2026, and is scheduled to rise to $15 from July 2027 and $21 from August 2028. It is charged once per cruise, however many Mexican ports you visit and whether or not you go ashore, and lines fold it into the taxes and fees at booking.

Nearly all of these trips are round trips from a U.S. port, so they are closed-loop and a U.S. citizen can sail with a birth certificate and photo ID - though a passport is the safer choice if you might need to fly home from Mexico. They suit Southern Californians who can drive to the port, budget-minded first-timers and anyone who wants winter sun without a flight.

Sources: royalcaribbean.com, virginvoyages.com, aoml.noaa.gov, travelextra.ie, egovrush.com