Mexican Riviera

Top 4 ports on the Mexican Riviera
1. Puerto Vallarta
It's the best overall Mexican Riviera cruise destination. Puerto Vallarta is celebrated for its nightlife, restaurants, boutiques, ritzy yachts, and beautiful bay.

2. Acapulco
World famous for its gorgeous bay and La Quebrada cliff divers. Acapulco also boasts exciting clubbing and dining as well as good shopping and water sports.

3. Zihuatanejo
Was once laid back, but still holds on to some of its charm. Note: The nearby resort town Ixtapa lacks Zihuatanejo's appealing character.

4. Cabo San Lucas
The sea arch El Arcos is the iconic landmark. The Cabo San Lucas area is noted for water sports, wintertime whale watching, game fishing, upscale resorts, and partying youths.

More Mexican Riviera cruise port tips & insights
Top port runner-up
Manzanillo wins that honor.

Least exciting ports
Ensenada and Guaymas win that negative distinction.

Notes on Mazatlan
Though it's excellent for deep sea fishing (especially for marlin) - and has interesting historic town cathedrals, it has serious shortcomings from the cruiser's perspective. First, Mazatlan is too much of a commercial port to be a tourist draw. Second, visitor safety is now an issue, enough for some major cruise lines to drop it from their Mexican Riviera itineraries.