Cruising the Mexican Riviera with Princess Cruises

If you follow me on Instagram then you know that before the holidays I was exploring the Mexican Riviera with Princess Cruises. Let me tell you, Joe and I had the BEST time! Neither of us had been to the cities we visited. It was so amazing to experience it all together, and by sea!

From the cute Mexican towns to the big blue ocean, it was so cool to experience it on our cruise. The ship was full of fun things to do, and then each morning we would wake up in a new town to explore. It was so nice to explore all day, then hop back onto the ship to rest and relax. We absolutely loved the hanging out at the pool, watching the Movies Under the Stars, and how easy it was to hop on and off the ship at the port. I’m breaking down all of our stops along the cruise below!

One of the coolest parts of the trip was the OceanMedallion. Everything was connected to our Medallions. We had keyless entry to our room, and there was no need to lug around our wallets to order a drink. I wore mine on my wrist, so I didn’t even have to worry about it. We even used the OceanMedallion app on our phones to order food and drinks whenever we wanted. Does it get any better than ordering drinks to your exact location without even getting up?

For the first few days at sea we basked in the sun around the pool, tried all of the restaurants on board (there are SO many options), and lounged on the deck. I could never get tired of this ocean view at all angles!

Mazatlán

For our first day off the ship we landed in Mazatlan. I had never heard of this town before this trip, and what a pleasant surprise! We wandered around the town, explored all of the colorful streets, and had some of the best Mexican food.

It’s actually a city full of German ruins from the 18th century, and wow the historic beauty of this city was incredible. We couldn’t stop walking around and peeking into the abandoned buildings.

If you visit, you’ve got to check out some of the colorful houses. There was even this magical street that had an entire row of rainbow-hued houses.

We ate lunch at the most delicious restaurant called Presidio, and it felt like we were transported to New Orleans. Such a beautiful place, and the food and drinks were incredible. If you find yourself in Mazatlan, you’ve got to stop by this place.

Then we jumped back on the ship in time to catch this dreamy sunset. Getting back on to the ship is a breeze with the Ocean

Medallion–you just scan it and hop back on–easy peasy. That night we watched a movie under the stars on the big screen of the ship. It was the perfect ending to a jam-packed day.

Puerto Vallarta

The next day we were up bright and early for our excursion in Puerto Vallarta. We booked a private beach getaway to Las Caletas with Princess Cruises, and wow I would do it a million times over and over again.

We set sail on a catamaran to the private beach, and landed at the dreamiest place full of things to do. When we arrived there was a delicious taco spread, and then we went straight to the beach. On the walk to the beach we passed flamingos and monkeys–so fun. We zip lined into the water, soaked up the sun on the beach, paddle boarded in the ocean, and went snorkeling. I still can’t believe that was all in one day! They topped it off with an incredible Mexican buffet full of yummy local foods. We tried our first Mexican coffee and now we are hooked!

At Sea

We started each morning with breakfast on the balcony. Oh how I wish every morning could start like that! It was super easy to order our breakfast for the next morning through the MedallionClass app. I checked what we wanted to eat on the app and our delivery time, and it would arrive at our door in the morning. I’m not a morning person, but we would wake up early to catch the sunrise with breakfast, and I would do it again and again for those dreamy views! I miss them so much already.

For the last few days of the cruise we lounged at The Sanctuary, Princess Cruises’ adults-only exclusive area where you can rent lounge chairs and relax. It was so peaceful and quiet! We ordered drinks and lunch through our MedallionClass app, and they would be delivered right to our loungers.

We booked a couples massage for the last full day and it was such a nice way to end the journey. We relaxed, hopped in the hot tubs, and soaked up the sun for the rest of the day.

That night, we ate dinner at the sushi spot on board while we watched a hilarious dance competition. I love how there is always entertainment going on while you’re on the ship.

We had such a great time with Princess Cruises, and we were sad to leave! I’m so glad we documented everything so that we can remember this trip in the future. It was one for the books!

This cruise is sponsored by Princess Cruises, all opinions are my own.