Cruise destination

Mexican Riviera cruises

Name: Mexican Riviera monthly listed cruise fare comparison
Creator: CruiseCaptain

Compare Mexican Riviera sailings by cruise line, ship, departure date, port, and price.

546 sailing listings in the recorded comparison · recorded Oct 13, 2026 at 23:08 UTC

Photo by Mario Mendez on Unsplash

Best time to cruise

February

Weighed on price, weather & departure volume — see the breakdown

Listings compared

546

Recorded supplier listings

Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán are useful starting points for comparing Mexican Pacific itineraries. Check which of them a sailing actually visits and how the route uses the intervening days. This comparison also covers verified Mexican calls on the Gulf of California. A Pacific itinerary and a Gulf-focused trip can offer different experiences even when they start from the same departure area.

Look at the time in port before choosing between sailings of equal length. A short call and a longer stay are not interchangeable if you have a particular place in mind. Also check whether the cruise returns to its embarkation port, and decide how much time you want aboard between visits. Those details help you compare the trip itself before choosing a cabin or a fare.

The dry-season and hurricane-season calendars are separate considerations when choosing a departure. These calendars are not a prediction for your departure, and a monthly price difference does not prove what caused that difference. If wildlife is a priority, check the location and date of the itinerary rather than assuming a seasonal reference guarantees a sighting. Keep the weather decision separate from the listed cabin comparison.

Known for: Cabo San Lucas · Puerto Vallarta · Pacific Beaches · Fishing & Watersports · Colonial Towns

Mexican Riviera · comparison coverage

What these monthly fares cover

Data recorded Oct 13, 2026 at 23:08 UTC; calculated Oct 13, 2026 at 23:09 UTC.

Our Mexican Riviera comparison covers verified Mexican calls on the Pacific, including the Gulf of California.

Departures from Oct 13, 2026 through Apr 12, 2028. Months combine all matching years in this window.

498 of 546

listings with a comparable USD fare

listings without a comparable USD fare

Fares are USD per person per night. These starting-fare comparisons mix cabin types, ships and trip lengths. Compare actual cabins and conditions on the individual sailing pages.

See monthly coverage and comparison limits

Itinerary geography was checked across 45,163 market candidates: 40,536 unresolved and 4,081 conflicting. Those candidates are not included in this destination’s figures and are not a count of missing Mexican Riviera sailings.

Mexican Riviera comparison coverage by calendar month across the stated departure window
Month	Listings	Priced	Unpriced
January	94	77	17
February	47	43	4
March	64	57	7
April	71	67	4
May	10	8	2
June	4	4	0
July	5	5	0
August	7	7	0
September	13	12	1
October	70	63	7
November	79	75	4
December	82	80	2

Counts cover active listings with a positive trip length whose itinerary locations passed independent source checks under the definitions above. A voyage may have more than one supplier listing.
Geographic references include GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata. CruiseCaptain checks itinerary records against these references, applies the destination definitions and calculates the comparisons.
The monthly median uses each priced listing’s lowest usable corroborated USD cabin fare, divided by its trip length. A lower monthly median does not mean the same cruise costs less.
These counts cover the full comparison, even when the chart shows a smaller sample. They are not sample counts for any one cabin category.
The dates describe departure coverage, not when each fare was last observed. Fare observation times and booking conditions are not included in this monthly snapshot.
Check the individual sailing’s cabin, total fare and booking conditions before comparing offers. Weather guidance is a separate editorial source.

Recorded listings · monthly comparison

Best time to cruise Mexican Riviera

Compare recorded monthly fares and seasonal conditions.

Among well-served months in this comparison, February has the lowest median listed fare at $87 per person per night and December the highest at $137. Adjacent months with limited choice are shown separately and may have lower fares. These are different future departures, not a price history for the same cruise. The answer is the dry season. Roughly November through May, days run in the low-to-mid 80s with near-zero rain, and the December–April whale season layers on top.

CruiseCaptain — corroborated USD listed fares, per person per night; recorded Oct 13, 2026

Real fares — sampled departures, by cabin

Each dot represents a sampled listed fare for one sailing and cabin category. The table’s monthly medians use the full eligible snapshot, not only the dots shown. These are different future departures, not repeated prices for an identical cruise.

Group by

546 sailing listings in the comparison window · dots show 498 priced listings after sampling and validation · calculated Oct 13, 2026

Fare sample and methodology

Departure window: 2026-10-13 to before 2028-04-13.

The 18-month comparison contains 546 active sailing listings with a positive trip length; 498 have a listed cabin fare and 48 have none. The seasonal comparison uses 530 sailing listings in well-served months and their adjacent shoulder months; 16 sailing listings fall outside that seasonal selection. Counts represent supplier sailing listings, not necessarily distinct voyages. Current verified itinerary links are checked separately.

Lowest and highest labels compare well-served (core) months only. Adjacent months with limited choice can have lower medians. The score weights listed price 35%, reference weather 30%, editorial seasonal experience 25% and fewer sailing listings 10%. Listing counts do not measure passenger occupancy or crowds; this score is a comparison aid, not a forecast. Equal inputs receive equal scores.

For each sailing listing, we divide its lowest usable corroborated USD cabin fare by trip length, then take the median within each calendar month across departure years. Cabin medians use only listings priced in that category: inside, oceanview, balcony or suite. Missing fares are excluded from medians, never treated as free cruises. The dots are a bounded sample; chart lines smooth that sample by cabin over nearby departure dates, with monthly medians as a fallback.

Prices are displayed in US dollars per person. Occupancy, taxes, fees and inclusions follow the source listing and are not independently standardized in this comparison. Check the sailing and supplier before booking. The calculation date is not the time every supplier last refreshed its fare; this aggregate does not include individual quote timestamps.

Raw fares come from third-party feeds. CruiseCaptain’s contribution is tracking, normalization and analysis. These recorded-fare comparisons are descriptive: differences in lines, ships, cabins and routes can explain monthly gaps. They do not establish when to book or predict a future price.

Month-by-month comparison

Select a month to pin its column — the spotlight below follows.

Higher score, deeper bar — a better all-round month on price, weather & listing volume. – means too few priced listings to score; greyed months are outside the seasonal comparison.

Monthly Mexican Riviera fare, sailings, weather, daylight, wildlife and verdict comparison
Prices & listings
Scoreout of 10 · price, weather & departure volume	Jan7.4	Feb9.5	Mar8.4	Apr7.6	May–	Jun–	Jul–	Aug–	Sep–	Oct4.3	Nov5.0	Dec5.3
Median fareper night	$103	Core low$87	$101	$109	$214	–	–	–	$101	$119	$129	Core high$137
Listings comparedsailing listings	94	47	64	71	10	4	5	7	13	70	79	82
Priced listingslistings with fares	77	43	57	67	8	4	5	7	12	63	75	80
Weather & daylight
Daytime highafternoon °F	80°	81°	83°	86°	90°	91°	94°	94°	93°	92°	87°	81°
Raininches / month	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	3.4	4.3	1.0	0.7	0.3
Daylighthours / day	10.8	11.2	11.9	12.5	13.1	13.4	13.3	12.8	12.1	11.4	10.9	10.6
Bright sunhours / day	9h	9h	10h	11h	12h	12h	12h	11h	10h	10h	9h	8h
Wildlife & verdict
Wildlife	gray whales fill the lagoons	grays calving, humpbacks off Cabo	whales linger, spring-break buzz	last whales head north	90°F, glassy mornings	sea turtles begin nesting	school’s-out crowds	turtle nesting builds	hurricane season’s heart	peak turtle arribadas; late-season storms	humidity breaks, seas settle	whales return
Verdict	Most core listings	Lowest core median	Well-served month	Well-served month	Limited choice	Outside comparison	Outside comparison	Outside comparison	Limited choice	Well-served month	Well-served month	Highest core median

Climate reference: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (Conagua) 1991–2020 normals, Cabo San Lucas station 03005. These representative conditions are separate from the recorded fare comparison and are not a sailing forecast.

Daylight reference: Computed for Cabo San Lucas (22.9°N), sea level. Daylight changes with the itinerary’s latitude; these figures describe the reference location.

The months in detail

lowest core median

February

grays calving, humpbacks off Cabo

February has 47 sailing listings in the comparison window, including 43 with a listed cabin fare. The median listed fare is $87 per person per night. This is the lowest median among well-served months. Cabo San Lucas climate reference: average daytime high 81°F, 0.2 inches of monthly rain and 11.2 hours of daylight. The whale-season peak.

$87/night median

47 sailing listings

Price10.0

Weather8.8

Experience9.2

Fewer listings10.0

Wildlife calendar

Gray & humpback whales off Baja

calving peak

Dry-season skies and a calm Pacific

zero-rain months

Olive ridley turtles nesting (mainland coast)

peak arribadas (into Dec)

Eastern Pacific hurricane season

statistical peak

Whales return to Baja

Daylight & sun

Hours per day

At Cabo’s latitude the day never swings far. Figure about 10 and a half hours in December, 13 and a half at the June solstice. Light isn’t the seasonal signal here; rain and the hurricane calendar are, so watch those instead.

Daylight

≈10.6 h · December to ≈13.5 h · late June

Bright sun

12 hours a day in May

Bright sun Total daylight Outside the cruise season

NASA POWER climatology (all-sky vs clear-sky shortwave; bright-sun via Angstrom-Prescott)

The honest answers

The worst month

September, if you need a plan you can count on. It’s Cabo’s wettest month (4.3 inches), the heart of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, and the year’s stickiest heat. The basin’s statistical peak lands in late August, and September stays close behind. October is the storm season’s tail.

Petting a gray whale

Gray whale calves nose right up to small boats in Baja. That happens in the Pacific-side nursery lagoons like San Ignacio, which no cruise ship enters. If touching a whale is the mission, that’s a dedicated land trip to the lagoons in February or March. The cruise puts you in the right region, not the right lagoon.

Mexican Riviera cruise timing — questions answered

What is the best month to take a Mexican Riviera cruise?

If whales matter, February and March sit at the heart of the December–April season. Use the monthly table for recorded listed fares and departure choice, then compare the actual ships, routes, cabin quotes and travel dates. Weather guidance uses regional reference conditions and does not explain why a fare changes.

What is the best time of year to go on a Mexican Riviera cruise?

November through May. That’s the dry season: days run in the low-to-mid 80s (into the 90s by May), rain effectively disappears (Cabo’s April and May normals read essentially zero), the Pacific settles, and from December to April the whales are in. Summer is hotter and more humid, and September–October is the hurricane peak.

Is March a good time to cruise the Mexican Riviera?

One of the best months on the calendar. It ranks among Cabo’s driest and brightest in the 1991–2020 normals, effectively rainless, with 83°F days, 10 hours of bright sun, and whale season still at full strength. Expect spring-break crowds on the family ships.

What months to avoid cruising?

September and October. They sit in the heart of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, and September is Cabo’s wettest month (4.3 inches). NOAA puts the basin’s statistical peak in late August. Use the monthly table for recorded listed fares and departure choice, then compare the actual ships, routes, cabin quotes and travel dates. Weather guidance uses regional reference conditions and does not explain why a fare changes.

What is the hurricane season in the Mexican Riviera?

The Eastern Pacific season runs May 15 to November 30, peaking August through October off the Mexican coast. That’s a longer season than the Atlantic’s, though most storms track harmlessly west. The practical risk window for a Mexican Riviera itinerary is late August through October.

Does the Mexican Riviera get hurricanes?

Yes. The Eastern Pacific spins up more named storms than the Atlantic in a typical year; most head out to sea, but Baja takes an occasional direct hit. Hurricane Odile struck Cabo in September 2014. Ships route around storms, so the realistic risk is a changed itinerary, not a dangerous one.

What day of the week do cruise lines lower prices?

This comparison cannot establish an ideal booking lead time or weekday for price drops: it compares recorded fares for different future departures. Check the history of the specific sailing and cabin, cancellation terms and availability. A fare alert can help you follow changes without assuming that waiting will produce a lower price.

What month not to go to Mexico?

September. It’s the wettest month on the Pacific coast (4.3 inches at Cabo), the peak of hurricane season, and the stickiest heat of the year. Use the monthly table for recorded listed fares and departure choice, then compare the actual ships, routes, cabin quotes and travel dates. Weather guidance uses regional reference conditions and does not explain why a fare changes.

Get fare-drop alerts

Browse verified sailings

18 itineraries verified in this checked batch. Checked Oct 14, 2026 against the comparison recorded Oct 13, 2026. New listings enter after the next comparison refresh.

Verified Mexican Riviera sailing itineraries with recorded fare evidence and fare-history links
Cruise line	Sailing	Departs	Nights	Embark → disembark	Recorded fare
Virgin Voyages	Virgin Voyages Hollywood Sunsets & Mexican Horizons Brilliant Lady 7 nights Recorded from $763 View fare history →	Apr 18, 2027	7	—	Recorded from $763 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Royal Caribbean	Royal Caribbean 6 Night Cabo Overnight & Ensenada Voyager of the Seas 6 nights Recorded from $586 View fare history →	Apr 9, 2027	6	—	Recorded from $586 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Holland America Line	Holland America Line 11-Day Mexican Riviera & Sea of Cortez Koningsdam 11 nights Recorded from $1,694 View fare history →	Oct 20, 2026	11	—	Recorded from $1,694 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Norwegian Cruise Line	Norwegian Cruise Line 7-Day Mexican Riviera Round-Trip Los Angeles: Cabo & Puerto Vallarta Norwegian Encore 7 nights Recorded from $509 View fare history →	Oct 18, 2026	7	—	Recorded from $509 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Norwegian Cruise Line	Norwegian Cruise Line 7-Day Mexican Riviera Round-Trip Los Angeles: Cabo & Puerto Vallarta Norwegian Encore 7 nights Recorded from $409 View fare history →	Oct 25, 2026	7	—	Recorded from $409 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Princess Cruises	Princess Cruises Mexican Riviera Discovery Princess 7 nights Recorded from $499 View fare history →	Oct 31, 2026	7	—	Recorded from $499 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Princess Cruises	Princess Cruises Mexican Riviera Discovery Princess 7 nights Recorded from $824 View fare history →	Oct 17, 2026	7	—	Recorded from $824 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Princess Cruises	Princess Cruises Mexican Riviera Discovery Princess 7 nights Recorded from $620 View fare history →	Oct 24, 2026	7	—	Recorded from $620 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Royal Caribbean	Royal Caribbean 6 Night Cabo Overnight & Ensenada Voyager of the Seas 6 nights View fare history →	Oct 30, 2026	6	—	View fare history →
Royal Caribbean	Royal Caribbean 8 Nt Cabo Overnight, Mazatlan & Catalina Voyager of the Seas 8 nights Recorded from $548 View fare history →	Oct 22, 2026	8	—	Recorded from $548 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Royal Caribbean	Royal Caribbean 6 Night Cabo Overnight & Ensenada Voyager of the Seas 6 nights View fare history →	Oct 16, 2026	6	—	View fare history →
Royal Caribbean	Royal Caribbean 7 Night Ensenada, Cabo & La Paz Cruise Serenade of the Seas 7 nights View fare history →	Oct 25, 2026	7	—	View fare history →
Royal Caribbean	Royal Caribbean 7 Night Ensenada, Cabo & La Paz Cruise Serenade of the Seas 7 nights View fare history →	Oct 18, 2026	7	—	View fare history →
Disney Cruise Line	Disney Cruise Line Halloween on the High Seas Mexican Riviera Cruise from San Diego Disney Wonder 5 nights Recorded from $867 View fare history →	Oct 22, 2026	5	—	Recorded from $867 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Disney Cruise Line	Disney Cruise Line Halloween on the High Seas Mexican Riviera Cruise from San Diego Disney Wonder 6 nights Recorded from $1,014 View fare history →	Oct 27, 2026	6	—	Recorded from $1,014 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Disney Cruise Line	Disney Cruise Line Halloween on the High Seas Mexican Riviera Cruise from San Diego Disney Magic 5 nights Recorded from $992 View fare history →	Oct 19, 2026	5	—	Recorded from $992 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Disney Cruise Line	Disney Cruise Line Halloween on the High Seas Mexican Riviera Cruise from San Diego Disney Magic 6 nights Recorded from $1,200 View fare history →	Oct 24, 2026	6	—	Recorded from $1,200 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →
Disney Cruise Line	Disney Cruise Line Halloween on the High Seas Mexican Riviera Cruise from San Diego Disney Magic 7 nights Recorded from $1,263 View fare history →	Oct 30, 2026	7	—	Recorded from $1,263 Oct 13, 2026 View fare history →

Check more sailings →

Further checks may not find more sailings.

For more options, explore Mexican Riviera cruises.

Mexican Riviera cruises

What these monthly fares cover

Real fares — sampled departures, by cabin

Month-by-month comparison

The months in detail

January

February

March

April

May

September

October

November

December

Wildlife calendar

Daylight & sun

The honest answers

The worst month

Petting a gray whale

Mexican Riviera cruise timing — questions answered

Browse verified sailings

Exceptional cruises. Intelligent prices.

Exceptional cruises. Intelligent prices.