Need Vacation! Best short Cruises/Palace Resorts in Mexico?

[naughtoj]

DH and I want to escape for a bit.

We would like to go on our first cruise, but only a 3 or 4 dayer, to somewhere sunny with a beach.

I'd love to go somewhere with crystal blue water, no seaweed or minimal seaweed (not like San Diego).

DH and I were going to go to Aventura Palace (thy have Moon Palace, Spa Palace, etc) for our honeymoon for 7 days or so. It is an all inclusive resort in Mexico. Anyone gone to any of these resorts and any feedback???

I want to go somwhere tropical, warm, with an ocean, preferably white sand, no seaweed, turqouise water, with great food, and preferably pretty quiet. We were considering Aventura Palace because it is couples only, no kids.

SUGGESTIONS?????? Thanks!;-)

 

[nancy324]

Janice, what a great idea after your ordeal!

I just wanted to say that there are plenty of great caribbean (sp?) cruises around on all the big cruise lines. I have never taken one because I'm afraid of the sun, but I hear Royal Caribbean is good. I've been on 2 cruises, and I can honestly say there is nothing more relaxing. The ship crew take care of everything, and your only job is to luxuriate and enjoy yourself.

IMHO, I don't think the specific destination matters much. You'll spend a fair amount of time on the ship, and it will all be good. I recommend going on a cruise ship website and just reading about the various excursions, and just pick whatever appeals to you.

The only thing to consider is hurricane season, but I hear the ships are experienced at dealing with hurricanes, and they know how to avoid them. Enjoy!!!

 

[jasper]

IMO, the shorter cruises use older, more "run down" boats - esp to Mexico and it's very much a party atmosphere. You also don't get far enough away from CA to really experience the blue water and sandy beaches. If you only have a few days, I think you'd be better off looking into a resort location. The book Mexico's Beach Resorts for Dummies provides a lot of good information.

Love cruising, but longer trips allow you to take advantage of the services as well as seeing some great sites.

Good luck - and happy vacationing!

 

[naughtoj]

Thank you guys. We are looking.

 

[wellness]

Hi There!
DH & I went to Moon Palace (only about 20 min. drive from Cancun), and LOVED IT!! We went in Feb. We travel alot, and really liked it. The place is huge! THere are kids there, but you really don't notice it, because the pool and grounds are so massive. The food was good too and service was wonderful.

Drawback: the ocean was seaweedy and not the greatest. It did have a great beach (for walking) though. It can be busy - it seems they do alot of conferences for companies.

The Moon Palace offers trips to Aventura Palace (I think because the beach is nicer there) and vise versa. We noticed, that alot of people from Aventura would come to the Moon Palace - alot more to do (more restaurants, golf, bigger pool, etc.). Also- on the moon palace, there are two sides to it, the main area (where we stayed) more people, but that is where everything is. The other side - (I can't remember the name) - is quiter, but again you can go back and forth between the two (shuttles run all the time or you can walk too). Each side has there own pool too. You'll be amazed by the pool! The Moon Palace & Aventura offer shuttles into Cancun(included in your all inclusive), which is nice. We went one day for a few hours and that was enough for us.

We normally pick places with no kids, but I do have to say, we didn't really notice the kids. The website doesn't do it justice.

All top shelf liquor - with a full stocked fridge in your room! It was amazing! And they put bottled water in your room everyday! Never had to ask for water! All part of your all inclusive! We had a room that looked out to the ocean (recommended) - had a balacony with a hammock (wonderful!!), hot tub near the balcony and a great bathroom. The excerise room was very nice for a resort too! One of the better ones we've seen!

well - hope that helps you out! any other questions, just ask!

You'll love it!
Alicia

I would definately go back.

 

[penguinchik]

RE: Need Vacation! Best short Cruises/Palace Resorts in...

DH and I love Palace Resorts! We bought a memebership the first time down there. Moon Palace is absolutely awesome! There are two sides like someone said. The Sunrise side and the Nizuc side. Honestly, we were constantly walking to different parts, so for us it didn't matter which side we were on. You will wind up going all over the place anyway. I do think we were on the Nizuc side and the other poster was right that it is a bit more quiet. The food is great! Oh at about 4:30pm each day they had this amazing wine and cheese bar set up. Yum. DH and I worked out almost everyday so we could enjoy it. There are restaurants everyhwere --even out on the golf course. We got driven there in golf carts and had such awesome meals. A lot of people forget to try that!

We've been to Aventura Spa Palace. It is great if you don't want kids. It's definitely not as lively as Moon. But, you might want a nice quiet thing. The treatments were great! Oh boy, I want to go back!! We can't go this year because of how unpredictable DH's job is, but hopefully next year. I think I'd want to do Moon again. It's just so neat. The pools are amazing!! Oh and like the other poster said, there is top shelf liquor (no extra charge). Just remember to ask for it when ordering your drinks.

You will have a fabulous time!! Good luck!
--Jen