CRUISES: Mexico with the One-time Carnival Jubilee 

Story and photography by
Nancy & Eric Anderson 

 

The Mexican Riviera is so close and convenient for West Coast people, we sometimes forget about it for vacations. Perhaps we have good reason -- we may remember the Aero Mexico flight that never took off, the hotel that never had hot water, or the guide who never showed any visitor attractions beyond his brother-in-law's tacky tourist shop.

The Mexican government does its best to address those issues. The airlines, privately owned now, employ something previously foreign to them -- the boarding pass -- and cities such as Acapulco have tried to clean their beaches of the hordes of peddlers who so persistently pestered tourists. In their place have emerged more dangerous criminal problems.

But there is an easy way to enjoy the Mexican Riviera: by American cruise ship. It was the best of both worlds then, the efficiency and predictability of, say, Carnival Cruise Lines and the fun of a foreign country. It was never simpler. With the 1980’s recession prompting special discount offers, manana had become today.

In those days Jubilee left San Pedro for Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas every Sunday and returned a week later. Everything was well-organized, as befits the world's largest cruise line in terms of passengers carried. The 1486-passenger “Holiday ship” built in 1986 was Carnival’s second. It sailed initially to the Mexican Riviera, Alaska and Panama. As it aged, its base was changed to Tampa and Galveston, its arena the Western Caribbean. It was finally sold in 2004 to P & O Cruises Australia.

But just five  years old when we sailed on her she was a glistening, sparkling example of the latest in cruise ships. Motorists could park 100 yards from the pier with 5-Star Parking for $5.50 a day. Brochure prices with national air fare included ran from $999 (inside cabin, low season) to $2,439 (veranda suite, high season) per person, double occupancy.

Carnival called its line "the Fun Ships" with reason. Its clientele was (and is) younger than that of the more expensive cruise lines, creating an energy and excitement on Jubilee that seemed to please all age groups aboard. In contrast, doctors with heavy Medicare patient loads can sometimes feel they're back at the office on Alaskan cruises, which tend to draw the geriatric populations.

"Every cruise line is different," Javier Maza, Jubilee's chief purser, said. "Some attract the elderly, [and] everything stops at 9 PM. If you walk the ship at night, no one's around -- it's like a hospital or a nursing home."

When comparing one cruise line with another, Maza suggested passengers:

Check how many days the ship is at sea and how many in port-and for how long.

Find out what the weather's likely to be at that time of year at that port of call. There is a correlation between less-than-ideal weather and discounted prices.

Be flexible. Be able to follow timetables and protocols.

Accept informality.

"I've seen people dress up for the captain's party, and when they walk out they're carrying their shoes!," Maza reminisced. Be sensible, this experienced sailor said – -bring comfortable clothes and exercise a little before your trip to be a bit more fit for all the cruise ship activities.

Jubilee’s then cruise director Vance Palm -- at age 26, the youngest cruise director in Carnival Cruise Lines and possibly the industry -- believed his company's reputation for fun carried over to everyone on board, including crew.

"It's made us ‘recession resistant,' " he said. "We've shown we can adapt to changing market conditions. All we ask is that our passengers come aboard with the basic emotion of anticipation. Then we'll all have fun."

Sometimes it's more difficult to have fun on shore. Palm reminded his passengers to negotiate taxi prices in advance at ports of call and to interrogate drivers who claim to be bilingual with trick questions, thus:

"Do you speak English?"

"Yes, yes."

"Are you having a nice day?"

"Yes, yes."

"Did you get snow yesterday on the beach?"

"Yes, yes!"

He's frank about turista.

"The water in Mexico?," he said. "Everything you've heard is true. If you drink it, you'll get a run for your money."

The shore excursions from Jubilee were arranged so passengers departed after breakfasting on the ship and could return in time for both lunch and dinner. Evian water is available for $3.75 per 1-1 /2 liter bottle for those going ashore.

The winter week passed so quickly aboard Jubilee that memories became a jumble.

There was "George the Greek," the maitre d', announcing, "The temp will be 92 degrees tomorrow” (pause)... “in Australia."

There was a seaman on the glass-bottomed boat in Cabo pointing, "That gentle inlet is called Lovers' Beach. But on the other side, where the ocean's more rough, we have Divorce Beach."

And there was a guide on a Mazatlan bus saying, "I always tell my tourists we are the sailfish fishing capital of the world, even once when a passenger in front of me wore a T-shirt that read, 'Key West: Sailfish Capital of the World.' "

There were aerobic classes, banquets, buffets, comedians, and contests. Dances, Las Vegas mini-reviews, movies, parades, and parties. There were talent shows, trap shooting, and travel talks.

Carnival boasted they had the "Fun Ships." They surely did.