800-951-3532, www.disneycruise.com

Younger children enjoy sailing on a Disney ship with its themepark atmosphere, but parents do as well because of the line's high level of service and family-friendly environment. Disney imagination permeates the line's 83,000-ton, 1,754-passenger ship, Disney Magic, which cruises the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera. It resembles a luxurious ocean liner of the past, providing both a friendly atmosphere for kids and an elegant one for adults. Cabins feature a bath and a half, allowing more than one family member to use them at the same time. Another interesting innovation is Disney's rotating dining schedule.

You'll dine in three different restaurants — Parrot Cay with a Caribbean theme, Lumières with a Beauty and the Beast theme, and Animator's Palate with a cartoon studio theme — but will always keep your same table assignment and waiter. The dining staff puts on interactive performances as they serve to Disney music, making meals fun. And sodas are free, either in the restaurants or at a self-serve beverage station by the pool. Breakfast and lunch buffets are also available poolside.

Your kids will enjoy meeting their favorite Disney characters for photos and autographs and watching the combination animated and live shows that feature Disney characters and songs. Character breakfasts like those at Disney's theme parks give kids a chance to pose with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

For Kids

The Disney Magic features all sorts of well-supervised activities for kids, all based on Disney stories and characters. If you have younger children, ages three and four, they'll love creating a new animal species while exploring the world of The Lion King. Or perhaps they'll get wrapped up in a flying carpet as they rub a magic lamp and are whisked off on an Aladdin-style Arabian adventure to find the hidden genie. At King Triton's Court, your children will learn about ocean life. They'll also create special crafts and learn the Dance of the Seven Dwarfs. The kids' counselors invite all the little ones to Never Land for a birthday party with Peter Pan and Captain Hook. And what child wouldn't want to become a Mouseketeer-in-Training?

Children five to seven begin the cruise with a special Aloa Luau kick-off party. During the cruise, they'll train to be a junior detective and then solve a mystery, learn simple animation techniques, conduct experiments with an ordinary egg, participate in a late-night pajama party, bake chocolate chip cookies, create a special photo frame, and listen to pirate stories.

If your children are eight and nine years old, they'll enjoy becoming a sorcerer's apprentice and making their own goo or making their own tasty drinks and afterward camping out on deck under the stars. Activities for this group are a little more challenging as they solve puzzles and test their knowledge of Disney trivia or build a volcano, then attend a special party wearing their own glow-in-the-dark bracelets where they try their hands at karaoke. These kids can also produce crazy TV spots, participate in a soap-boat regatta, and make their own pair of 3-D glasses. They even get to make their own mouse pad, featuring a photo of themselves or another they've taken on the cruise.

Older children aged ten to twelve years get to do all the above as well as learn about different cultures and all about sharks, participate in a scavenger hunt while trying to solve a mystery, and produce their own radio commercials.

Disney provides special places on board where kids can be kids. Ocean Quest, a kids'-size ship's bridge, allows them to take turns playing captain and steering the ship. Here, also, older kids can play video games, watch movies, and create arts and crafts. The Oceaneer Lab provides a perfect place for kids to conduct scientific experiments, and the Stack/Aloft gives teens their own place to chill out away from adults.

Departure Ports/Ports of Call

Disney's Western Caribbean cruises depart from Port Canaveral, Florida, and stop at Key West, Grand Cayman Island, Cozumel, and Castaway Cay.

The following table shows a sample itinerary for a Disney Cruise.

Table 6-6

DISNEY MAGIC 7-DAY WESTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE

Day	Port	Arrives	Departs
1	Port Canaveral, Florida		Saturdays 4:00 P.M.
2	Key West	11:30 A.M.	9:30 P.M.
3	At Sea
4	Grand Cayman Island	7:30 A.M.	4:30 P.M.
5	Cozumel, Mexico	9:30 A.M.	10:00 P.M.
6	Castaway Cay	10:00 A.M.	7:00 P.M.
7	Miami		Saturday 7:35 A.M.

Table 6-7 outlines costs of a Disney cruise.

Table 6-7

DISNEY CRUISE COST

Cruise	Low Season	High Season
7-Day Western Caribbean Cruise	$1018–2018	$1862–3368

Norwegian Cruise Line

888-625-4292, www.ncl.com

The Norwegian Cruise Line has developed a concept called “freestyle cruising,” which allows you the freedom to have more accommodation and restaurant choices, more entertainment, and more activities. The Norwegian Star offers over thirty cabin categories, from budget to deluxe. This family-friendly ship also offers ten restaurants to choose from, open from 5:30 A.M. to midnight, serving everything from American to Italian, French, and Spanish cuisine.

For Kids

NCL's free “Kids Crew” program includes a variety of activities. Each morning, your kids will receive their own copy of “Kids Cruise News,” highlighting the events of the day. They can take part in supervised games, design and paint their own T-shirts, and join creative cooking classes in which they'll learn to make decorative cookies and pizzas and for which they'll receive their own chef's hat. They'll even be able to keep a record of their shipboard experiences in their very own scrapbook.

A specially trained staff supervises four age groups: Junior Sailors (ages two to five), First Mates (ages six to eight), Navigators (ages nine to twelve), and Teens (ages thirteen to seventeen). They keep Junior Sailors busy painting T-shirts, doing arts and crafts, having their faces painted, listening to stories, watching magic shows, and participating in the Circus at Sea. First Mates participate in sing-alongs, creative cooking classes, decorative T-shirt painting, and rootbeer-float parties by the pool. Navigators get to go on scavenger hunts and play video games, have fun at pajama parties, watch movies, and camp out in tents with flashlights. Teens enjoy playing basketball and volleyball and participating in pool parties and trivia contests, as well as dancing in a special teen disco and attending special theme parties.

Departure Ports/Ports of Call

The 91,000-ton, 2,240-passenger Norwegian Star departs Los Angeles and stops at four Mexican ports — Acapulco, Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas.

The 78,309-ton, 2,002-passenger Norwegian Sun sets sail from Miami and stops at Costa Maya, Santo Tomas de Castilla, Belize City, and Cozumel.

The following tables show sample itineraries for Norwegian Cruise Lines.

Princess Cruises

800-774-6237, www.princesscruises.com

Long the leader in cruises to the Mexican Riviera, Princess Cruises also has the most sailings in this region, offering some unique activities, such as its ScholarShip@Sea life-enhancement lectures. You can dine anytime in a selection of dining rooms with traditional seating, or you have the option of dining in six alternative restaurants ranging from a steakhouse to an Italian trattoria for an additional charge.

Table 6-8

NORWEGIAN STAR 8-DAY MEXICAN RIVIERA CRUISE

Day	Port	Arrives	Departs
1	Los Angeles		Saturday 4:00 P.M.
2	At Sea
3	At Sea
4	Acapulco	11:00 A.M.
5	Acapulco		12:30 A.M.
6	Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa	7:00 A.M.	2:00 P.M.
7	Puerto Vallarta	9:00 A.M.	5:00 P.M.
8	Cabo San Lucas	8:00 A.M.	4:00 P.M. (for flight back)

Table 6-9

THE NORWEGIAN SUN 8-DAY WESTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE

Day	Port	Arrives	Departs
1	Miami		Saturday 5:00 P.M.
2	At Sea
3	Costa Maya	8:00 A.M.	6:00 P.M.
4	Santo Tomas de Castilla	8:00 A.M.	6:00 P.M.
5	Belize City	8:00 A.M.	6:00 P.M.
6	Cozumel, Mexico	10:00 A.M.	7:00 P.M.
7	At Sea
8	Miami	Saturday 7:00 A.M.

Table 6-10 outlines costs of each of the cruises listed above.

Table 6-10

NORWEGIAN CARIBBEAN CRUISES COST

Cruise	Low Season	High Season
8-Day Mexican Riviera Cruise	$579–1099	$1089–1869
8-Day Western Caribbean Cruise	$479–934	$549–1319

For Kids

Though not as comprehensive as some other cruise lines' kids programs, Princess Cruise Line's “Princess Kids” features activities for three age groups: Princess Pelicans (ages three to seven), Princess Pirateers (ages eight to twelve), and Off Limits (ages ten to seventeen). Staff members take Princess Pelicans and Princess Pirateers on galley and backstage tours, as well as have afternoon ice cream parties, watch movies and cartoons, go on scavenger hunts, and make arts and crafts with them. Those in the Off Limits group get to dance in the teen-only disco, take part in shipboard Olympics and basketball tournaments, paint T-shirts, have a pizza party, have fun with karaoke, have their own casino night, and play the dating game.

Departure Ports/Ports of Call

Departing Los Angeles, the 113,000-ton, 2,670-passenger Diamond Princess stops at the Mexican ports of Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas and also spends three days at sea. On its Costa Maya Cruise, the 109,000-ton, 2,600-passenger Grand Princess, departs from Galveston, Texas, spends two days at sea and docks at Costa Maya, Mexico, Belize City, Grand Cayman Island, and Cozumel.

The following tables show sample itineraries for Princess Cruises.

Table 6-11

DIAMOND PRINCESS 8-DAY MEXICAN RIVIERA CRUISE

Day	Port	Arrives	Departs
1	Los Angeles		Saturday 5:00 P.M.
2	At Sea
3	At Sea
4	Puerto Vallarta	7:00 A.M.	6:00 P.M.
5	Mazatlán	7:00 A.M.	5:00 P.M.
6	Cabo San Lucas	7:00 A.M.	4:00 P.M.
7	At Sea
8	Los Angeles	Saturday 6:00 P.M.

Table 6-12

GRAND PRINCESS 8-DAY COSTA MAYA CRUISE

Day	Port	Arrives	Departs
1	Galveston		Saturday 4:00 P.M.
2	At Sea
3	Costa Maya	10:00 A.M.	7:00 P.M.
4	Belize City	6:30 A.M.	1:00 P.M.
5	Grand Cayman	12:00 A.M.	7:00 P.M.
6	Cozumel	10:00 A.M.	7:00 P.M.
7	At Sea
8	Los Angles	Saturday 7:00 A.M.

Table 6-13 outlines costs of each of the cruises listed above.

Table 6-13

PRINCESS CRUISES COST

Cruise	Low Season	High Season
8-Day Mexican Riviera Cruise	$576–1051	$624–1052
8-Day Costa Maya Cruise	$481–861	$737–1134

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

800-722-5941, www.royalcaribbean.com

Besides offering fine service, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line prides itself on offering shipboard innovations like rock-climbing walls. And on selected sailings, the line also offers Murder Mystery Cruises that your entire family will enjoy.

For Kids

Royal Caribbean Line's “Adventure Ocean” program for kids, the most complete among the lines sailing to Mexico, offers activities for five age groups: Aquanauts (ages three to five), Explorers (ages six to eight), Voyagers (ages nine to eleven), Navigators (twelve to fourteen), and Guests (fifteen to seventeen). Those in the Aquanauts group get to finger-and face-paint, participate in adventure science and art programs, listen to stories, and attend a Pajamarama movie night. Explorers also participate in adventure science and art programs, have ice cream parties, play sports and take part in the Wacky Olympics, and have a Western hoedown and pirate night. Kids in the Voyagers group play X-games, put on a talent show and do karaoke, play sports, attend movie mania nights, and enjoy putting on skits in the adventure theater. Navigators have similar activities to the Voyagers, except they go on a backstage tour, have themed and pool parties, and go on scavenger hunts. The older teens in the Guests program have pool parties, play Battle of the Sexes, watch late-night movies, chat over coffee, play sports, and take DJ-ing classes.

If you bring along kids from six months to three years, you and they will be able to participate in Royal Caribbean's innovative Fisher Price Aqua Babies and Aqua Tots Programs. Both feature a series of daily, forty-five-minute playgroups with fun activities for kids ages six months to three years along with their parents. The groups help to build skills through storytelling, music, and creative arts, using Fisher Price learning toys and games.

Departure Ports/Ports of Call

While Royal Caribbean Cruise Line offers the usual seven-night cruises to the Mexican Riviera aboard their 78,491-ton, 2,435 passenger ship Vision of the Seas, stopping at Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, and Puerto Vallarta, they also offer shorter four-and five-day Baja Mexico cruises aboard the 73,941-ton, 2,744-passenger ship Monarch of the Seas, stopping at Ensenada on the former and San Diego and Catalina Island on the latter.

The following tables show sample itineraries for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line cruises.

Table 6-14

VISION OF THE SEAS 7-NIGHT MEXICAN RIVIERA CRUISE

Day	Port	Arrives	Departs
1	Los Angeles		Sunday 5:30 P.M.
2	At Sea
3	Cabo San Lucas	10:30 A.M.	6:00 P.M.
4	Mazatlán	8:00 A.M.	5:30 P.M.
5	Puerto Vallarta	8:00 A.M.	11:00 P.M.
6	At Sea
7	At Sea
8	Los Angeles	Sunday 7:00 A.M.

Table 6-15

MONARCH OF THE SEA S 4-DAY MEXICO/BAJA CRUISE

Day	Port	Arrives	Departs
1	Los Angeles		Fridays 5:30 P.M.
2	Ensenada	8:00 A.M.	5:00 P.M.
3	At Sea
4	Los Angeles	Mondays 8:00 A.M.

Table 6-16

MONARCH OF THE SEAS 5-DAY MEXICO/BAJA CRUISE

Day	Port	Arrives	Departs
1	Los Angeles		Monday 5:00 P.M.
2	San Diego	8:00 A.M.	6:00 P.M.
3	Catalina Island	8:00 A.M.	5:00 P.M.
4	Ensenada	8:00 A.M.	5:00 P.M.
5	Los Angeles	Friday 8:00 A.M.

Table 6-17

VOYAGER OF THE SEAS 8-DAY WESTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE

Day	Port	Arrives	Departs
1	Miami		Saturdays 5:00 P.M.
2	At Sea
3	Labadee, Haiti	8:00 A.M.	4:00 P.M.
4	Ocho Rios, Jamaica	9:00 A.M.	5:00 P.M.
5	Grand Cayman Island	8:00 A.M.	5:00 P.M.
6	Cozumel, Mexico	10:00 A.M.	7:00 P.M.
7	At Sea
8	Miami	Saturday	8:30 A.M.

Table 6-18 outlines costs of each of the cruises listed above.

Table 6-18

ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES COST

Cruise	Low Season	High Season
8-Day Mexican Riviera Cruise	$499–1899	$609–1159
4-Day Baja Mexico	$299–329	$359–709
5-Day Baja Mexico	$279–619	$379–829
7-Night Western Caribbean Cruise	$599–1599	$749–1499

Murder Mystery Cruises to Ensenada aboard the Monarch of the Seas cost approximately $274 to $314 per person, including the cruise, port charges, and murder mystery fee, depending on the sailing date.