Hello all,

brand new to this site. I know it's given my mother a lot of help, so now that I'm out and alone, hopefully it can do the same for me.

I've been on the RCCL Mariner as my first cruise and absolutely loved it. Now, my boyfriend has told me to pick any vacation I want for my birthday [you cannot imagine my glee when I heard this] and I decided I want to go to the Mexican Riviera.

So far, it seems to me that only Princess and NCL go there. It seems I've only read negative reviews on NCL. How does the Princess compare? My boyfriend and I are in our early twenties so how do these fare for our age group?

What a great birthday present.
First, most of the negative reviews of NCL have been directed at the Haawaii cruises. I know many people who have gone NCL to Mexico and loved it.
Second, Carnival and RCCL both go to the Mwxian Riviera--I don't know where you got the idea they didn't.
I would think a young couple like yourselves would really enjoy Carnival, who sails out of Long Beach, and very shortly out of San Diego.
It's a very competitive market so you should find some very good prices.
Which ever you chose, have a wonderful birthday cruise.

haha oops. My mistake. As soon as I heard, I started getting on websites to look. I must have been too excited or something because I completely missed over them.

So in comparing ships, how do the Dawn Princess, Carnival Pride and NCL Star compare to each other? Any advice would be great. Thanks!

Princess offers a wonderful experience, they are my favorite line so far. We've only been on NCL, RCL, Carnival, Costa, HAL, and Princess. Our first cruise on Princess was on the Sea Princess (a sister ship to the Dawn) and we've been coming back ever since. Princess offers Personal Choice dining, which we prefer. NCL offers anytime dining. The other lines have traditional dining unless you use the buffet. Princess is just a tad more elegant, to me, than the other lines. The food, to me, is better. The service is impeccable and the ships are immaculate. We sailed on the Dawn a few years ago (Caribbean) and had a wonderful time. Carnival would be a good fit for you as well. Your best bet is to talk to a cruise specialist who can best suit your preferences to the proper cruise line. NCL has a dive-in program that I truly enjoyed. RCL offers a good product, but to me, seem a little more expensive. Best wishes and happy birthday!!