The Mexican Riviera or California coast for fun, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest for whales and exotic jungles further south. There are three distinct areas to this region - the busy fun cruises of the Mexican Riviera, the relocation cruises to Alaska that follow the Pacific Northwest coast and the expedition cruises that whale watch around the Sea of Cortez or explore the jungles of Costa Rica and Panama.

Mexican Riviera
Cruising out of and returning to Los Angeles or San Diego, these cruises are all about fun, beaches and watersports. Attracting younger passengers, cruises call at Ensenada, just below the Mexican border, the more sophisticated Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan for the shopping, the resort of Puerto Vallarta and the beaches of Zihuatenejo. Turnaround usually occurs at Acapulco, famous for beaches, cliff divers and nightlife.

Pacific Northwest
Repositioning to/from Alaska, cruises depart from Los Angeles, San Diego or San Francisco, often having arrived from the Caribbean, and travel north up the Californian and Oregon coast to Seattle or Vancouver. Ports on this route may include Catalina Island, Santa Barbara or Monterey on the Californian coast, Astoria in Oregon or the old world charm of Victoria on Vancouver Island. However many cruises go direct and just offer 2 days at sea.

 
Sea of Cortez, Costa Rica & Panama
Most cruise ships just pass down the coast to the famous resorts but there are adventure cruises that will follow the whales off the coast of Baja California and explore the tiny islands of the sheltered Sea of Cortez. Further south the exotic jungles and offshore islands of Costa Rica and Panama will provide a wealth of wildlife.