History was made for Rocky Point yesterday as the CMV Cruise LIne vessel Astoria arrived to begin cruise service. The 11 day ‘Treasures of the Sea of Cortez’ itinerary includes stops in Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz and more. A first in all of Mexico, this Home Port voyage begins it’s trip from within  Mexico.

The ship arrived in the early hours of January 8th. To celebrate it’s arrival, a special tour was arranged that would benefit the cities DIF social cervices organization.

Guests were shuttled out to the Astoria aboard the local sunset cruiser Ecofun. The ship is a classic design. When they say ‘they don’t make them like that any more’, it’s true. You get a real sense of the quality built into boats of this era (constructed 1946), made before robotics.

The boat is beautiful and scaled down compared to today’s giant cruise vessels. The Astoria has excelled with niche market cruises that are perfect for a smaller set of passengers (capacity around 500). The Treasures of the Sea of Cortez is designed to appeal to adult travellers who want a less glitzy cruise experience. 

The coastal towns of the Sea of Cortez are an interesting mix of colonial Mexico, and modern tourist spots. All of it is encompased within the incredible beauty found where the deserts meet the ocean in western Mexico.

The 11 day cruise begins today. There will be an inauguration ceremony at the towns Malecon featuring an appearance by the Governor of the State of Sonora, Claudia Pavlovich.