Thursday, February 3, 2010 – At Sea – Pacific Ocean – Mostly Cloudy – 75 F

Another beautiful day at Sea

Bill Fall and I are still alternating morning and afternoon presentation slots so today I have the 11:15 AM Slot.  The talk today is my UK heavy presentation: “DNA Testing: Landmark Testing”.  The audience continues to increased with each session.  It’s had to estimate because everyone is spread out but a good guess would be 120 – 150 attendees. At the last minute, I decided to add a section on “SelectaDNA Theft Deterrent Technology”.  It apparently, was the hit of the presentation (one attendee had actually purchased the product). 

The food and service in the Discoveries Dining room continues to be excellent and we always stay a bit after dinner to hear Jacqueline Dolan on the harp.

The Showtime headliner tonight is our own Tony Markey, Cruise Director, doing a one man show called “All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go”.  He is quite the showman and sings extremely well.  He has some stage experience but he is also quite well educated with a degree in Biochemistry.  He has taught forensics as well (a major ringer).  It was a great show.

Lattes after the show…why not.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011 – At Sea – Pacific Ocean – West Coast of Mexico – Upper 60s – Partly Cloudy

Choppy seas and creaky cabin – not so much sleep

Another beautiful day at sea…

The Coast of Mexico of the Port Side

Following the usual breakfast, we are in the Looking Glass Lounge enjoying the view and reading or blogging.

We had lunch on the back deck (Windows Cafe) even though it was still a bit cool.

 

Lunch has a gelato bar so I am enjoying a cappuccino gelato in a waffle cone.

The Activities Manager, Chris, is alternating the two speakers, Bill Fall (Destination) and me, between mornings and afternoons.  So today I am on at 3:00 PM for my “Science of CSI” presentation.  The audience is a bit larger – 100 -120 people (the Cabaret Lounge is 300 at capacity).

We switched tables in the Restaurant to a window near the front (to get away from the engine vibration and yaw).  In addition, from this table, you can hear the harpist, Jacqueline Dolan, who is playing the adjoining Discoveries Bar.

After the talk, it was up to the Looking Glass Lounge (Deck 10) to read and ocean watch.  Cabo San Lucas, Mexico was off the port side. Too bad we are not stopping – it’s a nice port of call.

  

The Journey does not have a production company.  Instead it has Cabaret Singers - “Azamara Vocalists” – three girls and two guys.  They sing and dance a little and they are very close to the audience.  They are pretty entertaining.

Tonight’s show - “Songs of Hollywood” was very good.

Following the show, we listened to Carlos Avalon – piano man – in the Mosaic Cafe.  All drinks, except bar drinks, are included on this ship so my new drink is a Decaf Latte (regular or iced).  Carlos is funny and has a guest microphone for any secret karaoke singers.

Tomorrow is our first port of call, Mazatlan, Mexico and we are on tour so off to the room to rest.

Wednesday, February 2, 2010 – Mazatlan, Mexico – Sunny - 75F

Distance from San Diego, CA to Mazatlan, Mexico:  939 nautical miles

Another beautiful – and warmer – day in paradise.

Mazatlan is Mexico’s largest commercial port and boasts a population of about 500,000 people.

  

 

Top: Approaching Mazatlan; Middle: HAL Osterdam; Bottom: El Faro (Lighthouse Hill)

The lighthouse (El Faro) perched on a hill 443 feet high is one of the highest lighthouses in the world.

When we first came on board, we signed up for a number of tours (the ship has a sign up book – very organized).

Today we are escorting.  “Mexican Show, Sightseeing, Shopping Tour”.  The bus is double decker and I have about 40 people in my group.  Our guides, German and Jesus are very good. 

Our first stop was the Cathedral of Mazatlan (Immaculate Conception Cathedral).  The structure has very unusual stained glass windows -they contain a Star of David at the top of each pane for a total of 28 throughout the church.  The 28 stars signify the number of days in a Jewish lunar month and are there because a Jewish Family donated the money to build the church.

A television crew from Azteca TV filmed our visit.

   

From Top:  The Mazatlan Cathedral; Interior of the Cathedral; Jewish Star on window;TV crew interviewing our guide

Next Stop: Mazatlan Cliff Divers.  On our way, we passed some interesting statues.

 

The cliff divers (Clavadistas) at Mazatlan do not dive from as high a cliff as their Acapulco counterparts but I think the water is shallower and potentially more dangerous.

Our next stop was the “Zona Dorada”, the “Golden Zone”, an area of high end hotels and shops along the beach. 

Top: Zona Dorado main street; Shops along an alley in the Zone; beach along the Zone.

Our final stop was at the Teatro Speculare for the “Mexican Show”.  The dancers portrayed dances from various regions in Mexico and their costumes reflected those locations throughout the country.

They also did the “Flying Indian” routine – not as impressed – kind of an Aztec version of Circe de Soleil.

We retraced our steps back to the pier.  The tour stops were not synchronized between the busses so my bus returned about 30-40 minutes before Ellen’s bus.  The tourist center near the pier is full of bars and other food places and a lot of people were enjoying themselves on the local drink and delicacies.  Braver than me…

We watched the sail away from the Looking Glass Lounge (Deck 10 Forward).  While working on the computer, a local unsecured WIFI source was picked up by the computer (and SKYPE immediately connected me with the kids).  A bit of a bonus.  I also downloaded the Kindle App to my computer so Ellen could read her books on the PC since her Kindle had gone lame.  Unfortunately, as soon as the ship started to push, the signal was gone.  Thanks to the anonymous WIFI donor from Mazatlan. 

The sail away was very scenic (and bluish through the window of the lounge).

The Showtime Headliner tonight was comedian George Kanter.  Very entertaining, subtle humor – he even joked about his heart attack.  I found him to be very entertaining.

Post show was Carlos Avalon in the Mosaic (nee Cova) Cafe, where the lattes flow non-stop.

Nice day in Mazatlan.

Monday, January 31, 2011 – At Sea – Pacific Ocean – Baja Peninsula – Mid 60s – Mostly Sunny

Another beautiful but cool day in paradise

Top:  Disney Cruiser (I think); Bottom: Choppy Seas

Breakfast (Waffle, cottage cheese, sour cream, fruit compote, and whipped cream) in the Windows Cafe.  Especially good was the constantly flowing decaf served in man-sized mugs.  Very nice.

My first talk: “The CSI Phenomenon” is at 11:15 AM in the Cabaret Lounge.  There is no large, central screen in the lounge (not working) but there are two side screens.  The attendance was difficult to determine (scattered around the lounge) but I estimate anywhere from 75 to 80 people were present (maybe more).  The audience was very interactive and I got some very nice feedback after the talk.  We’ll have to see whether they come back.

Lunch was in the Restaurant – I had a omelet with a sauce (my request) so hot that I couldn’t eat the omelet.

We spent the afternoon in the Looking Glass lounge on Deck 10 – reading.

We met new friends, Howard, Hya, Irving, and Bookie, for dinner at 5:45 PM in the Discoveries Restaurant.  It was a pleasant dinner and the food was very good.  We left earlier than they did to catch the 8:00 PM show.

Tonight’s Headliner was Mac Frampton – pianist.  We had seen him before on a Celebrity Cruise and although he is a great musician, the small venue and his exuberant banging on the keys resulted in a headache. 

Seas still choppy – hoping for some warmer weather tomorrow.

Sunday, January 30, 2011 – San Diego, CA – 60s - Cloudy

Embarkation Day

A cloudy day today

We meet with the family for an early breakfast before packing up and heading down to the lobby for our 11:00 AM Shuttle to the Port of San Diego.  The shuttle is right on time and the ride to the port is short (approx 3 miles).  The Azamara Journey is waiting for us.

Check in is quick and soon we are on board the ship.  The Journey is essentially the same as the Pacific Princess (apparently, both ships were purchased from a now defunct cruise line).  It carries just over 700 passengers but what makes it different is that just about everything is included (wine, bottled water, etc.).

Our room is on the sixth floor (Cabin 6044)

 

It is a nice cabin (with a tiny bathroom and no surfaces on which to place things) but a decent amount of storage and a great view of one of the life boats.  The location is good – midship.

We have lunch in the Windows Cafe (Deck 9) – Salad, Tuna sandwich, and pizza (all good) and then head out to explore the ship.  Again, this ship is identical is all respects to the Pacific Princess but that just makes it that much easier to find our way around.

The sail away from San Diego came under cloudy skies and some drizzle. 

Sail Away – Top:  San Diego Skyline; Middle: The nuclear aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan; Bottom: the Aircraft Carrier Museum

I met with Chris, the Activities Manager, at 6 PM to go over my presentation schedule and film a promo video.  I have eight talks scheduled for this voyage – every sea day.

Dinner is the Discoveries Restaurant is open seating so we get a table for two.  The food was good (they even have hot veggie soups) with wine and lattes included.

After dinner, we take in a few minutes of a wonderful Harpist in the Discoveries Bar before heading to the Cabaret Lounge for the Welcome Aboard Show.  The Cruise Director, Tony (from the UK), is energetic, funny, professional, and talented (he sang).  The show featured one number from each of the entertainers on board including a song by five singers (The Azamara Cabaret Singers).  There is no production group on this cruise.

The highlight of the show was an appearance by Lenny Welch

who sang his 1963 Million Seller, “Since I Fell for You”.  He still sounds pretty good.

So far, the ride is smooth…

Saturday, January 29, 2010 – San Diego, CA – 65F - Clear

Another beautiful day in San Diego

The breakfast at the Best Western Harbor was very good (especially the waffles).  The morning is spent walking the area again – the harbor area is very nice.

My sister, brother, and niece are coming down from LA to visit and arrive just after lunch.  We spend some time chatting by the pool before they head off to get some lunch.

We all have dinner at Pizza Novo – Pasta Novo, Pizza Margherita, Pasta Marinara, the House Salad, and a Cesar Salad comprise the meal.  Again, the food is great.

It’s an early night – tomorrow is Embarkation Day.

Panama Canal Cruise – Azamara Journey – January 30 – February 15, 2011

Friday, January 28, 2011 – Travel Day

Cold but clear morning – our cab is on time – our trip to airport smooth and fast. 

Our flight (UAL 449) boards on time and actually leaves a few minutes early.  This Airbus A319 has 3X3 seating so we are sitting across the aisle from each other.  The flight is relatively smooth and we have a nice lunch (tuna salad in pita and chips). 

Once in San Diego (75F), we contact the hotel and wait for the shuttle to arrive.  Soon, we are in our room at the Best Western Harbor Yacht Hotel (actually the third room in this case was the charm) enjoying the view from our balcony.

After exploring the harbor area and walking the length of both Scott Avenue and Rosecrans Avenue, we decide to have dinner across the street from the hotel at Pizza Novo.  The dinner was great – sharing a house salad (walnuts, cranberries, gorgonzola cheese) and Pasta Novo (Fettuccini Alfredo with smoked salmon and capers) plus olive oil and garlic soaked dinner rolls.

A long but nice day is over…