January 19, 2020 – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – Clear Skies – 84F

The night started off bumpy but smooth out in the early hours of the morning.

At around 6:15 AM, the “horn” sounded (I think it was a horn or maybe a port opening), the thrusters engaged soon followed by the dropping of the anchor.  We had found our spot in Cabo Bay.  We have plenty of company today – also anchored are the Crystal Serenity and the Regent Seven Seas Mariner.  This would be the first time we have run into these two luxury ships here in Cabo.  The Captain said the NCL Joy would also be here today so Cabo will be swarming with touristas today.

It is a picture perfect day in Cabo San Lucas, one of my favorite ports.

I was up on Deck 7 before dawn and got pictures of the Serenity, Cabo, and the sunrise.






I had a nice breakfast in the Solarium seating area – as a change up, I tried and liked the French Toast (it was just freshly made).  I got Ellen her breakfast and we will be getting ready to go in a little while.  We will need to get our tender tickets to get ashore.

Around 9:30 AM, we went down to the Michelangelo Dining Room and got Ticket 32 for the water shuttles (as they called them today).  They were on #29 and calling a shuttle every 10 minutes so it would be quite a wait.  But, as soon as we got seated, an announcement was made that all tickets up to #32 could proceed to the gangway for the water shuttles.  We boarded, with some difficulty due to the moving seas, a shuttle operated by Cabo Shuttles (so not our tenders) – a vessel so unlike our survival craft.  


No matter, for in a few minutes were in Cabo San Lucas.  

Our goal today, as it is usually in Cabo, is to find an inexpensive spa for some pampering.

There were a lot of folks here today so the walkways around the marina were packed with people.  



After taking a picture of Ellen and the marlin (I couldn't see what I was shooting because of the sun),


we took a shortcut through a hotel to reach the street behind the main street.  After a couple of false starts with some spas – the ones near the marina were asking $40 for an hour massage and the others ($30 an hour) only had one person working so we would have to do them back to back (too long). We got back on the major street behind the hotel and marina and within a few minutes, we noticed a sign advertising a promotion - $25 an hour including hot stones and aromatherapy.  The salon (I think they also did nails and such) was called “Julia’s Spa” and it was basically across the street from the Cabo Casino. 

We walked up some steep stairs and it turned out that they had two therapists available.  Our massages were both very good.  Mine was like an athletic massage – concentrating on muscles and tight areas.  The woman I had most certainly was trained based on her technique.  The hot stones were a nice touch as was the aromatherapy.  The session ran the full 60 minutes. This spa is certainly an option the next time we visit Cabo but we will also be looking for even better bargains a little further away from town.

We browsed through some of the souvenir shops on the way back and could not find anything that we wanted.  We did, however, buy two huge Coke Lites (600 mL) for $1 each.  We took them back and would be drinking them over the next day or so.

We walked back to the tender port and were right on time for the next tender – I sat on the top deck to try and get some pictures.  The ride back took a little longer due to the amount of boat traffic leaving the harbor.  All four cruise ships were running tenders and along with the party and fishing boats, there was a lot of traffic.





Once back on the ship, we had lunch in Horizon Court – a salad, half a tuna sandwich, and some Asian noodles (along with our cokes).

We found some seats on the port side of Deck 7 that had good views and stayed there for a while.  


This gave us a good view of El Arco as the ship rotated around the anchor.



I also bought another Iced Mocha Skinny Latte and a Skinny Chai Latte – we now have six drinks left on our package.  When it got a bit warm on deck as the sun caught up to us, I finished my latte on the couches on Deck 7 next to the Explorers Lounge.

I captured the sail away from Deck 7.



We are now in the room resting up for dinner.

We have logged 8317 steps so far today.

Dinner was in the Michelangelo Dining Room (got a good table despite having no reservations).  I had a Cesar Salad and the wonderful Mushroom Soup.  For an entrée, I asked the chef to make me some spaghetti with tomato sauce (turned out to be wonderful and ate the whole thing).  Ellen had the trout without the seafood (very good) and a Cesar Salad and Mushroom Soup.  They gave us some Petit Fours, some of which we took back to the room.

We passed on the Finals of the Voice of the Ocean and tried to find a quiet place to read.  I started “Dark Notice” by Patricia Cornwell but I think I already read this book.  I am now reading “Assassin’s Game” by Ward Larsen.  I read an earlier book of his – his main character is David Slaton, a Kidon, or assassin for Mossad.  This book is about the Iranian Nuclear Program and so it is very current and topical.

Could not find a quiet place so we went to the Cabin.

There was something new when we got to the cabin.  After almost three weeks on this ship, I finally got a room tag.


The sea is really smooth.

January 18, 2020 – Mazatlan, Mexico – Sunny – 84F

A combination of the time change and the rock and roll ride last night resulted in my getting up at 3 AM and then I don’t know what happened until I finally went to Horizon Court at 6 AM.  

FYI – we survived the meal yesterday in Mexico.

Another pre-breakfast sunrise awaited me on Deck 7. 

I tried something different this morning – two pancakes, one of which was allegedly banana, and one fried egg.  Also had a half bowl of oatmeal, which was very good.  Still hungry, I had a biscuit.  The biscuits are a special treat on Princess.

After breakfast, I spotted the coast of Mexico and Mazatlán.

Visible on the starboard side of the vessel was the world's highest lighthouse (perched on a hill).

At 8:00 AM, Ellen and I paid our first visit to the Da Vinci Dining Room for breakfast.  The menu is not exactly the same as the late breakfast/lunch menu but Ellen did have pancakes and fried eggs and I tried the Muesli (didn’t like it).

Mazatlan is a commercial port 

and you cannot walk from the ship to the terminal – the port provides a tram that seems to run continuously and gets you there is about five minutes or less.  There is no waiting since there are so many trams running.

Ellen opted to stay on the ship so at around 9:30 AM, I disembarked and took the tram to the terminal.  I walked past the few shops, bars, and restaurants and out in the open court area (more shops).  

At the end of the block, I checked availability for a massage at the Beauty Shop.  I’ve been there a few times – the shop is about 10 X 10 and can really only accommodate one customer at a time.  The owner, Veronica, has been there for years and still doesn’t speak English.  The place is very cramped and the massage, which was marginal, ran just about a full hour.  The prices are a bit high for Mexico at $40 and the place is just not that nice.  I don’t think I will be coming back the next time I visit. So, adios, Veronica.

I was just leaving when a couple came into the shop.  The woman was looking for a mani/pedi – the place is so small that I couldn’t see how they could fit in any nail work. The prices, by the way, were $10 for the mani and $25 for the pedi (essentially US prices). 

I caught the return tram right away and I was back on the ship by 10:30 AM.  I stopped by New Grounds to pick up a decaf mocha latte skinny and a chai latte skinny for Ellen.  While I was there, I caught a rehearsal by the Princess Singers and Dancers - a special treat.

Ellen found some lounge chairs up on Deck 14 by the railing and we stayed there for a while even though it was quite breezy.  We moved to Deck 15, which was also breezy and now we are in the cabin settling down before dinner.

I was out on Deck 7, when the pilot disembarked the ship.  Not as much drama this time.

We had, without making reservations, dinner in the Michelangelo Dining Room. I had the Eggplant Parmesan appetizer (good), the Minestrone Soup (very good), and the Seared Salmon with Eggplant Caponata (steamed peppers) (not good). I had to order the Fettuccini Alfredo as backup.  The cheesecake and coffee rounded out the dinner.  Ellen had the Salmon without the Eggplant and a Cesar Salad.  Ellen liked her salmon more than I did.  The safe and tasty choice is the always available broiled salmon.

Comedian/Impressionist Mike Wilson is the Headliner today – we opted not to go as we just heard him on the previous cruise.  Instead, we caught the end of the seminar on Pablo Picasso in the Explorers Lounge and then, after not finding a good place to sit and read, headed for our comfortable cabin.  I finished “The English Spy” and was very happy about the way the book wrapped everything up.

In our stateroom, the booms and shimmying have started but the intensity was not nearly that of the Hawaii run with the exception being an occasional big “boom”.

I am sure we can ride this one out.

January 17, 2020 – Manzanillo, Mexico – Sunny and Warm – 84F

Slept better last night – smooth seas.

Even though we requested a tour, there was a glitch and no escort tickets were issued.  In addition, there will be an all-crew training exercise this morning at 9:45 AM so we would have been the only people who could have escorted.

After my usual good breakfast, I grabbed some breakfast for Ellen and stopped by the Shorex Office.  Eduardo was there and I asked him about the tours for the day.  He checked availability and said we could get on a tour at 9:00 AM (about 90 minutes from now) and I said that would be great.  We didn’t have to help on the dispatch (nobody told us) and we just needed to meet out on the pier at 8:45 AM.

The tour – “Cuyutlan Turtle Sanctuary” – met at the end of the long pier and vendor area.  I could already tell that the temperature estimate was on the low side based on what we felt when we disembarked the ship.


I got an interesting picture of Ellen as she made her way down the pier, sun umbrella in hand, as well as pictures of the greater Manzanillo area.

We boarded a new bus (with nice seats, A/C, and USB chargers) and there were enough empty seats that we each had our own seat in the back.  

Our guide was Ramiro and our bus driver was Jesus.  We were the third and final bus to leave on this tour and we left just a few minutes late. The bus made a left turn out of the terminal area and passed through the old part of Manzanillo.  The streets were teaming with locals and there were quite a few cars on the road.  We passed by the commercial pier, which is one of the biggest in Mexico – evident by the sheer number of containers, some of which were stacked five high.  

We then hit the highway to Cuyutlan, our first destination.  Once we left Manzanillo, the countryside was a combination of various types of vegetation, including bananas and coconut groves.  We entered a stretch of highway that had actual speed bumps – the cars paid no attention to the bumps but our bus slowed to a crawl. 

We passed a large body of water – from what I could make out, some of this water, which is ocean water, is used to produce salt.  



On the shore of this estuary, there were some power plants.  We had one comfort stop at a gas station and then our first stop, the small town of Cuyutlan, home to “The Salt Museum”.  Before we got to the actual museum, we saw how the salt was (or maybe, still is) stored - in huge piles covered by all sorts of materials.  


The streets of the town were pretty much deserted now.





I don’t think salt manufacture is a big industry these days – salt was important in the past to preserve food and in the production of silver.  The museum was in a 100 year old building and our guide took us through and described the diorama depicting the salt production process.  



There was a local selling salt in small burlap bags ($5 each)


and some of the passengers brought them.  I don’t believe I could eat salt like that – unpurified and containing who knows what.

There was also the jaw bone of some kind of whale, that washed ashore some time ago.  Not sure what the skull had to do with salt, though.


Our next stop was the “Tortugario Ecological Center” in nearby Armeria.  


The center was established to protect the sea turtles that use this portion of the Mexican seashore as a nesting area.  Hunting turtles is a federal crime in Mexico but it is ignored by many.  The Center ensures that the eggs are protected and that the 70,000 baby turtles released back into the Ocean make it there OK.  The Center also protects the local species of Crocodile and Iguana.  We saw a brief video describing the situation with the turtles and then visited several pools containing various species of turtles and finally an aquarium containing just hatched babies. We also managed to take a decent selfie - a very rare occurrence.








We also saw the fenced in area where the eggs incubate.  


There are also mini-habitats for the crocodiles 


and iguanas.


I found it interesting that our Center Guide Lupita spoke no English and worked through Ramiro as an interpreter.  Also the signage was not bilingual.  The Center needs to think about those issues if they are going to host tours in the future.  It was about 95F and Ellen and I stayed mainly in the shade.  

We also walked to the nearby black sand beach, which on this day was practically deserted.   This is also where the baby turtles sprint, sort of, to the ocean to begin their lives.


Considering the heat, I think our stay at the Center was a little too long.  Also, no water was available and some of the guests looked like could use some water.

Our final stop was the Bienvenidos Hotel for our snack and drink stop.  The drink process was quick and there was a good selection of drinks (beer, soft drinks).  I had a Corona and Ellen had a Coke Lite. The snack consisted of a hand-made (no gloves) tortilla with guacamole (2), wrapped and fried tortillas with potato filling (3).  We were assured by the head guide that everything was vegetarian including the oils used to fry things.  Everyone was eating and so we did, too.  We’ll see later how that worked out.  Both items were good but I traded my Corona for a Coke Lite.

After eating, Ellen and I checked out the Malecon 


and the vendors as well as the beach, which was again pretty much empty.  



We were told that a home along the beach might run about $150,000 USD.

From the hotel, it was a 45 minute ride back to the pier in Manzanillo.  As we got close to the pier, I was able to get a picture of Grand Princess docked as well as the boats in the nearby marina.

As we waited in the line for security access to the pier, we enjoyed the music performed by a female singer and her band.  Overall, a pretty nice day in Mexico - I guess timing is everything - and better than just staying on the ship.

We ordered an iced decaf latte and an iced chai latte to cool off and drank them in the Crooners Lounge.

Even though we did not make reservations tonight, we still got a nice table in the Michelangelo Dining Room.  I had the best dish they serve, “Trenette (flat noodles similar to fettuccini) with basil, potato, and haricot verts (aka green beans”.  I also had the Grilled Antipasto with Goat Cheese (OK) and the Tempura Veggie (OK). Ellen had the Orange Roughy (good) but her mushroom tartlet could not be made without the veal sauce (so scratch that dish).

We ate pretty fast and caught the first two songs by Tommy Proulx, Saxophonist.  We decided we needed a quieter place so we went to the Wheelhouse Bar to read and listen to Jay Gulbicki.

Then it was on the room because a day in the hot Mexican country side can wring a bit of the energy out of you.

Clocks move back one hour tonight (now MST).

I don’t think the seas will be smooth for the 300 nautical mile trip to Mazatlan, because when we used Deck 7 to get to our room, we were facing quite a headwind.

January 16, 2020 – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Mostly Sunny, Humid – warm – 78F

Managed to get some sleep, somehow.  Making some headway in the sleep deficit issue.

Even though this is a big excursion day (we are not going out as we have been here and seen the sights a few times), Horizon Court is busy but manageable.  I even got a scrambled omelet made when I saw there was no one in line.  They use pagers to let you know your omelet is ready, a nice workable system.  I also had my usual waffle combination and a biscuit – I am expecting to burn off some of this food today.

We are docked at the pier next to the brand new terminal (one year old we were told) and not the next pier over, our usual berth.  




So when you exit the ship and go through the new shops – the obligatory Diamonds International, a really nice restaurant, and a chocolate shop – you are right across the street from a U-shaped mall, the vendors and the spa we visit when we are in town.


I had texted the spa and made appointments for us at 10 AM.  We got there a little early and waited about 15 minutes for them to open.  Marta, the owner, is still there although every time I see her, she seems like a different person (I'm good with faces, so I wonder). She confirmed it was her, even though she spoke more Spanish to me than usual.  Ellen had a tech named Carmen.  We both had nice massages ($30 for an hour) and they really appreciated the tips.  In fact, we liked the sessions so much we made appointments at 4 PM (as it is such a short walk from the ship and the ship is not departing until 7:30 PM).

We had lunch in Horizon Court – I had pizza from Slice (not fresh, not good) and a salad.  It will do the trick until dinner.

We had originally planned to talk the bus to the Malecon but, after checking the temperature and humidity, decided to stay on the ship.  We wound up reading on the back deck near the railing on lounge chairs – very comfortable and nice and with a great view of the Bay of Banderas and the luxury condos across the inlet.  


We also noticed that the party boats didn’t start their runs until after lunch and that the Mexican Navy dispatched two ships – a cutter and cruiser – to stand watch in the Bay and to keep boats and ships away from Grand Princess.

I am making progress on the “English Spy” but I also spent some time catching up with the news back home (wish I hadn’t).  At least, we are not at war and the Stock Market has not crashed.

We sat on the deck in the shade and with a nice breeze until 3:45 PM, when I left the ship for my second appointment.  Another nice session with Marta and she told me to text her the next time we are in Puerto Vallarta for an appointment.  The two sessions in one day are a rare event which probably won't be repeated.  The next time we are here, we should try to get an excursion for at least part of the day.

After showering off the layers of oil, we went to dinner in the Michelangelo Dining Room – two cups of gazpacho, Cesar Salad, and Tilapia – apple strudel a la mode and two cups of coffee.  Ellen had the Tilapia also.  Everything on the dinner tonight was good.

We passed on the Folkloric Show tonight and the Blues Brothers Tribute – just not our thing.

The rest of the evening was spent reading in a quiet and act-less Crooners Lounge.  Silence is golden.

Good day for walking as the pedometer spit out 9550 steps.

We had good seats for the sail out – the path to the open sea was short as the ship was docked at the pier closest to the breakwater.  Still, the views of the condos against a clear blue sky was great.

Seas are smooth.

January 15, 2020 – At Sea – Pacific Ocean – Mostly Cloudy – 70F

Did not sleep at all last night – or, at least, I don’t think I did.  Perfectly smooth ride, quiet room, and good room temp.  Going to be a long day today.

“Up” at 6:30 AM and off to Horizon Court.  It is finally warm enough to sit in the Solarium Annex for breakfast.  I also had a chance to ask a “Suit” why we had to listen to the screaming lady in the morning.  He said it was in the PA system (I didn't know that) but he would check on it.

Standard breakfast – everything was good.

Now in the room – all caught up.

Lots of pressure today since the talk was advertised on the front page of the Patter. 

I picked up an iced latte to drink in the theater while I waited to get started but I got there too early (and it was cold) so I went back to the International Café and drank half of it there.

The talk – “Forensic Detectives: Identifying America’s Fallen Heroes” – is at 10:00 AM in the Princess Theater.  Another very good turnout – more than half full.  Nice feedback from a small group of folks who stayed after (until they kicked us out) to chat. 

Lunch was in the Horizon Buffet – the usual fare - mostly salad bar.

We spent the afternoon up on Deck 15 Aft – very nice today – warm and a prevailing breeze that kept the smoke away from us.  This kind of weather called for another iconic picture of Ellen on the back deck.


Still making my way through “The English Spy”, which is an unusual book in that it again has both Gabriel Allon and his pre-MI6 partner, Christopher Keller not battling Middle East terrorist but IRA terrorists (I have to admit that I did not think the IRA was still a factor in Northern Ireland).  The book has spent a lot of time explaining the story of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland and the clashes with the British government. 

A very pleasant afternoon.  The coast of Mexico is visible from Deck 15 Aft.


We had dinner in the Michelangelo Dining Room – Ellen had another favorite dish – “Sole Colbert” – and I made do with just the salmon and Fettuccini Alfredo (no salad or soup and no dessert).

Managed to catch a beautiful sunset before the show.


We went to the early show – 6:30 AM – featuring Amy Jo Slater and her “Evening with Adele” tribute show.  Amy Jo looks a lot like Adele – at least from the cheap seats – and does an excellent job of channeling the singer.  In fact, in my opinion, she is a better singer than Adele.  She did all of the Adele songs I like and the volume was fine.  She also had some nice visual effects that complemented the music.  She was a little tentative in her banter but I don’t know how long she has been doing this.

The seas are smooth and tomorrow we will be in Puerto Vallarta.

January 14, 2020 – At Sea – Pacific Ocean – Cloudy – Cool – 54F

Global Warming – not here – still cool outside.

Slept a little better last night but I have to skip the coffee tonight – might be the culprit.

The Pacific Ocean looks a little bit more friendly this early in the morning.



Breakfast was inside Horizon Court – still too cold outside even though the quiet would have been nice.

The waffle issue has been solved and the waffles this morning were good. Only had waffles, cottage cheese, sour cream, and jams this morning along with a tablespoon of scrambled eggs. The coffee was hot and I got to read a few pages of EW this morning.  Not much to see as it was dark the whole time.  I put together a breakfast plate for Ellen and headed back to the room.

Tonight is Formal Night so I made reservations for the Michelangelo Dining Room (it will be crowded).

On Ellen’s advice (always good these last five decades), I purchased a Specialty Coffee Drink Package ($31 dollars for 15 drinks) because the barista said the card would work for my iced lattes.  We’ll be drinking coffee day and night for this cruise but the cost per drink is quite a bit lower than I paid for the last cruise.

The ship is refurbing or repairing the seating area near the Coffee Bar so seating is at a premium.  That area has been blocked off by temporary walls.

In the Pizzeria now and just finished going over my talk for today.

"Forensics and History: The Search for the Unknown Titanic Child" 


is scheduled to follow a talk on Shore Excursions today at 11:00 AM in the Princess Theater.  Another good crowd – somewhat larger than yesterday.  For some reason, the talk ran 58 minutes or 10 minutes longer than on the previous cruise.  Don’t know why.  In any event, only three or four people left to go to another event and the crowd seemed to appreciate the talk.

We had lunch in the Da Vinci Dining Room because they featured Ellen’s favorite dish – pan fried sole.  They also featured one of my favorite items – gazpacho – and, of course, I had two bowls.  Along with the salad, I once again tried the veggie burger, which, was once again, mashed potatoes with veggies fried (kind of).  The Maitre D’ – Ms. Ionica came by and asked about our meals and I gave her my opinion on the veggie burgers on Princess.  I told her that other cruise lines offered real veggie burgers.  She listened and wrote something down but we told her we were guest entertainers and didn’t want to log an official criticism.  She understood.  Maybe she will take some steps to banish the faux veggie burger.

It was warm enough to sit on the couches on Deck 15 Aft – I am making good progress on “The Last Mile” (Book Two in the Memory Man series by David Baldacci).  The story is all over the place and Amos has had no need to use his perfect memory superpower much but the detective work is interesting and he is now working with a team at the FBI.

I went out on Deck 7 to take a picture of a very nice sunset.


Tonight is formal night, but we opted to eat in the buffet.  There wasn’t much there but we talked to the chef and he made us some pasta pesto without the chicken.  The pasta was a little light on the sauce but it was OK.

We once again saw “Stardust” in the Theater – we went primarily to see the new cast, which came on board in San Francisco.  There were high and low points in the performance, which will no doubt improve as time goes by.

We went to the room to unwind.

The clocks move forward one hour tonight putting us on CST.

Seas are perfectly smooth and the room is not creaking.  Might not need earplugs tonight.