Pirate Adventure

AAAARRR!!

Is that what the pirates say?

Well today we went on a princess excursion on a pirate ship and I can’t say too many good things about it. By that I mean it was GREAT!!!

As the shipped docked we could see our pirate vessel docked just across the bay. It was not quite daylight but we could make it out.

I was so very surprised to see that Puerto Vallarta was such a big modern bustling city. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my camera has a setting I could use to capture the city lights.

As we watched the Norwegian Star approached the dock. It came so close that I am certain that passengers on the front of the Grand could have reached out and touched the Star.

We had ordered room service breakfast and we had arranged a wake up call. But we were so fascinated by the passing of the Star that we didn’t hear the knock on our door. We were out on the balcony so the room service people had to call us to get us to come to the door.

We had breakfast and got ready to disembark. The sky was dark and the cloud cover was very thick and heavy. We were certain it would rain on us today. Ken packed umbrellas and rain ponchos just in case.

On the dock we were met by a performing Mexican Mariachi band and costumed pirates. We took pictures and before long we were met by what turned out to be our personal pirate PEPPE. He would be our personal guide for the rest of the day. At first he referred to me a Mamma and then as the day progressed Ken and I became Grandma and Grandpa. I can’t say that I was thrilled by this but I guess that is a title we have earned and some people are not that fortunate.

First thing was to give our menu selection for the noon meal. Ken and I both choose shrimp and steak, a surf and turf. The other choices were ribs or cordon Blue or chicken breasts or burgers.

Next we were guided on board and given our seats and PFD’s and offered drinks. This was the first of many many offers of beverages. The choices were for water, soft drinks, beer, and cocktails of all kinds including mai tais, margaritas, pina colodas, and drinks like rum and coke. There would be available all day at no extra charge.

There was lots of music and dancing, I remarked that it was an aerobics class on the sea. There was a lot of movement of the ship and I was soon very glad that I had brought along Gravol. No stabilizers here.

Next we were directed down to the galley where we were served a full breakfast of breads, scrambled eggs, ham, coffee, juice and cereal. The food was fresh and hot and you could have all you wanted. We certainly did not need to eat breakfast onboard the Grand.

We went topside and Peppe did a drawing on our forearms. Some people had scars applied to their faces and the little children were given beards and it was lots of fun.

A drama was enacted involving sword fights and cannon fire and people being thrown overboard and walking the plank. It was well acted and a lot of fun. All the while the liquor flowed. The skies cleared and we did not need our umbrellas, instead we needed suntan lotion.

After about 2 hour of sailing we were tendered into a wonderful beach where we were given front row chairs with views of the beach and the water activities. There were Kayaks and banana boats and buggy boards, snorkeling and playing in the waves and beach volleyball. Peppe brought us beer. The captain led the children on a treasure hunt. It was like watching the pied piper. The treasure was chocolate coins covered in gold foil paper. The beach was lovely and sandy and Ken and I both went into the water. We had worn swim suits under our clothes because we were told there would not be facilities at the beach.

Two hours passed quickly and before we knew it we were headed back to the Marigalante. At one pointer the pirate captain told us about the history of the vessel. Apparently it is a replica of the Santa Maria. It was really very special , constructed of heavy timbers and very well maintained. The decorations were amazing with skeletons hanging from the riggings and imprisoned in the brig.

We were directed to the galley where we were served a sumptuous meal, hot and delicious and more than ample.

Topside again the alcohol continued to flow and we were treated to acrobatics and a sword fight and a musical contest. There were prizes of very nice tee shirts awarded during the six hour excursion.

This was the best shore excursion ever and we highly recommend it. We had one problem in that we did not bring much cash with us and we would have like to tip more generously and could not.

We  had left the ship around 8:15 and we did not return until almost 3:30.

By now we are tired after spending that much time in the fresh sea air.

Back on board we decided it was a perfect time to go to the sanctuary hot tub. They have wonderful showers there and we could wash off the salt water. My ankle would enjoy the hot water, it was swollen again.

We returned to our stateroom to watch the Star maneuver from her birth and skim past us. Then we dressed for dinner. We were not very hungry so we ate light. I had a pasta dish and Ken had scallops. Of course I had to have the sugar free dessert.

After dinner we debated about going to the Princess theatre for the comedian. But both of us were tired from our very full day so we decided to call it a day and return to our room. It was not long before we were both asleep.

Tomorrow is the first of 2 sea days before we return to San Pedro and pier 93. We are looking forward to the rest and relaxation it will afford.

Anniversary Celebration

January 29^th, A sea Day,

We were in Loreto yesterday and we will be in Puerto Vallarta tomorrow so today gives us a chance to catch our breath. Or at least it was supposed to be.

We were greeted by balloons and anniversary congratulation signs on our stateroom door, as well as a card from Princess

We began our day by having breakfast in the dining room. Instead of my usual oatmeal I choose to have an omelet.

We walked the deck and then went to the enrichment lecture given by John and Diane Stockham. They were speaking on the port of Puerto Vallarta and how the filming of the movie Night of the Iguana changed that area of the country for ever.

Ken chose to return to the stateroom after the lecture but I decided to take in the fashion show in the Piazza. They model the stock available on board and they use passengers as models. I was late arriving and 2 ladies offered to share their table with me and they had a good view.

We decided to skip lunch and instead we shared an orange. I needed to eat something so I could take my meds but because we had a large late breakfast we were not hungry.

Three o’clock found us at the wine tasting. The wines featured were very good. In fact one of them was the wine we are enjoying with our dinner.  I continue to be surprised at how rude people can be at this event. They continue to talk and laugh and visit while the presenters are telling us about the wines.

Then we returned to our stateroom and I went down to the laundry room to press my jacket before dinner.

We decided to go to the Elitre and Platinum longue event tonight, the first time for this cruise. So because that begins at five we headed out. The One five is not as nice as Skywalkers in my opinion, but it does have its own charm.

Our dinner time is 5:45 so we finished our drinks and headed to the elevators. Down from deck 15 to deck 6 deserves a ride.

Dinner was very nice. The waiters sang for us, and Linda took our picture. We shared our anniversary special cake with the table mates. I decided that one sixth of that special cake was enough dessert for me.

We next made our way to the princess theatre to enjoy another presentation by Carlos Oscar. This comedian is one we really enjoy.

Our busy day was finished by having a special coffee and brandy in the International café.

Loreto

This is a tender port and we were due to anchor at seven and our tour was not until noon so we were in no rush to disembark. The literature said the tender ride was 20 minutes long and it another spot it said it was a 10 minute ride. When the announcement was made saying the tenders were ready it again said 20 minutes. There were some white caps and there was a wind so I decided that it would be wise to take Gravol just to be certain that I wasn’t sick. Anyway we went to the dining room, had a nice leisurely breakfast and came back to our room. We decided to head out to get the tender at around 10:30. We had no problem since flashing the black card gets you aboard right away. The sun was shining and the wind had calmed down so it was a wonderful easy trip. But I am glad that my life is not going by as fast as that ride. It was not 20 minutes and neither was it 10 minutes. The ride was about 7 minutes long and the sea was calm so there was absolutely no need of Gravol.

The city of Loreto is beautiful, actually it was more a town than a city. The streets are wide and clean and the people are very friendly. They have a wonderful wide boardwalk all along the shore. It is dotted with art work and lovely Victorian styled benches. They call this type of boardwalk a Malecon.

We roamed along following the people until we came upon a lovely town square where we were entertained by a dance troop performing some folk dances of the area. 

The area was beautiful and clean with lovely brightly colored buildings. There were vendors but no one approached us to buy. The lack of aggressive salesmen was a pleasant surprise.

The town is small and there are no traffic lights. Each mail boulevard was patrolled by a traffic policeman with a whistle. They stopped traffic for the pedestrians and directed the motor traffic. What a nice change.

Soon we had to head back to the dock where we were placed in vans for the ride to the Oasis Hotel, the site of our excursion for the day.

 The drive was only a few minutes long and upon arrival we were welcomed and offered a free beverage. Ken and I choose to have a margarita. I don’t remember ever having had one before. I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. I always thought that tequila had a more harsh taste.

We were directed to a beachfront court yard that was all set up with shaded tables and chairs. Soon we were told that we could go and see how they prepared the clambake.  We watched as they buried the chocolate clams in the beach gravel, covered them with brush , set a fire, and then 40 minutes later they were uncovered and served to us.

 During the cooking we were royally entertained by a local dance troop and an amazingly talented band.

The wind came up and we found it to be cool. We were wishing we had brought jackets. I wrapped up in a beach towel and that helped a little.

Then after trying the clams we were directed to a sumptuous buffet. After the buffet there was the breaking of a piñata which was filled with candy for us to enjoy.

All too soon we found ourselves in taxis and headed back to the dock and the waiting tenders.  They ride back seemed even shorter than the ride over had been.

When back in our room I decided to have a little nap.

We had a very nice dinner then we went to the production show which was called Stardust. It featured music of the late 40’s and early 50’s. It was grand. I am always impressed by the talent of the musicians and the singers and dancers.

After the show we went to the international café and had our usual specialty coffee and brandy.

Another amazing day came to an end.

La Paz

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Today we were in La Paz, called the city of peace. We had booked a princess sightseeing tour which was supposed to leave at 8:50. So we had a wake up call for 7:15 and breakfast was arriving at 7:30. When the ship pulled into port we were greeted by a Mexican band and th e pier had dozens of local crafters waiting to sell us their wares.

We ate breakfast, hung our flag and got ready to head off of the ship. As usual the photographers were waiting to take souvenir photos. We found our bus right away and soon we were underway. We were given a general tour through the Baja desert landscape. The docking point and the town itself are 16 miles apart so a bus ride is necessary. Princess ran shuttle buses into town every 15 or 20 minutes. These were at no charge but a tip for the driver was expected.

Our first stop was the Anthropology and History Museum. It really was interesting and we could have spent the day there.

The Cathedral of La Paz was our next stop but we had a limited visit because our 10:00 arrival coincided with mass. It is a beautiful building and we did get some pictures. It was built at this location in1861 and it features wonderful stained glass windows and sculptures.

Next stop was at the arts and crafts center. Authentic Mexican crafts are for sale here but since we are not in the market for crafts we cross the street and we walk  along the beach and look for sea glass. There is a wonderful sidewalk and boulevard all along the waterfront which is very popular with the locals.

The last stop on our tour is to Tecolote, the largest and most popular beach in La Paz. The sand is soft, the water is a wonderful shade of blue, the sun is shining and the temperature is perfect. We sit in chairs on the beach and just soak it all in. There are many vendors on the beach selling many different things from hats to sunglasses to jewelry to purses. They carry their wares in suitcases or on racks and they stroll the beach offering to sell you their goods. They are very very polite and a polite No Thank You is all that is needed to have them move on.

Our tour bus took us back to the ship and we disembarked around one o’clock. We were left in a spot that required us to walk past the vendors. Before we came through we were given a free 2015 Calendar featuring the Baja. Ken stopped and bought a new belt from one of the crafters.

 This was the day for me to have my January French Fries. We went up topside and ordered Hot dogs and French Fries. We brought them down to our stateroom and enjoyed our lunch on the balcony. After eating Ken got some sun and I had a nap. Vacations are for relaxation!

Then we got ready for dinner, relaxed with a glass of wine and watched as the lines were let go and we were underway again.

My but it was nice to be back in the dining room for dinner. I enjoy it so much better than the buffet.

There were several choices of entertainment this evening but we decided to pass on all of it. We strolled a little, saw a lighthouse flashing off shore and returned to our room to relax for the rest of the evening.

Tomorrow we are in Loreto and we have a clambake and Mexican Fiesta booked.

Cabo San Lucas

This is the day we are  to visit Cabo San Lucas. We have been here three times before and this time we have arranged for a general sightseeing tour of the area. We are due to arrive in port around noon so we had the morning to ourselves. That meant it was a perfect morning to enjoy a room service breakfast on our balcony.

We enjoyed our breakfast and then we dressed and took a tour around the ship. There were several spots that I had not yet seen. It was VERY windy on the top deck so we were ducking in and out. 

While out on deck we saw several spouts and some backs and flukes. We are in the area that the whales frequent during this time of the year.

We went to the international café and picked up a cinnamon bun and a coffee. This was going to be our lunch.

We returned to our room to watch the ship make its approach. The day was beautiful and we will be docked in a spot right opposite the arch and lovers beach. We quickly hung our Canadian Flag on the balcony and got ready for our excursion.

 This is a tender port and those of us on this excursion were instructed to meet in the Princess Theatre. We were a little last getting away but soon we were on board our tour bus. It was big and new and bright and comfortable.

After being given a drive around the town we were taken to our first major stop, a glass blowing factory. The artisans were very skilled and one of the men blew a lovely angel for us. It was amazing to watch it form right before our eyes.

 We had seen this before in Tacoma but the project was a martini glass. This was so much more interesting.

There was a gift shop of course and there were many things for sale. The glass items were pricey and getting them home was a concern. But they did have wonderful  pashima  for sale. They were beautiful and they were made using a kind of jacquard design so they were very reversible. The two sides looked very different. I purchased a turquoise one for 15.00 US. Our guide told us that they do not barter here.

Next we stopped at Puerta Vieja restaurant. The name translates to mean Old Door. I gather the name comes from the fact that the owner went to India where he purchased this very old door which he used as the centerpiece of his establishment.

 There were lots of wonderful artifacts here and we enjoyed a complimentary beverage and an amazing view.

Next the bus drove us to the capital of this county, the city of San Jose. Here we visited the city hall and saw the murals and we were told a little about the area. There is a beautiful mission steeped in history and a beautiful town square.

 We toured the church and had our pictures taken in front of a sea horse sculpture made of tires.

 The square was surrounded by jewelry shops specializing in silver and Mexican fire opals. Bartering is such an art here and I am getting better at it

By the time we left here and headed back to the dock and the waiting tenders we were late. It was too late to go to the dining room for dinner so we were forced to go to the buffet. We felt badly that we had not warned our waiters that we might be late or absent.  Dinner was sufficient but we certainly do prefer meals in the dining rooms. We had sufficient food, we met nice people but we did miss that pampered feeling.

After eating and visiting we rushed down to the Vista Longue. Carlos Oscar was performing and he is one of the best comedians we have ever heard. We knew seating would be at a premium.

He did not disappoint!!

Next we returned to our room long enough to pick up one of our brandies  and head to the International café for a special coffee.

Alexander and Evgenia performed in the piazza. Their acrobatic skills are thrilling.

By the time we finished our coffee it was getting late, we had had a full day and tomorrow we have an early tour of La Paz

First Sea Day

First Sea Day,

We slept like babies even though our room was cool. For some reason the heat would not begin no matter where we set the thermostat it blew cool air.

We awoke around seven which was eight ship’s time because of the clocks being set ahead.

We decided to go to the dining room for breakfast. We were sat at a table for eight and six people were assigned, all six were Canadians. 1 couple from north of Toronto, one from Tawassin, one , us , from Abbotsford. We laughed and visited and had a great time.

I headed straight to the theatre where they were having a culinary demonstration as part of the chocolate Journey. Three items were made and we were given the recipes. There were techniques I had not seen done before and I learned a few things. The chocolate moose with red fruit compote  looked amazing, not at all something for a calorie reduced diet.

. Ken did his own thing and after the lecture I checked out the sale,( bought nothing) and I reported our problem with the heat,

I came back to the stateroom and met Ken for lunch. We decided that we didn’t need much so we got a coffee and a Quiche and a cookie from the International Café. The heat problem had been fixed.

We almost missed the lecture that we wanted to attend because we were having a late lunch. We were able to find seats in spite of being late. The lecturers were Joan and Diane Stockham. They were speaking about out ports of call and the whales of the area. It was very informative and well done.

We checked out our pictures that have been taken so far. The embarkation one is not bad but the one with the pirates after dinner last night is definitely not a keep. My smile is so wide that I could swallow a whale. We asked about making a folder and it appears as if they do not do that any more.

 I attended the Gemstones  Around the World seminar and then went to a shop bought anniversary pins for Ken and I. They are kept in place with magnets instead of actual pins. I guess that saves clothes from being full of little holes.

I checked out the makeover and the martini demonstrations that took place in the piazza.

Then it was back to the stateroom to relax and sit on the balcony and get some sun before formal night.

We dress in our formal duds and had a glass of wine and enjoyed our chocolate covered strawberries.

When we got to the dining room we discovered that Juan Carlos is our assistant waiter , not our waiter. The sixth person arrived at our table. His name is Benny and you can’t imagine our surprise when we learned that he is from Carriage Lane. Carriage Lane is a housing complex in Abbotsford and Ken and I sang with the Carriage Lane Choristers for a few years.

We were even more surprised when our dinner companions had a gift for us. We had told them the story of our romance and that we were celebrating nine years of marriage. During the previous  evening there had been a chat between Linda and I about magnets and using them on our stateroom walls to hold papers and help us keep track of them and to keep the desk a bit tidy. The gift was 2 magnets, one of the Grand Princess and the other was a ceramic Mexican sombrero.

On the first night Juan Carlos told us about a wine that was selling at half price because they are removing it from the wine list. We really are enjoying it . All we knew was the fact that it is a French wine so last evening I asked Juan to write down the name so we could get it at another time. On the paper was written the words Gewurtztraminer by Michel  Leon. So we still don’t know what kind of wine it is.

 Dinner tonight was a very special menu in honor of the anniversary. The dessert was one of the Norman Love creations and it was out of this world. We were given a special copy of the menu in honor of the creation.

On the way from the dining room we saw a little boy about 3 years old and he was dressed in a suit and tie. I just had to stop and talk to little Lucas. After taking a picture of him and his dad we had a chat and discovered much to our surprise that they were from Chilliwack. Looking at the age of the father Ken just may have taught the mother who grew up in Chilliwack.

After dinner we went to the middle where the champagne waterfall was taking place. We picked up a glass of champagne. I was going to take some photos but the battery in my camera was dead. So we continued on to the theatre for the production show. Tonight’s show was Do You Wanna Dance?

We have seen it many times but we always go back because it is so lively and so much fun to watch. They do dances from many cultures from Asian to Irish to Spanish to Gypsy to rock and roll. The show is performed 3 times and the theatre was full with standing room only.

Usually as Elite members we get special extra toiletries but up until this evening they had not arrived. I was beginning to believe that was the victim of another cost cut but to my pleasure and surprise our packet was in our bathroom when we came back from dinner this evening.

At the end of the show we returned to our room and decided to stay here and relax for the rest of the evening. My ankle is swollen. ( I can’t imagine why. It is not as if I did anything today)J

We arrive on the Grand

January 24^th continues,

After our walk we returned to our beautiful room and we relaxed. I blogged and Ken surfed on the TV.

When it was time to leave we caller a porter and he arrived to take our suitcases to the waiting area. We discovered much to our surprise that the little liquor shop across from the hotel had opened and wasn’t out of business after all. Ken went across to the shop and got us a bottle of wine to have in our room. Soon the shuttle arrived and we were on out way. I was surprised to see that the port was only about 5 minutes away straight down the hill. It would have been a very lo9ng 5 minutes if we were walking it and pulling suitcases. But the shuttle was included in our hotel cost which was a very good thing. Princess employees met our shuttle and soon our bags were on their way to the ship and we were on our way to check in. That went very smoothly and our preferred boarding got us to very short lines and soon we were enjoying a coffee and an oatmeal cook. About 5 minutes later we saw Greg and he suggested that we join him and Jeannie. We had a great visit and Ken and I were introduced to their friends and lots of laughing and visiting and conversation ensued. Before long we were headed for the ship. Being preferred we were the first passengers allowed to board. That black card does come in handy.

We found our room with no problem, on the bed was a coffee card from Kim, she is a gem. We stashed things in the safe and headed to dinner. We had lunch in the Da Vinci dining room. We opted to sit with others and surprisingly Greg and Jeanie were put at out table as well. One gentleman at the table, I think his name was Ron, anyway this was cruise number 101 for him. We know Greg and Jeannie also have around or over 100 cruises. The other person was Betty who was also a solo traveler and from the way the conversation went she was also a very experienced cruiser. Our 30 cruises was not even worth mentioning. The food was fabulous and the conversation was great. It feels good to be back with Princess.

After lunch we went our separate ways after we checked out the center of the ship. I looked into some of the shops. I planned to buy a new hoodies with the anniversary logo on it. But I don’t like the color they have at all. I may just not buy one .

. Ken explored the ship and I came back to the stateroom. Our luggage had arrived so I unpacked and I decorated our door. I also took pictures of the room which I will post later.

Ken came back and he unpacked and we got ready for dinner. We are in the Botticelli dining room at a table for six. It is not next to a window but it isn’t that far away. It is a table for six but it will probably have 5 people. There is a couple and the brother of the man seems to be travelling alone. We don’t know the details yet.

Our waiter is very nice and very efficient, Juan Carlos is his name. There doesn’t seem to be an assistant waiter. We bought a nice bottle of French wine which we will enjoy for a couple of nights.

Ken had steak and I had Bass. As usual it was wonderful and perfectly done. We had a great time visiting with our tablemates. It seems we have lucked out again. They seem to be very nice and I am certain we will make new friend before this voyage is over. They are from Arizona by way of Ohio.

After dinner we went to the Princess Theatre for the welcome aboard show. We haven’t taken that in for the past few cruises but we were glad that we did last evening. The performers were amazing. I can go into that later.

After the show we planned to go for special coffee but we changed our minds and went back to our rooms and called it a night. It had been a very busy day and we were ready to sleep.

I will try to post pictures later!!

Sunday is a sea day.

Our Adventure Begins!!

We are on our way!!
Neither of us slept very well last night. I woke at six to find Ken already in the bathroom. He said he had been awake since four. So I guess the fact that this will be cruise number 30 we have not become blase about it.
We were out of the house at 7:30 and on our way to Vancouver. The freeway was good with no problems at all. But when we left the freeway and headed across town the traffic came to a sudden crawl. In all it took us about an hour and a half to make the trip so in all it was not too bad. We parked in from of Kerri;s and called a cab from there. The cab trip was slow because as usual we got mostly red lights. Ken has a way of attracting red lights.
We arrived at the airport with lots of time. The registration desk was closed so we decided to get a Starbucks. We just had it with no time for the coffee to cool when the desk opened. So juggling hot coffee we made our way through the paper work and got our boarding passes. We were assigned to row 6 and we were seated together.:-)
Because you can't take liquids through security we found a place to sit and enjoy our coffee and our shared cookie.
We cleared the next hurdle without a problem. Because it was early and not at all crowded the security people were laid back and in a good mood. When we were being screened the officer asked Ken to remove his hat as he compared the photo on the pass port. Then he asked "when is your birthday?" Ken answered and then the officer asked" when is your wife's birthday?" Ken looked surprised but a second later responded correctly. The officer laughed and said that is not the usual question I just thought I'd see if I could get you into trouble,,,, but you passed"

We relaxed and waited for the time to board. The plane left on time and we had a great short flight. It was a 2 hour 20 minute flight. Ken had a window seat and he was able to see Lake Tahoe and Yosemite .
The air was warm when we disembarked and we had no trouble finding our way to our luggage and to the shuttle. The shuttle trip was shared with one other couple , they will also be on the Grand . This is their first Princess cruise and they asked a lot of questions that we were able to answer.
We arrived at our hotel around 5:45. Again we were pleased with the hotel. They say we were upgraded to the Bungalow building and my oh my our room is very nice.(  I will post some pictures later.)
We called Wendy and Ken and before we knew it they were meeting us in the lobby. We were given a grand welcome. They could not have been more gracious or more welcoming. The took us to a lovely restaurant and we have a grand meal and visited as if we had been together every day for years when in fact we had not seen each other for almost 7 years. We reminisced and told stories and laughed and just had fun. They drove us back to our hotel and they came up to our room and visited again. They left around 9:30 and it was not too long before we were sound asleep. The busy day had caught up with us.

When I opened one eye and had a peek the clock said 6:57, I had slept through the night , I had not been up even once!! Unusual for sure.

We laid around and relaxed for awhile. After showers we headed to the lobby for breakfast. It was a full breakfast with everything including waffles and eggs and sausage etc. There were a lot of people there and you could tell most were cruisers and the conversations were about the different ports we were going to be visiting.

After breakfast we arranged with the desk to have a porter come for our bags at 10:15. We are scheduled to travel on the 10:50 shuttle to the ship. We went for a short walk , wondering if there was a near by shop where we could pick up some wine but nothing was really close so we returned to our room to wait for time to head to The Grand Princess.

More tomorrow