Monday, December 7th

Monday December 7, 2015, Puerto Vallarta

We had a wake up call for 6:15. What a shock after being able to sleep until we woke for the last three days.

We have a tour scheduled and we must be on shore to meet our bus and guide at 8:35. This tour is going to be fun because it is a tequila tour.

When the ship docked we discovered much to our surprise that the ship was docked in the middle of a bustling commercial district. Directly across from us was a Walmart , a Sam’s Club and a major shopping mall. We did not forget to put out our Canadian flag. We will be docked here until tomorrow evening at five. All Aboard is at 4:30 tomorrow.

When we disembarked we were greeted by dancers and a Mariachi band. Colorful and musical. We are in Mexico. The day will be warm and it is a kind of dull sunshine, almost high overcast.

The bus was air conditioned and bright and clean . Our guide was named Emma and she had a good knowledge of the area and a working microphone.

We had a good laugh when we stepped on the bus to find out that Mary and Richard were on the bus. It seems that everywhere we go we see that couple. She laughingly accuses me of stalking her and says she is going to report me to the captain. It is funny on a small ship because you keep seeing the same people. She is now living in California at Ocean side but she is originally from England. She told us that this is the third time she has taken this tequila tour. She says it is fantastic.

The tour seemed a little late departing and we soon found out why. We were being joined by some of the Love Boat cast. Isaac and Doc and Gopher and their family came on our bus just as we were about to leave. We would find out that they will be with us only part of the morning.

We left the dock and had a tour of the old town area. They have a wonderful new Malecon with wonderful sculptures and shopping. The waves were breaking and at time the spray was on the walkway. It is so very beautiful. 

I am impressed with the beauty and the modern aspects of this city.

We had a stop at Our Lady of Guadelupe cathedral. It has a guilded crown which is a replica of one worn by Carlota, empress of Mexico.

 The church was filled with fresh flowers. They were everywhere and the air was heavy with that glorious scent. From December 1 till 12 is a sacred time in this city and that is the reason for all of the flowers. 

It was at this point that the Love Boat cast left us.

We were taken to a shop called the Opal Mine. The interior is made to look like the inside of a mine. Well Ken bought me a beautiful Opal pendant. It is basically red and silver but it is amazing to see all of the different colors in it. It is absolutely gorgeous. I know I will enjoy it for years.

Our final and main stop was at the Tequila Hacieda.

 It is a lovely sunny location and here we were made to discover the fascinating process of tequila making from its origins in the blue agave cactus to our glass. We were given 6 samples of Puerto Vallarta’s finest. By the time I had slugged those 6 drinks I was in need of lunch to be certain. Lunch was very good with lots of salad and fruit and chicken dishes.

While we ate our lunch we were entertained royally by young people doing traditional dances. They also had 2 games. One was to make tortilla shells and I took part and I was a ceramic toucan. Quite colorful. I will have to put some felt on the bottom to make sure it doesn’t scratch furniture and to level it up. It is a bit tippy.

At the end of the lunch we had to make our way through a crowd of vendors who wanted us to buy their goods. That is always a not so pleasant part of being in Mexico.

We boarded our bus and we were returned to the city. We had a rest and a snack ( I had my December fries) because tonight we are on another excursion…Rhythms of the Night.

Third Full Sea Day

Third Full Day at Sea

The day began with another nautical mile on the jogging track and a beautiful sunrise, then I stopped at the buffet and picked up a coffee for Ken and I and fruit for me and a Danish for Ken.

We have been told that a magnificent Sunday brunch is a tradition and a special part of a world cruise and not other cruises. Since we have never experiences a Sunday brunch we believe it. But because this is a very special cruise there will be a Sunday brunch. It starts at 10:30 and goes until one, hense the very small breakfast.

Ten o’clock was to be a very special session of mixology featuring the regular bar staff and Isaac. Of course I had to go to that. The plan was for me to leave early and get pictures of the mixology. Ken was to go early and get into line for the brunch. I wanted to be certain to get photos of the food displays before they were decimated by the breakfast hungry passengers.

 It worked out perfectly. I got the pictures and a little video. When I got to the buffet Ken was saving us a place in line and was able to get great pictures. It was a feast to be sure, I can’t think of one thing that was missing. There were dozens of offerings plus there were chefs on duty to create omelets and eggs benedicts. Oscar Perego, the Maitre d’Hotel told me to feel free to take one of the menus. That will be great to put with my photobook.

The sea is a bit rolly today. It has been almost as smooth as glass up until today. After brunch I decided to return to the cabin, take a Gravol and have a rest. The movie was Woman in Gold, so I just relaxed and enjoyed the movie.

I was inside the cabin and I could hear people commenting on our door decorations. One left us a figure made from a facecloth. I heard one say it was Rudolph but the nose is not red. Lots of fun to be sure.!!

Around three thirty we decided to take advantage of happy hour and try an Isaac cocktail. We now have a new favorite. I plan to try to get the exact recipe and serve it during the holidays.

Next it was time to head for dinner. Scallops were the meal of choice this evening and they were wonderful, nice and tender and prepared just right.

After dinner we took in the comedy of Miguel Washington. He is so funny. We heard a couple that we want to tell Len but we probably won’t remember them.

The Love Boat deck party took us well into the night. We don’t usually take these deck parties  but I am so glad we went last night. It was wonderful, lots of dancing and singing with special dances by the Princess Singers and dancers and of course Jack Jones sang the Love Boat theme as the grand Finale.

We have to be up early for our shore excursion in Puerto Vallarta.

Second Full Sea Day

This was a very interesting morning.

I began the day by getting up early and doing 14 laps of the jogging track. The sign says that 13 laps is a nautical mile. It was beautiful and I was able to enjoy the sunrise while I walked. Gopher was there walking as well. I chatted with him for a few minutes.

Then it was down to the cabin to get Ken and go for breakfast. By this time I was hungry. We went to the dining room. We were seated at a table with 5 others. They were very well travelled and were discussing their world cruise experiences. It turned out that the most travelled passenger ever with Princess was seated next to me. Her name is Eileen and she has completed 215 cruises with Princess, and 252 altogether if you count other cruise lines. She used to travel with her husband but she was widowed about a year ago and now she travels alone. It was a most interesting breakfast to say the least.

There was a scheduled interview with the LOVE BOAT cast. I decided that I really did not want to be in the mob so I just poked my head in the door and left. I know the complete session will be on the DVD of the trip. I decided to check out the holiday sale and get a watch since I had forgotten to bring one. I bought a gaudy one with a black strap and rhinestones. Lots of fun for ten dollars.

Then I peaked in at the interviews again and they were still talking so I spent the next half hour watching the fruit and vegetable carving demonstration. At first there were only 6 of us there so I was able to get up close for sure. By the end there were lots of people there because the Q&A was over and they were posing for pictures.

The line was terribly long so I left again and came back to the cabin and got my coffee card. Next stop, the club bar for a skinny latte.

By the time I got my coffee the line was very short. I found someone to use my camera to take my picture and I got into line. I was the last passenger whose picture was taken with the cast. The person with my camera was still there thankfully and he had gotten a couple of good pictures. I hope to crop it so there is a picture of me with Isaac only.

Then I came back to the cabin. Much to my surprise my stocking was on the floor at the bottom of our door. I picked it up and I could tell there was something inside. Santa had come!!!! I had a mint candy and a Princess card holder. Ken did not get a visit from Santa. I guess I was better than he was.

We met Michael and Jan and Barb and Craig for lunch and they knew nothing about my secret Santa. The mystery deepens.

The afternoon consisted of a nap, a shower, hors d’oeuvres and wine and getting ready for the first formal night.

I wore my long red skirt with a black fooler sweater set and Ken wore his tux with red tie etc. Unfortunately we forgot to get a picture taken. The canapé were delivered to our room and we enjoyed a glass of wine before we left for dinner.

Dinner was the special 50^th anniversary menu and it included a Norman Love chocolate dessert.

After dinner we went to the Cabaret lounge and enjoyed the singing and playing of Zach Winningham. He was voted Princess entertainer of the year in 2013 and we could understand why.

There was a lady in attendance and she was wearing a sash that said MS Illinois 1965. She even wore the tiara. She looked very good considering her age. I guess she had been a dance instructor on cruise ships. She and her partner certainly put on a show,  it was lovely to watch.

At the end of the show we returned to nour room and there on our bed was a gift, beautifully wrapped in gold paper and Princess Cruises ribbon. The parcel was very heavy and I opened it very carefully. In the parcel there were 2 beautiful golden coasters complete with the 50^th anniversary logo. They are magnificent and we were both surprised and pleased.

 What a great way to end a special and busy day.

First Full Sea Day

After sleeping like a log ( I love the feel of the sea) I woke at 6:30 which has become my habit. I decided to go for a walk. I dressed quickly and went up to deck nine. It was a glorious morning, not too hot and not too cold. There were some other people with the same idea. Of course the real exercisers were running or jogging but I was walking.

Because it was so nice I came back after my half hour and convinced Ken to have breakfast on the deck upstairs. It was cooler that he would have liked but it was grand. While there Michael and Jan joined us. We had a great visit and made plans to meet at the M&G later. I went to hear Sammy tell about the events scheduled for the rest of the cruise. I met and chatted with a man named Richard. We had a very nice visit. Then I returned to the cabin to get Ken so we could go up to deck ten where the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet was to take place. We sat with Michael and Jan and had a great visit. They wanted to know who had the most cruises and there was a lady there who said they had taken 133 cruises. We are at number 33, so she has taken one hundred more that we have. I find that hard to believe. She didn’t look that old either

The turn out was very impressive. One of the officers said they had never seen a CC group this large. There was a good representation from the officers and even the captain came.

I was so surprised to see that Barb was there handing out buttons to everyone. They are wonderful souvenirs of this cruise. She was not charging for them because she had used the anniversary logo. It is copywrited and that means no selling.

Barb is amazing. We met her on previous cruises. She is a person who sews and she has one of those amazing sewing machines. She used her talent to make Christmas stocking for Ken and I and Michael and Jan and her and Craig. The stockings are embroidered with our names and the Princess 50^th Anniversary Logo. We all had them on our doors. I removed ours and put it inside. I would be heart broken if someone stole it. These stockings are something we will treasure always.

After the Meet and Greet we went to the photo department to buy the group picture that was taken at the sail away party. I also ordered a copy of the DVD. It is going to be a very special one. I also bought the special anniversary charm for my bracelet. It was fourteen dollars which wasn’t too bad I guess. Of course we got the magnet of the Pacific Princess. I believe this is Princess ship number 14 for us.

Then I picked up a sandwich and special coffees for Ken and I. ( Thanks for the coffee card  Kim, you are a sweetie) We had our lunch on our balcony, which is something we really enjoy doing.

Our room steward does our room late in the day which is unusual for us. We have always been done while we were at breakfast. We need more hangers and do not have them yet. Also we got a note from princess telling us that laundry will probably take 7s hours instead of the usual 24. Apparently almost 75% of the passengers are elite. Michael and Jan were told that there is a 10 page list of Mini bar changes waiting to be done. We do have wine glasses and a vase thanks to ROMANO.

To quote Jeannie ‘Life is good”.

I got a new saying from Sammie the cruise director today….Cover the earth before it covers you. Love it!!

The wine tasting was very good. We got to sample 5 different wines; 2 red, 2 white and champagne. The good thing was that on the whole the people were respectful and they did not talk while the presenter was talking. On the last cruise it was terrible, you could hear nothing.

After the wine tasting I had a nap and Ken went topside to look for whales.

Then I got busy and did my hair, getting ready for the evening dinner and show.

Ken and I were there first so we changed our seats. When the others arrived they sat in different spots and so we were able to visit with different people. Ursula was telling me that John has dementia and so life can be difficult. I felt so sorry for them. She has hard times ahead of her.

Dinner was good as usual. I passed on dessert again tonight. I think tomorrow will be different because it is formal night and I expect a Norman Love chocolate creation to be featured.

Tonight’s show with the Princess singers and dancers was “Stardust”. They did a great job and it amazes me that they can do all of the dance moves on such a small stage.

We set the clocks ahead tonight, so we called it a night early.

Tomorrow is another sea day!! Love it.

Party Time

We got up early this morning to make sure we could say Good Bye to Wendy. Ken made us a wonderful breakfast and then he delivered us to the ship. There were lots of passengers there already even though it was only 10:30. We checked in and got our room keys and then we were ushered to the Elite lounge to wait till it was time to board. Of course the VIP’s were boarded first.

We had to laugh when they announced that the Elite passengers would be boarded first. This ship holds 680 passengers and we heard that more than 400 are elite. The lounge had the usual array of juice and tea and coffee and goodies to keep the Elite happy until they were allowed to board. It was almost an hour before we were ushered onto the ship. No one seemed to be complaining and it all went very smoothly.

When we boarded I remembered how wonderful these ships are. Our cabin is beautiful!!!

 I took lots of pictures and then we went to lunch. The dining room was closed because all of the celebrities were occupying the dining room. We made our way to the buffet, using the stairs and had lunch there. We shared a table with a very pleasant couple from Australia. Ken had scallops for lunch which pleased him greatly.

After lunch we explored a little more and then I returned to the room hoping the luggage had arrived. It had not.

So that gave me time to BLOG

This is what greeted us on the front page of the Patter

Welcome aboard Pacific Princess

Welcome aboard this landmark sailing as we mark a historic milestone, the 50^th Anniversary of Princess Cruises!!

It was exactly 50 years ago today that the Princess Patricia set sail on Princess’ very first cruise in 1965 and now Princess has grown into the third largest cruise line in the world. Pacific Princess is recreating that very same inaugural cruise of course with some new touches and new ports.

In 1965 with a single ship cruising to Mexico, Princess quietly launched a revolution in travel. Over the next few years we added new ships as we expanded itineraries to the Panama Canal, Alaska and the Caribbean. Soon we were crossing the Atlantic!

The 1977 premier of The Love Boat helped to make Princess the most recognizable name in cruising. Today we take our guests to the world’s greatest destinations and introduce them to marvelous and unforgettable experiences.

We’ve planned an anniversary cruise filled with special events and surprises—from a Love Boat cast Q&A and deck parties, golden balloon drops, cultural festivities and musical tribute bands to commemorative menus featuring signature dishes from the past 50 years, exclusive Seawitch craft beer, anniversary pizzas, chocolate Journeys experience from renowned master chocolatier Norman Love!

All of us at Princess are delighted to have you as our guests for this historic sailing and look forward to toasting our 50^th anniversary with you.

Soon it was time to go to Muster and then we brought our PFD’s back to our cabin and then we headed for the sail away party. They had a champagne waterfall and a special performance by the Princess Dancers. Then Sammy Baker, the cruise director introduced The Love Boat cast. It was great , each one spoke for a few minutes.

 Then Jack Jones sang the theme from The Love Boat. All the while the champagne was flowing like water. They were passing and refilling and pouring. They were also passing out the Norman Love chocolate pops. I had one. They are chocolate truffles and they are soooooooooo wonderful.

 I resisted and had only one but I did have 3 glasses of champagne. Because I ate so very little for lunch I was feeling it for sure. During the music and the dancing and the drinking we were visiting with Michael and Jan and Craig and Barb. In the midst of all of this partying we looked and there was “Gopher “ from Love Boat. Shaking hands and posing for pictures. I was feeling no pain so I went over and had my picture taken with him.

This was the best sail-away party ever.

Next came dinner. We are at a table for eight which is disappointing. You can’t get to know people when there are so many at the table. They seem to be nice people. Stan and Karen; Phil and Lena; John and Ursula. We will learn more about them as the cruise progresses.

Dinner was very good as usual. We headed to the lounge as soon as dinner was over so we could take in the welcome show.

Then it was back here to unpack. When we arrived at the door there were wonderful Christmas stockings hung on the door with magnets. Our names were proudly embroidered on them. Barb made them for us. How thoughtful was that??

Romano, our room steward had brought us a vase so I could put my flowers in it.

Ken and I both had to complete our unpacking and it had been an early morning so it wasn’t long before we were all tucked in for the night.

Lovely Day

We both had a great night of sleep and the day began bright and sunny.
Ken was at work and Wendy made us a great breakfast. After eating we decided to head out to a shopping mall.  On the way Wendy drove us down a street called Strawberry Lane. On that little dead end road there were PEACOCKS. I guess they are wild. Once they were part of the estate of a Mr. Van Der Lip. When he lost his fortune the peacocks went wild and bred successfully. Now there are hundreds of them. They are very beautiful and they they are very tame. We drove right up next to them and they simply came to investigate much like our ducks. They have done a cull recently. Wendy said they are noisy and they defecate on the cars and they have been known to scratch the paint on your cars. There are mixed opinions from the locals as to whether or now they should be allowed in the neighbourhood.
Anyway they were a delight to see and we enjoyed having them come up to the car doors to see if we had treats for them.

Then we drove to the mall and I was impressed by all of the decorations. I can't say I was impressed with the prices. In Nordstroms they had men's neck ties for $205.00 US. Needless to say We did not buy one or two.
They had a poinsettia tree which impressed me.

 I heard about the one they used to have at Trinity. I hope they do that again one day.
Then we came back here and we had lunch and a rest. Ken was at work and Wendy had to go to an office Christmas Party so I had a wonderful nap and Ken got a start on his tan.

When Wendy came home from her party and Ken came home from work we headed out to  Avenue Italy for dinner. It was lovely and after dinner we shopped at Trader Joe's and got wine and flowers for tomorrow. I love to browse around that store. There is always something different to buy. It is a place where you go in for one thing and come away with a cart filled with goodies.
This little mall was all decked out for the season and it looked so very festive.

Then it was back to the house for tea and cookies.
The visit continued with lots of laughs and memory sharing.
We called it a night relatively early. Wendy has to see a patient at eight in the morning.

Tomorrow we sail. YEAH!!!

Too long

It is hard to believe that we have gone from April 7 until now without being on a cruise. That will soon be corrected. We sail tomorrow, December 3rd/2015. Eight months is the longest we have gone between cruises since we started cruising in January of 2009.

All of the cruises have been special and all have been memorable but this one will have its own very special aspect. This is the 50th anniversary cruise for Princess Cruise line. The entire cast of the television show "The Love Boat" is scheduled to be on board and lots of other special surprises have been promised.

We booked this cruise in May of 2014 and it seems as if that was years ago. Well time crawled by and finally the time arrived. Yesterday we left Vancouver to begin this adventure. Marg and Dave Ruben picked us up at the house and delivered us safely to the Vancouver airport. Our flight was due to leave at one and so we needed to be at the airport 3 hours ahead of departure. That meant being there by ten. We left Abbotsford around 7:30 and we were safely deposited at YVR at 9:30. The traffic was heavy because it was rush hour but Dave skillfully maneuvered all of the lane changes and got us to the plane in lots of time.

We expected to have to wait for a while before we could check in but that was not the case. There was not a line up and the agent took us immediately and in less that a half hour we had jumped all of the hurdles and we were at Starbucks enjoying a leisurely coffee and engaging in one of my favorite pass times... People watching.

We found a gift of a granite inukshuk to bring to Ken and Wendy. We considered bringing smoked salmon but we were not sure that they eat fish since they are vegetarians.

We found our gate and shared a sandwich. Soon the plane was called. We were supposed to leave at 1:05 but it was 1:35 before we got away. The plane was full and Ken had his window seat so all was well. I read the novel " Executive Decision" during and before the flight. I finished it just before we landed so that was very good. It was a silly romance novel, just right for relaxing.

I was concerned that with the late departure we might miss our shuttle but in spite of that we arrived in LA at 3:50 and we were not scheduled to arrive until 4:05.
We had no trouble getting our luggage. It was great to see the luggage carousel decorated for Christmas.

 we were outside at the Prime Time shuttle station at 4:20.
The air was so warm and I had to smile to see that the agent was wearing a heavy jacket.
Our ride was scheduled for 5:40. I had left lots of time in case of delays. I could not believe it when we were called to get our ride at 4:30.

 We were driven in a private car and one hour later we were in front of Ken and Wendy's. The traffic was horrific and I certainly was glad to not be driving or have Ken driving either. So we sat back and relaxed and enjoyed what Christmas light displays there were.

We were welcomed graciously. They have a way of making you feel like they have been waiting for you and that you are the most special guests ever.
We laughed and visited and had supper. Then we sat and watched the Canucks play hockey and lose in the 3 on 3 as usual. Then we called it a night.
The bed was so comfortable and their home is wonderful. They even had fleece sheets on the bed, just for us.