Spring 2017 – Cruising the Mexican Riviera
April 8, 2017 -Every September for the last 7 years Joanne and I have been fortunate to enough use our accumulated credit card points to book a cruise. That cruise is always during the following years Spring break vacation. As a teacher, Joanne is tied to the school calendar which results in the cruises being slightly more expensive than other times of the year, though we always return saying it is worth it. During that time we have cruised on either Princess Cruise Lines or Celebrity Cruises each year. Our past cruises have departed from either New York, Fort Lauderdale, or San Juan. These trips have included Bermuda and most of the stops in the Caribbean. This year we decided to try something new and fly to LA and cruise South to the Mexican Riviera.
While most years we have cruised by ourselves; this year we were joined by my sister Pat, who went with us a few years back, and also by our neighbors of the past 29 years the Shiely’s. This was Pat’s second cruise and a first for the Shiely’s. Probably one of funniest parts of the trip was from a series of texts Pat and I were having after she told me she had been upgraded by Princess:
Side Note: I had texted her maybe it was because they had given her more points from the last trip (since she had booked a captain’s suite last time) – Unbeknownst to me the spellchecker had changed that to: “Maybe they gave you more poo for that lady trip…” I have no idea what that means or why the spellchecker did that though we all laughed about that one for the next 7 days! That joke was followed up by a reference to a youtube sensation called “Linda listen to me” and then a skit by 2 Scots in a voice activated elevator-ELEVEN… Guess you would have to be there though we laughed and referenced these 3 items the entire week. Vacation is supposed to be fun and is even more so with friends…
Departing for the airport at 3:00 am we were definitely in for a long day traveling to the west coast. Connecting through Chicago we then arrived at LAX around 1:00 PST. It was there we got on a bus for the 45 minute ride to Long Beach Harbor and the Ruby Princess, our home for the next week.
Boarding the boat by 2:30 we were checked in and ready for a stop a the buffet before we pulled out of the harbor.
While we always enjoy the myriad of ports we have visited over the years we have found some of the most relaxing times are the At Sea days. The first 2 days this year were At Sea and they were spectacular. We spent nearly the entire first 2 days sitting by the pool, reading, talking, sipping a few margaritas, and enjoying the great weather. – Theses type of days are the some of the best parts of cruising…
April 11, 2017 -On Tuesday we woke up to our first port in Mexico, Puerto Vallarta. Time for an excursion. Interesting first view from our balcony was Puerto Vallarta’s Walmart and Sam’s Club…
Puerto Vallarta -Walmart & Sam’s Club
The night before we had decided to take the “Viva Tequila Tour” where we were bused around the downtown sites of Puerta Vallarta for about and hour and then headed to the Viva Tequila – Tequila making tour. Traveling in old downtown Puerto Vallarta is an adventure to the say the least. I’ve traveled a fair share of cobblestone streets though these cobblestones are at another level. It literally looks like any rocks found can be used to make a street and I can’t believe how much traffic has to pass these roads every day on these very difficult roads. To say it was bumpy is truly and understatement.
On the tour, our guide was often difficult to hear, mostly because of the road noise and the hustle and bustle of downtown. We still managed to get some sites in. Aside from just the general people watching and culture, the first memorable stop was Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, known locally as La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. It is a church building in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. The church has been called “one of the most endearing” of the city’s landmarks.
Next we stopped on a bridge/light and happened to see some local iguanas/fauna in the trees which was a treat. Those are some big lizards…
Then it was on to Viva-Tequila downtown. Viva-Tequila includes a history tour of tequila production and the process along with a formal tasting in their large amphitheater. Unbeknownst to me, after the tasting a short movie begins , which is a little corny, though it is followed by a 1 hour production of singers, dancers, musicians, Mexican cowboy, and an entertaining show which was the high point of the tour. This production was excellent and really gave you a great look into the culture. Following the show we were herded back to the entrance where we received our “Certified Tequila Taster Certificate” and then took a brief walk towards the beach where we enjoyed an authentic Mexican meal by the beach.
Getting on the shuttle back was uneventful though we decided to stop a at pier bar before boarding to have some local Margarita’s at El Bucanero before getting on the ship. While sipping those Margaritas we decided to take a little video with Rob’s new camera to document the day. Pat was saved from our freelance video experience having already returned to the boat. The 4 of us were left to experiment with Rob’s new video camera while enjoying our Margaritas… We laughed so hard all of our stomach’s hurt.
Puerto Vallarta was fun though it was nice to get back on the boat after the long day ashore. As we pulled out of the port, around 6:00 PM, we set sail for the next stop Mazatlan scheduled to arrive about 7:00 am the next morning. At dinner that night we all enjoyed reflecting on the days event.
April 12, 2017 – We arrived at Mazatlan first thing in the morning. After much discussion we decided that the girls and I would take a cab to old downtown Mazatlan to get a feel for the culture and the market. Rob wanted to stay back and relax. (Note: make sure you bring some small bill currency off the boat.)
We found that the cabs were not expensive. $6.00 US (one-way), for all of us, was reasonable but some drivers didn’t have change and certain downtown businesses didn’t want US money. The market was no doubt a real Mazatlan experience. Everything you can think of was being peddled and negotiated here and the locals are not bashful to get your interest or money. One thing, that was most interesting to me was the many aisles of food and produce for sale. No question we are in a different culture here given the amount of displayed raw chicken, meat, and fish on so many counters… (Being married to a certified food specialist who teaches culinary she reminded all of us, more than once, that US safety rules for food preparation and storage are certainly stricter in the states.) I didn’t mind the olfactory distinctions in the air but some of our party were clearly bothered by the sights and smells.
We visited several other stores, just to compare prices to the states, and then headed to Mazatlan’s famous Cathedral Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción. The entrance was free though you are welcome to leave a donation. This is a beautiful church that reminds me of some of the famous others we have seen in Europe. This is a great place for a few moments of reflection while in Mazatlan.
Pat, Susan, & Joanne
A little shopping in Mazatlan, Mexico
We decide to take the $6.00 taxi back to the ship though after talking to our driver for a few minutes we all deemed a few extra dollars for a tour of the city would be fun. We enjoyed a terrific ride around the city while our driver gave us and entertaining lecture. He took us to the beach, views of Twin Sisters rocks, and a view of the city with our ship docked at the port. We all decided this detoured excursion was worth the time and as he was a great guide as well. He said to pay us what ever we want so we gave him $20.00 which he was ecstatic to receive.
Joanne and I had enjoyed that small tour of the city and decided, instead of getting back on the boat early, we would rather take another open air cab-ride (Pulmonia) to other parts of the city and possibly see some RV parks for future reference. While the ride and sightseeing was fun, the RV parks were only ok. The farthest one out RV.Park Punta Cerritos was nice and more remote though it really seemed to have many permanent people there than just seasonals. The amenities and beaches were nice and the cost was about $500-600/month. It was quite crowded by the beaches but they indicated this is very unusual and was because this is Holiday week and the kids are out of school. Not sure if it would be something we would have future interest in here though it is a good reference.The entire trip took nearly 2 hours round trip. The cost was $40.00 US for the day and although it was more expensive that we had led to believe we still felt it was a good investment to see the area and some of these parks. Mazatlan is clearly a beach city and many views of the beaches were spectacular.
We met everyone back on the ship and enjoyed a few departure cocktails, as we pulled out of the port, for our next stop Cabos San Lucas…. Arriving at Cabos San Lucas early the next morning we were ready for just a day to walk the waterfront and shops. This is the only port on the cruise that we were not docking at the port and would have to take tenders in. Princess Cruise Lines is very organized and the tenders moved quickly to shore. It was quickly evident that Cabos San Lucas is much newer, upscale, and more Americanized than our other stops. We spent most of our time walking the waterfront here where there is a plethora of shopping and eating establishments. While it was day time I can assure you this area is hopping at night with clubs, music, and tourists/vacationeers. The harbor is expansive and the # of privates boats and yachts docked here is impressive. This place is upscale and the boats reflect that. We spent our entire time in Cabos San Lucas exploring and walking the waterfront . on our return walk we decided to sit for a snack and beverage at the famous Cabo Wabo Cantino before leaving. Cabo Wabo is own by guitarist/ rockstar Sammy Haggar and the walls are decorated with pictures of celebrities that have been their over the years. Cabo Wabo also makes their own famous brand of Tequila. Rob Shiely seemede to be an afficionada of Tequila and Cabo Wabo Santo and indulged in a few Tequila shots of brands that are yet to be imported into the states. While Rob is th expert I can agree the Margrias we had there were outstanding and the best part it was Happy Hour and they were 2 for 1!
After snapping several traditional tourist pictures at Cabo Wabo we headed back to the tenders and got a quick ride back to the Ruby Princess. That evening was formal night which their are 2 of on every cruise we have taken. It’s not as formal as it used to be though it is still fun to get dressed up those couple of nights on the boat. We all had a terrific lobster dinner this night and enjoyed the Chocolate Desert that was the special of the evening. Tomorrow we would be At Sea again on our final day of the cruise.
Friday April 14 we woke to a little overcast skies and a cooler temperature. The morning we all took our time with breakfast, visiting the future cruise desk, exploring some things on the ship and then when the sun came out found a protected area from the wind to spend out last day on the ship. eAfter a few port days it was nice to relax and catch up on our reading… dinner was great an the “Baked Alaska” always the last night traditional desert was excellent.
Saturday’s debarkation went smoothly and then we spent the entire day traveling back to Connecticut and the Northeast. We didn’t get to baed until 2:00am Saturday night, so it was a long day, though we both agreed that the Mexican Rivera was definiely fun and worth a second cruise and longer visit in the future….
My sister Pat said she had a terrific time relaxing tby the pool and the Shiely’s thought it was wonderful. Having never cruised before they are now no longer newbies and assured us that they were they were thankful for our invitation and can’t wait to take another. No surprise to us. Cruising is a terrific, relaxing vacation, that is part of our Revolutionary Journey today and certainly in our future!
Setting sail from Los Cabos … Until next time Mexico
