We_like_to_cruise

Yes, all of those typical questions were asked. Surprisingly for this game the men were pretty accurate.

Not sayin this is an older crowd - but ... the traditional Princess Marriage Match game (modeled after the Newlywed Game) usually has three couples. The first is a true newlywed couple recently married. The next is a more mature married couple and the last, well they are the "senior" married couple ready to share their knowledge and wisdom. And of course a feature of the game is to playfully embarrass them all for the amusement of the audience. When this game was held the other night, the "newlyweds" were married 39 years (!) and the middle couple was married 54 years and the last couple was married 70 (!!!!) years. They were all great sports and we did have fun.

Here's a few shots from around the ship including indoor and outdoor entertainment, a boat building contest, the traditional Baked Alaska parade in the MDR, the covered pool and more.

Some samples of MDR dinner offerings. We never had a problem with portion size.

Here are the officers for WC 2023 on the Island Princess

The room size seems similar to previous balcony cabins we have had. But the balcony is definitely bigger - perhaps 10 x 10 (guessing). Plenty of room for the two chairs, foot rests and table provided. And it is nice that it partially covered.

Los Angeles, California So much for sunny California – temps were in the chilly low 50s with cloudy skies so we bundled up. This was the first time in two weeks that we wore jeans and "Florida winter clothes" so it felt unusual. We were instructed to be onboard by 2:15 pm, so a short time in this embarkation port. Having previously done the touristy excursion offerings, we thought (despite the weather) it would be nice to get outside and take a long walk. According to the info provided in our cabin, we would need to disembark and go through Customs and Immigration and could shortly afterward return to the ship. We were led to believe it was a fairly quick straightforward process. Negative! We left our cabin a bit before 10 am and once we reached the terminal waited on line over an hour to be processed. The line moved very slowly. There was only one line for “In Transit” passengers like us, and much grumbling about how long it was taking. There was no line for Global Entry. The poor passengers dragging their luggage who had LA as their final destination faced even longer lines than we did. Yikes. As my daughter would say, it was a “ship-show” or something like that. We were surprised there were no facial scanners or passport scanners at this port. Isn’t California the home of Silicon Valley??? Each person had to be processed by an official - an arduous task. Of course Princess has absolutely no control over this. Once free of the port, we walked along the water and visited the USS Iowa that was adjacent to us. (I didn’t like how its guns were pointed right at the Island Princess, ha-ha – see my pic). The LA Fire Dept. fire-boat was interesting. We passed the Port of Los Angeles High School – POLAHS – Polar Bears, cute! The polar bears would have liked the weather today. Then followed signs to “Historic San Pedro” but either we took a wrong turn or someone was pulling our leg. What we found were pawn shops, dollar stores, and sadly, people rummaging through the municipal garbage pails. We did see a pay telephone on one of the streets. I took a pic and will ask my daughter if she has any idea what it is, lol. Heading back a couple of hours later, we walked into a designated lane for “In Transit” passengers. Great! But, then we were instructed to sit and wait inside the terminal as we could not yet board. No, thank you. Instead, we turned around and went back outside and read for an hour. By then the sun had come out and it was cool but pleasant outdoors. At our next attempt to board we were able to walk right into the ship and headed to the restaurant for some lunch. We have a few sea days before Hawaii, so will post more about the ship and shipboard activities soon.

Thanks for the heads up about status. As far as the shows, they have been at 7:30 - 8:15 pm and 9:30 - 10:15 pm. They were the same times during the first segment.

They do have the Swirls ice cream at that location.

Yes, and we can always find something to eat or drink. Especially with the medallion - the food and drink come to you!

My posting was a little tongue-in-cheek. Thanks for your reply though, that is what we thought.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Part Two Next, the Lazaro Cardenes Park in the Romantic Zone, a park with awesome functional urban art benches decorated with colorful mosaics. After a pleasant outdoor lunch we headed away from the water to the iconic Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This church features a spectacular crown that can be seen for miles. Then, we start to walk uphill the many steps to visit the former home of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Suddenly we are surrounded by ninos y ninas! The local school has just let out and an abundance of cute kids in school uniforms are everywhere ! We carefully sidestep them on our way to Casa Kimberly, now a boutique hotel and restaurant. Elizabeth Taylor sold the home in 1990 a few years after the death of Richard Burton. We walked back down the other side of the Malecon and at its terminus caught the bus back to the pier. The return bus had a large SAM’S sign written on the windshield. After getting off at Sam’s (of course) we went inside to use el bano. Not in need of a gallon of mayonnaise or a 30 pack of facial tissues, we headed next-door to the Wal-Mart Supercenter. It was crowded with locals and tourists and we bumped into fellow cruisers at the souvenir aisles! We also picked up a collapsible laundry container and a few other sundries. Back on the ship, some tequila for our sail-away and adios Puerto Vallarta.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Part One Beginning in the 1960s, “Vallarta” transitioned from a small fishing village to one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico. One factor was director John Huston’s 1964 movie “The Night of the Iguana” based on the Tennessee Williams play. The movie starred Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr and Sue Lyons. Infighting between the cast and director and the scandalous extramarital affair between Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (both married to others) in this exotic location was duly reported by all of the celebrity magazines. In fact Burton bought Liz a home here, and they vacationed in Puerto Vallarta for many years. Today Puerto Vallarta is a bustling tourist city filled with activities, restaurants and shopping. Much of it is centered around the large pedestrian boardwalk called the Malecon which hugs Banderas Bay. So, let’s not dwell on the past and we will talk about our day in PV. A day that was too short as far as we were concerned ! Pre-cruise research indicated taking a city bus from the pier area to the Malecon was described as “a cultural experience.” Sounds good to us. After an early disembarkation, we walked through the terminal and were met by law enforcement with dogs who sniffed at our backpacks. (Hmm, did they think we were smuggling drugs INTO Mexico?). After passing muster we crossed the street and were greeted by a large Sam’s Club warehouse store and an adjacent Wal-Mart. As per our research, we waited only a few minutes with all of the other commuters on the side street for the next bus marked “CENTRO” (downtown). Fare was 10 Mexican pesos, so $1.00 US (for both of us) covered the cost for the three mile trip. You place the bill in a slotted wooden box in front of the bus and are given a receipt / ticket. As it was rush hour, although the bus was not extremely crowded, there were no seats available so we stood for the 15 minute ride. Yes, it was an experience – the bus driver drove very quickly, slamming to an abrupt stop at the designated bus stops. We drove from smooth pavement to paving stones to finally cobblestones and on the latter the bus bouncing around could knock out your fillings! What fun, haha. Although most of the passengers as well as the driver spoke little or no English they all knew where we tourists should get off and indicated that to us. Gracias! We got off near the Hotel Rosita. Then we headed toward the water and spent almost the entire day walking the Malecon and Centro. We lucked out with another lovely day, mixed sun and clouds in the 70s. Dozens of large bronze statues lined the walkway, some doing double duty as seating so you could rest and gaze out at the crashing waves. We passed live performances, dozens and dozens of shops and restaurants, resorts and hotels as we headed south to Los Arcos, an open air amphitheater and then even further to Los Muertos Pier. Along the way we found numerous side streets and wandered the city.

Any minor issues we have run into have been resolved quickly and professionally. I think the staff really cares about the guest experience!

To answer your second question first, we were told it is only on Saturdays. The distance from the cruise port (Muelle de Curceros) to the supermarket is less than a kilometer, so about a 12 minute walk according to Google Maps. That roughly corresponds to our recollection. From the cruise pier, walk almost straight to Av 1 (just after Av Central) and make a left. When we were there a tourist info representative was heading out maps and giving directions. There was no formal info booth that we saw. You could also ask anyone on the street. Good luck ! istance from the

Well, actually not all Princess cruise ships have motion lights, including the Island Princess which we are on right now. Additionally, some of the ships we have sailed on have motion lights that are too bright as others have pointed out. We figured this item could resolve those issues. 👍

Huatulco, Mexico A newer fun port on the Mexican Riviera, it is pronounced “wah-TOOL-coh”. After leaving the ship there were a couple of little tuk-tuk type vehicles that, for a tip, would take you to the end of the long pier to the beginning of town. We walked off the ship, down that long pier, and headed north. About a mile away was the Santa Cruz Bay overlook with expansive views of the lovely harbor. We walked uphill on the sidewalk passing hotels and condominiums on one side and dense foliage on the other. Further along was another overlook to one of the other nine bays in the area. Along the way we met and chatted with a few local residents – all Canadian! Then we walked into La Crucecita, a small Oaxacan town with many shops and restaurants. Just past the plaza was the church. The interior was filled with beautifully painted and brilliantly colored religious scenes. On the ceiling is a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe – at 65 feet long, the largest in Mexico. (On my picture below you can see at the very bottom some people exiting the church. That should give you some sense of scale. It is the 5th pic in this series). Very nice. We did some shopping and walked back to the ship via the brand new “Tourist Corridor”. Still under construction it was a very wide cement path directly from the town back to port. It will be interesting to see what this will look like in a few years. Back at the port, we discover numerous booths set up for the Saturday flea market. Food, produce, fresh flowers, handicrafts, etc. Lucky timing for us. We walk through and browse and make our way back to the beach. There are hundreds of tables and chairs with restaurants right on the beach. All under palapas or umbrellas, nice and shady, although the temps are warm. But the beers are cold! After lunch we return back to the ship to change into swim suits. The beach is adjacent to the ship only a short distance away. Although the water temperature is pleasant, it is somewhat murky. But you cannot beat the location. Back in the room, a quick shower, room delivery of tequila and margaritas and we sit on the balcony and watch the sail away from this engaging port.

Puntarenas, Costa Rica On previous trips to Costa Rica we had visited the Sloth Sanctuary, a canopy rain forest tour, coffee and banana plantations and DW even went zip lining. (Not for me, thank you.) Today we would explore the local environs. Just outside the pier were many booths filled with handicrafts, souvenirs and knick knacks. We browsed and then walked along the beach to the edge of town. Honestly the beach was not very inviting. There were numerous small beach restaurants (called sodas). Returning back on Central Ave. there were a few more commercial shops and restaurants. This port does not seem very developed for tourism but we enjoyed the pleasant temperatures. We ran into one of the ship staff heading back with two large grocery bags and he gave us directions to the local supermarket (Megasuper). Ship staff always knows where to get internet and the non-touristy stuff. Although not considered “Mega” by US standards, the air conditioned market had a wide assortment of foods. We purchased Costa Rican coffee; prices ranged from $4 to $8 per pound. This was much less expensive (and probably fresher) than what was sold at the outdoor shops near the ship. As we sailed away, a local band played and we were entertained by three large figures (sorry still do not have an exact explanation of them. I took French in HS and not Spanish!) In retrospect we should have booked an excursion at this port. There is just not enough to see right in the port area. (Although, at dinner we heard griping about the 3 ½ hour bus trip each way to view the volcano. Another passenger felt the nearly two hour bus trip to see the sloths followed by another two hour bus trip for a canopy tour in “a drenching downpour” was not too much fun!)

Sabbatini's Menu This was supposed to be included in the above posting, but didn't make the trip through cyperspace. Let's try again. sabatinis-trattoria-main-menu.pdf

This has been a great purchase and used successfully for the last week. If you get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, this little guy senses motion and emits the perfect amount of light (brightness adjustable to three different settings). We just hang it over one of the towel rack bars. Much easier than trying to squeeze your hand out the partially closed bathroom door to prevent waking the spouse! And if you turn on the bathroom light in the middle of the night that light is too bright. Charged it once two weeks ago and have not re-charged it yet. I have no financial interest in this company, lol ! https://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-Brightness-Rechargeable-Magnetic-Wardrobe/dp/B09YPT2DGV/ref=sr_1_24?crid=25B6AC24NMK1O&keywords=hanging+battery+powered+motion+detector+night+light&qid=1673649856&sprefix=hangingbattery+powered+motion+detector+night+light%2Caps%2C1685&sr=8-24

Dinner at Sabatini's last night Food was excellent to pretty good (grilled lamb skewers were disappointing). Service was also generally very good although it was obvious our poor waiter was overwhelmed. We never felt rushed at all while eating, but he seemed to dash from table to table. No time for chit chat! Here are some samplings of our dishes - The Godfather cocktail | a Marlon Brando favorite Johnnie Walker Red Scotch, Amaretto di Saronno Grilled lamb skewers Burrata Cheese and Tomato Porcini Mushroom Risotto Mediterranean Seafood Parcel as presented opened for enjoying Desserts Hazelnut Rocher Chef Specialty

The Panama Canal is a fascinating experience. We really enjoyed it. Check out the book / DVD recommendation at the end of my Panama Canal day posting. 👍 We got the PBS DVD from our local library.

You will love it I am sure.

We will be in Honolulu the end of January. Already have tickets booked for Pearl Harbor and have a rental car reserved !

Thank you.