KLM3164

We haven’t eaten at Sabatini’s in years so don’t know if the Royal has the old menu or the new menu. Here are photos of the current menu.

Sunset last night in Mazatlan.

Copala

Concordia

Malpica

Mazatlan

Yesterday our port stop was Mazatlan and we did another 7 hour tour. We had so much OBC this trip so we booked excursions in every port except Cabo. Our excursion in Mazatlan was called Concordia, Copala, & Golden Zone. We started with a drive along the waterfront which had several statues set up for Marci Gras. First stop was at the Golden Zone store. This was a big yawn for me and I’m glad we got it out of the way first. I looked at a couple items with fire opals and no clerk engaged me so I did what I know is best and walked out. Next we started our drive to the interior town of Concordia. We made some stops along the way at a brick making site and a pottery market. Then onto a little town called Malpica. Had the opportunity to watch a tile maker in action and I was selected to help with the design for the tile he was making. I wasn’t able to buy the specific tile but did buy one already complete for $4. It will make a nice trivet at home. Also stopped at a little bakery in Malpica for a snack. It was yummy. Next stop was Concordia. Had some time to visit the government building, church and town square before for continuing onto Copala. When we arrived in Copala we had time to walk around the small town before we had a decent lunch at a local restaurant. Copala is an old silver mining town which was established in the 16th century. Found the cutest kitten in Copala which was a great way to end the day before our drive back to the ship. Next up is our last port stop in Cabo San Lucas.

@muffinCurrent price list on the Royal for laundry service.

Princess doesn’t have any bag of laundry deals like they have on NCL. All laundry is per piece unless you are in a full suite or have elite status. The other option is go do your own laundry which I prefer. There is a laundromat on every deck that has aft cabins. Also for your trip to Hawaii expect it to be chilly until you get to Hawaii. We’ve done Hawaii in March and it didn’t get warm until a day before we got to Hawaii. Also once you leave Hawaii it will get cold again,

Wow we missed all of this yesterday. We took a 7 hour excursion yesterday to a couple of old towns that were inland. We had bright, sunny weather for the entire day. It did feel cooler at the port Mercado when we were dropped off at 4:30.

It’s official, I don’t like shore excursions that have a 7 am call time, especially when the sunrise isn’t until 7:30 am. It was still dark outside as we exited the ship with sleepy eyes and wandered down the pier to bus #3. Who picked this one…..lesson learned for future cruises. Today’s port stop was Manzanillo which is a sleepy little town with a very large shipping port. Our excursion was called Best of Manzanillo: Colonial Colima. We visited the towns of Colima, Comala and the archaeological ruins at a place called La Campana. The drive was really pretty as we drove out of Manzanillo with palm trees lining the highway for a good portion of the drive. It felt like we were driving through a palm tree forest. They were various sizes and very lush and green. Was happy to see the sunrise today as it was the first one I’ve seen on this trip. I’m a sunset girl and rarely see a sunrise. Our first stop was Colima and it was a charming little town which reminded me of small towns I’ve been to in Europe. Since it was Sunday most shops were closed. We did visit 2 churches and saw a street procession going into one of the churches. They were celebrating the Patron Saint of Colima which is why they were having the procession in the streets. Our next stop was the archeological site of La Campana. This wasn’t as impressive as other sites I’ve visited and the ground was crawling with large red ants so I just took a couple photos and got back on the bus. Next was a lunch stop at a restaurant in Comala where I met a very friendly kitty who was wandering through the open air restaurant. Food was good and I had a great Piña Colada. Last stop was the town square of Comala which was a bit crowded. We just had 30 minutes here so we walked around looking for “cacahuates con sal y limón” which is peanuts with salt and lemon. We get them every time we come to Mexico. After 3 stores were out of them we finally found some at the OXXO. Tomorrow will be another long day as we have a 7 hour excursion in Mazatlan. I’m happy the clocks go back 1 hour tonight and the excursion call time is a respectable 9:15 am.

Your comment has sparked another question for me. If I go to a country such as Australia or Japan where tipping isn’t done and may be considered rude, what do people from these same countries do when they come to the United States where tipping is expected for good service? I’d love to hear from anyone who lives in a country where tipping isn’t customary.

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Royal Princess as of 2/5/23

The sunbathing Chihuahua Marshall was working the tables Church in San Sebastián

We had a wonderful shore excursion today called Colonial San Sebastián, Tequila Tasting & Lunch. The tour also included a stop at a small coffee plantation. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and getting out of the bustling city. At the tequila stop we had 5 samples at the tequila place….3 were thumbs up (the flavored ones) and 2 were thumbs down for me (the straight tequila). My favorite was the Licor de Almendra which had an amaretto flavor. Next stop was the coffee stop which isn’t my thing unless there is cream which they didn’t have so I passed on the tasting. They did have some very sweet dogs there and as an animal I was happy to take some photos of the pups. My favorite was a Chug named Paco and I also liked the sunbathing Chihuahua (name unknown). Next off to a delicious lunch in the center of San Sebastián. It was a very good feast with salad, bean tacos, veggie tacos, beans, salsas, carne asada with a variety of grilled vegetables, tortillas, bread, lemonade, tequila and a Mexican cheesecake for dessert. I befriended another dog there named Marshall who enjoyed some leftover carne asada. Finally had some free time to wander the town square and visit the church in San Sebastián. The ride back was about 90 minutes and it was time for a drink before heading to dinner. Tonight is a favorite of mine….Italian night. Tomorrow will be another long day as we have another full day tour on our stop in Manzanillo. This one starts especially early at 7 am…..yikes! Paco the Chug

I know the 3 people I tipped today didn’t see my tips as arrogant. They seemed very grateful for recognition of their excellent service. I don’t tip to be arrogant I tip to show gratitude for a job well done. From my perspective I feel the arrogant people are the ones who walk away from a tour without tipping. I’m amazed on how many arrogant Americans do this.

Thank you everyone for your comments today. We had a very good tour in PV today and we will definitely be tipping more than what is recommended on the Princess website.

This actually did happen to us last year on a shore excursion in Belize. The guide mentioned many times that tips weren’t included in our shore excursion and should be extended. After a couple of times I was annoyed. This along with a couple of other missteps on his part resulted in us extending no tip. I normally tip something but couldn’t do it that day.

I’m currently on a Mexico cruise and doing 3 Princess shore excursions. The attached photo from the Princess website shows recommended tips for shore excursions. These recommendations seem low so I’m wondering what others tip for GOOD service for 1/2 day and full day tours. I realize tipping is subjective but if you would share your thoughts I’d appreciate it.

Tonight’s production show was Encore. It was outstanding!

This is our 5th cruise since restart and each time cruising is becoming more like it was before. For example this cruise we had the Champagne waterfall tonight. Also this cruise the Voice of the Ocean has returned. I’m happy have these 2 events back on the cruise.

I just talked to Corinne and she is getting off the ship on 2/10. The CD for the next cruise is Guido who is an assistant CD on the current cruise. After your sailing Armando Merin will be on as CD. Armando is coming over from the Discovery.

I’m currently on the Royal and the Fettuccine Alfredo is still on the menu every night so it’s not fleet wide…….yet. Also you can order the Caesar Salad and tell the waiter no kale. They will make it with just romaine if you ask.