ikirumata

When I was in Curacao last, I had an underwater case for my iphone. Worked great!

14 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

Several of these rankings are shocking (who's have thunk of Albuquerque???).  But I referenced Oakland and SF in reply to the original post because the OP is a Californian.  Those two cities seemed the most appropriate given the OP's location.

 

I think it’s a good reminder of our threshold of what we think crime is.

In my short Mazatlan experience last month, I never felt like I was unsafe, especially in the old town or malecon areas. I can’t speak to what happens after dark, but during a normal cruise tourist day, doing normal cruise tourist activities, Mazatlan seemed very safe.  

4 hours ago, PRNole47 said:

Actually, these have been rated in dozens of websites that review crime rates as the 10 most dangerous cities in the US. You can compare Mazatlan with any of these and you'll be OK. 

1. Memphis, Tennessee
2. St. Louis, Missouri
3. Oakland, California
4. Albuquerque, New Mexico
5. Baltimore, Maryland
6. New Orleans, Louisiana 
7. Detroit, Michigan
8. Lubbock, Texas
9. Chicago, Illinois
10. Stockton, California

blows my mind that Lubbock, Texas is more dangerous than Chicago, Illinois

I was in Mazatlan this past Feb and it felt very safe. We asked our driver about the violence and he reassured us that Mazatlan is very safe. The drug violence is several hours drive north of the city.

The only thing you will have to worry about is the beach vendors interrupting your patio lunch. They are relentless!

how many other ships are in port at that time? If you are the only one, then you may make it if you can secure early tender tickets. 

On 2/13/2023 at 1:10 PM, ikirumata said:

I agree $250 for 8 people will be hard to find, especially when cruise ships are in port. We paid around $90 per person when we docked there last week through whale watch cabo (I highly recommend). 

 

You may be able to negotiate with a dock vendor (there were a ton of them…some look sketch at best), but I have no idea what kind of quality experience you are going to get. 

 

Oh, and it takes about 30 mins to get out to the whales. 

We did CaboWhaleWatch and they were great! On the way out and when the whales were taking breaks, the guide gave us all kinds of great facts about the whales. It was around $90 per person and they were very considerate of our time and dropped us off back at the tender port (it’s a public dock, so you had to pay a couple bucks to the dock master). This allowed us to stay out watching the whales a bit longer. 

I had my camera, but they also took some fantastic photos and shared them via dropbox link. 

I attached some photos I took. The photos the tour guide took were equally as awesome! We plan on coming back and using whale watch cabo again. 

On 2/12/2023 at 4:40 PM, DFWJean&Bill said:

 Some questions, did you fly into LAX? If so how did you get to port?

At Cabo, do you get off right in town or do we need to book an excursion to get to shopping etc?
Thank you for your review!

I was on the same cruise. First time taking a ship out of LA. In LAX, they have an area designated for ride share called LAXit. You can catch a shuttle to the area once you leave the baggage claim (terminal 1 is within walking distance). Once you are there, there are different spots for the different companies, uber, lyft, etc… just follow the signs when you exit the shuttle. 

In Cabo, there is tons of shopping everywhere once you get off the tender boat. 

On 2/13/2023 at 11:11 AM, lproven said:

how far is LAX to port?   Do you think we can make a 10:45am flight back home on disembarkation day? 

I personally would not book any flights before noon if you need to go to LAX. The hardest part was getting a ride out of cruise port. Pro tip, use the porters when you get your luggage. They have a faster line through customs (and you don’t have to drag your things through the snaking customs line). 

5 hours ago, ISLABONITA said:

This may or not help you but I found a great offer in San Diego where our cruise departs in Groupon 

San Diego Whale Watch

Dolphin and Whale Watch Cruise for 1, 2, 4, 6, or 10 People at San Diego Whale Watch (Up to 56% Off) - Good for $46.40 towards: 3 Hour Whale Watch Cruise for 2 People

We have done this whale company quite a few years ago and they are superb! In fact, when we got back from our morning tour, we loved it so much, we purchased tickets for the afternoon tour! I’m glad we did because we got to see a blue whale with her baby! 

I agree $250 for 8 people will be hard to find, especially when cruise ships are in port. We paid around $90 per person when we docked there last week through whale watch cabo (I highly recommend). 

You may be able to negotiate with a dock vendor (there were a ton of them…some look sketch at best), but I have no idea what kind of quality experience you are going to get. 

Oh, and it takes about 30 mins to get out to the whales. 

also depends on how many other ships are in port too. On our trip on Navigator last week, it was pretty quick. We had a private tour that started at 3. Our ship started tendering at 12:30. We also were worried about getting off, so we booked a cheap excursion through the ship to get off quickly (cheaper than a suite or the key) and just walked off the dock to the port area. 

We rolled into town a little before 1pm…had enough time to find our excursion company, use the bathroom, and grab a couple drinks at one of the restaurants near the port area. 

Port Monkeys channel on youtube details this excursion. Just search for “ExclusiveBeach Resort Getaway Puerto Vallarta, Mexico” and look for the Port Monkeys Channel. Looks pretty nice!

We booked Mazatlan Van Tours for our cruise last week. Our driver, JeanCarlo was a very good guide! Although it seemed he had a pre set itinerary in his head, he was very accommodating. He was very knowledgeable about Mazatlan and his narration throughout the tour was enlightening. I think you need to be assertive about what you want. We told him that we wanted to skip some parts ( wasn’t interested in cliff divers) and go do other parts (I really wanted to try Pescado Zarendeado). Between everyone in our tour, we hit all the things we wanted to do. 

A couple highlights for us were:

A local vanilla soda that he bought for us while we were at Mercado Mechado. I asked for a local soda (I don’t drink alcohol) and he picked out a good one. I wish I could remember the name. 

Helado de Queso at a small stand behind the big church. Cheese ice cream! Hand churned. It was excellent!

Coconut Shrimp (best I have ever had) and Pescado Zarendeado at La Costa Marinera.  HOWEVER…  fergmom is absolutely correct about the beach vendors. Throughout the meal, they just set up right outside our table and consistently asked to buy their goods. The WORST part was the bands. Full on mariachi/marching bands competing for tips. I felt like I was at a college football stadium. It’s really too bad because the dishes we ordered were superb. La Costa Marinera was right in the middle of the Malecon. It wasnt too far from the other places we visited…Church, Mechado Mercado, Shrimp Market.

It was neat to see the statues going up in preparation for their Carnival celebration. JeanCarlo made sure to slow down so that we could snap a few shots on the way back to the cruise terminal. 

Mazatlan Van Tours is a company front comprised of several independent van operators. JeanCarlo was our operator for the day and he was excellent. 

in Mazatlan we got a chance to try Pescado Zarendeado! Whole fish butterflied open, marinated in a special sauce, then cooked over coals. It was fantastic! Takes some time to cook, but it’s worth it! 

We ordered it at La Costa Marinera along with the best Coconut Shrimp I have ever had!

I’m sure there are other places to order these dishes, but if you do go to La Costa Marinera, DO NOT eat on the patio. You will have a stream of beach vendors trying to sell you stuff and several bands (with horns and drums) trying to compete for your attention. Not a peaceful beach experience. Try to sit indoors away from the public beach area. 

Mazatlan is known for their fresh shrimp. 

If you want, I can recommend a van tour operator that does a special tour where he helps you buy food like a local and then brings you to a kitchen to prepare authentic Mazatlan food.

Good luck!

Growing up in Texas, I never had a fish taco up until pretty recently. Fish tacos are pretty much a California mex thing. With more Californians moving to Texas,there seems to be more Cali-mex places popping up. 

Also growing up in Texas, I watched as TexMex became mainstream American Mexican. Every where I travel in the us has TexMex influences. 

I am not ashamed of any food being Americanized. For generations, restauranteurs in all countries have survived by tailoring their menus to the local palate. Look at BBQ across America. Several region, several local palates. 

As an American local, American Chinese and TexMex are the superior versions. 

I answered NO.

I share concern about the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine in the timetable that they seem to be pushing. As of this date, there has been no vaccine approved for human use for any type of coronavirus. We have yet to come out with a vaccine for the cornavirus that caused the SARS pandemic in 2003. Likewise, we dont have one for the coronavirus that caused MERS pandemic in 2012. What is to give me any confidence that they would be able to produce one for Covid-19 any time soon? 

Not saying that I would never get a Covid-19 vaccine, but, right now, the whole "rushed to market" concern does have some merit in my eyes.

Also, I am a bit concerned about the expectations for a vaccine. Vaccines are there to just help us get to herd immunity levels without exposing most of the population to a full on infection. Its not a silver bullet. There is a real chance that your body may never develop the antibodies in enough quantity to fight an infection. Further more, as we have seen with the flu, Covid-19 may have different variations or mutate...making the vaccine useless. How many people each year get sick, and die, from the flu virus...even though we have a vaccine? What are healthy expectations for a Coronavirus vaccine and at some point, should we just factor the risk into our daily lives? Much like we factor the risk of heart attack, cancer, or driving on the highway.

Dont get me wrong...I will be super jealous of yall that get to cruise by getting a vaccine, but for me...I am willing to sit this one out for a bit to make sure that the vaccine is everything is as promised.

Could we see a return of the automat? 😛

I went to Alaska many years ago and I am wanting to go back soon! I would argue that of all the itineraries that RC puts out for Alaska, the Radiance 7 day one way Northbound itinerary is the best for a few reasons.

1. Radiance is such a beautiful ship! 

2. There are a lot of ports to visit (Vancouver, Ketchikan, Icy Strait, Juneau, Skagway, Seward...plus Hubbard).

3. Icy Strait Point is a very nice, relaxed port with great whale watching. I remember it being mostly local shops (i.e. No Diamonds International when we went).

4. The extra long port time and early arrival in Juneau allows you to do a tour with Adventure Bound to Tracy Arm (best part of our last Alaska Cruise...possibly best excursion I have ever done from a cruise ship). For some reason, the southbound stay in Juneau is a bit shorter in Juneau and gets in later. Not sure if you could make an Adventure Bound excursion (the website shows the boat boarding at 8:15am).

This is a very port intensive itinerary, but I feel Alaska should be about the ports and the Caribbean should be about the ships.

As far as balcony, Im not going to fault anyone for getting one, but the price difference between an inside and balcony is a big factor to me considering how much the excursions and food are in Alaska. The price difference pretty much paid for all of our excursions, meals, and gifts. I find that I spend most of my time on deck anyway (you get a lot of freedom to look at scenery on all sides of the ship easily). If I had a chance to do it again, I would probably book an inside close to the top deck. 

Good luck! I hope you have great weather and a wonderful time no matter what you end up selecting!

Do you remember what night this was? Definitely do not want to miss this, and generally, I prefer the relaxed atmosphere of The Windjammer over the MDR.

It was Saturday (last sea day). Lobster night in the MDR was moved from Thursday to Friday, so they may have been getting rid of extra stock. It may be worth asking someone in the Windjammer if they will be doing this on your cruise.

I agree about the Windjammer. I prefer the relaxed atmosphere in the WJ at night. I also find that I get better service there too. Our drinks got rarely refilled in the MDR. In the WJ, they checked on us often. If you get to know one of the waiters, they will not only get you drink refills, they will even get something off the buffet for you if you want. The waiters are more apt to chat too. In the MDR, it seems like the waiters were too busy. That being said, we did have a phenominal waiter in the MDR who performed magic tricks for our kids. He was surely the exception to the other waiters we got (we used My Time Dining...never again).

As far as food quality, I found that the MDR may be more consistent as far as quality. The WJ is definitely hit or miss, but some of my favorite meals were had in the WJ. The Biryani's were excellent and of course lobster night in the WJ was a far better experience than in the MDR. Desserts were better in the MDR.

Is the seafood night in the Windjammer a Liberty "thing" or is this a RCL thing? I've not heard of that and would love it! We'll be on the Harmony in March and wondering if we'll have this "treat" too. What night was this?

 

Thanks.

I have NEVER heard of this on any ship. My theory is that there was some miscommunication on which night was supposed to be formal night. The dining room at one point thought it was going to be Thursday (Belize) and it ended up being on Friday (Cozumel). Im wondering if not enough people showed up and the ones on the buffet were there to get rid of stock. Who knows. I think we observed a unicorn for sure! Never hurts to check out the Windjammer every night to see what pops up. I for one loved the Indian selections every night. The biryani was awesome (different flavors every night)!

Didn't make that, but as I don't like seafood, I wouldn't have liked it as much as you did ha ha! :-)

Fair enough! It was glorious though ;)

What night was the seafood buffet?

 

 

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Day 7. Last Sea Day.

Also, that day, there was an Izumi sushi buffet in the MDR for lunch.

Untitled by ikirumata, on Flickr

Turns out that the sushi was the same sushi on the Windjammer buffet in the evenings. My vegetarian wife loved it! Lots of options for her. I thought it was excellent for buffet sushi. Probably not as good as your local sushi joint, but I had no problem stuffing myself with it. :)

I was on the same cruise! :)

Did you by chance make it to the seafood buffet night in the Windjammer? :eek:

Lobster

Untitled by ikirumata, on Flickr

Shrimp Cocktail

Untitled by ikirumata, on Flickr

Fresh made creps in orange sauce

Key Lime Pie

There was virtually no one there! I had to pinch myself when I didn't see a line for the lobster. I didn't feel so bad getting an extra couple servings...I was planning on stopping if it got busy, but by the time the Windjammer was closing, there were tons of tails left! Oh yes...carnage ensued at the casual dining restaurant! I personally thought the lobster served in the Windjammer was BETTER than the one served in the MDR. Maybe its because I wasn't wearing a suit and having to deal with the slow service (thats another story for my upcoming review).

It was a good night!

We just got off the Liberty yesterday. This was also our first family cruise (our room had our 6yo twin boys, my wife and me). We booked an ocean view on deck 3. One tip is to get magnetic hooks and curtain rod clips. All the walls are metal. We pinned them up around the kids bunks and clipped blankets to give them their own 'fort'. They loved it and it helped during bed time.

Untitled by ikirumata, on Flickr

When we would be in the room, the kids mostly stayed in their forts, so space wasn't too cramped.

I was worried that having the pullman beds down would be too cramped, but I didn't mind having the pullman beds down. Im 5'10" and I could sit on the edge of my bed comfortably without worrying about bumping my head. The ladders to the pullmans are a different story. I managed to bump into those a lot.

In addition, the hooks doubled as ways to hang things, like wet swimsuits and badge lanyards.

The water slides have some requirements. The orange/green racing slides require 48" height. The float tube ride requires each passenger to be 75lbs. They are very stringent about these requirements.

Another tip is that the hot tub in the splash pad area is the hottest one on the ship! If you like hotter tubs, then that is the way to go! Plus, your kids can go wild on the splash pad and eat ice cream and still be in good distance to keep an eye on them. In addition, there is an adventure ocean person keeping watch.

Port side of the ship is smoking if that bothers you.

Boxed cereal is in the main dining room for breakfast. Good if you need to take some with you on excursions. Otherwise, use ziplock baggies for cereal from the dispensers.

The Arial show bored my kids (I thought it was amazing).

Ice skating is fun. They were open only 2 different days for a short period of time. If you want to ice skate, get in line early (30 mins) and bring a game to play while you wait. Another benefit from getting there early is that you wont have to put on a helmet that someone else had sweated in. They spray the shoes, but not the helmets. Just a pro tip for those who are put off by wearing some stranger's sweaty helmet...

On day 1, you can register your kids at kids club. They will give your kids a lanyard and punch a hole in their sea pass. Have them punch a hole in your pass while they are at it.

Everything seems to be on the back of the ship. If you have a cabin in the front (like us), be prepared to walk a lot.

Flowrider times are broken into Advanced, standup, and boogeyboard. Check the compass for times.

Arcade games are EXPENSIVE! $1.90 per game on some machines. Look out for free play day (for a couple hours). Ours was on Day 1. All games were free.

Have fun!

Here are my weekend birdie pics for this week from sunny, warm Florida:

Nice birdie pics! :)

Spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk on an old windmill this morning.

 

hawk_mill-1 by ikirumata, on Flickr

stupid flickr....fixed the link.