Somewhat live on the Pacific Princess 50th Anniversary Cruise

[ibfern]

PS I sent our laundry out and got it back in less than one day, I was surprised but clearly they have it together.

[Colo Cruiser]

Yesterday we went to Colima to see the ancient pyramid site where people lived 2000 years ago. From the site you can see two volcanoes. One of them is active and smoke is rolling out the top. It was fascinating. Then we went for lunch to a cute little town called Colama. They were having a local festival and kept shooting off fireworks (or guns, couldn't tell.) The group in the bus before ours were a bit late in getting to the meeting point so their bus left late. Our bus was then stuck behind the parade going by the church. It was so fun to see the band and 50 dancing horses and these guys (pic) with our bus pulling up the rear! We got back to the ship in time and had another great dinner. [ATTACH]370763[/ATTACH]

 

A very good friend of ours who has 2 Mexican restaurants here owns two large horse ranches in Colima. We had the use of one of them on a trip there. Just beautiful. :)

[shredie]

A very good friend of ours who has 2 Mexican restaurants here owns two large horse ranches in Colima. We had the use of one of them on a trip there. Just beautiful. :)

 

 

Gorgeous place. Very different from the coastal Mexican towns we have been visiting.

 

Yesterday we did a boat tour through estuaries where we saw wonderful wildlife. Many many birds of all sorts. We also had lunch on a Mazatlan beach restaurant. Our guide had a wonderful story about finding a pelican covered with oil in the bay some years ago. He took the bird home to clean him up. Now the bird comes to see him every time he takes his boat out. He calls the bird "Juanito ". He showed up on our tour and let people fed him fish and pose for pictures. The Captain of PP has his kids on board. They really loved the pelican. We were also seated near Bernie Kopell (super nice guy) and he got his picture taken with the bird. My "double celebrity" picture here is "Doc" as he came to sit back down after visiting Juanito. LOL. That's the bird up at the front of the boat.

 

We had the big CC lunch today. Lots of fun.

[Colo Cruiser]

Gorgeous place. Very different from the coastal Mexican towns we have been visiting.

 

Yesterday we did a boat tour through estuaries where we saw wonderful wildlife. Many many birds of all sorts. We also had lunch on a Mazatlan beach restaurant. Our guide had a wonderful story about finding a pelican covered with oil in the bay some years ago. He took the bird home to clean him up. Now the bird comes to see him every time he takes his boat out. He calls the bird "Juanito ". He showed up on our tour and let people fed him fish and pose for pictures. The Captain of PP has his kids on board. They really loved the pelican. We were also seated near Bernie Kopell (super nice guy) and he got his picture taken with the bird. My "double celebrity" picture here is "Doc" as he came to sit back down after visiting Juanito. LOL. That's the bird up at the front of the boat.

 

We had the big CC lunch today. Lots of fun. [ATTACH]370867[/ATTACH]

 

 

Sounds like a blast! :)

[SOLIVITA LADY]

Sounds like everyone is having a great time. I'm so jealous:)

 

Jackie

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

[Pam in CA]

The lunch was great. And LOUD! When you have over 100 people, many who know each other, the conversations just flowed.

 

Alfredo made special pasta for the lunch and baked several delicious cakes. It was great.

 

Had a great chat with Amelia last night. :) It's always nice to catch up with friends.

 

 

 

[rdsqrl]

You mean I missed Gopher and chocolate cake??!! Not a happy camper as I sit here grading final exams instead. I'll have a chip on my shoulder about having to cancel this cruise probably until the next 50th anniversary. Oh, wait . . .

[shredie]

You mean I missed Gopher and chocolate cake??!! Not a happy camper as I sit here grading final exams instead. I'll have a chip on my shoulder about having to cancel this cruise probably until the next 50th anniversary. Oh, wait . . .

 

 

I miss you. :( The Cake was delicious. If it makes you feel any better Gopher did leave the ship in PV.

[Colo Cruiser]

Who's the dude next to the EC?

[IECalCruiser]

Who's the dude next to the EC?

Master Chef Alfredo Marzi! He boarded in PV.

[ibfern]

Good Morning,

 

The cruise is getting better as each day goes by, and it is beginning to really feel special. Yesterday was filled with activities although I did not participate in some of them so I will let others who did write about them. We had our CC lunch at noon and it was so much fun, we took up half of the dining room. They prepared a special pasta for as, as well as a cake and both were incredibly delicious. I only took two bites of the pasta, wishing I could have eaten more but I stayed clear as pasta is a no-no on my cleanse. Same thing for the cake but I had 3 small bites and they were heaven. It was great fun to mingle with people I've only met on CC, putting names to faces.

 

Dinner was delicious, I had Chateaubriand and it melted in my mouth, normally I cover my beef in horseradish but this time I didn't even ask for any. I have been asking for avocado in my salads, I don't know why it took me 34 cruises to ask for this and if you like it, ask for it! My spinach and asparagus came as it does every night, steamed not sautéed and a perfect addition to the main course. The bread smells fantastic, of course I have had none but the whole basket is devoured by my table mates and they are enjoying it. And Desserts looked fantastic, I picked out the best cookies for my friend Barbara and enjoyed watching her eat them! She is tiny and can eat anything she wants, in my next life I want to have her metabolism. Did I mention it was formal night?

 

Donny Most came on the ship a few days ago and last night he was the main entertainment. It was cool to see him sing and swing, he was very good, who knew? We enjoyed his show which lasted much longer than the normal 30 minutes, and he covered many blues and swing music. I loved his selections of songs, he sang a few Frank Sinatra songs because today is Franks birthday.

 

I missed the Captains circle party which was help outside on the pool deck. I also missed the balloon party because we have an early private tour this morning and I needed to get some sleep.

 

Roz and Horton were amazing last night. Roz had Horton posing for pictures and he was adorable and profoundly emotional, I have never seen a dog smile and enjoy posing, I was mesmerized watching him. Roz is also a gem, she is such a lovely lady and it is pure awesomeness seeing them together and interacting with them. I am so glad I met Roz on this cruise, we have interacted on CC but never met until this cruise. I asked her to have several of Hortons pictures printed because I want one, and I never buy pics but on this cruise I am buying many. Pam and Nancy were also watching Roz and Horton, did I tell you what lovely women they are? Both looked very beautiful dressed up in their formal wear and I really wish I had more time to spend with them because they are really fun to talk to. We talked about an upcoming cruise they are taking and I am seriously considering taking that cruise if only to spend more time with them.

 

Ok I have to hurry, we are almost in Loreto and I need to get going because this is a tender port and we need to meet our guide at the dock early. There is no hot water this morning and I took a rather cold shower which was not my favorite thing but in the bigger picture it is no big deal. Also, last night I did not get my canapés delivered but again not that big a deal.

 

We have never been to Loreto, so I cannot wait to visit it. I'll write about it later today or more likely some time tomorrow.

 

Kindly and with best regards,

Amelia

[Colo Cruiser]

Master Chef Alfredo Marzi! He boarded in PV.

 

 

His shirt threw me. :o

[IECalCruiser]

Another great day in Loreto! We were here in early 2014 on the Grand and the little town was just as nice this time. There were mariachis and dancers entertaining, some very nice shops and places for a cerveza or two.

[Pam in CA]

Spent some time in Loreto this morning. Gorgeous day. Not hot, just warm. About Noon, a big wind came up blowing almost 40kt. The tender ride back to the ship was "interesting." Lots of rocking and rolling. They've recalled all the tours and cancelled anyone going ashore. Looks like we'll be sailing for La Paz early.

[shredie]

Loreto is beautiful. The terrain has changed here on Baja from the tropical beaches on the Pacific coast. There are mountains here and a more desert feel with cactus,etc. It reminds me some of the area around California and Arizona near the Colorado River. It is noticeably cooler here, too.

 

We took another fascinating tour to Mission San Javier in the mountains. This was the second of the missions established by the Jesuits which culminated eventually in the string of missions up into California. It was built in 1699. Gorgeous. We had a fabulous tour guide who kept our group of 10 enthralled with her narration.

The tender ride back was muy bouncy. [emoji4]w

[IECalCruiser]

We are still anchored at 4:30. One of the last two tenders is being brought aboard now. At one point the waves were so bad that the tender had to be pulled back from the ship ship so that the Pacific Princess could be repositioned to block the wind to allow the tender to dock. The tenders were an E-Ticket ride this afternoon!

[ibfern]

Wow what a day, spent the morning exploring Loreto, having experienced a large mess regarding our private tour which we were not allowed to take because the taxi drivers blocked our van and the police sided with the taxi drivers. Our not-to-be guide refused to kick back money to them and that was when we all threw in the towel and gave up on our private tour. This is a bit of a story but I am not going to cover it now.

 

Loreto was beautiful, a town on the Camino Real with a mission connecting eventually to my ow town in California along that same Camino Real in Ventura and our mission looks just like Loretos.

 

It's late and I wanted to tell you all about this incredible cruise day, it just gets better and better. Dinner was so good, and I am hooked on watermelon and course pepper, thanks to Nelson who is the best head waiter ever!

 

Tony Tillman was our entertainer tonight, my God he was fantastic. We sang, we danced, we rocked, and rolled in this incredible interactive experience that is Tony. I am so impressed with the new nightly entertainment we are treated to each day. This is a most special cruise, I wish all of you could be here for this is a once I a lifetime moment. After the show, Tony signed my patter, that's all I had beside my body and I am too old for that!

 

Of course after the show we shopped. Gavin was in the store, I said hello to him and he grabbed me and gave me a huge hug and kissed my cheek! I could get used to this. I told Ken I was not going to wash my cheek and he agreed, hahahaha I married a good guy! I introduced Gavin to my friends and he introduced me to his. He is the classiest man, so down to earth, I just adore him. And I told him I still loved him as Murray Slaughter, Mary Tyler Moore was my all time favorite show on earth. He smiled, what a guy. His wife is adorable too.

 

Ok I better wind down and try to sleep. With so much going on its hard to stay in my room even at midnight. Ok goodnight friends,

Amelia

[shredie]

They've recalled all the tours and cancelled anyone going ashore. Looks like we'll be sailing for La Paz early.

 

 

I guess I didn't get the memo. [emoji6] Our Loreto tour returned to the tender dock right on schedule. We were one of the last tenders back. Sammi the CD was on our tender and made no mention of tours being recalled or leaving Loreto early. We seem to have left at the scheduled time. True, the tender ride back was not smooth but I've seen much worse. Today we are in La Paz. Sort of. LOL. The town is over 10 miles from the pier. We intend to relax on board for awhile before taking the shuttle in to town. It's another opportunity to sit out on the back deck behind the buffet and feel the breeze. Love this ship [emoji4]

[PescadoAmarillo]

Thanks for all the updates! I'm glad things have improved on board.

Love this ship [emoji4]

You are not alone!!! :)

[IECalCruiser]

Oscar, the Maitre d', certainly appears to be enjoying this cruise. Yesterday we saw him riding one of the donkey carts into Loreto and today he road one of the two wheeled hoverboards down the pier while dressed in his uniform [emoji3]

 

They won't start decorating the Pacific for Christmas until tomorrow but they have started running the 24 hour holiday fireplace channel today.

Edited December 13, 2015 by IECalCruiser

[shredie]

Oscar, the Maitre d', certainly appears to be enjoying this cruise. Yesterday we saw him riding one of the donkey carts into Loreto and today he road one of the two wheeled hoverboards down the pier while dressed in his uniform [emoji3]

 

.

 

 

Isn't that the truth? He is laughing and singing all the time. He seems to be visiting every table regularly. Two days ago I saw the lady with the wagging finger kissing him on the cheek. LOL.

[kcfoxy]

Dearest Amelia,

 

We are vicariously experiencing this exciting and historic voyage with you on the original Love Boat with the original LB cast! Lovely postings...

 

I am a huge fan of the smaller ships, and as you know, mobility issues R Moi, too. Admire your cleanse resolve and am sending you some healing Mojo for your poor knees. Glad things have turned out to be exciting and happening and social...we are with you in spirit...just picture Richard Ramsfan in his blue fur headress with buffalo horns :D

[Quenby]

The tender ride back to the ship yesterday was the roughest I've ever experienced. When the tender managed to connect with the boarding platform, everyone cheered and clapped. Before sailaway, they had trouble bringing the last tender up - the ship shifted position out of the wind, and they were finally successful.

 

Amelia - what happened with you today???? I'm hearing stories.......

 

Oops - sorry iacalcruiser - didn't see your post about getting the tenders back up.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Quenby

[IECalCruiser]

two days ago i saw the lady with the wagging finger kissing him on the cheek. Lol.

omg!

[ibfern]

Yesterday was an interesting day. We arrived in La Paz early and because it was Sunday not much woukd be open in town. From my room I could see that there were venders setting up at the port, and Sammi, the cruise director, had informed us the night before that La Paz was a sleepy small town especially on Sunday, and that there would be a shuttle for us to take into town because it was about 25 minutes from the port. At least they were not charging for the shuttle, which is usually the case. Anyway we could not shower because the mixing valve was not working so once again we only had cold water. Not sure why our room steward did not catch that, assuming he was using hot water to clean/wipe down our bathroom and toilet, but I suspect the cleaning is nothing more than straightening up the room and replacing the towels.

 

We decided to take it easy, lingering in our room in the morning and taking our time. We were to meet our good friends after trivia in the Pacific Lounge at around 11:30am for a quick lunch and then go off to see La Paz, none of us had visited this place in the past. After a salad and a cup of broth (for me) we headed off the ship. We tried to get off the midship gangway which they had just set up but they told us to take the forward gangway as the midship one was not ready. As we approached the forward gangway they closed it and redirected us to mid ship. We walked back to the midship gangway and after a few minutes they let us off. The gangway, which was on the 4th floor rather than the 3rd floor had steps, which the doctor had asked me not to take but my knee was feeling better so I took the stairs slowly and mindfully.

 

Barbara, my dear friend, and I started to look around the stalls set up for selling the usual stuff you can buy in Mexico, and we did find some interesting painted wood bowls of different sizes, as well as some painted wood plates. These bowls and plated were signed by an artist from

Cabo San Lucas, which is where we would be tomorrow so I refrained from buying them although Barbara got several at fantastic prices. She is a pro at bargaining!

 

It was getting later and we were told the ride into town varied from 30-45 minutes, plus it did not leave the port until is was filled. We walked through the port building, used the bathrooms, and went outside to find the shuttle but it was no where in sight. There were taxis offering us rides into town but after our experience in Loreto we did not want to take a taxi, even thought they told us they were free and part of the shuttle system. We just did not trust this, so we decided to not use the taxis and just stay in the port area and shop a little more then get back on the ship.

 

We shopped a little, then went to the midship gangway which was still open and of course I was concerned about going up the stairs. I approached the gangway and was very mindful of my knees and the ship's doctor who had told me to avoid them as much as possible. So I stepped on the large platform which was a step up from the ground, and carefully started up the stairs. On the first step. Something hooked onto my left foot and I fell face forward onto the stairs, landing right on my bad knee! OMG, I immediately went into shock. My husband Ken, who is a safety consultant, and our friend who is a doctor, asked me if I could move my legs and if I could get up. I was able to get up with help from Ken, and somehow I made it up the stairs where I asked to be taken to the doctor, and they provided me with a wheelchair and rolled me off to the medical center. The doctor was not in but the nurse took my vitals and gave me two pain pills, asking me to go back to my room and wait until the doctor was back on the ship at 5PM. Before we left, the ship's safety officer took my statement, I answered the questions as best I could. He also took Kens statement since he was behind me as we boarding and saw the whole accident occur. Ken had taken pictures because apparently there was a pipe sticking out which caused my fall. It was not my fault.

 

We are not the kind of people who sue others, and while this accident was definitely not my fault, the ship's safety officer insisted that it was my fault because I had not take a large/high enough step. Jeez I was being careful and mindful as I stepped slowly onto the first step, I could not help what happened to me in anyway. Ken advised them that they should remove the pipe which caused my fall, and he wondered how many other people had fallen on this step.

 

So after I left the medical center, I was wheeled instead of walking because I was in such bad pain. In my room Ken set up the pillows and bed, elevating my brushed right leg and knee and we waited for 5pm when the ship's doctor was going to be back on the ship. Finally they came for me with the wheel chair, and I was rolled back down to the medical center. Dr. Tim was in and he checked me out, informing me that all I had was a bad bruise and that my body would probably be in bad pain for a few days. He released me after bandaging me up, and giving me some pain pills to take. He offered me use of the wheel chair which I initially kept, but later decided that it would only encourage me to not walk and I figured it would contribute to stiffening my legs and knee, so we called for them to take it back.

 

Ken went down to the dining room and asked Nelson, our head waiter, to make me a dinner sized salad, and a naked burger (with a bun) for dinner and they did this, which was so kind and indicative of the excellent service we were getting in the dining room. I ate some of my dinner, cheated on several chocolate hearts, and a dessert which Ken had brought down from the buffet upstairs where he ate with our good friends.

 

I went to sleep early, at around 8:30pm and slept fitfully as I was in pain every time I turned over. I woke in the middle of the night and watched a Love Boat episode which was playing all night long, in fact we had one station dedicated to playing old Love Boat episodes throughout the entire cruise. I must have fallen asleep during the episode I was watching and when I finally woke we were anchored in Cabo. As I write, I am looking at the sea of Cortez and lovers beach, and Ken has already spied a whale. After taking a pain pill, I felt better and so I began to write this.

 

I asked Ken to get the patter which was left outside our room in our mailbox. Along with the patter was a bill for the medical center, which was quite expensive as they had charged me approximately $25 for the bandage they used to wrap my knee, $24 for the pain meds, and $79 for medical services. This shocked me, I assumed that they would not charge me for medical services because the fall was not my fault. This really bummed me out, I feel very disappointed in Princess that they would charge me for something that was clearly caused by using stairs with a pipe sticking out. Ken had taken lots of pictures showing the pipe which caused my fall. This is not my favorite way to start this day, after being so sore and black and blue. My back, legs, and neck hurt, my hands and fingers hurt, and of course I got a migraine! So here I am, I would like to get off the ship and am not sure if I will, I can walk but am shaky and walking very slow.

 

Thankfully I have my trusty iPad to write with, and my journal which is also a watercolor paint book. Maybe I'll stay on the ship and try to paint from my balcony, it's been a long while since I've painted. Anyway, that is my story from La Paz! Lesson to self, be careful of gangways with stairs, especially on the Pacific Princess! Ouch...