LittleMissMagic's 17-Day ~Pacific Princess~ Panama Canal **PHOTO REVIEW**

[LittleMissMagic]

We tendered back to the ship and headed to the pool deck for lunch. I haven't talked much about the buffet, Panorama, yet. That's because it sucked. The layout was weird, there wasn't much variety, and the food was generally bland and tasteless. Maybe this isn't an issue with other passengers, but I needed some spice. After living in Los Angeles where I regularly eat Korean, Thai, and Mexican, my tolerance for spiciness has skyrocketed, and anything lacking is just a disappointment.

 

So I ate most of my lunches at the grill by the pool which served burgers, hot dogs, and brats. It was the best lunchtime food on the ship, but by the end of the cruise, it was getting a little repetitive.

 

I took a few more photos as we sailed away, onwards south!

 

Cabo San Lucas by Victoria Shingleton, on Flickr

 

Cabo San Lucas by Victoria Shingleton, on Flickr

 

Cabo San Lucas by Victoria Shingleton, on Flickr

 

Cabo San Lucas by Victoria Shingleton, on Flickr

 

Cabo San Lucas by Victoria Shingleton, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Cabo San Lucas by Victoria Shingleton, on Flickr

 

Cabo San Lucas by Victoria Shingleton, on Flickr

 

Cabo San Lucas was absolutely wonderful. It was my favorite port of call of the entire cruise. I am sad that we didn't get to spend more time there, but it is a place that I definitely want to return to. I would love to travel to Cabo and spend a few days because there is so much to do - whale watching, scuba diving, sightseeing, and beaching - it sounds like the perfect vacation spot to me!

[casandbliz]

Love your review!! We have never been on Princess, but will do so in the future. We are soon to be retired, and live in So California. Princess has so many options from the West Coast (NO AIR FARE=MORE CRUISES, on a retirement budget)! We have done a few Mexican Rivera cruises, but I'm sure we will be back to Cabo, and loved the tip about the resort. Thx!! Oh, and GO BRUINS!! (our son graduated in 2010!)

[calikid50]

Glad you're back!!!

[aadaneboy]

Can't wait for your next installment! We sailed on the Pacific's sister ship, the Tahitian Princess, for our honeymoon around Tahiti and the Cook Islands. Loved the small and intimate feel of the ship. It has since been renamed the Ocean Princess.

 

We are gearing up for our cruise in 21 days! Can't wait!!

 

Todd

[Yuk0n Jack]

I'm enjoying your photos - thanks for taking the time to write such a great review.

[camofwilliamsburg]

Are you able to be dropped off at Medano Beach? Or do we go back to the marina and then walk back to the beach area? Or can we get this boat tour from Medano Beach which would begin and end at the same beach? Thanks.

[puggrandma]

waiting with baited breath for next installment

 

Puggrandma

[greenie082756]

So glad you are back and doing another report about you and your families vacation.

 

This is a cruise that is on our bucket list once we retire and don't have to get back to work right away!

 

Anywho, keep up on your studies, I have this marked to continue reading when you get back.

 

Thanks!!:D:D

[LittleMissMagic]

Are you able to be dropped off at Medano Beach? Or do we go back to the marina and then walk back to the beach area? Or can we get this boat tour from Medano Beach which would begin and end at the same beach? Thanks.

 

Our tour guide dropped us off at Medano Beach and arranged a time to come back and pick us up to go back to the marina. I think most tour companies offering cruises to the rock formations were willing to include a beach break at either Medano or Lover's beach.

[perfect match]

Thanks for a great report, Victoria! I will be back whenever you have a chance to update. :D

[KYBOB]

Like the rest here your photos and reporting your travels are the best I have read on this site. Good luck in school, Architecture is a hard degree to get.

[CruisingObsessed]

You mentioned that the dancers were doing the entertainment jobs. Did they have a dedicated cruise director's staff too?

 

Thanks for the review, love "sailing along" as it feels like with the photos! :)

[JF - retired RRT]

You mentioned that the dancers were doing the entertainment jobs. Did they have a dedicated cruise director's staff too?

We were on the ship with LMM, so can answer your question.

The singers and dancers were also the cruise director staff.

The ship is so small they do double duty. There weren't as many shows for the singers and dancers (only one "theater) so they weren't busy.

[CruisingObsessed]

We were on the ship with LMM, so can answer your question.

The singers and dancers were also the cruise director staff.

The ship is so small they do double duty. There weren't as many shows for the singers and dancers (only one "theater) so they weren't busy.

 

Interesting, thanks for the answer!

[tv24]

Thanks for the pictures, Victoria! We are on a crossing on the Pacific Princess in December. It will be our first time on Princess, so I am curious about the ship, food, etc. Nice to see photographic evidence.

[JF - retired RRT]

Thanks for the pictures, Victoria! We are on a crossing on the Pacific Princess in December. It will be our first time on Princess, so I am curious about the ship, food, etc. Nice to see photographic evidence.

We told the Maitre D' that the food on PP was the best of any Princess ship we have been on (12 and counting).

[riclop]

Thanks so much.

[memoak]

Thanks for the pictures, Victoria! We are on a crossing on the Pacific Princess in December. It will be our first time on Princess, so I am curious about the ship, food, etc. Nice to see photographic evidence.

 

Don't want to hijack the thread but I am also doing a crossing on the Pacific in Dec - the 3rd in fact. This will be my 3rd crossing and 2nd on the Pacific. Believe it or not I am also from Oakland Ca - for some reason the Pacific crossings always have a bunch of people from Oakland - on our last crossing we had a group of retired OFD members and AC Transit workers.

[tv24]

Hello Memoak. I don't want to hijack the thread either, but I did want to say hello and that we will look for you on board. Happy travel planning!

[clean1owner]

Cabo Villas Beach Club by Victoria Shingleton, on Flickr

 

We're in an age where personal interaction between guests and employees is becoming more and more rare, likely because it's frowned upon due to scandals which get blown up in the media, but I think that's really unfortunate. This vacation made me really appreciate personal interactions with crew. I hope that, though not nearly as common as it used to be, that this is something that never becomes extinct.

 

 

 

I think it's a lot to do with behemoth versus smaller ship. I have noticed over the years that the larger the ship, the less personal interaction from the crew. My first 2 cruises were aboard the 450 ft 13,000 ton Skyward. It's amazing how many of the crew I knew on a first name basis by the end of those sailings. They would even hang out with us while in port!

[clean1owner]

 

So Dad wasn't paying attention and remembered that our boat was "Pinguin", but not "Mr. Pinguin". So he saw the boat "Ms. Pinguin" and made us get up. I told him that wasn't our boat, but he didn't believe me. Sure enough, not our guide. Then came Pinguin II. "Oh, here it is!" "No, Dad, we're on Mr. Pinguin."

 

 

Cabo San Lucas by Victoria Shingleton, on Flickr

 

 

 

I think you should cut dear old dad a little slack. He has his hands full just trying to keep all the vultures away from 3 very pretty women. He's lucky to have any hair at all left on his head. I know exactly the stress he's feeling.

[Woobstr112G]

 

Perhaps because we were there early in the morning, the beach wasn't too crowded. Maybe it also looked like a private club, so other cruise passengers (remember, small ship, so I recognize them already) who I saw walking by decided to either keep going or just lay their towels in the sand, rather than inquiring about the chairs here. Which is why I find it important to tell you know that if you ever find yourself at Medano Beach in Cabo, Club Villas is wonderful and a great deal, too.

 

I also want to commend the staff for being excellent. Everyone I spoke to was very friendly and welcoming. Rachel asked a waiter for the wifi password, and he gave it to her, then came back to check that it was working. I also overheard one of the younger staff members talking to a young man who I believe was a guest of the resort and was on the last day of his vacation. They were talking about a girl here that he was trying to get with, and just like on Pacific Princess, it felt so Love Boat. We're in an age where personal interaction between guests and employees is becoming more and more rare, likely because it's frowned upon due to scandals which get blown up in the media, but I think that's really unfortunate. This vacation made me really appreciate personal interactions with crew. I hope that, though not nearly as common as it used to be, that this is something that never becomes extinct.

 

 

So Dad wasn't paying attention and remembered that our boat was "Pinguin", but not "Mr. Pinguin". So he saw the boat "Ms. Pinguin" and made us get up. I told him that wasn't our boat, but he didn't believe me. Sure enough, not our guide. Then came Pinguin II. "Oh, here it is!" "No, Dad, we're on Mr. Pinguin."

 

You've probably picked up on this now, considering how it's been two months since the cruise and I am writing this live and in incredible detail, but I have a ridiculously good memory. Never tell me something that you don't want me to remember, because I'll never forget it.

 

Rachel is a collector, and one of the things that she collects is shot glasses from all of the places she travels. She has a huge collection. So we went into the market to find her a shot glass. I think this is odd because it goes against our personalities of her being the extrovert and me being the introvert, but Rachel doesn't like being harassed by salespeople (well, really who does?) or bargaining, and I quite enjoy it. So she was moving through the shops quickly, trying not to have to talk to anyone, while I stopped at the shop of whoever wanted my attention the most and entertained them with my interests. I talked a guy down from $7 to $3 on a shooter which I really liked, and I remembered I had a bit of cash in my wallet, so I felt like I had to buy it for myself.

 

Then I ran into Dad who had bought himself a long-sleeve white tee with a shark on it. I love sharks. They are my favorite sea animal (sorry, dolphin-lovers... I understand that they're awesome, I just dig all of the flipping and chattering). So I wanted the same shirt - who cares if we're twinsies? Dad destroys all of his shirts in a matter of months, anyway, so I might never see him wear it again. "That'll be $15." "$15! How about $12 since I'm smaller and my shirt has less material?" "No, $15." "What about $12 since I'm prettier?" "No, $15." This guy does not negotiate. But I wanted the shirt, so I coughed up the $15. (I was thinking, $3 less, who really cares? But the same went for me - $3 more, I don't really care. It's petty but entertainment, really.)

 

Great picture.....:):):)

 

Bob

[ar1950]

I think you should cut dear old dad a little slack. He has his hands full just trying to keep all the vultures away from 3 very pretty women. He's lucky to have any hair at all left on his head. I know exactly the stress he's feeling.

 

My thoughts also. Dad seems to do very well with three women to contend with on these trips as well as the vultures that may be lurking. Good job Dad! :D

 

Great picture.....

 

Bob

 

Agreed. She has a great eye for composition. This should serve her well in the architectural field.

Edited March 12, 2016 by ar1950

[GweninTX]

I am so enjoying your review. We have just booked the Pacific Princess for 36 days next year and am really enjoying you describe all the things you love about her and the differences between her and her big sister ships! Thanks for sharing!