John and Diane are on board - at last!

[Seasick Sailor]

I have given post cards to front desk directly. They charge our account for whatever country postage we're in. It does take time to arrive.

 

On a holiday trip with Viking a few years ago, we left on Thanksgiving day for a 3 week cruise, I wrote Christmas cards on board and took the stack to front desk. I think the next stop was Cuba?? Anyway, most friends and family received their cards in February. I often wonder where those cards were mailed from. Should have asked! 

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, Seasick Sailor said:

It does take time to arrive.

 

If they ever do.  I have mailed some that the carrier pigeons must have dropped into the ocean en route to the cards destinations.  

[canadianbear]

If we go on our long South Pacific cruise I may pick up postcards but bring them home to mail, lol!!  

[tennisbeforewine]

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Mazatlan, Mexico

 

We haven’t been to Mazatlan for over 40 years, so I guess we felt that we had to make up for lost time.  We did everything we could to enjoy the day - and boy, did we!  Usually we don’t go on ship excursions for several  reasons:  they seem quite overpriced, we hate to be part of a large group, often a two-hour lunch takes time away from what we want to see, and the seemingly requisite shopping stop just annoys us.  Today’s tour did none of those, so we enjoyed it thoroughly.   

 

We showed up, as assigned, at 8:20 for our 8:30 Stone Island beach outing.  We didn’t even get a sticker; we just were given a paper bracelet so that the boat’s crew would let us on board.  Our group of about forty had only a short walk from the ship to our double-decker boat, on which we had a short cruise of the harbor and then across the water to Stone Island.  As we crossed the water, Arturo, our guide, told us that we’d be boarding a “Mexican limousine” for a short trip to our beach resort.  It was great.  Our “limousine” turned out to be a heavy-duty tractor which pulled a sort of “people carrier” which transported us to the “resort.”  It was not quite a Four Seasons, but it was a great place to spend half the day.

 

The beach was beautiful, the ocean was warm, the open bar served some great tropical cocktails, and the lounge chairs were comfortable.  John and I both spent time in the water and it was so much warmer than Avila (our home beach) that we enjoyed it thoroughly.

There was some “crime scene tape” to prevent the vendors from approaching us, but that didn’t stop many of our group members from bargaining on the beach for clothing, hats, and some “silver.”  The vendors were pleasant and seemed to have a good time bargaining.

 

At 11:00 a delicious Mexican lunch was served.  Because of Covid, a buffet was out of the question, but each prepared plate contained a taquito, some incredibly tender chicken, beans, rice, and a bag of chips.  My plate was clean by the time it was collected, and if we’d had more time at the beach I’m sure a nap would have been called for.

 

At 11:45 we reversed our path, with the “limousine” taking us to the boat, across the bay and back to the ship.  By then, of course, we were hot, sweaty, and sandy, so we really needed showers.  Once that was taken care of, we decided that we’d like to see a bit of historical Mazatlan, so we began our walk toward town.  The tourist folks in the city do a great job, including a four-stripe blue line that leads from the port to one of the town’s main highlights, Machado Square.  It’s a beautiful area of about two square blocks with shady trees (necessary in today’s 88-degree heat), cafes, and comfortable benches.  We weren’t satisfied with just one square, so we followed the two large spires to the heart of historical Mazatlan, home of its beautiful cathedral.  We would have liked to go inside, but it wasn’t open, so that wasn’t going to happen.

 

Then it was time to hike back to the ship after a total of 3.8 miles for the day.  We decided that distance entitled us to some rest, so a nap was on the agenda.  It was a wonderful day and one that we’d be happy to repeat anytime in the future.

 

P. S.  Regarding the postcards, I'm very happy that some of you are considering sending them.  We began years ago, and Jessica has what she calls her "treasure box" which contains every single one.  Often a shop which sells postcards will also sell stamps, but otherwise we have two alternatives:  find the local post office or just have the ship send them.  On our Coastal California cruise, we saved the Catalina postcard until we arrived in San Francisco, and then mailed both of them.  Because they live in Northern California, that really helped with the speed of delivery.  One time we sent a card from Pitcairn Island (we can't go ashore but most of the islanders come on board and will postmark and mail them for us), and it arrived about four months later.  

 

Right now I have postcards sitting in front of me from Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlan, all written, addressed and ready to go.  Tomorrow we'll pick one up from Puerto Vallarta and then try to find a post office.  I'll let you know how that goes.  

[tennisbeforewine]

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Puerta Vallarta, Mexico

 

It’s been a bout five years since we’ve last called at PV, and our reception here has certainly changed.  The last time we were here, we walked down the gangway, through a fairly small reception hall, and out to begin our exploration of the city.  Today, however, the tourist agencies of the city have added a grand and glorious extended building, with shops selling anything a tourist might want:  clothes, perfume, liquor, and so forth.  The problem is that the vendors, in their shiny new building and stores, don’t want anyone to miss anything that might be purchased, so there are barriers leading visitors through a maze-like path with very nice locals asking, “Would you like to look at . . . ?”  One of the possible exits leads to taxis and rental cars, but we passed by that one, just wanting to get to the street.  I was feeling a bit claustrophobic and I just wanted out.

 

Once having “solved the maze,” we began walking toward the main part of the city while on the lookout for a taxi.  After only about a block, we saw one coming out of a gas station and asked how much to take us to the Malecon, the extensive ocean-front boardwalk three miles away.  He responded that it would be $6.00, so we jumped in.  We have walked the those miles from the ship to the Malecon in the past, but with 88 degree heat and 85% humidity, we decided that discretion was the better part of valor and that riding in a taxi was the wise choice.

 

Our driver dropped us at the beginning of the Malecon and we were off!  It’s probably a good mile from start to finish, and the finish was our destination.  There are shops and cafes and full-on restaurants, and about a half dozen varieties of Señor Frog’s - bars, restaurants, and clothing/souvenir shops.  Usually we’d just amble along the part of the walkway by the beach, enjoying the view of the ocean, but in today’s heat and humidity, we clung to the shady side where the shops and restaurants were located.

 

On our walk we ran into our friends Jeff and Cathy and chatted about taxis.  They had gone out the “Taxi” exit by the ship and paid $16.00 for the same ride that cost us $6.00 ($7.00 with a tip).  They were understandably annoyed and said that they had learned a valuable lesson.

 

We kept wandering down the Malecon, admiring the sculptures as well as the phrases written with small stones in the concrete walkway.  People were friendly, bicyclists were everywhere, and it was a very pleasant walk.

 

Our goal, at the end of the Malecon, was our favorite PV restaurant, La Palapa.  We have good friends who come here a couple of times a year and recommended it a very long time ago.  It has indoor seating, covered outdoor seating (in the blessed shade), and tables on the beach under thatched umbrellas.  The food is excellent, the service is attentive, and the margaritas are wonderful - but watch out for them, as they have quite a “kick.”  Since we were there at about 11:30, before their lunch service began, we began with a mimosa for me and a margarita for John.  Pretty soon it was time to eat, and we ordered shrimp tacos (I love shrimp) and fish tacos, with a side of guacamole and chips.  Everything was delicious and we spent about an hour and a half over a great meal.

 

I really wanted to mail our postcards, but no one seemed to know the location of the post office, and none of the shops seemed to sell stamps.  I guess I’ll just keep them with me until San Diego and pop them in the mail there.

 

Then it was time to return to the ship for a margarita nap, so we headed up to the main street, flagged down another taxi ($10.00 this time), and were back at the shoppers’ maze pretty quickly.  I’m just not a shopper, and unlike many of my friends, I just keep walking, no matter what’s on offer.  Getting through the building was quicker this time (I guess they hope to entice shoppers on their way off the ship), and we were in our cabin, enjoying the A/C and avoiding the balcony where my reading glasses immediately fogged up whenever I tried to go outside.

 

Now we’re looking forward to two sea days on our way back to San Diego, and the weather should be a bit easier to handle.  Tomorrow we’ve rented a cabana in The  Retreat on Deck 12 just to try one out.  Jeff, Ann, and Cathy have one reserved for their entire 7 months, so we thought we’d give it a shot.  I’m interested to see just what is included and how we like being in a  private area.  I’ll let you know tomorrow.

[takemewithyou]

Thanks for your reports!  Enjoying them very much!

Have you had any success with front desk and fixing your bill related to the drink charges?

[erewhon]

Enjoying reading your reports, thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

[vino100]

So great reading another one of your ” live “ reports.

 

 

I used to follow Jeff’s blog ,but forgot the link. Do you know the name of his blog ?

Also, are you going on next year’s world cruise.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise.  

[cccole]

vino100 - the blog is amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com

 

There are a couple of nice photos of John and Diane in Cabo and Puerta Vallerta.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing your cruise. 

[vino100]

21 minutes ago, cccole said:

vino100 - the blog is amazingvoyages2.blogspot.com

 

There are a couple of nice photos of John and Diane in Cabo and Puerta Vallerta.

Thank you for sharing. 

[tennisbeforewine]

Friday, October 22, 2021

At Sea en route to San Diego

 

The second to last day on board the Koningsdam was perfect.  It was warm, but not too warm, breezy, but not too breezy, and we had booked a Cabana in The Retreat on Deck 12.  Not only that, but my sixth (and last) visit to the front desk encouraged the assistant customer relations manger to sit down with the Beverage Manager and solve all the problems on our statement.  I was ready to do the Happy Dance!  Thank you all who offered encouragement - it really helped.  Apparently what had happened was a glitch in the beverage computer system which failed to immediately credit the cost of any beverage to our Have it All Plan.  My nagging had caused a review of the system, so now it should be hunky dory.

 

We thought we’d try out a cabana for just one day.  The cost varies between sea and port days:  $85 for a sea day, $55 for a port day, and $495 for a full week.  We had a hard time understanding why people would actually pay for a lounge chair with a few perks (morning mimosa, afternoon cheese and fruit plate, someone to fetch your meals), but then realized that some very good friends book minimum inside cabins and then pay $495 a week for their “verandah.”  It’s a lot cheaper than a verandah cabin!  We especially enjoyed our day because our friend and beverage server Manny, who I’ve mentioned we’ve known since 2008, was our cabana attendant.  He couldn’t do enough for us and we loved the pampering.  Will we do it again?  Probably not, but we did enjoy the experience.

 

John spent much of the morning playing pickle ball, and apparently he’ll do the same thing tomorrow, since a tournament is listed in the day’s program.  Although he’d rather play tennis, the onboard option is P-Ball, so that’s what he plays.

 

Then there was the weekly reception at 4:00 to which 4 and 5-star Mariners are invited.  One couple was awarded their 300-day medallion and another 500 days.  We sit with our friends who are President’s Club members, so we feel pretty low on the totem pole.  We do hope to join them in a couple of years.

 

Last evening was the last Gala Night, and we chose to have dinner in Tamarind.  It is such a lovely, dark and quiet restaurant with wonderful Asian choices.  John had shrimp wonton soup called “Jewels of the Sea,” while I had lobster and shrimp potstickers.  They were both quite tasty.  My main dish was Cashew Barramundi with Red Thai Curry, and it was just delicious.  The fish was coated in finely ground cashews and surrounded by a somewhat spicy curry sauce.  Oh my!  John had Thai Basil Szechuan Shrimp, and while he offered me a bite, I couldn’t even finish my barramundi. Being full, of course, has nothing to do with dessert, so John’s choice was the deconstructed Yuzu Cheesecake.  It was really pretty and quite photogenic, but since cheesecake is not my “thing,” I stuck to my single scoop of lemon-basil sorbet.  It doesn’t sound like a good combination, but it really was good.

 

For the second night in a row, we set our clocks back an hour so that when we arrive in San Diego we’ll be on Pacific Daylight Time.  Saturday night is our last hurrah, so we’ll be having dinner with Jeff, Ann and Cathy in Canaletto.  Our friend Endrian is the manager, and he encouraged us to come - so what’s a friend to do?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Florida_gal_50]

I can’t believe it’s almost over.  I also can’t believe they have so many problems figuring out the beverage problem.  You are a saint for putting up with it for so long.  I would have lost it.  I’m pretty sure they had this problem on the nieuw Amsterdam too so I don’t know why it would be such a mystery.

 

I really enjoy a cabana because I don’t enjoy having a ton of people around me.  I always get my own food and don’t usually bother the stewards for much but that’s just me.

 

Looking forward to hearing about your dinner in Canaletto.  It was so good on the n statendam.  I hope it’s as good for you.

[san diego spartan]

On 10/17/2021 at 8:13 AM, tennisbeforewine said:

Saturday, October 16, 2021

Ensenada, Mexico

 

Between last evening and today, we’ve been two busy bees.  Since it was my birthday, I got to choose where to have dinner.  I love Tamarind, and I equally love its bar, formerly called The Silk Room but now re-named The Panorama Bar.  We met Jeff there at 7:00 and chatted and took pictures (with Jeff, that’s a given) and had a cocktail until it was time for our dinner reservation at 7:30.

 

The whole setting in The Tamarind is just so darned peaceful.  It’s a bit dark and people seem to talk in low voices. We began with the wonderful bubbly that I mentioned yesterday while we were served large shrimp  crackers with three sauces:  warm, medium, and burn your lips off.

I’m a sissy, so I stuck to the first one.  For a starter, Jeff loves the tempera shrimp, while John had the Chinese five-spice baby back ribs, and I had the satay sampler.  They all looked and smelled wonderful, and my satay was delicious.

 

For mains, John and Jeff both had the Panang Red Curry Coconut Chicken which is served with jasmine rice, while I had the Mongolian Barbecue  Lamb Chops.  After having lamb chops in both The Pinnacle and Tamarind, I think it’s time to broaden my palate.  Jeff passed on dessert, but John and I shared a Mango Posset, which was a coconut macaroon with some passion fruit jelly and topped with a small scoop of mango sorbet.  It was so good I kept wishing I didn’t have to share.

 

Dinner was followed by visits to both the Rock and Roll Room and the “Dueling Pianos,” and then, since my eyes were having a hard time staying open, it was time for bed.  It was a wonderful birthday!

 

Since our “Have it All” package gave us $100 toward a shore excursion, today was our last chance to use it, so we booked the Calafia Valley Wine Country excursion.  It turned out to be a great choice.  We climbed aboard a large, comfortable bus and drove for almost an hour out into the countryside.  We could have been driving through desert country anywhere in the Western United States or even North Africa.  Cactus was everywhere and houses were few and far between.  Apparently this environment is very kind to some kinds of wine grapes, and our tour included visits (and tastings at) two lovely wineries.  The first was La Casa de Dona Lupe, where we tasted four of their wines and had some great snacks, including freshly made pizza and a couple types of bread.  The area where we sat overlooked the rocky hills behind the winery and would have been a beautiful setting for a wedding or other celebration.  The Argentinian violinist who played during our visit just added another plus.

 

Then it was time to leave, but a very short drive took us to L. A. Cetto winery, which we were told is the largest winery in Mexico.  A tour of the production facility was impressive; the oak barrels extended as far as we could see inside of the huge facility.  We learned a lot, but then came what we had been looking forward to:  the wine tasting.  We tried two whites and two reds, along with a local bread, olives, and pieces of cheese - Monterey Jack from Costco, we were surprised to learn.  The piece de resistance, of course, was the bottle of Cabernet/Malbec which was presented to us as we re-boarded the bus.

 

All in all it was a great excursion.  We arrived back at the ship at around 1:00, and after a fairly brief break (not for lunch - we were full from the excursion), we headed out for a walk through the downtown area of Ensenada.  It’s really a cute little area, the highlight of which is the number of small cafes and Mexican (what else?) restaurants lining the streets.  We picked up a postcard for our granddaughter, poked around a few shops, and then headed back to the ship.

 

It had been a beautiful day, sunny with the temperatures in the high 70’s.  Right now we’re sailing very slowly toward San Diego, only 87 miles away.  John just looked outside and said that it seems we’re hardly moving at all - probably because we have 14 hours to sail 87 miles.

We’re looking forward to a full day in San Diego, and then we begin another adventure to Mexico.

 

P. S.  The reason I’m posting two at once is that the internet on the ship has been very far from mediocre for the last two days, so in San Diego I’m planning to find the nearest Starbucks and post both of them.

Thanks again for your trip report.   Has been very informative.  I have also booked the wine tour on HAL in Ensenada and have a question about your post.  Do you get a bottle of wine as part of your tour?  When you said you were "presented" with the bottle I was not sure if you bought that or if it was included as part of the tour price.

 

thanks

[jhsocal]

When you were at the beach  was there a place to change out of your wet suits? Hal Tours frequently tell you were bathing suit under clothes,, works fine if you do not get wet.

[tennisbeforewine]

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

San Luis Obispo, CA - Home at Last!

 

After two weeks of pampering and just basically doing whatever we wished, we’re home where no one makes our bed, prepares) our meals, or does the laundry.  Oh no!  Actually, I always enjoy getting back home no matter whether we’re gone a week for a Mexico cruise or four months for a world cruise.

 

Our last evening was really nice, spending it with Jeff, Ann and Cathy in Canaletto.  There is a special every night, and as long as we’re not there on Wednesday for Liver Venice style, I’d be happy with any of them.  Sunday night’s special is Chicken Parmesan, and even though it was Saturday night, that’s what Ann and Cathy wanted, so they had ordered it in advance.  It looked delicious, but each order covered the whole plate.  At home one would just get a to-go box, but what’s the point of doing that on a ship?  I’ve learned that it’s always possible to order a small portion, but it’s hard to know what the regular portion would be.  John had that evening’s special, four huge grilled shrimp on a bed of rice pilaf and vegetables.  Jeff had Caneletto’s delicious lasagne, and although he asked for a half portion, there was enough there to feed a couple of people.  If you’re a light eater, that’s a restaurant where you might consider sharing an entree.  I love risotto, so that’s what I had and ate almost half of it.

 

The next morning could not have gone more smoothly.  All 4 and 5-star Mariners could disembark any time between 7:45 and 9:45, so we chose the earlier option.  After thanking our rooms stewards (financially) we had our last check out, headed down to the immigration building where we had our passports checked, picked up our luggage and headed outside to flag a cab.  One thing we noticed, both going and coming, was that taxis in San Diego seem to be very reasonably priced.

 

Once we arrived at the airport, it was just sit and wait.  Although we were flying first class on Alaska Airlines, we couldn’t use their “club” unless we had higher status.  We also have United Airlines club passes, but because we weren’t flying on United, we couldn’t use that room either.  Oh well, we just sat and read and eventually shared a chicken BLT before boarding right on time at 11:28.  Our plane was scheduled for 11:58, and we pulled back at 11:56, arriving in San Luis Obispo five minutes early.  Slick!

 

We knew we were coming home to a storm, so the first thing we did was check to make sure everything was battened down.  Our part of the storm wasn’t nearly as bad as expected, and the 1-1/2 inches of rain was sorely needed.  Our daughter, who just bought her first house in Northern California, was far more worried, but she had no problems either.

 

Next week the Koningsdam sails the California Coastal cruise, and Leslie and Handler, good cruise friends from Texas, will be aboard.  Since we live only 3-1/2 hours from San Francisco, we're going to drive up, spend time with them, stay the night at a nearby hotel, and then drive home.  

 

Overall, we’d do it all again.  The biggest “positive” of the cruise was the crew.  Their service was excellent, their attitudes could not have been friendlier, and I think all of us, passengers and crew, were just happy to be on board again - the crew to be back to work and the passengers to just love the ship and the sea.  The ship itself is beautiful and it sparkled from bow to stern.  We enjoyed meeting some officers we hadn’t known, including Ron, the Hotel Manager and Captain Macbeath.   A couple of times we had nice chats with the captain, once while we were sitting on the stairs waiting for our room stewards to finish our cabin.  The front desk staff was, as always, incredibly helpful, and we really had nothing to complain about (especially after our statement problem was solved.

 

Thank you for following along with me.  It’s really encouraging to know that people actually read what I write.  We’ll be on the Rotterdam in February, and I’ll hope to “see” you then.

 

P. S.  Questions:  Regarding the wine tour, yes they gave each member of our tour a free bottle of their red - which was pretty good.  Even though HAL doesn’t allow more than one bottle per person on embarkation, a bottle after a wine tour is allowed.

 

Regarding the beach tour - There are bathrooms in which to change if you like.  I wasn’t in the water very long and then I just stretched out on the lounge and let the sun dry me off.

 

I’d recommend both tours.

 

[PSR]

34 minutes ago, tennisbeforewine said:

Once we arrived at the airport, it was just sit and wait.  Although we were flying first class on Alaska Airlines, we couldn’t use their “club” unless we had higher status.

 Was this an actual "Alaska Airlines" club, or another brand that honors Alaska club members? I did not think Alaska Air had a Club location at the San Diego airport. Alaska Air itself does allow first class passengers in their clubs, at least in Seattle.

[tennisbeforewine]

You're right.  It was an American Airlines club which allows in Alaska Airlines passengers with certain requirements - that we didn't meet.  Oh well.  

[san diego spartan]

Thanks for answering my question about the wine tour.  We are looking forward to it and it looks like it is sold out for our tour.  Glad you had a nice time and had great things to say about the ship and crew.  

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

2 hours ago, tennisbeforewine said:

 

 

Next week the Koningsdam sails the California Coastal cruise, and Leslie and Handler, good cruise friends from Texas, will be aboard.  Since we live only 3-1/2 hours from San Francisco, we're going to drive up, spend time with them, stay the night at a nearby hotel, and then drive home.  

 

 

Thanks for your GREAT reports.  We will be onboard starting on Halloween for 2 weeks!   Can't wait!    Especially fun when the cruise leaves from your home town!

Edited October 28, 2021 by The-Inside-Cabin

[erewhon]

 Again Thank you, really appreciate  you taking us with you on your cruise.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

Glad you had a good time.

[Dismomx5]

Thanks for having us all on your shoulder for the cruise!

[cruisequeen4ever]

I’ve been enjoying your cruise blogs for years, and every time I read one, you look familiar to me. It finally donned on me while reading this blog that perhaps you and your family were our tablemates on our 1990 Easter Western Caribbean Nieuw Amsterdam cruise! Were you, your family, and your father by chance onboard that sailing? My mom was a teacher and remembers our tablemate also being one, and I know you’ve shared that you were a teacher. Our family group consisted of my teenage brother and his friend, who hung out with our tablemates’ teen twins throughout the cruise, my parents, and me, a wee 3rd grade girl. If this was you guys, it would be so cool! 

Edited February 6, 2022 by cruisequeen4ever