Bimmer09 Christmas Cruise to Mexico on the Diamond

[Bimmer09]

On 1/10/2023 at 2:28 PM, voljeep said:

 link? 2013 H family?

voljeep- I hadn't seen the original jammies video so I searched YouTube. Here it is -2013 as you surmised. Mom and Dad were the winners of The Amazing Race in the first season of 2022.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

We're tied up at the dock in Ensenada

 

 

 

Tourist boats blaring happy music head to sea

 

 

 

We're in port but the International Dining Room is serving lunch....

[Bimmer09]

 

For Carol a salad of Boston lettuce, hearts of palm and artichokes

 

My Madras lamb curry hit the spot for flavor

 

Carol's fish taco had to be eaten with a knife and fork as the taco was too small to fold in half

 

Carol had stracciatella ice cream for dessert while I indulged in this chocolate mousse

 

Another good lunch!

[Bimmer09]

My plan is to go ashore and take a walk into Ensenada. Carol's plan is  to sit on our balcony and read

 

 

First the smoking section on deck 7 aft before walking to midships to exit via deck 4

 

This is the Medallion Help Desk and accessory shop nearby

 

 

Tourist boats setting out on excursions 

 

 

 

Off the ship

 

 

 

Our cabin is directly above lifeboat 18 in line with the letter E

 

 

[Bimmer09]

 

There's a clearly defined path to follow

 

 

and one of these a few hundred yards from the ship if you want to pose

 

 

 

 

resting seagulls

 

 

and pelicans

 

 

looking back the way I came

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

 

 

 

On a promenade heading towards the flag

 

 

sometimes you have to wait for people to take their shots

 

 

 

Humans for scale

 

There was a small area of 6 souvenir tents-jewelry, pottery, tee shirts and fridge magnets which is what I was there for. No one was hustling trying to sell me anything. Very laid back. Most of the people-I'd say over 90% I heard or saw on my promenade walk were Mexican. I saw very few ship tourists.

A small funfair was opening soon

 

 

I crossed over a very busy main street

There was a line at a seafood taco stand

 

 

I walked on for a few blocks until the streets had few people on them and thought better about going further. Traffic lights became few and it didn't seem wise to try and cross them with no goal in mind.

So I backtracked and came across a manicured area of alleyways with shops and restaurants

 

 

having had a good lunch I moved on...

past the funfair which was open and doing business

 

 

Everyone heading to the dock had to pass through a Police gate and show their Medallion to proceed .There were toilets on the walk back to the ship- near the Ensenada sign on the dock. Cold towels awaited plus water for the weary traveler.  Then usual routine-scan Medallion and pass through metal detector to get onboard.  I'd next step off in San Diego....

 

[Bimmer09]

Back on board 

I walked 3.2 miles which was good and needed refreshment up at Tradewinds. The first waiter who served me up there on Embarkation Day and set the bar for service was there so I took a photo.

Maria from Guatemala

 

 

We were losing the light

 

 

 

 

We would be leaving port at 8 p.m

[Bimmer09]

Leaving Ensenada

7.30 p.m , all onboard and we are leaving. In less than 12 hours we'll be in San Diego. Sailaway then dinner then for me, packing. I had our luggage tags changed to the "last off" time slot which was 9.40 a.m. Waiting room was Vivaldi Dining Room .  Carol was going to see a show after dinner. She had already packed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIDEO

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Last Supper

 

Carol's fried plantains

 

Shrimp cocktail-old reliable

 

Carol's Ligurian pesto linguini

 

and my roast beef and ( almost )Yorkshire pudding

 

We didn't find a dessert that really appealed so skipped it. We'd had enough to eat anyway

 

Carol went to see her show

 

while I went to our cabin to pack

 

 

Next-the best sunrise of the cruise....

[Bimmer09]

ENSENADA PATTER

 

[Bimmer09]

We are already docked in San Diego by the time I get my coffee and take my place in Tradewinds.

I was in place when this happened...

 

 

 

 

We had to be out of our cabin by 8a.m to allow Noh our Room Steward to turnaround ready for the new passengers that would follow us. Although we had paid for Princess Plus which included gratuities we left him a good tip as we were late dinner people and were often the only thing holding him back from an early night in bed. So we had to be up at 6 a.m (late for me, early for Carol) and have breakfast done before 8.

We scored our first window table of the cruise...

 

I had my delicious juicy figs for the last time

 

Carol had her fruit (now ripe!) and scrambled eggs.

 

I checked our balcony to make sure nothing was being left behind

 

Carol had settled down for a nap on this balcony while I was walking ashore yesterday. She was suddenly soaked from above by a man using the window washing apparatus to wash the Horizon Court windows for the next guests. From deck 14 to deck 9 there was a waterfall. Cold water.

[Bimmer09]

The vivid sunrise in San Diego was followed and swallowed by a thick blanket of low fog -I couldn't see the USS Midway any longer. it was slow to lift. I had already left my carry-ons at the back of Vivaldi Dining Room where Carol was watching our bags and relaxing with her iPad and Kindle. There was only a couple of couples in the entire room.

 

I was on deck 7 watching forklifts load the ship with new produce while another long-reach forklift was removing trash pallets from another doorway- broken glass trash, cans etc.

 

 

 

There were only 3 small forklifts replenishing the Diamond and the pallets got moved around by one forklift and then another before being taken by the long reach Genie and put into the ship. I could see why it took so long to load the ship when we boarded and the ship was delayed sailing by 5 hours.

 

 

 

The comfy loungers on the wide Promenade Deck got lots of use on this cruise

 

 

 

Time to go back inside

[Bimmer09]

 

 

The Diamond looks immaculate on the interior. I was very impressed.

More stairwell art

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bunnyette]

2 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

We are already docked in San Diego by the time I get my coffee and take my place in Tradewinds.

I was in place when this happened...

 

 

 

 

We had to be out of our cabin by 8a.m to allow Noh our Room Steward to turnaround ready for the new passengers that would follow us. Although we had paid for Princess Plus which included gratuities we left him a good tip as we were late dinner people and were often the only thing holding him back from an early night in bed. So we had to be up at 6 a.m (late for me, early for Carol) and have breakfast done before 8.

We scored our first window table of the cruise...

 

I had my delicious juicy figs for the last time

 

Carol had her fruit (now ripe!) and scrambled eggs.

 

I checked our balcony to make sure nothing was being left behind

 

Carol had settled down for a nap on this balcony while I was walking ashore yesterday. She was suddenly soaked from above by a man using the window washing apparatus to wash the Horizon Court windows for the next guests. From deck 14 to deck 9 there was a waterfall. Cold water.

I hope you told guest services about Carol’s cold shower…

[Walt fan]

Your Christmas cruise sounds so relaxing (minus Carol's unexpected shower); and then your sunrise on your very last day; what a treat

[Bimmer09]

3 hours ago, bunnyette said:

I hope you told guest services about Carol’s cold shower…

She mentioned it on her Post Cruise survey. I imagine she wasn't the only one to get a surprise!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

1 hour ago, Walt fan said:

Your Christmas cruise sounds so relaxing (minus Carol's unexpected shower); and then your sunrise on your very last day; what a treat

It was indeed relaxing thanks to dialing back on the excursions and not trying to be everywhere on the ship each day, LOL.

The sunrise in San Diego was icing on the cake, no question.

Norris

[georgiacat]

Thank you for another wonderful cruise.  I have enjoyed every day of it.

[Bimmer09]

 

Vivaldi in Venice on a day when there were no tourists, obviously

 

Carol was still at her post, alone at the back of the room but told me a harrowing tale of what happened while I was up on deck. A family with an infant and a 2 year old came in and walked all the way to the back of the room and sat at the next table. Thus she had a front-row seat to enjoy the 2 year old showing his mom why they call it "the terrible Twos". Carol's tranquility had fled.

 

While I was gone Carol had also been in touch with our hotel- The Omni- to arrange a check-in earlier than the 4 p.m stated. She arranged a 10 a.m check in so we could go straight there once off the ship. The cost was $150. "it is what it is..."  It was a good move indeed.

 

Princess had laid on some snacks and beverages for those waiting-always a nice touch

 

 

 

A band came in and began rehearsing for the sailaway party. We figured it was time for us to leave.

 

 

I seldom visited deck 5 and the Plaza there but I  got my first morning coffee there after leaving San Diego-before I found that they were serving coffee at the Calypso Bar on deck 14

 

 

Good Spirits bar where you can get your morning coffee

 

 

On our first Diamond cruise from Vancouver to Alaska we had a favorite dining room-one of the 4 small rooms. It was the Savoy but alas, wasn't being used this cruise. Perhaps due to lack of staff or only 2,000 pax on board.

 

"With  half-damp eyes I stared to the room

where my friends and I spent many an afternoon..."

 

[Bimmer09]

Walking the Plank

As many times before, there comes a time when we have to set our feet in motion and walk the zigzag ramp into the Cruise Terminal. It's over. We huddle together and weep for a moment.  Life is not fair! Our luggage is in the Orange section and easily found. In FLL we get a Porter with a dolly to help but none are at hand here in San Diego so we wheel our bags out ourselves. There is already a line of people with their luggage , waiting to board out on the narrow dock.

No wait for a taxi to our hotel which is less than 20 minutes away.

20 minutes is all I need to sum-up our cruise...

 

We had never before booked a cruise at short notice-usually a year in advance but the idea of some sun in December on a ship that we had loved back in 2012 and felt connected with when she became  the poster-child for Covid in Yokohama. Now in a way we were helping her get back on her feet (um, keel) as she was the last Princess ship to do so. The price for 10 days was less than half what our 12 day to Iceland is costing for the cruise portion.

 

We got an unasked-for upgrade to a mini suite and Carol thinks that's what we should book in future. I loved the electronic Japanese toilet. I want one!

We loved the Medallion and what it can do via the App. The Wi-Fi was the best we have had at sea as our needs were simple. We are not movie downloaders or game players. Email, surf a few sights inluding CC.

 

While we criticized some of the food we didn't starve. It was just not what we remembered but it had been 5 years since our last Princess cruise on the Crown and a lot can happen in 5 years-like Covid 19.

I read a lot of CC boards and allow some reviews-at the minute I have a Celebrity one, a Regent 7 Seas and a Silversea open and all of them talk of cutbacks in quality of meats and produce and in dining room service, short staffing and new hires being considered as the cause. So it's not just a Princess thing. Hopefully any negative dining feedback on the Post-Cruise surveys will result in improvements. All the lines fell into a deep financial hole when Covid halted cruising almost 3 years ago now. Many of the staff that were let go chose not to return to a life at sea. The staff that came back are having to train new hires on the job. Some on the Diamond looked like they weren't happy with the workload. Dour faces from many of those hired in African countries like Nigeria and Namibia. Hopefully they will settle in and enjoy their job as much as it is possible.

 

The ship, now 18 years old looked marvelous. Sparkling. Friendly staff, on the whole, particularly the Room Stewards whom we met on our walks down the deck 9 hallway. Smiles. "Have a nice day, Sir!"  Good bar staff and roving servers up at Tradewinds. You can always use the App to summon service to wherever you are sitting-a great feature. The interactive deck boards can show you what is going on at that time and where or in the following hours. Superb! Good technology.

 

There was enough entertainment on board-always a Princess strong point in my experience. While I didn't take full advantage Carol went to her fair share of shows and also enjoyed a daily Spanish class. I never even sat in the Piazza once. The Santa gift giving on Christmas day was something I am glad I was there for. Nice event by Princess!

 

The days flew by and Carol loved the 4 sea days, even though at sea doing 20 knots the Sanctuary was not a cosy place to stretch out on a padded lounger.

 

Was it our best cruise? Only one cruise can get that title and until something more perfect and exciting comes along that title will be held by this....

 

The cat pic wasn't my idea. A new cruise line for us blew our socks off as did the ports, the excursions in 1950s hired cars and the Cuban people we met. Recommended Winter reading!

 

Oh -we are almost at our hotel in this story. We plan a visit to the San Diego Zoo this afternoon followed by dinner in a Middle-Eastern restaurant. A meeting of two College Football marching bands will also feature before we head to the airport on our last morning. There will be a festive parade outside our hotel. A spectacle!

 

[yoshi]

Thank you for another great read...until the next cruise 😀

[Bimmer09]

14 minutes ago, yoshi said:

Thank you for another great read...until the next cruise 😀

Thank you Yoshi! Next post- cruise review approx June 21 this year. We have just learned that we will not sail from and return to Amsterdam-the Apex will be sailing from Rotterdam instead so we will get to visit 2 Netherlands cities! Rotterdam before we board, Amsterdam when we return from the cruise.

Norris

[L11]

2 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

"With  half-damp eyes I stared to the room

where my friends and I spent many an afternoon..."

 

You're quoting Bob Dylan again. Love it.

 

Thanks for your writings and pictures! I especially loved the sunset in San Diego. I look forward to your next GSJ.

 

Linda

[mchell810]

Thanks for another great read.  I'm marking my calendar for your June trip 😀

[Bimmer09]

This place is a Zoo!

 

We checked into our room at the Omni at 10 a.m. A great move as we could now relax in comfort. We kicked back until early afternoon then summoned a Lyft  rideshare to take us to the San Diego Zoo.

Carol had been before, years ago but it was a first for me.

 

 

Carol's plan was to take a Zoo bus tour so we could get the lay of the land. 

 

 

it was very busy in the park-on a Tuesday afternoon

 

 

We got on our tour bus-open sided without glass in the windows

 

 

The driver narrated and explained what we were seeing. He told us there  were 15,000 people in the Zoo at that time. I'd say come when it opens and avoid the weekends!

 

 

 

The bus was proving to be not ideal for taking pictures of the animals as each time we stopped at an exhibit there was a crown at the fence, blocking the view somewhat (we were on the lower deck of the bus) Once the bus tour was over -45 minutes or so we walked to areas close to the exit.

We love Japanese gardens 

 

 

 

 

Face to face with a Lion. Luckily the cub biting on his tail distracted him or I could have been lunch

 

 

After we exited as it was just too full of people for a pleasant relaxing experience I summoned a Lyft to take us back to the hotel. We had a nice place to wait.

 

 

We will definitely return should we sail from San Diego again. Early.