Bimmer09 Christmas Cruise to Mexico on the Diamond

[Bimmer09]

SABATINI'S DINNER- I forgot to title the last plate of food. It was prosciutto wrapped pork tenderloin and I licked the plate!

 

Norris

[palolake]

20 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

 

 

After breakfast we went to the Princess Theater to watch the traditional Culinary Show where the head chef and Maitre d' amuse and educate the crowd with some cooking and banter.

It's a Princess Tradition-but then so was the International Crew Talent show which used to showcase the talents of those behind the scenes, some of them amazing singers....long gone and missed by us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had the International Crew Talent show on the cruise before you.  Maybe because ours was a 20 day cruise?  Our cabin steward Julius was amazing!

[Bimmer09]

1 hour ago, palolake said:

 

We had the International Crew Talent show on the cruise before you.  Maybe because ours was a 20 day cruise?  Our cabin steward Julius was amazing!

Thanks for this- I can't even remember now the last time I saw the Crew Show. I know for sure it wasn't on our 2018 Crown. I used to videotape the shows and the last one was Emerald in the Med 2015. Nothing on the Star 2016, Regal 2017 so I thought they were gone. The last one I can find video for is Ruby 2013. They also used to do a skit called "If I were not upon the sea" at the shows with the Cruise Staff.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

 

Thursday morning, December 22 and we drop anchor (clumsy!) and drop tenders which are now called "Water shuttles". We're here from 7 a.m to 6 p.m and have no excursions booked. So no rush to get off the ship.

I see mountains!

 

 

 

 

 

Nice light on the mountains but the sun rising behind me was in an empty sky like a massive searchlight and not to be photographed.

 

 

 

The tenders were taking just less than 10 minute to reach the harbor which was where that tall white tower was

 

 

There was a big island far off our starboard side

 

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

But first, breakfast!

 

 

Carol will have her usual fruit plate, scrambled eggs. latte and apple juice so only my dishes were photographed. Like my bowl of Raisin Bran...

 

When Kadota Figs appear on a menu I am having them-deelishus!

 

and the predictable

 

We arrange our breakfast meets using the ship's Medallion wi-fi as we come from opposite ends of the ship. It's only good for 1 device (each) at a time but very easy to switch from my computer (web surfing) to phone. We have to be in airplane mode to use the wi-fi on board. When we go ashore our Verizon phones use Telcel

 

I treated myself to a new MacBook Air in July and still have my MacBook Pro which I only use now for photos (35,000) and video. So I have both computers running to write this.

[Jasperdo]

Great shots of Loreto from the ship. I still remember going out on deck the morning we anchored there, and being awed by the view in front of me. You captured it well.

[Bimmer09]

The elevator lobby interactive map of the ship confirms we are at Lareto so we will proceed ashore. Muster for the tenders is in the Princess theater but as we are Elite we are told we can go straight down to deck 4 and push non Elites aside, into the water, if unavoidable. I wanted to sit up on top of the tender but it was packed so we went inside. The ride took 9 minutes.

 

 

 

On the dock in Loreto there was a  flight of steps to disembark on. Very narrow at about 18 inches so not easy for some of the larger passengers or those with walking sticks.

 

 

We were ashore in Loreto!

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Our plan is to walk the Malecon for a spell, find the restaurant Carol has picked for lunch, visit a church, buy a fridge magnet, have lunch and return to the ship. It was a warm morning, about 75 degrees F. Carol was keeping track of the birds she was seeing-lots of pelicans, cormorants, egrets and turkey vultures. She carries binoculars and a bird identifying app called Merlin on her phone.

 

 

 

 

The Malecon is wide and tourist friendly set above the height of the busy road where Police Traffic Officers will stop cars to allow pedestrians to cross the street safely. We were unimpeded by salesmen hawking their wares.

 

 

Home Sweet Home

 

[jwattle]

@Bimmer09I heard on the Loreto news today about some cruise ship passengers going in the ocean...some scuffle about tenders and elites and wannabes? Oddest thing! Did you hear about it? 😂😂😂

[Bimmer09]

 

 

Cool trash can

 

 

We see our lunch restaurant across the street-the one with an upper level and all the plants. It opens at noon, over an hour away. The shop SIX on the corner is a convenience store with cold drinks.

 

 

We go down the street where SIX is as it will lead to the Loreto Mission, a church we want to see.

We leave the Malecon

 

 

 

We walk for 10 minutes down a quiet street

[Bimmer09]

We find a souvenir shop that has shade trees outside and a wall to sit on. Diamond passengers are very much in evidence. I hear music up ahead in the distance.

 

 

We cut through the alley that has an archway of trees

 

 

and there is the Mission. No rush to go in just yet- I want to see where the music is coming from...

 

[Bimmer09]

 

 

In a small square

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2023 by Bimmer09
sound

[Bimmer09]

and now the Mission

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Outside in the courtyard

 

 

 

 

 

[Walt fan]

Mariachis and a Mission! Two things I truly love here in San Antonio. We have some beautiful Missions. I glad you and Carol had a good walk there. Can't wait to see your lunch! 

[Bimmer09]

What we really came for-can one ever have enough wrestling masks? (rhetorical)

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I think of Mexico I think of color

 

 

a beautiful square that leads into a street full of bars and restaurants and then to the Malecon

 

 

[Thrak]

When we visited Loreto in 2014 it was a sleep little town. Looking at your pictures with modern buildings is crazy!

[Bimmer09]

Mediterraneo Restaurant 

 

 

 

We had the patio all to ourselves

 

 

Lunch with a view

 

Carol's Sea Bass tacos

 

My skirt steak fajitas tempura

A quiet relaxing spot with good food and service

And clean rest rooms back there...

 

 

Edited January 6, 2023 by Bimmer09
spelling

[Bimmer09]

Back to the ship after lunch. This building helpfully points you downtown as you leave the dock.

 

It's a small town just 20,000 people but it's trim and colorful and we didn't get hustled to buy anything.

Would happily go back.

 

On my post-cruise survey I slammed Princess or rather shook them like a rag doll over their tender management. They provided the same steps to the tender as they did when we arrived a few hours earlier. Now the tide was about 2 feet higher  and the low steps left a 2ft gap between the top and the  deck of the boat. Too high for Carol to easily negotiate. She had to enter the boat backwards, sit down on it and then turn herself around. The crew tried to help by standing on the dock and pushing down on the side of the boat to lessen the gap. The boat-a lifeboat-being super buoyant sprung back and sloshed them with seawater.  Once onboard I watched several people need to be hauled aboard as they couldn't span the gap. Genius idea- 2 sets of steps, one low tide, one high! People with canes were disadvantaged too. Embarrassing and frustrating plus dangerous for all those who struggled.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Back on board, scan our medallions, through security screening via metal detector. I press 14 on the elevator buttons which also have a Japanese explanation of decks

 

 

 

After a pleasant couple of hours chin-wagging, chatting, shooting the breeze, chewing the fat and babbling the sun began to go down. Hold my beer while I take a picture...

 

 

and later

 

 

Tradewinds will close the bar at 7 p.m

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Time to head indoors and start thinking about dinner as we sail to La Paz.

 

 

I am the green dot on the map, wearing my Medallion

 

 

Dinner

 

 

My usual standby the Shrimp Cocktail, fresh and frisky 

 

Carol's Caesar/Kale salad 

 

My grandma's Cog au Vin. Apparently there's a grey haired 80 year old grandma working in the galley?

 

Carol had the ham with sauerkraut and mash

 

 

 

My peach "flambe"

 

and Carol's "carrot cake"

 

Not my favorite dinner but we weren't going hungry!

we strolled Promenade deck after dinner. Bed at 10 p.m

[mchell810]

2 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Back to the ship after lunch. This building helpfully points you downtown as you leave the dock.

 

It's a small town just 20,000 people but it's trim and colorful and we didn't get hustled to buy anything.

Would happily go back.

 

On my post-cruise survey I slammed Princess or rather shook them like a rag doll over their tender management. They provided the same steps to the tender as they did when we arrived a few hours earlier. Now the tide was about 2 feet higher  and the low steps left a 2ft gap between the top and the  deck of the boat. Too high for Carol to easily negotiate. She had to enter the boat backwards, sit down on it and then turn herself around. The crew tried to help by standing on the dock and pushing down on the side of the boat to lessen the gap. The boat-a lifeboat-being super buoyant sprung back and sloshed them with seawater.  Once onboard I watched several people need to be hauled aboard as they couldn't span the gap. Genius idea- 2 sets of steps, one low tide, one high! People with canes were disadvantaged too. Embarrassing and frustrating plus dangerous for all those who struggled.

Norris

 

Glad you gave feedback on that tender situation.  I can't believe no one from the ship thought: "This is dangerous we should do something."

 

In any case, seems like you had a lovely day in Loretto and Carol's lunch tacos looked great!

 

[Bimmer09]

Word on the street is that I haven't shown you the Patters for day 5, the sea day we spent sailing to Loreto. So here it is. Always lots going on during a sea day...

 

[Bimmer09]

And now, at great expense the Patter from Loreto

 

All caught up!

[Bimmer09]

 

 

So says the sign opposite our balcony. I look around but don't see La Paz. Did I miss it on the way into harbor? Doesn't look like it.

 

 

 

All is explained  by the photo-we are in Pichilingue and it's a 40 minute shuttle bus ride to La Paz. Carol fining this out the day before thought we might as well book an excursion and include  guided tour on the long bus ride rather than just get into town, buy a fridge magnet, walk around blind, maybe get some lunch. 

Carol had ordered Room Service breakfast for herself. I would pass, thinking lunch in La Paz? The Excursion was "La Paz highlights" and would meet up in the Princess Theater at 8 a.m.  We would board the bus at 8.30. Buses waited on the dock...

Ours is the black one with a green S

 

 

The bus was modern and comfortable, had a toilet on board and a guide called Jose. Fernando did the driving along smooth roads lined by hills covered in cacti . We had the sea on our right for most of the way. The outskirts of La Paz looked prosperous with resorts and hotels. Houses at street level sported iron bars and gates and it looked like the razor-wire capital of Mexico. Burglary central perhaps. Pretty on the way in though.

At a roundabout

 

 

The highlight of the tour would be a Mission church downtown amid narrow streets that challenged our driver as he held up traffic executing a 25 point turn. He found a parking space opposite the Mission. It had taken 40 minutes to reach the city-as advertised.

 

 

Our Mission-should we choose to accept it...

 

 

 There was no glass in the front doors so we just stepped inside

 

 

Cathedral de Nuestra Señora 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, beautiful, serene, quiet. Highlight of the tour.