4/15 Mexican Riviera - our best cruise ever!

[WAvoyager]

We had he best time on our recent cruise on the Discovery.  This was our first trip on this ship (previous booking was cancelled by Princess due to our 5 yo last year 😒).  The ship is definitely beautiful, and has a really nice layout. 
 

The food in the MDR and buffet is definitely much improved over other post-shutdown cruises we’ve been on.  There was a great selection in the buffet, and the food quality overall is much improved.  I would say it’s still not up to pre-shutdown quality, but getting pretty close.

 

The one disappointment was the Crown Grill - I’m going to chalk it up to a one off issue, but my rib eye was a very poor piece of steak - about 30% of it was inedible fat or gristle.  We do the Crown Grill on every cruise, and this was the first time I’ve been disappointed.

 

Also - the internet connection was terrible!  Worst on any non-Alaska sailing we’ve been on. 

 

We were able to go to the Salty Dog Gastropub for the first time and I thought the food was great.  Sadly, it appears this will be the first and last time, as the space is slated for a change in theme soon.

 

Our tender port went quickly and smoothly - much better than last years trip to the same port (Cabo)

 

The pools were heated and definitely a liveable temperature- really helpful since my daughter wanted to stay in the pools ALL the time.

 

The magic shows (with Shawn McMaster) were fun - even though I got selected to be a “volunteer”.  The CD even did a great presentation on how to perform card tricks, which kept our family (6yo - 56yo) entertained.

 

The topper for us was definitely our dinner on the last night.  My wife and I are definitely foodies - and a highlight on our trips is always splurging on some great dining experience.  Alinea in Chicago, the French Laundry in Yountville, Alan Wong’s in Honolulu, eating our way through New Orleans…. We’ve been fortunate to have some great dining experiences.  Unfortunately that’s mostly changed since our daughter was born.  It’s really hard to get a kindergartner to appreciate a 3 hour meal at the Herb Garden, let alone sit still for it… even when pot bellied pigs are involved.   We were fortunate to get invited to the 360 Experience, and WOW.  The food was very good, but the experience was amazing.  My daughter has declared it “The best dinner ever!”, and the combination of great food, lively presentation, and interactive technology, made it an unmatched experience.  Since my daughter (obviously) couldn’t get the cocktail and wine pairing with her meal, they had a progression of non-alcoholic creations, and after each new one she quickly said “this is even better”.  No restlessness for anyone in our party - and everyone was sad when the dinner came to an end.  If you have a chance to go to this dinner don’t miss it!

 

We ordered a Stanley Bear for her pre-boarding, and Stanley went everywhere with us.  They did not have Stanley’s available in the gift shops, so plan ahead if you want one - apparently supply issues are still occurring.

 

Can’t wait for our next cruise in August!

 

 

Here are some pics from the 360 Experience, and the full table from my daughter and my dinner at SDG - and yes, She and (mostly) I did finish everything.

 

 

Edited April 30, 2023 by WAvoyager

[Kay S]

We did that cruise in November.  I'm glad you had a good time.  That is a very cute little girl. 🙂

[Lady Arwen]

Thank you for sharing your recent cruise experience on Discovery Princess.  Sounds like the whole family had a great time!  

[cr8tiv1]

You have spoiled her for the rest of her cruising experiences.  

 

Sorry...Alan Wong's has closed.

 

And what is it with the Discovery Best WiFi at sea?

[WAvoyager]

18 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

You have spoiled her for the rest of her cruising experiences.  

 

Sorry...Alan Wong's has closed.

 

And what is it with the Discovery Best WiFi at sea?

I was heartbroken to hear about the closure, and without any chance for a final visit.  I keep hoping for any news of a new project, but so far, nothing.  😢

 

I was surprised at how bad the internet connection was.  I gave up hope for getting any work done, and struggled to connect for any of my iPhone games.  I’m writing off any hope for our Alaska cruise on the Discovery in August.

Edited May 1, 2023 by WAvoyager

[nini]

Fellow Washingtonian-

What a sweet telling of your experience! I know not of being "invited" to the 360 Experience however, thank you for sharing. It looks totally lovely. Maybe someday.....

Somehow, we have always had good WiFi on board and we are usually aft.

[WAvoyager]

37 minutes ago, nini said:

Fellow Washingtonian-

What a sweet telling of your experience! I know not of being "invited" to the 360 Experience however, thank you for sharing. It looks totally lovely. Maybe someday.....

Somehow, we have always had good WiFi on board and we are usually aft.

For 360, they invite cruisers staying in suites, and any remaining spaces go to casino guests.  There are 2 seatings each night, with 20 seats per seating, so 200-280 guests total?  (Not sure how many nights they do it).

 

My daughter is already asking if we can go again on our next cruise.  Unfortunately we’re not in a suite or even a mini suite next trip, so I think it’ll be unlikely we’ll get the call again.   We were casino guests, and had upgraded to a mini suite last cruise - and even then, we were probably one of the last 5-10 guest to be invited (based on how many seating options were available when we got the call).
 

I’m hoping they’ll make it a specialty dining event by our next trip - I’d happily pay for the dinner, and I’d really love for my Mom to get to go.

 

I’m glad you’ve had better internet - we were getting 500ms / sub - 5mb connections pretty much all trip.  Pretty useless for anything except basic email.  We always stay midship, usually on Riviera, so I’m sure things won’t change much for us.

Edited May 1, 2023 by WAvoyager

[mrmarklin]

We were on Thanksgiving cruise last year and the WiFi was more than adequate on Discovery. The ship was full, too:  3,950 passengers. 

[nini]

4 hours ago, WAvoyager said:

For 360, they invite cruisers staying in suites, and any remaining spaces go to casino guests.  There are 2 seatings each night, with 20 seats per seating, so 200-280 guests total?  (Not sure how many nights they do it).

 

My daughter is already asking if we can go again on our next cruise.  Unfortunately we’re not in a suite or even a mini suite next trip, so I think it’ll be unlikely we’ll get the call again.   We were casino guests, and had upgraded to a mini suite last cruise - and even then, we were probably one of the last 5-10 guest to be invited (based on how many seating options were available when we got the call).
 

I’m hoping they’ll make it a specialty dining event by our next trip - I’d happily pay for the dinner, and I’d really love for my Mom to get to go.

 

I’m glad you’ve had better internet - we were getting 500ms / sub - 5mb connections pretty much all trip.  Pretty useless for anything except basic email.  We always stay midship, usually on Riviera, so I’m sure things won’t change much for us.

 

Thank you for answering my question about the 360. You might consider the Chef's Table for your next cruise since you would not have the 360 opportunity, assuming you will be on Princess.

[WAvoyager]

12 hours ago, nini said:

 

Thank you for answering my question about the 360. You might consider the Chef's Table for your next cruise since you would not have the 360 opportunity, assuming you will be on Princess.

Unfortunately, getting a 6YO to sit still for the Chef’s Table makes it a non-starter for us.  There was so much to see, do, and then experience with the 360, there wasn’t a single “I’m bored” statement - which is a major success.  Chef’s Table will need to wait until she’s a little older.

[nini]

6 minutes ago, WAvoyager said:

Unfortunately, getting a 6YO to sit still for the Chef’s Table makes it a non-starter for us.  There was so much to see, do, and then experience with the 360, there wasn’t a single “I’m bored” statement - which is a major success.  Chef’s Table will need to wait until she’s a little older.

Good to know. I thought that the two were similar.

[fabby50]

Do you know what the Salty Dog is being change to?  We were on Discovery a couple of months ago and missed it.  One her again in November and was looking forward to trying.  Thank you!

[WAvoyager]

I may have spoken too soon.  I could’ve sworn I read they were replacing the SDG, but this article mentions only that they’re replacing it on the Enchanted Princess, but no mention of the other ships.  Either I read it incorrectly the first time, or it was a different article with different info.

 

On the Enchanted, they’re putting in an Irish pub, and the SDG will be replaced (in a different location) with a SD Cafe.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/7341/

[WAvoyager]

On 4/30/2023 at 11:13 AM, Kay S said:

We did that cruise in November.  I'm glad you had a good time.  That is a very cute little girl. 🙂

Thank you!  She definitely knows how to use that cuteness when it comes to getting her way with Daddy!  🤔

[bjkTX]

I'm a bit upset by your review - it certainly isn't up to our usual standards of complaining!!!  You could have tried a little harder to find more things that went badly!!!!  🙂

 

It's great to hear that the thing we all like to do - cruise - is still fun - thanks for sharing your experience with us!

[WAvoyager]

14 hours ago, bjkTX said:

I'm a bit upset by your review - it certainly isn't up to our usual standards of complaining!!!  You could have tried a little harder to find more things that went badly!!!!  🙂

 

It's great to hear that the thing we all like to do - cruise - is still fun - thanks for sharing your experience with us!

Hmmm….

 

I only got to eat 1 premium dessert, I didn’t have any time to explore the ship or use the spa or gym (ha - yeah, right!) because my daughter wanted to play in the pool 24x7.  And Princess didn’t find any way for me to eat more food without exploding!  Oh - and we didn’t win anything from Princess prizes!  Even with my wife going in and out of the door many (many) times to get extra draws.  (I apologize to our neighbors in R418 for all of the noise!)

 

Oh - and they had an amazing special dessert spread in the buffet one day - but only 10% of the options were sugar free, which meant I was tortured by all of the options that looked amazing, but I couldn’t eat them!!!  And then to make matters worse, my wife and daughter got 3 different thing (each!) and ate them in front of me for 5 agonizing minutes!

 

Is that better?  😉

Edited May 3, 2023 by WAvoyager

[bjkTX]

15 minutes ago, WAvoyager said:

 

Is that better?  😉

Much much better - and you'll get your next level CC badge soon!!! :-)

[Cruisencatlady]

Great review and thanks for the 360 tips!  I'll never have a suite as a solo cruiser, but I do spend a chunk of vacation in the casino.   Do you have any pictures of your patters please?  I am scheduled to sail on the Discovery for the Mexican Riveira and Total Solar Eclipse cruise next April.

 

Thanks!

[WAvoyager]

38 minutes ago, Cruisencatlady said:

Great review and thanks for the 360 tips!  I'll never have a suite as a solo cruiser, but I do spend a chunk of vacation in the casino.   Do you have any pictures of your patters please?  I am scheduled to sail on the Discovery for the Mexican Riveira and Total Solar Eclipse cruise next April.

 

Thanks!

Sorry!  I didn’t take any pics of the patters.  I will check with the wife to see if she saved them.

 

I am very jealous about the solar eclipse cruise!  If we could’ve planned for taking days away from school I would’ve booked it, but we have too many trips planned next school year already.  😞