cruzin4us

That's why I stay on the ship in Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Ensenada. Loreto is the only place where you can get off and feel relaxed. Now when I cruise the Mexican Riviera, it's for being on the ship not the ports.

The only show I remember off the top of my head was The House of Gucci. I think there was another Avenger type of show as well (don't recall the name).

I guess that's the only picture of the room I didn't take 🙂. The closet is right off the bathroom and it is one open closet (no doors). It's about the size of a closet in a normal sized home such as the kids room.....not a walk in master closet. I agree with you about the multiple closets on HAL.

I just got off the Discovery and there was the Baked Alaska Parade with fake candles. They introduced the staff, chefs, etc. Everyone was waving napkins. Did not see the red, white and blue night.

I just got off 3 B2B's and all of them had the White and Gold "Dress to Impress" night. That being said, very few people went gangbusters to dress in White and Gold. It was like any other formal night. Those that chose to looked great, but it wasn't the norm on the Discovery cruises I was on.

It's super easy to cancel on the app. I think it's nice to cancel your reservation if they are holding a table for you. There is usually a line of people waiting for a table, so it would just get people seated more quickly if they know you aren't coming. Just go on the app to "dine my way" and click on the day you want to cancel. Then hit the cancel button......easy peasy

Unfortunately, I don't know......wish I did, as it was amazing

Final thoughts: I set out with great intentions on doing a 3 week live report, but the Wi-Fi did not co-operate. This is a bit frustrating seeing as I was on the newest ship and sailing the coast of California. Moral of this story is NEVER anticipate you will have good service. You may get lucky from time to time, but you will experience a lot of frustration trying to do anything. I apologize to all those that asked questions which I never answered. The Ship: The ship is new and it sparkles. Now that it's sailing at full or close to full capacity, it seems crowded at times. It's also a larger ship and it's a LOOOOONG way from front to back. It's also a long climb up to deck 16 (Lido) where the buffet and pools are located. The elevators get congested at peak times (debarkation for example). There is less of a crowd on the forward elevators but more in the rear elevators because people figured out it was a quicker way to the buffet. Guest Services only had a line on the last day when everyone checked their balance. The Casino: Smoking is permitted on the port side on all nights. Tables and the starboard side is all non smoking. There were a couple of big jackpots that I saw: $19k and $14k both were minutes apart and on the Wonder Four Game (both were betting $12). Saw a few Royal Flushes for $4k on 50 cent bet and a $7k on the machine that drops the red/gold/silver balls on $4 bet, $10k on a slot with $1.80 bet..........Me: $0 International Cafe: A+ Midway thru the cruises the chef made the decision to offer more selections of sandwiches and to do away with the salads. I was informed they will not be offering salads any longer on the Discovery 😞. The sandwich bread has changed as well. Now they have pretzel bread, etc. and not all the same type of bread on all sandwiches. There are egg salad, chicken salad, tuna, caprese, mortadella, salami, etc. Some have cheese, others don't. They also have a variety of rolls, donuts, muffins, yogurts, smoothies (small) and some additional items such as avocado/egg toast, grilled veggies on toast and beets on toast for breakfast. Coffee Bar: They were very fast and efficient with 4 people working. One taking orders, 2 doing the coffee/steamed milk and another putting lids on and calling out peoples orders. Only time I ever saw a line and it moved quickly was on debarkation day. Dining Rooms: The first week I ate at the Ketchikan Dining Room (deck 6 aft) and the next 2 weeks I ate in the Skagway (midship starboard side). The food served is identical in both dining rooms however I found the service and food much better in Skagway. Not sure if it was my servers or the fact that my food was always (and I mean always) lukewarm at best. I sat at a table for one in both venues. In Ketchikan every meal was piping hot except for one order of pasta and it was promptly replaced with pasta that dang near burned my tongue! I had excellent servers in Ketchikan (Natasha and Andre). Drink service was slow in both so I suggest bringing a drink to dinner with you and ordering another when you get seated. Food: Subjective as always: I will eat and try anything (except black licorice) so I'm definitely not a picky eater. I ate vegetarian, Indian, seafood, pasta, escargot, beef, turkey, etc. Overall my meals were very good when they arrived hot. When they were lukewarm, I didn't like any of them (cold escargot....gag). I was impressed with their pastas (all made on the ship)....they were cooked al dente and the sauces were good. The vegetarian lasagna was excellent. A surprise was the turkey served on day 7.....shamefully I asked for another complete meal and ate everything on both plates. It came with fresh green beans and sweet potato slices. Both were cooked perfectly. Turkey isn't something I order normally, but I'd already eaten that menu twice before. And the rolls......OMG, the rolls.....the white crunchy crust with the soft center.....you know the ones that get crumbs everywhere? Yeah, them rolls......Princess can keep their chocolates, just don't ever get rid of them rolls (and butter of course). I'm so bad, I no longer eat dessert, I just eat another roll with butter. They keep trying to pawn off a couple of other rolls in the basket, but I still grab the crusty ones. Room Service: Yes, I even ordered room service late at night (no pizza after 11). The healthy me ordered the fruit plate which always came ice cold and had pineapple, cantelope, honeydew, watermelon and orange slices.....perfect every time. The sinful me ordered cheesy fries.....they came hot and gooey and I felt like I was in college ordering pizza after .......... I confessed this to some people I met and they had all done the same thing, so I'm not alone......they are so bad they are delicious. On a bad note, I ordered a children's cheese quesadilla. It arrived and is was full of chopped red onions and chives........No kid would ever eat that. Description: Tortilla with cheese.......no mention of onions/chives. Oh, if you order off the app keep a watch to see the progress. One time it will arrive quickly other times......nothing until I called guest services after waiting 1+ hrs. Gelato: I had it once, just because. I think it was $2.50 for 2 scoops. Salted Carmel and Chocolate. It was good, but once was enough. Sabatini's: I ate there once. As much as I wanted to love it, I just didn't. Burrata Cheese & tomatoes - The cheese was good but I can't get excited over sliced underipe Roma Tomatoes. 1st course: Linguine w/clams - Good but lukewarm Entree: Fish in Parchment - I've had this twice on the Ruby and it was delicious......this however was not. I ate one bite, never ordered desert and just left. Not worth the $25 surcharge this time.....on the Ruby, yes. Sushi: I ate there quite a few times. The rolls are $3.25 for 4 pcs (blue crab was my fav) and sashimi or sushi 8-10 pcs if I remember correctly was $7-8, my favorite was the yellowtail with the ponzu, truffle & serrano peppers $7 The sushi was much better than I anticipated. The rice was soft and the fish very cold and fresh. Hours: Closed for lunch in port, and open on sea days. They won't allow you to order within 15 minutes of closing. Dinners are open everyday from 5-9 (don't quote me on times) Gastropub: Remember, I will eat anything and when I saw kimchi on a burger, I was all in. There is an $18 cover charge for dining (no split charge). They make the burger out of short rib and prime rib meat. The burger comes with a nice soft brioche bun and has kimchi, deep fried jalapeno (hot), gruyere cheese, aoli......my oh my, this is the best burger I've ever eaten anywhere. If you like burgers, try it. You get to order 2 things off the menu. There's short ribs, calamari, lobster mac & cheese, truffle mushroom something (I ordered this), and a few others. Crew: As always they are pleasant and super nice. They work super hard at a variety of tasks/jobs. If you are waiting for someone to just come up and take your order while you are lounging in the sun, you can forget it......Use the APP.....it works well. If you don't see what you want, order a water and when they bring it to you ask for another drink that isn't on the app. (or you can go up to the bar). I think I ordered off the app every time I wanted a coffee or cocktail and it works well. Sometimes a little slower (late at night) and it might not find you. 99% of the time I had no problems. The only drink I ordered at a bar was the Sandia En Fuego which they only sell at Good Spirits. Fatima knows her drinks! Embarkation and Debarkation were super duper efficient for getting 3,800 people on and off the ship in a matter of hours. Sure, debarkation means a lot of sitting around waiting for your colored tag to be called, but mine group was called exactly on time, I was off the ship with only 3 people in front of me at customs/immigration. My group was called at 9:35 and I was standing on the curb with my luggage at 9:45.....that's fast! Embarkation: I got to the pier at 10:05 and was sitting inside waiting to board by 10:30 and on the ship at 11:00. Shows/Entertainment: Can't talk a whole lot about this except for a couple of things: Rock Opera, while I enjoyed the show and was happy to have watched some talented performers, it just didn't wow me. I saw the Jersey Boys on the Norwegian Bliss and all shows I've seen since haven't wowed me to the extent I would like. My 2 cents: If Princess wants to build bigger ships, they need bigger performers/shows. Enough of that. I also went to 1 Trivia game and realized how really stupid I am.....not really, I was just way outranked by the real Trivia competitors. Me 10, them 20.....oops There were a lot of ballroom dancers on the Coastal Cruise. These people can go and go and go......I mean every dance. I was impressed.....(and then I see them in the gym the next day doing yoga)....I just headed for more rolls. I heard one of the most beautifully sung duets. I was walking out of the elevator and I heard the first opening notes of The Prayer (Celion Dion and Andrea Bocelli). It's that kind of song that just makes you stop dead in your tracks and walk over and watch them sing. It was like that with everyone, all the balconies looking down on the Piazza where once empty became a throng of people. Everyone was as quiet as a church mouse as they sang. While I never thought I'd hear a version equal to Celion & Botecelli, I was wrong......they were every bit as good and they hit every note.....the goosebumps kind of song. The applause was deafening. Cool unexpected moment. CA Coastal week 1: Very few kids, average age seemed to be 50's-60's Mexican Riviera week 2: Lots and lots of kids, average age seemed to be 30's-40's (I called this the Carnival Cruise) CA Coastal week 3: No kids (we maybe 2-3), average age 60's to 80's. One gentleman celebrated his 100th birthday while onboard. Smoking Areas: Deck 17 far aft, Deck 7 starboard aft, Casino port side, Churchills. The crew smoking area is located on deck 7 far aft Covid - I did not see any tables outside of rooms, and I did not hear any coughing. I also am unaware of anyone being quarantined. Not to say it didn't happen, but I didn't see or hear of it. It's a 7 day cruise, so if anyone caught it, they were probably on the way home. I never wore a mask at all from the time I set foot on the pier to the time I got off 3 weeks later. Lucky? Perhaps, I'll never know. Quite a few start out wearing masks but as the days go by I'd see less and less.....this was on all 3 cruises. At the end of week 2 the crew was able to remove their masks. It was amazing to me because I'd only seen the masked crew for 2 weeks and then all of a sudden I saw their smiles. Hip Hip Horray for them. The relief showed in all their smiles. Had a fun cruise, but 3 weeks is a long time as a solo. I left DH at home.....I was on a mission to become elite because we have some long cruises on the books and I don't want to do laundry 🙂. Well, that's all for now folks.......happy cruising!!

I don't believe there was any isolation cabins (I was in Dolphin forward). I know every cruise is different, but on the 3 cruises I never saw a tray table outside of a cabin. I walked a lot of the halls to avoid the madhouse on deck 7. I also never heard of any covid cases either, but that doesn't mean no one caught it. I never wore a mask, not once and thus far I'm still covid free. I gambled, went to shows, etc. and never heard any bad coughing either. Maybe I'm just lucky ☘️

yes, I watched them make that one 🙂 They were substituting a lot of liquor in the drinks. They ran out of Reposado Tequila and they used Patron Silver. They were also out of Hennessy Gin and they were substituting Sapphire Gin. They don't tell you, they just do it. So, if you are looking for something specific, make sure that you ask.

Today’s options at the International Cafe

Veal stuffed ravioli with sage sauce -Gigi’s Eggplant stuffed with Angel hair pasta -Gigi’s other pics of main dining room food- Princess does pasta well

Some misc pics: seafood pasta Mahi Mahi Greek Salad Pesto chicken pasta calm seas

Yup, the internet is painfully slow again today. Don’t plan on working if that’s your plan. You will become extremely frustrated Tonight is formal night and many men are wearing tuxes. Dinner is really good tonight. If the average age of people was in their 40’s last week, the average age this cruise is 60+. Since I fall in the later, I feel more at home. I’ve only seen a handful of kids. The sea has been like glass all day.

Well, I had no internet from Puerto Vallarta back to LA so I couldn't do any posting. The best change came last night at 12:01 a.m. when I finally got to see some smiling faces when all the crew took off their masks. It almost made me teary-eyed seeing the gleam in their eyes and their big grins. It's amazing how us passengers that choose to can run around without a mask and we forget how hard it's been for them the past 1.5 years. It really made my cruise when I got to see their joy. It was almost like letting a caged animal out to be free and they are afraid to leave their cages. They were timid, and once the masks came off their grins were from ear to ear. Anyway, back to business: Today the Discovery is back in LA and will set sail for the California Coastal cruise at 4:00 pm. It's a Love Boat themed cruise and I'm not sure what all that entails, but I'll report back if I get any wi-fi. The past 2 cruises were night and day from each other. This past week the crowd was much rowdier and angrier for some reason. Still can't put my finger on why. I'm thinking it had to do more with the fact that the ship was completely full (or close to it) and the staff ratio was still the same. Thus, service was slower everywhere in general....from the dining room to bar service. There was a longer wait for elevators as well. If ya can't pack your patience, then this is not the time to be cruising. Hopefully, now that people can see the crew's faces it will help. Sometimes it's so loud, you can't hear across the bar when ordering a drink so there is frustration on both sides. The movies on TV have not changed since I cruised back in October 2021, so I'm watching reruns of the old Love Boat. I've actually been quite entertained...LOL The casino: Oh my gosh, it's packed every time it's opened. Haven't had one ounce of luck but I saw others who did. I couldn't hit anything on any machine, and it wasn't a lack of trying. Ah, I forgot to take pictures of the sushi I ate yesterday (surcharge). I'll go back again, as it was pretty darn good....much better than I thought it be. Hours are kind of funky and they are closed from 1:45 to 5:30 which is a bummer because the place was always full. Rolls were about $3.50 and sashimi (9 pcs) was around $8 and sushi was $7 for 10 pcs I believe (don't quote me on the prices as I'm remembering off the top of my head). The sushi rice was soft and the fish was a good size slice. Well, I better go check into my muster station. I need to do this because I changed rooms, had I stayed in the same room I wouldn't have to.

Elevators are crammed in like sardines. Sometimes you have to jump on and go down before you go up and vice versa. Elevators going to deck 16 (buffet) in the morning are always full.

Some casino photos - deck 6 forward Sushi Bar -deck 6 midship Piazza - midship

Standing midship on deck 9 looking aft and forward. It’s a long way no matter which way you choose to go. Choosing aft I walked by the laundry room and it was like a sauna inside. My lens fogged up so I had to go out and come back in quickly just to get a photo.

One of my favorite things about cruising is meeting new people. I’ve been fortunate to meet some awesome people and have exchanged many laughs. I’ve had no problem cruising as a solo and it’s easy to fit right in. I met a wonderful woman yesterday that is 86 and is traveling solo. She has more energy than most people half her age. I want to be just like her when I’m 86. I’m off to wander around the ship and take some pics now that the masses have gotten off.

The IC no longer will be having the small salads. They have a multitude of sandwiches and some desserts. I was informed of this yesterday. Not sure about other shops, but that’s the case with the Discovery. Today we are in Puerto Vallarta. Weather is hot and humid. I asked my room steward (Ronald) if he wanted/needed anything….also asked a couple of the drink servers. They all responded “no, I’m going there tomorrow”. With no one wanting anything, I decided to just stay on board. I think the Diamond might be anchored off shore. Took the picture from my balcony. it’s definitely a louder, younger, crazy crowd this week. Elevators are always packed. I only see a random mask wearer. Not nearly as many mask wearers as last week. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still having fun but it’s just a much different experience than last week

Today we stopped in Mazatlan. In case you are looking for souvenirs, Mazatlan is much cheaper than Puerto Vallarta. It’s a quick little free people mover that takes you to the shops. It’s bloody hot and humid here, so I didn’t last long and then I headed back to the ship. It’s also a lot nicer not having to deal with the tenders. I ate at Gigi’s for lunch and it was amazing but I forgot to take pics but I’ll be going back. I ordered the meat antipasti and the eggplant stuffed with Angel hair pasta and covered with a marinara sauce. I also indulged in some veal stuffed pasta (ravioli) with a sage cream sauce. I devoured every bite with gusto. That was the first really hot meal I’ve had on this trip. Most meals (buffet included) have been lukewarm at best.

no, thank God. At least in the 2 cabins I’ve had on deck 9

no reservations are taken. I usually go fairly early and I have no wait. It gets a bit busy around 7:00.

Oh, for those interested. The burgers in the Gastro Pub are made of short rib and prime rib meat. They really are good!