Island Princess Christmas with Kids -- lots of pix!

Introduction:

We are a family of four, from Texas. This cruise was a gift to us from my in-laws, avid cruisers with 11 Princess cruises under their belt, 21 cruises in all. We were seven altogether. To cut to the chase, this was a wonderful cruise, great food, great service, great excursions. Everyone on Princess went out of their way to make our trip memorable. I enjoyed each and every minute of it.

I hope you enjoy my trip diary and the photos. I'm going to post in installments because CC will only allow six photos per post and I have a lot of photos! Feel free to email me with any questions, or ask them on this thread.

JoAnn

December 19, 2009

Precruise

We drove to DFW from Waco to catch our 11 a.m. flight to Acapulco. We stopped in West to pick up some kolaches for breakfast and to share with Paul's parents, Dave and Norene; and brother Brian, who would be meeting us at the airport after catching the red eye from California.

All went smoothly, we landed at ACA and went quickly through customs and immigration.

We were met by representatives from Princess who took our bags and we climbed aboard the bus. The airport was farther from the hotel than I imagined from looking at Google Earth. Traffic was slow and uphill, so we were glad to leave the driving to someone else. As we arrived in front of the Grand Hotel, the drive had to make a U-turn on a busy street to drive up the hotel driveway. There was a large Banyan tree in front of the hotel.

We left the bus and followed our Princess rep toward the back of the lobby. The hotel was in the process of being refurbished.

We were greeted by waiters with glasses of something cold and tropical (pineapple and coconut?) -- non alcoholic.

We sat for an orientation and were advised that the street we were on was safe, and that we could take an excursion this evening to see the Cliff Divers or wait for a city bus tour with divers the next morning. We opted for the next day, got our room keys and went upstairs. We had three rooms on the 18th floor. The bathrooms were enormous with large walk in showers.

Looking forward to seeing them, thank you!

The view from the balcony was nice -- the beach, the pool. Norene, Paul, Brian and the girls and I went to the beach in front of the hotel. It was a cloudy day, so the water was not sparkling blue as you would imagine.

After a quick swim, we dressed for dinner. We decided on the downstairs restaurant -- pretty similar to any Mexican food restaurant at home. Afterwards, Dave, Paul and I along with the girls went to Walmart across the street.

Not organized as we are used to, but not too dissimilar. We went to buy some wine to take on board, and perhaps some tequila, but I couldn't remember the brands I had heard recommended. Wine was surprisingly more expensive than the same brands at home, and the selection was much less than our regular grocery store. We got some Acapulco t-shirts and magnets and stood for a long time in line to check out. When we checked out with our credit card, we did not understand why we got pesos back and we did not understand the receipt. It looked like we were charged a lot more and got cash back? (Our credit card online showed the correct amount, so still don't understand why we got pesos back.) Warning: our card got frozen by this transaction by the credit card company and our ship charges were denied. We had to call the bank and straighten it out, so it's a good thing to let your credit card company know you'll be charging in a foreign country.

That is bizzare about getting cash back. I would still keep an eye on your statement.

We will be in Walmart in Acapulco on Friday shopping as you did. Thanks for the information. I think I'll get some pesos for shopping based on your post. Looking forward to your posts concerning the ports, the ship and your experience. Thanks for taking the time to put this on Cruise Critic.

Dec. 20, 2009

Acapulco

Rachel and I woke up early and sat on the balcony in the pre-dawn darkness. We could hear birds and traffic below. As the sky began to lighten, we could see the Island Princess in the distance. When the rest of the family got up, we had breakfast in the hotel dining room. They gave us a basket with a variety of rolls, pastries and bread -- all excellent, especially the chocolate filled.

There was an adult buffet and a smaller version children's buffet with both American and Mexican breakfast foods, as well as a menu. Rachel had the children's buffet and she went back several times for the fresh-squeezed papaya juice. I had a plate of tropical fruit, coffee and bread.

We put our suitcases outside of our doors, checked out of the hotel and loaded onto the bus for our city tour.

Our guide was 63-year-old Andres, who pointed out all of the homes of celebrities and movie stars. We drove to Los Flamingos Hotel that was owned at one time by Johnny Weismiller and John Wayne. We got out and walked around the paths and stairs, enjoying the spectacular view.

Next stop was near the cliff divers to the P&P Jewelry Store for a free drink (beer, margarita, soft drink) and a chance to buy silver or gold jewelry. I realize the sales people work on commission but I do not like to be followed around the store. Paul and the girls were conspiring to buy me something, so I made myself scarce and went outside to take photos of the vendors. They were selling t-shirts, tablecloths, jewelry and other souvenirs.

The group then walked to the Mirador Hotel to watch the Cliff Divers. It was very hot as we waited for the show to begin.

But the cliff divers are iconic of Acapulco and I'm glad we got to see them. Then it was back on the bus to arrive at our "canoe" as Andres kept calling it.

Thank you for the review and pictures, keep em coming. we will be on the Island in Feb. so seeing what we have to look forward to is great, thanks.

Check-in and embarkation was incredibly quick. In fact, Dave, Norene and Brian are 'preferred' and we were able to check in before them.

As we stepped aboard and into the atrium, it was shimmering with white lights and garland. I don't think my photos can do it justice.

We were quickly whisked to the person selling the Ultimate Kid Package (unlimited soda, hot chocolate and mocktails) and the soda card. Everyone but me got the UKP sticker -- I'm not that big of a soda drinker and I'd rather have a real cocktail. Our mini-suite was B218, and we went to look out the balcony.

Our room steward, Benedict, immediately welcomed us and offered us a glass of champagne but we were starving and opted to go to the buffet right away. (Benedict was a great room steward -- always seemed to slip in and get our room ready when we were out.) We had a 2 for 1 coupon for the coffee card and purchased two of those on our way to the Horizon Court. Paul found the Princess Pizza near the pool.

Back at our room, we unpacked and decorated our door.

Our neighbors, Keity and Pete from Oklahoma City, also decorated their door.

I went to the Explorer Lounge, taking Norene along with me, for the Roll Call Meet and Greet. I met Tina and Craig; and others from the Roll Call, but it was a smallish group.

Dinner that night at the Bordeaux Dining Room. We had opted for Anytime Dining as we had several excursions that might have run into the early dinner we were initially assigned. I had three melon appetizer, mushroom soup and beef medallions. Rachel opted for meatballs and Stephanie got fettuccine.

I think Paul had the salmon.

We ran out of time for dessert because of the muster drill and sail away party. We also had to register for the Shockwaves program for Rachel and Stephanie, so we went back later for coffee and dessert. I had the Princess Love Boat Dream and a mocha.

We were glad we had purchased the coffee card as we had latte, cappucino or mocha every morning and every night.

December 21, 2009

Huatulco

Breakfast in the Horizon Court -- made to order omelets -- as we pulled into Huatulco.

We opted not to have an excursion, instead the girls swam in the ocean and when they tired of that they built sandcastles and buried each other in the sand.

I was approached by a young woman named Adelaide, who offered me a table, chairs and a beach umbrella. I asked if there was a drink or food minimum and she said no, so I sat down, ordered a Modelo and enjoyed the breeze while watching the girls.

Many vendors brought by textiles, jewelry and carvings, none of which I bought, but they were not aggressive and I enjoyed watching them.

Can't wait to hear more about the ship as we will be on the Island in March:)

We went back to the ship for a quick lunch, then found a taxi van to take all of us to the little town of La Cruecita. The town is very clean and has many modern buildings. The square looks like a typical village with a gazebo in the square and a church on one side. (the girls with the mirimba were in the little touristy area near the beach, but I like this photo.)

Women were selling trinkets -- Stephanie bought a beaded parrot key chain; Rachel bought a women purse. The woman's daughter looked bored, out all day in the heat.

The church is beautifully painted inside with a large Virgin of Guadalupe on the ceiling above the center aisle and dark sky and stars above the far aisles.

We bought some magnets, Christmas ornaments and t-shirts from a shop on the square. Our taxi came back for us on time, but in the meantime, other drivers had bargained for our business, and we were able to bring the price down.

Back on ship, the sea was starting to get rough, the roughest we experienced on the voyage. I went to meet others from the roll call while Paul laid down and tried to feel less motion. I picked up Rachel from the Shockwaves program where she had been coloring a Shockwaves t-shirt. She enjoyed the program, although there was too much other stuff going on for her to want to attend it all the time. (Here she's checking out the program, she said she was so excited to be considered a pre-teen on the ship.)

We all got dressed for dinner, the first formal night. )While most people looked nice tonight and every night, it was not the huge deal I had read about here on CC. Smart casual was more casual than smart, and no one seemed to mind or be any the worse for it. Definitely not worth stressing over or buying new clothes.)

Paul could not eat due to motion sickness and left the table. Both girls felt queasy and took my advice to nibble on crusty rolls and felt better almost immediately, enough to both order a half order of fettuccine. I had the shrimp cocktail and Cornish hen.

Someone at our table ordered these colorful appetizers and desserts:

The girls and I left before dessert as we wanted to go to the Champagne Waterfall and then to see Wayne Hoffman, the mentalist and illusionist. I gave him my ring as part of his show and he linked it to two others. His show was great. After the show, we stopped by to see if Paul was feeling any better and wanted to go have dessert with us. He got up and dressed again and we went to the MDR for dessert and coffee. By this time, he was feeling sufficiently hungry that he spied some steak another diner was eating and ordered dinner. You have to love anytime dining! I had the caramelized pear in puff pastry and vanilla sauce. The girls had NY cheesecake and I think thereafter Rachel ordered it every night.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Guatemala

Breakfast at HC, watching the coastline of Guatemala get closer and closer. At 9:15 met in the Explorer Lounge for excursion to Filadefia Coffee Plantation and Antigua. This was the first of four Princess excursions.

The passengers exited the ship on a gangplank, through a "welcome tent" and past vendors with many beautiful items for sale. We were taken to three buses going to Filadelphia, about 1.5 hours away.

Our guide was Esteban, a fairly young young with a good grasp of English and easy to understand. He told us his mother was from Antigua and his father's family was from Argentina by way of Italy, so he was considered a Mestizo. He have a good talk as we went through the countryside and was available for any questions. When we reached the plantation, our local guide Rosela boarded the bus. We stopped first for a quick bathroom break, then reboarded to go to the fields. Rosela explained the coffee grows on lower bushes but is shaded by higher trees. She explained the different layers of the coffee beans, grafting and growing, then harvesting.

We reboarded the bus and went back to the processing area to see how the beans are sorted first by washing them, then drying in the sun, hand sorting and finally roasting and packaging.

We had lunch on the grounds under a very large tent, such as one would use for a wedding reception outdoors. A mariachi band played and we got our meal: chicken or beef, refried beans, rice, tortillas, chips and guacamole. Dessert was a luscious and light coffee mouse. We had orangeade to drink, and you could purchase a soft drink or beer. Outside of our tent, a male and female mascaradas -- giant puppets -- danced.

After lunch, we went to Antigua. Esteban warned us the vendors would be very aggressive and they were - the most aggressive of any on our excursions in Latin American countries. They mobbed the bus as we got off, and it was impossible to hear our guide point out the different things in the plaza as the vendors moved into the crowd and tried to engage everyone to buy their goods. It was sad to see young children hawking goods -- I hope they are normally in school, only here because it is Christmas break.

Esteban took us to a jade store/factory/museum and then to a market contained inside a building. Inside the stalls were like mazes. The shop keepers were friendly and had many beautiful items to sell. Stephanie bought a scarf and said she felt rich because it only cost $3. Rachel bought a hand-carved flute.

We returned to the ship in time for dinner -- my appetizer was pineapple and pistachios; mango soup and chicken breast from the "left side" of the menu -- the side that is always available.

Paul had the chiappino (sp?), which he pronounced excellent.

We went to the Adrian Zmed show at the Universal Lounge. Zmed was a co-star with William Shatner on TJ Hooker, also some guest starring roles such as the Love Boat. They played clips of his career and he good-naturedly made fun of himself now that he's a little older, less hair and a little more out of breath. During one of the numbers, a cast member pulled Stephanie onto the floor with a hula hoop. At first she didn't know what to do and then went into action and hula hooped better than anyone to a big round of applause.

Again, we went back for coffee and dessert after the show. I had key lime pie.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Nicaragua

I was awake early because of a cold and unable to sleep much. I went to the HC for coffee and sat on the Lido Deck watching the crew get the area ready for the day. We had breakfast and an early lunch at the HC so we could leave for our excursion to the Masaya Volcano National Park.

We took tenders to San Juan del Sur.

There were some vendors and dancers, as well as three firemen standing at attention for donations. Very dedicated, those firemen.

Our guide was Roberto, again with excellent English and easy to understand. He talked non-stop for 1.5 hours as we drove to the volcano. I looked out the window at the homes and countryside as I listened to him. He told us about the civil wars in the 80s between the Contra and the Sandinistas and related his own personal story that he had been drafted at age 17 by the Sandinistas. At that time, he was in high school and spoke English, having learned it in parochial school at age 12. His parents did not want him to be in the army, but reasoned that his knowledge of English and his education made him a valuable asset. But the Sandinistas wanted him to be "re-educated" and sent him to work in the morgue. Roberto was very passionate about his country and stressed that much has changed since the 80s. He said the country is trying to recover economically and to bring tourism to the country.

It was a long 1.5 hour ride to the park -- the only national park in Nicaragua -- I enjoyed looking out the windows so it did not seem as long. If you have children, bring their DS or ipod, or a coloring book.

The volcano itself is a large crater with sulfuric smoke. If you are asthmatic, I would not recommend this excursion. Frankly, there is not much to do here -- we peered over the edge, and climbed the stairs for a better look, but that's really it.

The bathroom facility is primitive, more like an outhouse. Our guides gave us a snack of a bottle of water, an apple, croissant filled with some type of meat and a bag of corn snacks.

We got on the bus and drove a short distance to Catarina, a village with a small market and a nice overview of the two large lakes.

We had a beer at the restaurant and used the bathroom. The bathrooms were clean but one lacked toilet paper or a toilet seat.

The vendors in the market were not aggressive at all. They had wood carvings, shoes, pottery and other items for safe. These bells were my favorite thing -- I would have purchased them if I thought I could get them home in one piece and not tip the scales on my suitcase.

At the crest of the hill, there was a community nativity scene. I liked the fact that the baby had not yet arrived in the manager.

We were only here a short time as we had to race back to the ship. On the way back, it became dark and we could see that almost all of the homes had a string or two of Christmas lights, a Christmas tree and a color television set, even though the homes were relatively poor. As it was, we were late to the tenders -- but so were about 1,000 others. The firemen were still there, and other vendors hoping for last minute sales. Paul bought Rachel a ceramic bird whistle from a young boy who showed her how to use it.

Back on board, we got in line for dinner outside the Bordeaux. It was the first time we had to wait at all for a table, but then, even the "first seating" diners did, too, as many people came back late from their excursion. We were escorted to a table and our waiter was a young Filipino man named Alvin.

He addressed Stephanie by name -- he had been in an adjoining section the night before when we had dessert and overheard us calling her by name. He was very friendly to the girls, as was his supervisor, Nelson.

They both did magic tricks. The girls loved all the attention and from then on, nothing would do but to be at Alvin's table.

I had eggplant Parmesan, Caesar salad and pot roast with tiramasu for dessert.

We will be on the Island in March (reverse itinerary) so I am enjoying your posts and look forward to the rest of your trip.

I will be doing this cruise next month. Can you tell me if the breakfast at the Grand Hotel was complimentary? What was the cost of your cliff diver's tour.

I will be doing this cruise next month. Can you tell me if the breakfast at the Grand Hotel was complimentary? What was the cost of your cliff diver's tour.

The breakfast was not complimentary.

The city tour was about $35 each, four hours and did not include lunch. Did include a drink (soft drink, beer or a margarita) at the cliff divers.

JoAnn

Great pics, thanks.