Sea of Cortez and Copper Canyon

[Cauvet]

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Well, we made it back. It wasn't my most favorite cruise. Very old, lots of walkers and canes. A lot of the "younger" things seem to be gone. Even play corney old music on the Lido deck by the pool. But enough of my belly aching. We met another "younger" couple who were a delight and we had a lot of fun with them. The new amenities such as the new demonstration kitchen in the Wajang and the Explorations lounge were really nice as well as the new bedding. The food, as usually, was very very good and we never had a bad meal.

 

We had to stop off in Cabo to offload a sick passenger on the tender. We got off late from SD because something was wrong with the anchor. The ship smelled like a cesspool and the Captain explained that there was something wrong with the "bacteria" system that eats the bad bacteria or something like that. It seemed like the smell was centered somewhere below our cabin and we were on the Veranda, starboard a little forward of midship. The smell cleared in a couple of days.

 

Puerto Vallarta--there were three ships there: a large Carnival and the Oosterdam and us. We got a berth and so did Carnival and the O had to tender. We did the Sierra Madre Expedition which I would highly recommend if you can take a rough wild ride on an open air truck. Our guide was the best of all the tours and it was just a really fun day.

 

In Mazatlan (this was my 7th time to this port), we took the trip to Copala which was very very nice. Nice to see how the people in the Villages live.

 

Copper Canyon was Friday. We had Main dining (8 pm) so we went to the Pinnacle. This was the night the captain had the Mariner's party. We crashed the early seating party and went to the Pinnacle early so we could get to bed early. We got up at 3 am and I was just dragging! They had breakfast in the Lido and some sweet rolls and "decaf" coffee in the Vermeer. Don't ask me why they didn't have regular, but I sure needed some. We were whisked off to busses according to our number. There was about 350 people and they moved up pretty efficiently. We had a police escort that stopped all traffic so we could be whisked off to El Fuerte where the train was waiting. Again, we were assigned train cars. So we left the Ryndam at about 5 am and we boarded the trains around 7 am. There was a boxed breakfast on each seat which contained juice, a sweet roll, granola bar, banana, orange and some yogurt. Pretty substantial. We went into the bar car and they had coffee ($2 a cup). The trains are old and very bumpy and noisy but that is part of the adventure. The train ride up is breathtaking. You can take pictures from your seat or between the cars. We got up to Posado de Barrancas at about 1 pm. The group was divided in two--one went to have lunch and the other went to see the canyon and the show. After an hour we switched. We had lunch in the hotel convention center and they had rooms open so we could use the bathrooms. The rooms were very lovely. The lookout points and show were up the hill in the main part of the hotel. Unfortunately, a huge thunderstorm blew up and it started to sleet. This made viewing a little difficult and they had the show inside. Before we were to leave, the rain/sleet let up a little and some of use (about 8 or 10) ventured down to see the indians in their caves. That was so very interesting. We bought baskets that they hand make and other art work and took pictures of the children. Another poster said to bring pencils, crayons and stuff like that for the kids. We didn't get a chance to do that but we gave them our fruit and the chocolate from the ship (from turndown) and the kids loved it. The walk back up was a little rough in the altitude but we all made it ok and then got back on the train. We went to the bar car with our new friends and took in the view, talked and enjoyed the music. We had a couple of margaritas during happy hour (they were two for one). There was a box on each seat again with a ham sandwich, juice, snicker's bar, potato chips. We got back to El Fuerte about 9:30 pm and again whisked off with the police escort back to the ship. We got back about 11:30--we were the second bus and the last groups got back by midnight. They had a band playing and gave us warm handclothes and the Lido was open. We went straight to bed.

 

As an earlier poster strongly pointed out, this trip is not for anyone. It certainly was not for most of the people who took this trip. They complained and complained about the train being "old". the trip was too long, they didn't like the food. They didn't seem interested in the views, the indian culture, or anything about this trip. PLEASE READ THE BROCHURE CAREFULLY. If you do not want to be on an old Mexican train for 12 hours, be in altitude, have a two hour trip back and forth to the train DO NOT TAKE THIS TRIP. For those of us that really enjoyed this trip, the others really ruined it for us by all the complaining. It is not for elderly people with canes, heart or respiratory problems. There is walking on uneven surfaces in very cold and possibly raining weather. I spoke with so many people on the ship that were on the waiting list (there were about 200) who would have loved the trip but could not go.

 

We were trying to think of things that would make this trip better like skipping the lunch to have more time to explore the canyon and visit with the indians. You only have 2 hours there. Some passengers (like us) had to ride up backwards as the seats were not movable. We just went to the bar car. No problem.

 

Next we crossed the Sea of Cortez and stopped at the lovely port of Loreto. We took the San Javier Mission excursion. We left in vans and the road to San Javier is not paved and a portion is actually a river bed. My husband and I took the back seats to allow the older folks easier access on and off the van but boy was it bumpy back there. We stopped a few places to see and old indian area with pictographs on the walls. Very interesting. The town of San Javier is lovely. We visited a mission, unfortunately, my husband and another visitor got stung by bees! We had a lovely local style lunch. The bathrooms were very primitive and you had to pour water in them to flush! Very interesting. From atop the sierras, you could see our little ship in the water. We had time to walk around Loreto before going back to the ship which is a tender port. We have been to this port before also.

 

Next was La Paz. This city has grown quite a bit since we were there two years ago. The malecon is all new. We took a trip to Todo Santos which is a really interesting little town between La Paz and Cabo. Unfortunately it was Sunday and the art galleries were closed. But it was a really interesting place. A lot of Americans live there. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to stroll around La Paz but we had been there before. They did give us a mini tour in the bus.

 

We didn't do any shore excursions in Cabo--we have been on most of them. We got off the ship around 11 am and strolled around. We wanted to but some good tequila and asked the gal in the kiosk if there were any good establishments that sold tequila and had tasting. She steered us to a very nice place were we tasted and bought some Anejo (aged) tequila. We also found a little gallery upstairs on a side street where I bought a very attractive signed poster. In Cabo were the Ryndam, the O and the Seven Seas Mariner.

 

All in all it was a very good trip. We had a little flood in our cabin. Seems like the ice machine in the service room overflowed and the drain clogged and the water spilled over into the fall and our cabin (129). I got up to go to the bathroom and there was about 1/2 inch of water on the rug. They sqweegied it up and used a fan and then shampooed the rug. They gave us a bottle of wine and a choice of a $100 shipboard credit or

$200 towards another cruise. Since I have another cruise booked already, we chose the shipboard credit. They had one bingo game for a cruise. My husband and our new friends went down there. I went to cash in some chips and stopped at the blackjack table. I won a couple of hands and by the time I got down there, my husband bought the card and was playing--his first time ever. And wouldn't you know he got the bingo! He actually got two on his card. Two others also got bingo so they played off for the trip. He didn't get it, didn't really want it. He wanted to $100 consolation prize and since he had two bingos, they gave him $200! Not bad for a beginner.

 

We didn't go to too many shows. They were always at 10:15 and we would be doing something else like the casino. The casino was pretty dull--only a handful of blackjack players and slot players. All in all, a good trip but I would caution anyone considering the Copper canyon that it is not a luxury trip and pretty rough but what a great adventure!

[dot73]

Cauvet,

Your description of the Copper Canyon excursion is almost the same as mine, which I had previously posted. I am so happy that you also enjoyed this excursion. I am glad that there are people like us who still enjoy an "adventure". To me, the view from the Mirador Hotel was worth the price and some of the hassles of the trip. I see that you also had plenty of complainers on your trip. I couldn't believe that some of the people slept through some of the most beautiful scenery. Why do people bother getting off the shp if they are not going to show any interest in the country or its culture and people? I keep looking at my pictures; unfortunately, the camera just doesn't capture the incredible beauty. I did manage to capture the beauty of the Indian children. They just melted my heart. I am seriously considering taking a land tour through the Copper Canyon in a couple of years.

As to the smells on the Ryndam, I can't believe they haven't fixed these problems. They have had plenty of time to fix the plumbing since the dry dock last fall. It's a real shame because the Ryndam is a beautiful ship otherwise.

[cruisinjudy]

Hi Cauvet, sorry we didn't meet. It sounds like you may have hooked up with our table mates Kent and Sylvia? I know they were sitting next to your husband in Bingo when he won the two Bingos! So I guess I did see your husband. I was in the Great Pretenders show which was right after that Bingo session.

 

The descriptions I heard on the Copper Canyon Trip ranged from The Trip From Hell.. to... We had a great time! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Cauvet]

What a small world! I can't believe you were at Kent and Sylvias table. We made fast friends with them and have already been emailing. Now I can get on your case too for eating at 5:45!!!! Yeah, my husband didn't win the trip but he didn't want it. He wanted the $100! They did pay him $200 for the two bingos! I hear the lady that won the trip also won the $3000 bingo at 10 pm. I get really sick that evening and didn't go to bingo. That was my husband FIRST time at playing bingo. He also won $300 at the slots. Our next cruise is on the Infinity to Hawaii in November.

 

And Dot, we felt pretty much the same as you did about Copper. Breathtaking views and scenery, great adventure and only wish we had a little more time there to visit with the Tarahumara.

[wwaggone]

Ahoy! This is the first time to cruisecritic.com and I have found our table mates and our drinking and bingo friends already corresponding. I thought the ports and all the shore excursions were great, but the entertainment and things to do on sea days was disappointing :(. Entertainment on this cruise was designed for an older crowd. We have always been in the middle age bracket on all other cruises and it was certainly nice to be referred to as the young couple on this cruise. We are in our early 40s. Overall the cruise was very nice, and the best part is always the people we meet and the shore excursions which were both great :) !

 

In Puerto Vallarta, we did the Jungle canopy. Zip lining between trees almost 100 feet in the air. The guides were great and safety was always first. All professional equipment. This was a blast. One lady was 84 years old and also had a blast. Highly recommend to anyone with a sense of adventure.

 

In La Paz, we snorkeled with Sea Lions. Also very fun and very cold. The sea lions like to swim right up to you, face to face and play. This was also a great excursion.

 

The train was been discussed before and again, we had a lot of fun in the club car. The ride was an adventure and although HAL did a great job, it would have been nice to have spent more time on the rim and less time at a sit down lunch.

 

We have never enjoyed days at sea as much as port days, so we have already cancelled our 11 day panama canal cruise (5 days at sea) and replaced it with a 7 day belize cruise (only 2 days at sea) and a 3 day ensenada cruise (only 1 day at sea).

 

Happy trails

[cruisinjudy]

Hi Kent and Sylvia. Loved your email!

Cauvet, we had dinner at 6:15, not 5:45. Although on our cruise on Veendam in November, a couple we are eating with from our Hawaii cruise want to eat at 5:45. That is early! But 8:00 and 8:30 are too late. The show is then really late so we usually don't make it.

[Cauvet]

So you cancelled Panama Canal, K & S? Which Belize trip are you going on? We went to Belize last year and it was one of our favorite ports. Unfortunately, we left at 3. I would have like to spend more time there.