OK, So Maybe Carnival Isn’t As Bad As I Thought – So Sue Me

[momof3cruisers]

You have a great writing style! One of the most fun reviews I have read!

[SailorJack]

You have a great writing style! One of the most fun reviews I have read!

 

Thanks...glad you enjoyed it. Links to my other reviews are in my signature.

 

Jack

[SailorJack]

We have made it ashore and are in our very own compulsory shuttle with our own tour guide. Turns out he is advertising restaurants! The guy in front of me has a T-shirt that sums up our experience in Mexico!:)

 

 

 

 

 

The entrance to Mazatlan. The terminal was not that far from the ship - just long enough to inform us of what restaurants and gift shops to visit.:)

 

 

 

The path from the ship to the old part of town was highlighted by a blue stripe painted down the middle of the road. All you had to do was follow the town's version of the Yellow Brick Road and you were in town - with no chance of getting lost or having to stop for directions. A great idea! The blue stipe didn't come out in this photo. but the tree shaded street is an example of how easy it was to walk to town from the ship.

 

 

[mikayla73]

Thanks for all the wonderful pics! I've read several of you other reviews, all wonderful. Thanks for sharing with us!

[SailorJack]

Thanks for all the wonderful pics! I've read several of you other reviews, all wonderful. Thanks for sharing with us!

 

So glad you enjoyed it. More pics coming as soon as I can edit them and upload them.

 

Jack

[susan1957]

WOW! I thoroughly enjoyed your review...great chuckles...

[RobinSie]

Like everyone else, I loved the humor in your writing! We too will be sailing with Carnival for the first time, on the Magic. Glad you had a great time. I look forward to reading your other reviews.

[SailorJack]

WOW! I thoroughly enjoyed your review...great chuckles...

 

Glad you enjoyed it. Your comment reminded me of the Mary Tyler Moore show and Chuckles the Clown. An arcane memory, but it also brought some laughs. Anyhow, thanks for your comment.:)

 

Jack

[SailorJack]

Some of the more impressive things to see in Mazatlan are the restored 19th century architecture. This photo is of the Teatro Angela Perez. Originally opened in 1874 it is now considered one of Mexico's premier performance venues -hosting musical and theatrical performances by many international artists. The building is located along the blue line just before the city center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Located at the end of the blue line is a station for "blue shirts." These are ex-pats now living in Mazatlan and they are a wealth of information. The gentleman in the foreground was able to give us a most interesting history of Mazatlan as well as recommendations as to what to see.

 

 

 

 

 

And this is Plaza Machado - the heart of Mazatlan's Centro Historico - and was constructed in 1837. It was originally known as Paseo de las Naranjas (Orange Tree Walk) because of all the orange trees lining the street. Try as we might, we could not find a single surviving orange tree.:)

 

 

[SailorJack]

Located on the north side of the plaza, this is the Juarez building. Dating from the mid 1800s and designed by noted Spanish architect Fedrico Imana it held residential and recreational space on the second floor and business space on the main floor. The first movie ever shown in the Mexican state of Sinaola was shown here in 1897.

 

 

 

The gazebo, built in the mid 1800s was a performance platform for entertainment and was often referred to as the heart of the plaza.

 

 

 

 

Located at the north end of the plaza, this is Portales de Cannobio. It was built in 1880 for Luis Cannobio - an Italian pharmacist and it is a prime example of how wealthy some of the residents of Mazatlan had become. It later housed the Bank of London and the Bank of Mexico and is now home to Casa Canobio - an Italian restaurant. You can enter the building and walk up to the balcony on the second floor for a beautiful view of the plaza.

 

 

[SailorJack]

Like everyone else, I loved the humor in your writing! We too will be sailing with Carnival for the first time, on the Magic. Glad you had a great time. I look forward to reading your other reviews.

 

Glad you like it. We are also looking at a Magic sailing for later this year, but have not booked it yet.

 

Jack

[SailorJack]

This monument in a little park just off the main square honors the Sinaloa Brigade which was organized during a period of civil unrest in Mexico.

 

 

 

 

The pavilion in the park was being prepared for a demonstration.

 

 

 

 

And judging by the number of ambulances, buses (presumably to carry off demonstrators) and police, it was going to be quite a demonstration. Whatever was going to happen must have occurred much later as we never saw or heard anything further.

 

[SailorJack]

This is the Basilica de la Immaculada Concepcion - construction started in 1856 and it was completed in 1899. It was built on the site of an ancient Indian temple.

 

 

The inside of the cathedral was stunning. It is said to be the most beautiful cathedral in Northwestern Mexico.

 

 

 

[SailorJack]

The cathedral has 28 beautifully designed stained glass windows - and include a feature that is unique only to the cathedral in Mazatlan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Somewhere in the design of each window in this Catholic cathedral is incorporated the Star of David. It is, according to our guide book, the only such cathedral in the world incorporating this design. The Star of David was incorporated into the windows to honor Mazatlan's Jewish community - which helped fund the construction of the cathedral.

 

 

 

 

 

The statue of Christ greets visitors as they ascend the steps to the Cathedral.

 

 

 

[SailorJack]

Believe it or not, the Mercado Pino Suarez Market is one of the top tourist draws in Mazatlan. It is said that if you cannot buy it here you cannot buy it in Mexico.

 

 

This is the fruits and veggie isle. There are things for sale here that are common and things that we have never seen before. The variety was staggering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[llbz327]

if you are thinking of the magic I would suggest sept 10 as we will be on it.

 

just a suggestion.....

 

have read most of your reviews and loved them

[SailorJack]

Meat was out in the open and was cut to order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Baatman]

Enjoyed the photos. The story about the Star of David was interesting.

[SailorJack]

if you are thinking of the magic I would suggest sept 10 as we will be on it.

 

just a suggestion.....

 

have read most of your reviews and loved them

 

Would love to sail with a fellow Georgian, but we are actually looking at an October sailing. Enjoy your cruise and keep it in good shape for us!:)

 

Thanks for reading...glad you enjoyed them.

 

Jack

[SailorJack]

And lastly, the fish and chicken isle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This place was really amazing. If you are up for it, you can go up the stairs to the second floor and visit one of the restaurants that will be serving food from the first floor.

[DnD_Cruisin]

Thanks for a wonderfull read Jack. I'll need to remember to read your future reviews without food or drink as I had at least 2 mishaps while reading! No worries I was able to save the keyboard from the coffee spray!

 

Like a previous poster (hi Denise!) My wife and I were on the Miracle to HI in Jan of 2014. We loved the ship!

 

We are in the throws of planning a trip on the Miracle for next summer as a graduation gift for our youngest daughter. After reading this we may opt for this itinerary instead of our usual Cabo x2/PV choice.

 

Thanks again and happy sailing!

Edited June 20, 2016 by DnD_Cruisin

[SailorJack]

Thanks for a wonderfull read Jack. I'll need to remember to read your future reviews without food or drink as I had at least 2 mishaps while reading! No worries I was able to save the keyboard from the coffee spray!

 

Like a previous poster (hi Denise!) My wife and I were on the Miracle to HI in Jan of 2014. We loved the ship!

 

We are in the throws of planning a trip on the Miracle for next summer as a graduation gift for our youngest daughter. After reading this we may opt for this itinerary instead of our usual Cabo x2/PV choice.

 

Thanks again and happy sailing!

 

Thanks for reading...glad you enjoyed it. We had looked at a cruise that overnighted in a port but opted for the one we took. Glad we did - Mazatlan was, by far, our favorite port.

 

Whichever one you take, I know you will enjoy it.

 

Jack

[SailorJack]

There are some beautifully restored buildings dating from the 1800's in Mazatlan - this is a nice example of what you will see as you walk around the old part of town. But notice the bars on the windows and doors - a very common site in Mazatlan.

 

 

 

 

 

Thee are also a few unrestored buildings - not many - but a few. Notice that even these have bars across the windows. And in this case - even bricks!

 

 

 

 

But once you leave the old town area you begin to see more modern structures.

 

 

[Jasperdo]

I just wanted to pop back in and say how much I'm enjoying your photos. Especially the recent ones from Old Town Mazatlan. We've been to Mazatlan a few times, but haven't ventured downtown yet. Your photos have made me want to do that next time we're there.

[SailorJack]

Mazatlan sits on a peninsula and is surrounded by water on three sides. Just two blocks from the square we found this beautiful promenade along the beach.

 

 

 

 

Every so often along the promenade there were vantage points to walk out and take in the view.

 

 

 

And the views and the beach were fantastic. The beaches were fairly empty. but the few that we saw seemed to be enjoying the water.