Majestic Princess Jan 22 and Feb 19, 2022 live report

[1emerald1]

35 minutes ago, dockman said:

yes..i saw no problems at all

Thanks

[dhanakorn]

After about 15min walk you’ll reach the Old Town. Weather’s great today with some nice breeze. 

There’s no blue line in the Old Town area since they can’t paint on the cobblestone. There’re some students rehearsing ar the Ángela Peralta Theater this morning. 

Plazuela Machado plaza was still quiet. 

Another 5min walk, you’ll reach the Catedral Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción. It’s the only catholic church with decoration of the Star of David inside since a rich Jewish family gave a big donation during the construction. 

 

 

[dhanakorn]

Adjacent to the church is Liverpool shopping mall. They have nice clean restrooms inside. I was just gonna go there to use the restroom but couldn’t resist to do some shopping. Some brandname clothes are cheaper than in US after the discount.

Then I went inside the municipal market. When I was here last month it was so crowded I couldn’t take any pictures. Today was relatively calm. There’re restaurants with nice patio on the second floor. 

 

Fresh fish 

Chicken leg quarters for about $1 per pound. 

[dhanakorn]

I tried the cebada drink (barley drink) outside the market. He said his father started selling this in 1934. 7peso for a small glass. 

 

On my last trip I heard someone looking for the “shrimp ladies” but I didn’t have time to check it out. So this trip I followed the google direction to the shrimp ladies about 7min walk from the municipal market. The shrimp ladies are shrimp market on the streetside. 

 

 

Look at the size of the shrimps compared to the 10peso coin. 

 

They also have lobsters! Too bad I didn’t see any restaurants there that offer to cook the seafood. Locals come to buy seafood here and bring back home. 

Another 10min walk to the beach and malecon. You can see the golden zone or the hotel zone in the distance. I went there during my last cruise and didn’t like it.

 

I could walk back to the terminal - about 30min walk from the beach in the photo above. But I decided to save time and called Uber instead. Uber was very cheap here, 30peso ($1.5) to the terminal and there’s no need to haggle or negotiate the price with taxi. 
 

This concludes the first half of my excursion to tour around the Old Town. I need to get back to the ship to change my clothes for the beach in the afternoon. 

Edited January 29, 2022 by dhanakorn

[dhanakorn]

In the afternoon I plan to go to Stone Island. The ship excursion charges $80 for about 3hr tour. I read from this board that it’s very easy to go there by yourself. 
 

I walked off the terminal and turned left. Walk straight for less than 10 minutes and you’ll see this sign for a boat ride to Stone Island.

 

Walk straight on the dirt road until the end and you’ll see the ticket booth. The fare is 30peso ($1.5) for roundtrip to Stone Island. You can pay $2 if you don’t have peso. After getting the ticket, then go to the right to board a boat. 

 

You walk down to the pier. There’s no schedule but the boat leaves very frequently. 

 

The ride is a good experience in itself. Water is very calm - it’s like crossing a river. You can see the ship along the ride. 

 

[dhanakorn]

It’s a very short ride (less than 10min). For only 30peso, it’s totally worth it. 

 

The pier on the other side. 

 

You walk straight up from the pier along this dirt path to the beach. 

 

Wow the beach looks so gorgeous! 

[californiagirl]

I’m really enjoying your live trip report.  Your pictures are especially outstanding.  Thank you.  Question about Playa de Oro in PV.  Is there a good sidewalk all the way from the cruise terminal to the resorts in front of the beach?  Like say the Hilton?  Is it safe for a single woman to walk it?  It would be mid-day.

[dhanakorn]

1 hour ago, californiagirl said:

I’m really enjoying your live trip report.  Your pictures are especially outstanding.  Thank you.  Question about Playa de Oro in PV.  Is there a good sidewalk all the way from the cruise terminal to the resorts in front of the beach?  Like say the Hilton?  Is it safe for a single woman to walk it?  It would be mid-day.

It’s paved sidewalk from the terminal to the beach. Very short walk, maybe 5 minutes. You don’t need to worry about the safety on this beach. Lot of tourists and cruise passengers since it’s very close to the terminal. 

[dhanakorn]

There’re many beachfront restaurants that you can choose from. If you order food or drinks, you could sit there and enjoy your time at the beach. Lety’s seems to be the popular choice. 

 

It could get very loud from banda bands. But many people seemed to enjoy the music and the dancing. 

But if you want some quiet from on the beach, then just walk further down away from the restaurant area. Within 10min walk, you could have the beach all by yourself. You can even sunbathe naked here. I’m kidding - public nudity is illegal in Mexico, I already googled it 😁 

 

You could literally walk for miles on the beach. No public restroom though, unless you sit at one of the restaurants. 

 

 

I very much prefer the beach here on Stone Island over the beach at golden zone. This’s the best beach experience on this trip. 

[dhanakorn]

I spent a few hours on the beach here before heading back to the ferry pier. 
 

A short walk from the ferry pier, there’s a nice spot to take photos of the ship. 

 

 

 

You can get a full shot of the whole ship on this side. In port area you’re not allowed to walk around to take photos of the whole ship. 

 

Looking back at the ferry pier. 

 

It takes about 20-30 from the ferry pier back to the terminal. For 30peso, it’s totally worth the money. 
 

Mazatlan is my favorite port on this trip. While tourism is important here, it’s not the biggest part of the economy. You can still appreciate the local culture here while you’re visiting the town. The beach on Stone Island is primitive but very gorgeous. Cabo is totally a tourist/party town and PV is the mix in between. 
 

 

[dhanakorn]

Blue Hawaii to refresh after a long day.

 

While we’re on Hawaii theme, the server suggested another drink called Hawaiian Tropics. 

 

We departed on time. Since we sailed at reduced capacity, we always have everyone back on board ahead of all aboard time. This’s the view from my balcony on port side. 

 

 

If you’re on starboard side, you get the view of the old town. Photo from my Bliss cruise last month.

[dhanakorn]

We had the best view of sunset tonight. No fog or low cloud to block the moment when the sun was slowly sinking into the sea. 

 

 

 

Within seconds, the sun just disappeared into the ocean. 

 

Video clip of the sunset. 

 

 

[dhanakorn]

Day 5 MDR menu

 

Cold cut appetizer

 

Tonight chilled soup tasted like cold curry. I don’t particularly like it. 

 

Bouillabaisse for main dish. Seafood on Princess is pretty good. The scallops were huge and fresh. 

 

Floating Islands for dessert 

[dhanakorn]

I went up to see the buffet line. It’s been significantly scaled back. Not many choices there. 
 

Cook to order selections on the buffet line. 

 

Day 5 entertainment was another concert by Darren Dowler. I don’t know most of his songs but enjoy his performance nevertheless. 

 

My favorite sun deck on Deck 7 aft. 

 

[californiagirl]

Thank you for the info on the beach.  I was thinking you had to walk on the main highway then go through one of the resorts to get to the beach.  I just watched a YouTube video that showed the dirt path from the cruise terminal to the beach.  It looks quick and easy.  
 

On Stone Island in Maztlan were there any vendors renting chairs and umbrellas?  I had my third case of skin cancer this year so my sunbathing days are long past.

Edited January 29, 2022 by californiagirl

[dhanakorn]

1 hour ago, californiagirl said:

Thank you for the info on the beach.  I was thinking you had to walk on the main highway then go through one of the resorts to get to the beach.  I just watched a YouTube video that showed the dirt path from the cruise terminal to the beach.  It looks quick and easy.  
 

On Stone Island in Maztlan were there any vendors renting chairs and umbrellas?  I had my third case of skin cancer this year so my sunbathing days are long past.

There’re many vendors on the beach. Most people will just pick one of the restaurants and settle there. Usually you can use their beach chair and umbrella for free as long as you order food and drinks. Price is reasonable since there’re many restaurants competing each other. You can also sit and relax inside the building the avoid the sun. It’s pretty rustic here but I love this kind of local atmosphere over the beach club in a fancy hotel. 

[leet102]

Did you go into the water at any of the beaches?  Is it very cold this time of year?

 

Thanks for the info.

[dhanakorn]

31 minutes ago, leet102 said:

Did you go into the water at any of the beaches?  Is it very cold this time of year?

 

Thanks for the info.

Sea water in the Mazatlan and PV isn’t cold. Weather is hot in the afternoon so it’s very refreshing to jump into the water after sunbathing. 

[dhanakorn]

Last set of the Patters

 

Day 6

 

Day 7

 

Disembarkation information 

[dhanakorn]

A quick update on Disembarkation day. I got up around 6:45am from the noise during the docking. Went up to have breakfast in the buffet, finished up the last minute and left the room around 8am. I rushed downstairs and ready to get off the ship. To my surprise, you need to go to the meeting station according to your luggage tag color and wait there. You have to pay attention to the Disembarkation Information. Different cruise lines do it differently. The first group didn’t leave the ship until 8:30am and around 9am there’s an announcement for everyone to leave the ship. Immigration is very fast and no need to show the passport. A quick Uber ride to LGB airport for $25 fare. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

I have really enjoyed reading your Live From. You write so well and your pics are amazing. Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your cruise. 

[Bwana Tom]

Did any of you folks happen to see a couple of ladies singing and playing mariachi music on the Puerto Vallarta pier? We saw them pre-pamdemic and bought a CD from them. They were excellent entertainers. The CD was entitled "Color of Mexico - Decadas Ensamble". We are scheduled for this same cruise in March and was hoping to see them again and buy some more of their CDs. There is actually a YouTube video of them on line taken by a cruiser that just happen to come across them like we did. Unfortunately however they don't seem to be marketing their CDs via the internet.  

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us of your cruise.

[1emerald1]

Thank you so much for your very informative review and step by step guide on how to get around on your own.

[mlgb]

Thank you so much. Great reporting.

 

[seagunthera]

Welcome home and thank you for the amazing 411!