ALMOST live. Sapphire Princess. 10 day Mexican Riviera. Oct 23rd

[fellswoop]

So clocks went forward an hour last night. It was sunny and coolish at 11a. We always order coffee to our room in the morning but wanted a latte for our first sea day. Here's a secret. We saw a long line for specialty coffee at International Cafe. Went to solarium bar and there is a barista with all the goods and no line. You're welcome.

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, fellswoop said:

Went to solarium bar and there is a barista with all the goods and no line. You're welcome.

Where's the "solarium"?

[fellswoop]

1 hour ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Where's the "solarium"?

It's the pool with the retractable cover. Deck 14. Aft of the main outdoor pool. 

[JF - retired RRT]

2 minutes ago, fellswoop said:

It's the pool with the retractable cover. Deck 14. Aft of the main outdoor pool. 

Ahhh! That explains it. I looked on the deck plans and didn't see "solarium". It's labelled Calypso Bar.

[Mike45LC]

Line for MDR for lunch too long, so my choices for lunch were Alfredo’s or buffet.  (I consider Trident Grill part of buffet,). At the buffet, there was a nice roast beef as entree.

[Kay S]

3 hours ago, fellswoop said:

 Went to solarium bar and there is a barista with all the goods and no line. You're welcome.

Excellent tip!

[Mike45LC]

If our friend Mr Frugal is following, a passenger just hit a jackpot on the Super Dragon slot machine. $2.25 bet, won $10,109.25!!

[milogurd]

7 hours ago, fellswoop said:

Not sure how Hawaii will be be but husband calls it pretty speedy for a ship. And going further south to Hawaii should make yours better because communication sattelites are circling the equator and you will be closer. Communication sattelites are in a geosynchronous orbit. (You can google that) 😊

I "googled" it...

 

A geosynchronous orbit does not necessarily circle the equator. A geostationary orbit circles above the equator.

 

"Geostationary orbits fall in the same category as geosynchronous orbits, but it’s parked over the equator. This one special quality makes it unique from geosynchronous orbits."

 

From: https://gisgeography.com/geosynchronous-geostationary-orbits/

 

[fellswoop]

Had a great formal night last night. The Atrium/Piazza area was buzzing with ship officers looking dapper and plenty of champagne being served. Saw a few suits, 1 tux,  and many  formal dresses on woman. But many people looking nice but not formal. I'm a believer in wearing what you want. 

Saw the comedian in the Explorer Lounge. I prefer that venue over the theater. Did not go to the production show in the theater so maybe @Mike45LC can chime in on that.  Food and service was great in the CC dining room. The Santa Fe dining room decor was absolutely lovely. The "extra" offerings in CC tonight was a grilled shrimp salad and lamb skewers. The service was so fast that there was no waiting betw courses. 

We've had a door maintenance issue from day one. The door just won't close unless we pull/push hard and actually slam it. Sometimes it takes 3-4x I'm sure causing us to be a nuisance to our neighbors. We told our room steward the first day but so far not fixed. So this morning I again used the "crew chat" feature on the app and got an immediate response of apology.  In fact our steward HAD put in a maintenance order and reportedly it was "fixed"  but I told him no, it was still not resolved. He/she apologized over "chat" and would send the carpenter again and said he would follow up with a phone call later or I was to message on chat if it was fixed. Can't ask for better response than that.

Today we arrive in Cabo at 1p for our overnight stay but this afternoon we will enjoy our splurge in the Sanctuary with our OBC. Maybe we will stroll the port later but for sure tomorrow we will be off the ship for an excursion. Weather today perfect at partly cloudy and 82°.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Thanks for all the updates!  I board in one week and am really looking forward to my first Sapphire sailing. If you don’t mind would you please ask how many are on board for next week?  A quick Crew Chat question should get an answer to that. 
 

Enjoy your time in Cabo!   

[Mike45LC]

44 minutes ago, fellswoop said:

Today we arrive in Cabo at 1p for our overnight stay.  Maybe we will stroll the port later but for sure tomorrow we will be off the ship for an excursion. Weather today perfect at partly cloudy and 82°.

Please take the tender (water shuttle) instead of strolling!!!

[Mike45LC]

Comedian in Explorers’ Lounge.  Good venue.  Too much bathroom humor, but he did make me laugh.

 

Production show:  “Bravo.”  Seen it before, not a favorite.  No plot, just songs and dances.  Well performed.  Not crowded, plenty of seating.

[Kay S]

Thanks for the CC updates.  I could go for some lamb skewers!  I'm starting to look forward to my first CC experience next month.  I guess we'll see what they serve on that voyage.

[SClakeliving]

Thank you for all the info and tips! keep 'em coming! We sail on the Sapphire in January! I haven't sailed Princess since 2003! 

[travelin.sisters]

2 hours ago, fellswoop said:

Had a great formal night last night. The Atrium/Piazza area was buzzing with ship officers looking dapper and plenty of champagne being served. Saw a few suits, 1 tux,  and many  formal dresses on woman. But many people looking nice but not formal. I'm a believer in wearing what you want. 

Saw the comedian in the Explorer Lounge. I prefer that venue over the theater. Did not go to the production show in the theater so maybe @Mike45LC can chime in on that.  Food and service was great in the CC dining room. The Santa Fe dining room decor was absolutely lovely. The "extra" offerings in CC tonight was a grilled shrimp salad and lamb skewers. The service was so fast that there was no waiting betw courses. 

We've had a door maintenance issue from day one. The door just won't close unless we pull/push hard and actually slam it. Sometimes it takes 3-4x I'm sure causing us to be a nuisance to our neighbors. We told our room steward the first day but so far not fixed. So this morning I again used the "crew chat" feature on the app and got an immediate response of apology.  In fact our steward HAD put in a maintenance order and reportedly it was "fixed"  but I told him no, it was still not resolved. He/she apologized over "chat" and would send the carpenter again and said he would follow up with a phone call later or I was to message on chat if it was fixed. Can't ask for better response than that.

Today we arrive in Cabo at 1p for our overnight stay but this afternoon we will enjoy our splurge in the Sanctuary with our OBC. Maybe we will stroll the port later but for sure tomorrow we will be off the ship for an excursion. Weather today perfect at partly cloudy and 82°.

we saw a lot of whales & dolphins (or porpoises--marine biologist BIL wasn't sure) of the port side while sailing into Cabo 2-3 weeks ago...hope they are out for you to enjoy today 

[Mike45LC]

I found a cruising duck tonight in Crooners.  Jack-o-lantern duck.  Solo Cruise Queen is on board!

[fellswoop]

Yesterday we arrived in Cabo around 1p...it was quite a beautiful approach to our anchoring spot. In previous years I'm assuming only 1 anchor was out because the ship would spin on it's anchor point and sometimes you would view  El Arco, rocks, and harbor and sometimes have a view of the ocean. But with multiple ships in port we were double anchored so no turning. We stayed on board yesterday for an afternoon at the Sanctuary. It was somewhat disappointing in that when we first got on the ship we went directly there and they walked us around to pick where we wanted to reserve for both days. When we arrived up there for our reservation yesterday we saw someone was in our spots, and we were told they had booked the whole week and wanted those chairs. 😳 They found alternate chairs for us and we just tried to be nice but just a little expressed our frustration.  Before we left for the day we asked where they had assigned us for our 2nd reservation and sadly they had just totally erased us from the schedule after they  gave our reservations away and there was no more availability for that day. Again we just tried to be nice. They found another day but we don't even get a lounger but a double chair that I believe has a footrest.  So we'll see what happens and we will talk to Guest Services if needed for maybe a price adjustment. Also they took drink orders only once and husband had to use the app to order himself another drink. The attendants were very nice....just not very attendent.

Lovely late dinner in CC with fast service. Had a Pan Asian peanut curry noodle dish with tofu which I normally would never order, but it was fantastic and the bits of tofu were like velvet creaminess. 

Did not attend production tonight so others chime in.

The ship overnighted in Cabo and overheard some people were spending the night in hotels because last tender to ship was 10:30p and I guess they wanted to party into the night.  

We were up early for a 2hr coastal cruise this mirning out to the arch and along coast line. Weather perfect, open bar and snacks made for a perfect morning. We have done many other Cabo excursions over the years so now we checked this one off. Also early morning till around 9a or so the outer harbor was filled with fishing boats for one of the biggest fishing contests of the season. Apparently millions in prize money they told us on our excursion.  It was a beautiful sight.

[fellswoop]

On 10/25/2022 at 11:48 AM, travelin.sisters said:

we saw a lot of whales & dolphins (or porpoises--marine biologist BIL wasn't sure) of the port side while sailing into Cabo 2-3 weeks ago...hope they are out for you to enjoy today 

Sadly we saw a few seals only on our excursion. 

[fellswoop]

On 10/25/2022 at 9:15 AM, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Thanks for all the updates!  I board in one week and am really looking forward to my first Sapphire sailing. If you don’t mind would you please ask how many are on board for next week?  A quick Crew Chat question should get an answer to that. 
 

Enjoy your time in Cabo!   

I did send a "chat" message inquiry about this 5 hrs ago but have not received an answer.

[fellswoop]

1 hour ago, fellswoop said:

I did send a "chat" message inquiry about this 5 hrs ago but have not received an answer.

Let me amend that. I did receive a message back I just did not click the right box.

2,396 people for next cruise...and they had answered timely... just my user error. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

8 hours ago, fellswoop said:

Let me amend that. I did receive a message back I just did not click the right box.

2,396 people for next cruise...and they had answered timely... just my user error. 

Thank you for that. I am so very sorry to hear of your less than experience in the Sanctuary.  That is just so unusual.  I honestly don’t know what I’d do in that situation.  You clearly managed it well. 

[Vexorg]

I have to say that Cabo isn't high on my list of favorite cruise ports after this visit.  Way too many pushy people trying to sell you things or get you to take tours.  My wife and I did massages at the Sand Bar on Medano Beach (those were nice) but afterwards we tried to hang out on the beach for a bit and got mobbed by people trying to sell things, which completely ruined the experience.   The first time we went to Cabo we did a Princess tour that pretty much took up the entire time we were in port so we missed a lot of that, but this time we did it on our own and it was impossible to go anywhere without a dozen people trying to sell trinkets or tours.  Even while we were in a pedicab and actively moving people were still reaching in and trying to sell us stuff.

 

Looking forward to Loreto mostly because the chance of this nonsense seems much lower there.  That said, still enjoying the cruise and the ship, but we're thinking the ABC Islands might be a better fit for us next time around.

 

[travelin.sisters]

4 hours ago, Vexorg said:

I have to say that Cabo isn't high on my list of favorite cruise ports after this visit.  Way too many pushy people trying to sell you things or get you to take tours.  My wife and I did massages at the Sand Bar on Medano Beach (those were nice) but afterwards we tried to hang out on the beach for a bit and got mobbed by people trying to sell things, which completely ruined the experience.   The first time we went to Cabo we did a Princess tour that pretty much took up the entire time we were in port so we missed a lot of that, but this time we did it on our own and it was impossible to go anywhere without a dozen people trying to sell trinkets or tours.  Even while we were in a pedicab and actively moving people were still reaching in and trying to sell us stuff.

 

Looking forward to Loreto mostly because the chance of this nonsense seems much lower there.  That said, still enjoying the cruise and the ship, but we're thinking the ABC Islands might be a better fit for us next time around.

 

Loreto last month, there were stands selling things, but no one following you down the walk telling us their stuff was "almost free" or insisting it was now their turn if you came out of someone else's shop..it was a very enjoyable walk (except so hot/humid my sister almost passed out waiting for the tender)

[latebloomer56]

On 10/24/2022 at 11:57 AM, JF - retired RRT said:

Ahhh! That explains it. I looked on the deck plans and didn't see "solarium". It's labelled Calypso Bar.

Found this out on day three, went to buffet to get hot coffee and there was Cris and my morning latte every day, they open a six.

[cruzin4us]

11 hours ago, Vexorg said:

I have to say that Cabo isn't high on my list of favorite cruise ports after this visit.  Way too many pushy people trying to sell you things or get you to take tours.  My wife and I did massages at the Sand Bar on Medano Beach (those were nice) but afterwards we tried to hang out on the beach for a bit and got mobbed by people trying to sell things, which completely ruined the experience.   The first time we went to Cabo we did a Princess tour that pretty much took up the entire time we were in port so we missed a lot of that, but this time we did it on our own and it was impossible to go anywhere without a dozen people trying to sell trinkets or tours.  Even while we were in a pedicab and actively moving people were still reaching in and trying to sell us stuff.

 

Looking forward to Loreto mostly because the chance of this nonsense seems much lower there.  That said, still enjoying the cruise and the ship, but we're thinking the ABC Islands might be a better fit for us next time around.

 

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.