Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Finally Cruising Again!

 

After having six cancelled cruises, we finally got to go on a cruise.  We left from the Los Angeles port, so drove down ourselves to board the ship.  We cruised Mexico on the Majestic Princess.  It was wonderful to be cruising again.
A cruise these days starts with a negative Covid test.  You also must have documentation that you are fully vaccinated.




We started our trip on Friday afternoon with appointments in the Las Vegas temple.  We left early, but construction held us up for nearly an hour.  We were very late.

After the temple, we had reservations at The Cheesecake Factory.  The food was delicious!  We shared Thai lettuce wraps and 

Cauliflower tacos.  Both were delicious!
We stayed overnight in a dive casino in Primm, Nevada and drove down to LA the next morning to board our ship.


The boarding process was a bit harrowing, but worth it for that first salmon lunch.

Because we have cruised so many times with Princess, we are now elite members.  One of the perks is an assortment of small bottles of alcohol in your room.  We told our steward we didn't drink alcohol and asked if we could exchange it for diet sprite.  She brought a whole bag full.

We enjoyed our small balcony on this cruise.  Most of the time, it was so pleasant out there.  Following are some pictures from our little balcony in the port and as we were leaving:






All ready for our first formal night

Inside our room
The first night at dinner, we requested a socially distant table.  The restaurant manager, Jelenica, was so kind to remember us and accommodate us each night thereafter.


We didn't fall in love with any of the big shows on this cruise, and spent most of the evenings going to small venues to listen to musicians.




One evening, we were surprised to see this message to Ken on the screen near the elevators.

View from our balcony

At times it was a bit chilly on the balcony, so we used the complimentary robes to keep us warm.

From our balcony in Puerto Vallarta.






We got off the ship in Puerto Vallarta and did a little bit of shopping.

Only on a cruise does Ken dare to order two desserts!  His beloved creme brulee' shown here with a delicious lemon cheesecake.


Matzatlan, Mexico










We loved this balcony.  We saw whales, sea turtles, and dolphins from the balcony as we sailed.  It was the perfect place to relax and read.

Ken even saw three new birds to add to his life list on this balcony, while we were sailing.  Crazy!  That included this little red phalarope that came and landed at his feet on the balcony!!






Another perk of being an elite member was a lounge up on the top of the ship that served little appetizers.  You could go in a little cabana and have your own space.  We would go up there before dinner sometimes.

Our last stop was Cabo San Lucas.

We arrived at Cabo San Lucas in the early morning.  The sky was gorgeous- absolutely breath-taking.
We watched dozens of fishing boats heading out to sea for their day of fishing.








I just can't get enough of this beautiful view.  I took dozens of pictures from our balcony.


My favorite dessert on the cruise.  
Leaving Cabo San Lucas.

Last formal night:






The sunset was glorious over the ocean.








We had a wonderful time!  It is good to be cruising again!