WinksCruises

Mrs. Winks said: We have two more cruises book for later this year (including the beautiful Sky Princess)!! Wait! What?!!

My lifelong cruising dream finally came true at our last port-of-call, Puerto Vallarta. Mrs. Winks and I didn’t get off the ship. I’ve tried to make this haughty brag before, on other itineraries, but invariably, we have always stepped off the ship for some reason or another, if only to tour the pier shopping mall to confirm they had a Diamond’s International, or to foolishly yield to the siren’s cry emanating from that little green Senor Frog or his tequila-soaked sidekick, Mr. Buffet. But this time, we actually stayed on. The entire time. Nary setting a foot on Deck

Okay, story time. I get into a tiff with one of the ship’s medical officers. Nothing rash or imprudent. Nothing even coming close to fisticuffs. But let’s just say, several unpleasantries were exchanged. Now if you listen to Mrs. Winks recount this story, apparently we’re very lucky this episode didn’t get us kicked off the ship at the next port. Though, as I like to point out to her, the alleged altercation actually transpired on our final day at sea, and the next port was Los Angeles anyway. So, what’s the big deal? But anyway, do you want to know what h

Princess does do a 10-Day from LA that includes these ports (in addition to the classic itinerary). I think it's on Star Princess. We've looked into doing it, but the dates haven't yet worked out for us scheduling wise.

Somehow this doesn't surprise me! There's actually been a concerted effort by the city to bring back cruise tourism ever since Disney Cruises dissed the port for being unsafe. So safety is a big visibility effort now for them.

I'm beginning to agree! How was Stone island?

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As a cruise ship destination, Mazatlan gets a bad rap - mainly because it’s located in Sinaloa, a Mexican state the U.S. State Department has designated a Level-4 hotspot (that means very bad) in its regularly-updated doom-and-gloom tourist travel advisory. To quote that advisory specifically: “Criminal organizations are based and operating in Sinaloa state. Violent crime is widespread. U.S. government employees are prohibited from travel in most areas of the state.” Not very welcoming verbiage. And, of course, it didn’t help matters when, in 2014, the most notorious

For sure, the crowding will be less and if you're the only game in town, (lucky you!) the excursion is certainly going to get you back in time. (They want to go home as early as possible, too!). While our excursion ran late, we weren't in danger of missing Royal's All Aboard time. Our sail away that day was 7:30pm. We were back on the ship by 6pm, just too late for the Folkloric show that began at 5:30pm.

And look! No Patters and Menus to weed through! 😄

Yes, this has happened to us as well. We have also found independent excursions sometimes get you to an attraction before the cruise-sponsored ones come piling in, allowing you to enjoy the space reasonably uncrowded. So there are definitely advantages for booking independently. Mrs. Winks may have to chime in to correct me, but I believe we HAD TO book the Cabo pirate ship excursion through Princess. With several ships in port that day, the pirate company made it cruise-ship-reservations-only - we tried looking for it as an independent excursion and our port date was b

The cruise ship shore excursion. This compulsion that we must always do something, be somewhere, and enjoy with fellow passengers (most of whom we can’t stand), some cultural activity dreamt up by a millennial of questionable qualifications in Miami (for maximum profit) that will define, rather than enhance, our cultural immersion in any given port-of-call. This false notion that we can’t simply be. That we’re wholly incapable of being left on our own, to wander freely and explore, the fresh flavors, rhythmic sounds, and inherent dangers awaiting us in alien environments. That ou

For those of you considering a cruise on the Royal Princess, Mrs. Winks and I can’t think of a finer ship in the Princess fleet to recommend. She’s grand, reasonably new, and gloriously elegant, and the cutting-edge touches, like Medallion Class, only amplify the superlative onboard experience. She’s a terrific option for adult families and young couples who are looking for an alternative to the ubiquitous armada of kid-catering vessels currently saturating the high seas these days. The crew is engaged and competent. Perhaps not as gregarious and convivial as they could be, bu

I always wondered about those cabins visible from the Skywalk. I guess you didn't use the balcony too much! 😃

The OceanMedallion is so innovative and transformative of the whole cruising experience that it’s hard to fathom that Princess Cruise Lines is the brand behind its roll out. AI infused RFID-technology is the cutting-edge marketing currency of much hipper purveyors of sea travel; something you’d expect coming from Richard Branson’s new Virgin Voyages or the youth-oriented Carnival Cruises itself – though I wonder if the clientele on that line possess the necessary intelligence-base to understand, much less use the device, before accidentally ingesting it! With this program, Princess