LIVE from the Sapphire Princess --Mexican Riviera Oct. 10-17

[junglejane]

Will be on the Sapphire in a couple of weeks and wondering if you had to buy a day pass to get into Krystal or did they just let you in.We have gone in before and told the guards we were from the cruise ship and they let us in,no charge.We bought some snacks,but not compelled to do so.

 

I hope the rocking stops and you have a great rest of the cruise.

 

We didn't have to buy a pass -- they let us in for free. They just said, "From the ship?" And we said yes and they let us in. We did buy lunch, but no obligation to do so. I thought the lunch was a good value, too. We spent $42 plus tip for lunch for five people, including two margaritas.

 

Christapie: Late seating is at 8:15 pm only in the Internatinal Dining Room. (Early seating at 5:45 pm in both International and Vivaldi.)

 

Tonight at dinner the Captain announced that Tropical Storm Patricia is expected to move west. However, right now it is at Cabo, so if it doesn't move, it is possible we won't be able to stop at Cabo. We're crossing our fingers that we get there.

 

--Junglejane

[lovevacadays]

Hope you get to go to Cabo. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

 

To the poster that asked about the speciality food items outside of horizon court ie... mexican day, chocolate buffet on Friday. It was on the Sapphire last December and we loved it. Hope they continue it.

[Christapie]

We didn't have to buy a pass -- they let us in for free. They just said, "From the ship?" And we said yes and they let us in. We did buy lunch, but no obligation to do so. I thought the lunch was a good value, too. We spent $42 plus tip for lunch for five people, including two margaritas.

 

Christapie: Late seating is at 8:15 pm only in the Internatinal Dining Room. (Early seating at 5:45 pm in both International and Vivaldi.)

 

Tonight at dinner the Captain announced that Tropical Storm Patricia is expected to move west. However, right now it is at Cabo, so if it doesn't move, it is possible we won't be able to stop at Cabo. We're crossing our fingers that we get there.

 

--Junglejane

 

Thank you Jungle jane for the info. Enjoy your vacation, and again we all thank you from our rooms where we type away.....

[Kissara22]

Thanks Jane for all your time and effort with this "live" thread. We just booked her for Nov14 and can't wait. I love this site!! Happy cruising to all. :D

[mikjr]

I'm not trying to butt in here, but if I was you I would have any newbies taking either ginger or something. Being sick would be an awful way to start your first cruise. JMO.

 

Thanks for the heads up... I'm thinking the same thing.

 

I've taken the Mex Rev cruise a couple of times before and it's always a bit rough the first few days out of L.A. I usually handle it OK, but I'm thinking I may even start a ginger regimen on Thursday.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the live posts.

[dianef]

Jane,thanks for the great information you are passing along.I know some people on your cruise and when we decided to go I said we want to go later so we have less of a chance of rain.I have a group of 28 going on the Oct. 31 sailing.Hoping for good weather.

Hope you have a great day in Mazatlan and get to tender in Cabo.Looking forward to reading the rest of your posts for this week.

[funtohappen]

Thanks for your live report. I am about to book for January out of San Pedro. Have often booked obstructed oceanviews and had great views, just wished you could see online someone actual cabin window views.

Have a great cruise.

[maddie36]

Was on this cruise late September. Thread below shows pictures and C109 is a definite must if you are going to do 'obstructed'. Even better if you have twin beds as you get a great view out of the window and with the mirror facing you get to see outside without getting out of bed.... Also this really is a slightly bigger cabin being on Caribe deck and very quiet at the end of the corridor.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=899767&highlight=princess+cabin+c109+pictures

[junglejane]

Today was Mazatlan. I woke up to room service delivering my coffee and the Captain announcing we were docked in Mazatlan. I went out on the balcony and saw the Mariner of the Seas sailing by right next to us. That was fun to see because we're booked on the Mariner for Spring Break. Then we went to breakfast at Sabatini's.

 

It was really hot and humid again today -- 95 degrees. Last year we did a Stone Island excursion, but this time we decided to just stay on the ship. I hung out in the Thermal Grotto and Lotus Pool while the kids went to the Fun Zone. We had lunch in the dining room and then relaxed on loungers out in the Conservatory while our 8 year old finished her Ceramics at Sea project. We did afternoon trivia (lost a 4 way tie-breaker) and then watched sailaway from our balcony. All in all a relaxing day. There seemed to be a surprising number of people who stayed on board today.

 

Tonight's entertainment included a production show "I Got the Music" in the Princess Theatre, and a comedian named Darrell Joyce in the Explorer's Lounge. We saw both. The production show was pretty typical but the comedian was hilarious. There was also some sort of Country & Western Hoe Down in Club Fusion but we didn't see that.

 

The Captain announced that Patricia has been downgraded from a Tropical Storm to a Tropical Low so he is hopeful we will be able to tender in Cabo tomorrow. We got our Priority Tender Tickets -- another suite perk. I'm enjoying the free laundry although I wouldn't send out any of my best clothes -- some stuff has come back looking a bit faded.

 

The staff on this cruise has been just great, especially our wait staff and room steward. Tonight we got our disembarkation stuff -- an unwelcome reminder that the cruise doesn't last forever!

[RamFan63]

Great job on the live updates during your cruise and also for all of the helpful advice. Have an enjoyable remainder of your cruise.

[dls11]

Much thanks, JungleJane. It was generous of you to provide us with your updates!! My 'crew' be on the cruise embarking Saturday. It's been fun reading your posts. If we weren't excited before, we sure are NOW!! ;) I'm hoping you'll have a smooth return back to San Pedro. BTW: The weather in AZ is heating up; back to triple digits this weekend.

- Dana

[Working 2 Cruise]

I just booked our next cruise on the Sapphire... Last Spring Mexican Riviera - May 1, 2010.... I know, it is quite a ways..... I am taking my husband, my son and a friend of my son's! I really would appreciate hearing about the excursions as well... We are planning on doing swimming with the dolphins, but we really would appreciate a day of lounging and drinking at the beach! :D

 

For all of you who are going sooner... Have a great trip!

[junglejane]

Boo Hoo, it's the last day. We had a good visit to Cabo, but too short. We took the tender then walked over to Medano Beach -- should've taken a taxi because we were hot and tired when we got there (getting lost doesn't help). We hung out at a place called Tabasco's Cafe and had cocktails and chips and gaucamole. We were beseiged by beach vendors, especially after we actually bought something. That created a feeding frenzy. Eventually we took a glass bottom boat water taxi back to the dock by way of Los Arcos. A nice visit but too short.

 

I posted another thread with this info, but last night we were going to have dinner at Sabatini's. It was a formal night and we were counting on being able to go in Smart Casual attire. However, we found out in the late afternoon that men are expected to wear jackets or at least long sleeved shirts on formal nights at Sabatini's. We have no quarrel with the dress code, but just didn't come adequately prepared. DH only brought short sleeved button down shirts and no jacket. So we regretfully told Gianni, the Maitre d', that we would have to cancel. Since we had been upgraded to the Family Suite, we were able to order dinner in our suite. So we got the lobster and beef wellington. Alls well that ends well.

 

After dinner we saw Piano Man. The comedian, Darrell Joyce, was also doing a repeat performance. The same entertainment is running tonight. They seem to have fewer performers than I remember on past cruises. On the plus side, it gives everybody a chance to see the shows since they're repeated. On the minus side, there are fewer choices available from a weeklong perspective.

 

The staff on this cruise has been awesome. Our cruising newbie friend Susan has been very favorably impressed and is hopefully now a cruising convert. The seasickness patch was extremely helpful for her.

 

If we ever get offered another free upgrade to the Family Suite, we'll take it. However, we wouldn't want to pay the regular suite fare for it. As others have said, the balcony is too windy to be useable except when the ship is docked. There is also a lot of motion because of the cabin location. We weren't bothered by the motion except during Tropical Storm Patricia, but if you were at all motion sensitive you would probably be miserable in this location.

 

All in all it has been another great Princess cruise. We are repeating this itinerary in the Spring on the Mariner of the Seas and will be anxious to compare. However we will definitely be missing our suite perks.:)

[merl]

Thank you for all your posts - it has been great following your cruise each day. Glad you had a great trip! I read in a previous post that you had taken the taxi from Long Beach to port and I believe that taxis have a set price for that but that there is no set price for the return from ship to airport. Please let me know what that ends up costing if you take a taxi - we are debating whether to use taxis or book with a shuttle service. After reading your posts we are even more excited for our December cruise - thanks again for all the info.

[lookayellowbird]

When we returned to our rooms after dinner, everyone was staggering down the hallways like drunken sailors. Our 12 year old revived enough to go with DH to see Steve Moris. They reported that the theatre was only about 2/3 full, which was either because of seasickness or overexposure to Steve Moris, or both. The rocking motion continued pretty much throughout the night.

 

You got that right! I was in the Explorers the night before for 2 full shows, I felt 2 more in the theater was a bit over the top but Billy (London) really wanted something to offer the passengers since the production show was cancelled due to rocky conditions. So we all "rolled with it" (no pun intended) and had a lot of fun. I told the audience that I was going to "wing it" because a lot of folks saw me the night before. I think just watching me try to keep my balance on stage may have been amusing in itself!

Great Review!

Steve Moris