Bimmer09 Christmas Cruise to Mexico on the Diamond

[Kauai Kid]

Norris,

Back with you. Thanks for this surprise.

Mark

[Bimmer09]

15 hours ago, Kauai Kid said:

Norris,

Back with you. Thanks for this surprise.

Mark

Mark, I'm glad to see you found it. Hope to see you on the X board late June -Apex.

Norris

 

[tobyt]

Truly enjoyed the posting! Enjoyable to read and great details. I hope you are back to 100% soon!

[Bimmer09]

5 hours ago, tobyt said:

Truly enjoyed the posting! Enjoyable to read and great details. I hope you are back to 100% soon!

Thank you for reading along and for your good wishes!

I've booked the Ruby for a Christmas Panama canal cruise and will be back on the Princess Board in January 2024. Hope to see you then if not in my Apex review!

Norris

[MisterMet]

On 12/29/2022 at 8:55 PM, Bimmer09 said:

THE BACKSTORY

It's been 5 years since our last Princess cruise on the Crown to the ABC islands in January 2018. We had booked Sky Princess for the Caribbean in January 2020 but had to cancel last minute due to health reasons. Then Covid crippled the Diamond Princess and the World watched her in Yokohama. She is now back at sea, finally. I will show you pictures of her as we progress.

 

Since January 2018 we have cruised Azamara Journey to Cuba in January 2019 (Best Cruise winner) Celebrity Silhouette to the Norwegian Fjords in September 2019 and Azamara Quest to Italy, France and Spain in November 2021. 

 

This December we were planning on staying in Chicago to freeze but Celebrity, Azamara and Princess bombarded my mailbox with offers. I found a Celebrity 7day from LA to the Baja Peninsula. Hmmm...Mexico and some sun? Check Princess said Carol from the couch. Oh, here's a 10 day to Baja for the same price as the X one! We are Elite on Princess since 2015 and obviously liked the brand and the cut of their jib -nautical term but I am the son of a Sea Captain after all and my dad called us kids "shipmates" and sent us to bed at 8 Bells. 

 

I booked our First Ever Christmas cruise!

Our First Medallion cruise!

Our First Princess Plus cruise including drinks, wi-fi, crew tips etc

Our First West Coast cruise!

Our First visit to San Diego!

Our first cruise to be overloaded with Exclamation Marks!!!!! before we even sailed

 

It's NOT a live review. I don't do those. It's chronological . We've just got back.

There will be photos and video and lots of Food Porn. You will see Santa, I promise but you (a) have to be good and (b) wait.

 

This is another Gentleman's Seafaring Journal (TM) and will be added to every day....please WATCH THIS SPACE

 

NORRIS

 

 

Norris My Good Man!

 

I’m extremely late for Christmas and this last minute cruise, but glad I stumbled onto this.  You know how much I enjoy your reviews. I hope you and Carol had a great holiday season. I hope a wonderful time was had on the Diamond.   I can’t wait to read on.  Pam and I are OK after  hurricane Ian. We escaped unscathed, but the local area not so much.   I did not write a review of our Celebrity Reflection cruise through the Greek islands this summer. For whatever reason I was just not feeling it I will get back on the horse, though we have back to back celebrity Equinox cruises through the eastern and western Caribbean in August.  Stay tuned. Hope all is well with you and Carol. Thanks again. 

 

Trip
 

 

On 12/29/2022 at 8:55 PM, Bimmer09 said:

 

 

Edited March 6, 2023 by MisterMet
Typos

[Bimmer09]

15 hours ago, MisterMet said:

Norris My Good Man!

 

I’m extremely late for Christmas and this last minute cruise, but glad I stumbled onto this.  You know how much I enjoy your reviews. I hope you and Carol had a great holiday season. I hope a wonderful time was had on the Diamond.   I can’t wait to read on.  

Trip
 

 

 

Trip, I am glad you found it eventually! Thanks for reading along.

It's been ten weeks since we came home and are 90 days away from our Iceland cruise on Celebrity-final payment tomorrow! We just have to get over the Covid after-effects.

Review on the X board to follow  around June 21 when we get home.

Hope to see you then!

Norris

[MisterMet]

9 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Trip, I am glad you found it eventually! Thanks for reading along.

It's been ten weeks since we came home and are 90 days away from our Iceland cruise on Celebrity-final payment tomorrow! We just have to get over the Covid after-effects.

Review on the X board to follow  around June 21 when we get home.

Hope to see you then!

Norris

Iceland sounds very cool.  Can’t wait to read how it went.  Hi to Carol.  Rest up and recover.

 

Trip

Edited March 8, 2023 by MisterMet

[MisterMet]

On 1/1/2023 at 2:20 PM, mchell810 said:

 

Finally all caught up!  I see I am first to get the song reference:  Pass the Dutchie...

 

 

 

Yikes!  37 minutes for Carol's morning latte!

 

Enjoying your GSJ as always.  Happy New Year to you and Carol.

 

jeez

[MisterMet]

On 1/5/2023 at 5:01 PM, Bimmer09 said:

What we really came for-can one ever have enough wrestling masks? (rhetorical)

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I think of Mexico I think of color

 

 

a beautiful square that leads into a street full of bars and restaurants and then to the Malecon

 

 

Bought a wrestling mask in Costa Maya a few years ago.  Albeit goofy, but I love it 😍 

[MisterMet]

On 1/16/2023 at 12:36 PM, Bimmer09 said:

Walking the Plank

As many times before, there comes a time when we have to set our feet in motion and walk the zigzag ramp into the Cruise Terminal. It's over. We huddle together and weep for a moment.  Life is not fair! Our luggage is in the Orange section and easily found. In FLL we get a Porter with a dolly to help but none are at hand here in San Diego so we wheel our bags out ourselves. There is already a line of people with their luggage , waiting to board out on the narrow dock.

No wait for a taxi to our hotel which is less than 20 minutes away.

20 minutes is all I need to sum-up our cruise...

 

We had never before booked a cruise at short notice-usually a year in advance but the idea of some sun in December on a ship that we had loved back in 2012 and felt connected with when she became  the poster-child for Covid in Yokohama. Now in a way we were helping her get back on her feet (um, keel) as she was the last Princess ship to do so. The price for 10 days was less than half what our 12 day to Iceland is costing for the cruise portion.

 

We got an unasked-for upgrade to a mini suite and Carol thinks that's what we should book in future. I loved the electronic Japanese toilet. I want one!

We loved the Medallion and what it can do via the App. The Wi-Fi was the best we have had at sea as our needs were simple. We are not movie downloaders or game players. Email, surf a few sights inluding CC.

 

While we criticized some of the food we didn't starve. It was just not what we remembered but it had been 5 years since our last Princess cruise on the Crown and a lot can happen in 5 years-like Covid 19.

I read a lot of CC boards and allow some reviews-at the minute I have a Celebrity one, a Regent 7 Seas and a Silversea open and all of them talk of cutbacks in quality of meats and produce and in dining room service, short staffing and new hires being considered as the cause. So it's not just a Princess thing. Hopefully any negative dining feedback on the Post-Cruise surveys will result in improvements. All the lines fell into a deep financial hole when Covid halted cruising almost 3 years ago now. Many of the staff that were let go chose not to return to a life at sea. The staff that came back are having to train new hires on the job. Some on the Diamond looked like they weren't happy with the workload. Dour faces from many of those hired in African countries like Nigeria and Namibia. Hopefully they will settle in and enjoy their job as much as it is possible.

 

The ship, now 18 years old looked marvelous. Sparkling. Friendly staff, on the whole, particularly the Room Stewards whom we met on our walks down the deck 9 hallway. Smiles. "Have a nice day, Sir!"  Good bar staff and roving servers up at Tradewinds. You can always use the App to summon service to wherever you are sitting-a great feature. The interactive deck boards can show you what is going on at that time and where or in the following hours. Superb! Good technology.

 

There was enough entertainment on board-always a Princess strong point in my experience. While I didn't take full advantage Carol went to her fair share of shows and also enjoyed a daily Spanish class. I never even sat in the Piazza once. The Santa gift giving on Christmas day was something I am glad I was there for. Nice event by Princess!

 

The days flew by and Carol loved the 4 sea days, even though at sea doing 20 knots the Sanctuary was not a cosy place to stretch out on a padded lounger.

 

Was it our best cruise? Only one cruise can get that title and until something more perfect and exciting comes along that title will be held by this....

 

The cat pic wasn't my idea. A new cruise line for us blew our socks off as did the ports, the excursions in 1950s hired cars and the Cuban people we met. Recommended Winter reading!

 

Oh -we are almost at our hotel in this story. We plan a visit to the San Diego Zoo this afternoon followed by dinner in a Middle-Eastern restaurant. A meeting of two College Football marching bands will also feature before we head to the airport on our last morning. There will be a festive parade outside our hotel. A spectacle!

 

Great review, as usual.  The GSJs are always entertaining, honest, and full of awesome pictures.   I always love Carol’s take on things as well.

 

The pandemic hit the cruise industry hard and your knowledge and appreciation of that fact is spot on.  I’ve seen many reviews griping and moaning about the state of cruising.  Billions and billions of dollars were lost.  It would be unrealistic to think that things would go back to “normal” in such a short amount of time.  I predict a robust rebound in the next year or two.  Cruising is still excellent.  We will continue to cruise as long as we are able. We love it that much.

 

Thanks to you and Carol for this.  I’m glad I made my way to it.  Always a treat.

 

Trip

[Bimmer09]

15 hours ago, MisterMet said:

 

 

15 hours ago, MisterMet said:

 

The pandemic hit the cruise industry hard and your knowledge and appreciation of that fact is spot on.  I’ve seen many reviews griping and moaning about the state of cruising.  Billions and billions of dollars were lost.  It would be unrealistic to think that things would go back to “normal” in such a short amount of time.  I predict a robust rebound in the next year or two.  Cruising is still excellent.  We will continue to cruise as long as we are able. We love it that much.

 

 

Trip, I'm glad that you found the review and read it to the end. Thanks for the compliments!

I will hope to find a better prepared ship, staffing and training-wise on the Apex in June. The Diamond was on her third sailing I believe, with a lot of new crew. I have a reviewer friend - Marvy Mare from Canada who is on the Silhouette now for a Caribbean Cruise and hope she writes a review when she gets home.

I'll have another opportunity to try Princess in December in the Panama Canal. 

Cruising is still the best value for money way to spend a vacation for us so like you we hope it can improve over time as the ships get better staffed and complaints of cutbacks in food and service get rectified. 

Norris

 

 

[silkismom]

Could you please put a link on this thread when you start your new trip???

[MisterMet]

3 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

 

Trip, I'm glad that you found the review and read it to the end. Thanks for the compliments!

I will hope to find a better prepared ship, staffing and training-wise on the Apex in June. The Diamond was on her third sailing I believe, with a lot of new crew. I have a reviewer friend - Marvy Mare from Canada who is on the Silhouette now for a Caribbean Cruise and hope she writes a review when she gets home.

I'll have another opportunity to try Princess in December in the Panama Canal. 

Cruising is still the best value for money way to spend a vacation for us so like you we hope it can improve over time as the ships get better staffed and complaints of cutbacks in food and service get rectified. 

Norris

Even though I did not write a review for our 11 night Reflection cruise through Italy, Turkey, and Greece (for various reasons), I can honestly say that it seemed like things were almost back to normal.  There were some little nuances here and there that we chalked up to cost cutting, but they were few and far between.  I've heard great things about the Apex and am certainly glad you opted for a conventional balcony.  I'm not sure I'd sign up for the IV.  

 

Be Well

 

Trip

3 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

22 hours ago, silkismom said:

Could you please put a link on this thread when you start your new trip???

Absolutely- should be around June 21/22, a couple of days after we get home and I sort my photos out. I foresee a lot of waterfall pics in Iceland, pics from County Down in N Ireland, Beatles stuff from Liverpool and scenic steam train shots from our Dover stop plus Amsterdam/Rotterdam and a ridiculous number of photos from Celebrity Apex!!

See you then!

Norris

[LisaNorthseadreamer]

Hi Norris!

A few times a year I will check into Cruise critic (I'm not a frequent user) to read some reviews and 'live through them'. I always have your reviews bookmarked because I like reading about your adventures with Carol. Great pics and wit. 🙂 

 

I noticed you are visiting Amsterdam/Rotterdam soon. I live in Amsterdam (born & raised). If you have any questions or run into any troubles, feel free to ask me. I'm posting here in your review and not in the rollcall because like most Amsterdammers I do not really want to encourage tourism/cruise ships (a bit like the people in Venice). But I'd make an exception for you. Reading your reviews over the years has been fun. 🙂 

 

So if there is anything you still need to know, do not hesitate to ask! I can't help with tours and stuff (I don't take them in my own city, lol) but I am here for practical and general advice, esp. when it concerns Amsterdam. I hope you & Carol have a lovely time. 🙂  

 

Lisa

[Bimmer09]

4 minutes ago, LisaNorthseadreamer said:

Hi Norris!

A few times a year I will check into Cruise critic (I'm not a frequent user) to read some reviews and 'live through them'. I always have your reviews bookmarked because I like reading about your adventures with Carol. Great pics and wit. 🙂 

 

I noticed you are visiting Amsterdam/Rotterdam soon. I live in Amsterdam (born & raised). If you have any questions or run into any troubles, feel free to ask me. I'm posting here in your review and not in the rollcall because like most Amsterdammers I do not really want to encourage tourism/cruise ships (a bit like the people in Venice). But I'd make an exception for you. Reading your reviews over the years has been fun. 🙂 

 

So if there is anything you still need to know, do not hesitate to ask! I can't help with tours and stuff (I don't take them in my own city, lol) but I am here for practical and general advice, esp. when it concerns Amsterdam. I hope you & Carol have a lovely time. 🙂  

 

Lisa

Lisa, thanks so much for posting!

I will be in Amsterdam on Sunday for 2 days before going to Rotterdam to join Celebrity Apex for Iceland/UK. I'll write a review on the Celebrity Board beginning June 21. Hope to see you there!

I expect it to be my longest review with a lot of Amsterdam pics as I love what I have seen - I watch the 4K Amsterdam Walks. We are dining at 5 Flies on our first evening-ever eaten there?

Also Cafe de Jaren has my name all over it- 5 minutes walk from our hotel Radisson Blu-ever eaten there?

We have two more days in Amsterdam after the cruise-yippee!

Good to hear from you!

Norris

[Deck Chair Queen]

On 1/24/2023 at 5:35 AM, KYBOB said:

Glad you all are the mend. Really enjoyed reading about your trip while I have been laid up.  We returned from a cruise on January 8th on the Enchanted Princess and had a great time, it was our first since COVID shut things down. It was great we felt the service was amazing compared to our last cruise on the Caribbean Princess in September of 2019.  I had started having a little tickle in my throat the last day of the cruise, then in Ft Lauderdale were there was so many people in the terminal it was standing room only. I went to the bathroom to change, while waiting for a stall heard this guy coughing like he was dying, a cough I would come to know all to well 3 days later when I came down not with COVID but Flu-A and RSV I have been off work at home until yesterday were I went in for a few hours. RSV is apparently just as contagious as COVID. I was told I needed to quarantine for 7 days. Now on second round of medication and still coughing, run down, no energy and if I walk any distance like from my bedroom to the den am out of breath. My wife of course also got sick with RSV but she was exposed to it not only from me but her mother who was in the hospital with it. Her mother, back home, had contracted the virus while we were on the cruise and was taken to the hospital, so my wife was going back and forth between her mom and I. When I went to the doctor they tried to get me a room at the hospital but it was full so sent me home with an arm load of pills and inhalers. I am still sick while her mom 88 is back home and doing great. I think the difference is she received breathing treatments and IV’s and I had only pills and inhalers. So the moral to my sob story here is at this point I would rather have had COVID which I have had not only once but 3 times. Compared to this crap it is a walk in the park. So I do not know if I got sick on the cruise or the airport. We wore masks on the cruise, in the buses on the tours, in the airport, on the plane except to drink, took stairs not the elevator, did not go to any shows, basically we tried to avoid crowds. So there is stuff out there that is just as bad or worse than COVID. Is this going to stop me from cruising nope have 2 more booked already, one in August and in December this year and cannot wait to go! 

You will be glad to learn that Pfizer is developing an annual mRNA vaccine that will combine the current Covid strain, the current flu strain, and RSV. We just got our third Covid booster (so five shots total) and we had run out of room on our vaccine cards! If one doesn’t get severe side effects, it seems like a no-brainer to get the boosters. Nobody ever claimed they would prevent infection, but the risk reduction for severe illness and mortality has been proven (Not official medical advice—I am a bond analyst). So off we go to Amsterdam in less than a week. We will even get to add a new opera house to our list!

 

Deck Chair Queen (aka Carol)

 

 

[Bimmer09]

There's a new GSJ, started today....hope you can join me!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Hi, my current review (see previous post) is halfway through and by this point I can say that the service and the food on X is setting a  new standard for Carol and I, certainly in comparison to our last Princess cruise.

If curious check it out.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Hi Shipmates-hope you can pop in and say hi on my latest Christmas cruise review!

Norris