Bimmer09 Christmas Cruise to Mexico on the Diamond

[Bimmer09]

Walking through the Grand Plaza later that afternoon I came across the show band that plays in the Princess Theater rehearsing -while paying customers were trying to relax and chat. "Let's take it from the trumpet solo guys" the bandleader said during a stoppage for clarification. "Huh?" was my reaction-why don't you rehearse in an unused space-like Club Fusion or the Theater? was the thought bubble above my head. The G Plaza has marble surfaces and instruments like trumpets and snare drums can peal the paint off walls that hard. Snare drums sound like gunshots (I live in Chicago btw)

so there's no chance of a nice snooze while that malarkey is happening.  Shame on you, bandleader.

(mentioned in survey)

 

 

 

Folks catch up on their FB posts or their grand-babies pics on their phones while the din whirls around them....

[mchell810]

On 12/30/2022 at 12:38 PM, Bimmer09 said:

But first-them belly full but we hungry

 

 

 

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

 

 

19 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

MDR Breakfast, first of many

International Dining Room, deck 6 aft. Table 89 in a nice quiet  corner.

 

 

 

 

I love those little Kellog's Variety Packs so I ordered some Frosties (They're Grrrrreat according to Tony the Tiger) and if anyone knows crunchy sweet breakfast cereal it's a tiger as they live on it in India.

Sitting in my coffee cup is a cup of something I refuse to call coffee and something I refused to order for breakfast since that day.

 

Carol is a fruit plate kind of gal but the green melon was a week away from being ripe and she had to saw through it to find out what the term "al dente" really means....

 

I ordered the ham and cheese omelet

 

Sounds good but the eggs didn't taste eggy, the ham had no flavor that said pork in its DNA and the cheese was maybe part of the tablecloth that I forked by accident.  The main flavor profile was maybe "air" or "accidental tablecloth".

I know the price of eggs has increased but there's obviously a vendor who can supply at rock bottom prices. These must be the chickens that couldn't get a date for the Cluck Fest.

I'm definitely trying the pancakes tomorrow!

Carol had scrambled eggs and a hash brown. She ordered a latte each morning.Her longest wait for the latte was 37 minutes....

 

Yikes!  37 minutes for Carol's morning latte!

 

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

 

[Bimmer09]

Afternoon Tea in cabin, an Elite privilege 

 I will call upon Carol to comment on the degradation of the Afternoon Tea experience in the past 5 years.

Here are the photos. I am aware that a decline in scones and sandwiches fillings is a First World problem.

 

 

 

 

We had two TVs in our mini-suite but only looked at the map channel or the bridge cam 

 

 

We are heading to the movies soon to see the new Avatar epic. We watched the original last night to prepare. I will be gone for several hours and look forward to posting later...Norris

[Bimmer09]

16 minutes ago, 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.

 

You are first to get the song reference, indeed-from the song of the same name by Bob Marley.

Happy New Year!

Norris

[EMS8]

Norris,

Good to see you back on a ship.  Another very nice review of your cruising adventures.  Hope you and Carol are both doing well.

 

Mike

[CruiserRob]

Ooh look what I stumbled across on the Princess board.

Glad to be joining for another GSJ.

 

Robert

[muleevans]

Love your review !!!

 

Where is early morning coffee available ???

 

Thanks !!!

[DUCHESSRN]

On Royal at present and loving your review..

 As a Brit now living in USA I am wondering if I should offer classes in how to make a decent cup of Tea and. Refresher on what Scones are meant to look and taste like . They used to have it right ….

Having a great cruise .

[Bimmer09]

1 hour ago, muleevans said:

Love your review !!!

 

Where is early morning coffee available ???

 

Thanks !!!

Deck 5 midships-a lady will serve you specialty and regular (non-decaf) coffee at the Good Spirits bar. Deck 14 use central elevator walk aft through the indoor (Calypso) pool. Calypso bar serves from 6 a.m. Buffet  deck 14 aft has coffee and hot water for tea from at least 6 a.m.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

1 hour ago, DUCHESSRN said:

On Royal at present and loving your review..

 As a Brit now living in USA I am wondering if I should offer classes in how to make a decent cup of Tea and. Refresher on what Scones are meant to look and taste like . They used to have it right ….

Having a great cruise .

Thanks for loving my GSJ. I'm a Brit who has been living in the USA for 36 years. When I show our 2nd Afternoon Tea photos I'll show side by side how it used to be. It looks ok now but only if you have never seen it 5 years and more ago. The "clotted cream" is now accompanied by some (wait for it) orange preserve.No raspberry jam. The Teabag was Bewley's English Breakfast and the water was hot enough-we gave it 4 minutes to steep in the cup (no teapot alas).

Norris

[Bimmer09]

2 hours ago, CruiserRob said:

Ooh look what I stumbled across on the Princess board.

Glad to be joining for another GSJ.

 

Robert

Robert your "Lifetime Membership" in my GSJs is as the title says.

Can I pour you a cyber cocktail? Top shelf of course.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

4 hours ago, EMS8 said:

Norris,

Good to see you back on a ship.  Another very nice review of your cruising adventures.  Hope you and Carol are both doing well.

 

Mike

Mike-thanks for joining us! We had no plans to be back on a ship until the end of November when our teeth began chattering...

Mark your calendar for June 21st when we get back from Iceland and Amsterdam on the amazing Celebrity Apex!! 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

The Diamond is racing along at 20 knots which is good as I am really looking forward to seeing Puerto Vallarta tomorrow and getting some 82 F sun on my pasty white fizzog. Plus I have plans to eat ashore which is my favorite port pastime. I even have the place picked out from TripAdvisor. It's a doozy!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Here are some pics Carol took of the wonderful fruit carving demo that Carol saw this morning before her Spanish class. 

 

 

 

So cool!!

[DUCHESSRN]

22 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Thanks for loving my GSJ. I'm a Brit who has been living in the USA for 36 years. When I show our 2nd Afternoon Tea photos I'll show side by side how it used to be. It looks ok now but only if you have never seen it 5 years and more ago. The "clotted cream" is now accompanied by some (wait for it) orange preserve.No raspberry jam. The Teabag was Bewley's English Breakfast and the water was hot enough-we gave it 4 minutes to steep in the cup (no teapot alas).

Norris

I could set upon the Piazza with Tea Pots and show them how it’s done ,  maybe more entertaining than the Hula Dancing . 

Several new crew on this sailing ,one very kindly put heated milk from the Cappucino maker in my tea , bless his heart for trying to make this old gal happy .

We do have strawberry Jam …

 

[Marvy Mare]

I’m not sure how this turned up on my feed but I followed the link to another great Bimmer cruise report. And, bonus; a Christmas cruise with wonderful photos. I’m enjoying the ride so far. 

[Bimmer09]

The Sun goes down at Sundown

I'm usually on deck for sunrise and sunset as I am always hopeful . Tonight I was rewarded...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worth the wait which is not always the case. The clouds make for a good one.

[Bimmer09]

Dinner in Santa Fe restaurant

One of the 4 small Dining Rooms  unique to the Diamond and her sister Sapphire. Just 2 were open this voyage-this one and Pacific Moon. Carol couldn't get the time she wanted in the MDR so booked here. I had meant to return and photograph it when it wasn't busy but...time flies when you are having fun. We are here to eat before a show in the Princess Theater- a comedy magician called Mike Bliss.

From the Always Available side of the menu-the Princess shrimp cocktail for Norris

 

Carol's disappointing "beet salad" a.k.a "find the beets". The waiter played a "sad trombone" when delivering it. We love beets but not these slivers.

 

A man who was going to be stepping ashore in the land of Fajitas tomorrow ordered the fajitas on the menu but I have to say they were not bad even though they didn't arrive in a cast iron skillet spitting hot fat at me. Tasty morsels!

 

Scientists are still trying to figure this "Turkey Pot Pie " out, as is Carol.Pie usually means with a pastry crust on top...menu below says "sweet potato crust" instead of sweet potato mush..

 

 

 

 

I'm having me that there Orange Souffle!

 

Carol opted for the delicious but inappropriately named "Black Forest Cake"

 

After the well-attended and received Magic/Comedy of Mike Bliss we walked back to Club Fusion for the Karaoke show which was high on comedy if not singing. Someone sing Piano Man by Billy Joel in tune and was the closest to a "singer". There were a lot of entrants but most couldn't keep a straight face nor could the audience.

Whatever happened to Voice of the Ocean?
 

[Bimmer09]

 

Tuesday December 20 and I was up on deck as we were approaching the dock in PV

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love me a city surrounded by mountains!

[Bimmer09]

Inching closer to the dock at right following a 180 degree turn in the basin

 

 

Pirates picking up breadfruit and grog for a day of swashbuckling

 

 

The pier awaits us

 

 

 

Across the basin another berth is waiting for Carnival Panorama

 

 

 

Panorama heading this way

 

 

We are all tied up

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

We have no excursions here in Puerto Vallarta. When we decided to cruise we thought relaxation more than our usual activity. In Italy on Azamara we were off the ship for 10 hours or so, up in the mountains of Tuscany or wine tasting in San Gimignano. Mexico ain't Italy with regards to sightseeing so most of the Princess excursions were of no interest to us.

 

So today we can take our time getting ashore and putz around and Carol already knows we are lunching on a beach!

 

But first, breakfast!

 

Minute steak and eggs? We are so there!

 

Carol opts for fried eggs

 

For me, scrambled with mushrooms! Best breakfast of the week. Good hash  brown too.

 

Thus fortified we are free to go ashore at any time.

[CruiserRob]

16 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

Robert your "Lifetime Membership" in my GSJs is as the title says.

Can I pour you a cyber cocktail? Top shelf of course.

Norris

Norris, I'll have a Guinness, as I'm sure you can provide a perfect pour.

Robert

[Bimmer09]

1 minute ago, CruiserRob said:

Norris, I'll have a Guinness, as I'm sure you can provide a perfect pour.

Robert

Here you go sir.... Poured in Dublin November 2021

[LouCoop]

16 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

The Sun goes down at Sundown

I'm usually on deck for sunrise and sunset as I am always hopeful . Tonight I was rewarded...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worth the wait which is not always the case. The clouds make for a good one.

WOW! It almost looks like a ship speeding by. Thanks great photo.

[Bimmer09]

Before we go ashore and I show you some of the delights of Puerto Vallarta here is the Patter for day 3, December 19, a sea day.