Day 5--Cabo San Lucas

Day 5—Cabo San Lucas

I am soooooo stuffed!  Had dinner in Sabatinis and it was incredible.  But before I describe the dinner, first let me tell you what I did all day.

Had a leisurely morning and ate breakfast in the dining room with two other couples.  The dining room breakfast is so much better than the buffet.  Ever since the first morning’s breakfast in the buffet, I haven’t eaten there at all.  Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the buffet at all.  Not sure how lunch and dinner in the buffet are since I haven’t tried it, but for breakfast, I definitely prefer the dining room, which is much more like a restaurant with a menu so you can order your eggs or whatever, just the way you want it. 

(After the cruise, I’ll need to make some comments comparing Princess with Holland America—there are things I liked about both lines and things I wish were done differently on both lines.  I’m writing all this as much to help me remember the cruise as well as to share with my friends and family, so it makes sense to also compare how things were done on the two different cruise lines.)

After breakfast, I sat around the Lido deck and read.  Talked to several folks I had met over the past few days as they wandered by.  Had pizza for lunch since I knew I wasn’t going to have dinner until 8:00 pm when I had reservations at Sabatinis.

I went down to the Princess Theater at 1:45 to meet my tour group.  Cabo is a tender port, that is we had to take a boat to shore.  After everyone had checked in, our group was led down to Deck 4 where we caught the tenders to shore.  From there, we boarded our bus for the sightseeing tour. We went to a glass blowing factory, a resort restaurant with incredible views of the Sea of Cortez, the city of San Juan where we had some free time shopping, and a cactus garden.  The tour was OK, but again, not the best excursion I’ve taken. 

We were late getting back, but that wasn’t a problem since the ship was staying overnight in Cabo San Lucas.  By the time I took the tender back to the ship, I had to go straight to my room to dress for dinner.  Just made it to Sabatinis on time.

The maître de was wonderful as well as my waiter.  They were definitely more attentive to me than they were to the table next to me.  It might be because I was dining alone and some people think that is a little strange (and maybe feel a little sorry for me since they always seem surprised when they ask if I’m alone and I say yes).  The menu was not the typical “Americanized” Italian menu, but more like a menu in Italy.  I knew I wanted the calamari friti and decided to order the veal chop as a main course, but couldn’t decide if I wanted pasta, soup, or salad for the second course.  Turns out I didn’t get a choice, since my waiter informed me that I was only to order the main course and that I would be served everything on the menu!

The first course was cold appetizers which was prosciutto with melon, roasted red peppers, portoccini mushrooms, spinach with parmesan, and eggplant.  The second course was hot appetizers which included breaded zucchini, calamari friti, ricotta flan, and crab cake.  I decided to skip the third course which was the soup and salad course and went right to the pasta course which was a potato and ricotta ravioli in an oil and herb sauce along with another pasta which was egg noodles with asparagus and tomato in a beef gravy-type sauce.  Finally, came the veal chop which was in a marsala sauce with mushrooms, and garlic and herb mashed potatoes, and baby carrots.  I didn’t eat the carrots, only had a small amount of the potatoes, but the veal chop had such a wonderful flavor that I ate almost all of it.  Both whenever a course was served and as soon as I had finished a course, both the waiter and maître de would ask how I enjoyed it.  After eating the main course, I was handed a menu for dessert—there was no way I could eat another bite and I told the waiter that all I wanted was a cappuccino.  The maître de then came over and said I had to try at least one small dessert and he hurried off to get it for me.  The waiter brought my cappuccino, then the maître de served me a small dessert.  It was in a small espresso cup with whipped cream and a chocolate stick.  I wasn’t sure what it was, but decided to make the maître de happy by tasting it as he stood by.  It turned out to be coffee crème brulee and it was excellent.  Unfortunately, I was only able to take a couple of bites since I was so full.  The dinner at Sabatinis was one of the best Italian dinners I had ever had and the service was superb.  (And you might notice there wasn’t a single red sauce, or cream sauce, or spaghetti noodle served.) 

After dinner, I pretty much waddled to my room since it was well after 10:30 pm by the time I had finished all those courses (if I had been travelling with someone, I would have asked that they roll me to my room!).  Tomorrow’s excursion starts at 8:15, but knowing me, I’ll be up by 5:30.

Day 4--Puerta Vallarta

Day 4—Puerta Vallarta

I enjoyed the early morning quiet hours as usual.  One of my favorite times of day on a cruise is early in the morning before the rest of ship starts waking up.  It’s always so peaceful watching the sunrise with a cup of coffee and seeing day break over the horizon.  As darkness gives way to light, you start to notice the sea all around you.  Sitting back with a morning cup of coffee and watching the water with the sky turning red is incredible. 

The ship docked in Puerto Vallarta at a little before 10:00 am and cleared customs shortly after that.  The Oosterdam (a Holland America ship) was also in port docked next to us.  Getting off the ship was smooth with only a short line to disembark.  Then it was off the meet the bus for the excursion I had signed up for. 

The City and Scenic Coastal Drive excursion was OK.  It wasn’t the best excursion I had been on (not that I’ve been on that many), but did give a good overview of Puerto Vallarta.  The guide was very knowledgeable and talked about the history of Puerto Vallarta while pointing out all the sights as we drove past.  We made several stops for photo opportunities.  I met two sweet ladies on the excursion and stayed with them throughout.  Hildegard and Janine have known each other for over 40 years and since both ladies are widowed, they travel together.  Janine was especially outgoing and we talked quite a bit on the excursion.  She invited me to have dinner with her and Hildegard, but I explained I had early traditional dining and not “Anytime Dining” which is what they had.  (With traditional, you have a set time and set table with the same table mates and wait staff; with anytime dining, you can go to any of the other three dining rooms, the buffet, or the specialty restaurants whenever you want, but won’t have the same table, or the same wait staff and, of course, unless you arrange to have dinner with someone, you won’t be seating with the same folks). 

Got back from the excursion at 4:00 and the ship got under way at 5:00 pm.  I was just in time to get ready for dinner.  It was Italian night and since I love Italian food, I enjoyed it.  Three of the Walmart ladies showed up along with Polly and Pat—almost a full table.  I let all my table mates as well as my wait staff know that I would be on an excursion the next day and not to expect me for dinner (it’s always courteous to let folks know).

After dinner, I made reservations at Sabatini’s which is the Italian Specialty restaurant on board the ship.  The normal cost is $20 to eat there, but since I had complementary dinner with bottle of Champaign from my travel agent, it wouldn’t cost me anything.  The next day’s excursion wouldn’t get back to after 6:00, so I thought it would be the perfect time to go to Sabatini’s since I wouldn’t be back in time for my dining assignment. 

Didn’t go to any of the entertainment that evening and instead sat outside for a while reading my book, then went back to my cabin.  When I got there, there was a letter in my room confirming the Ultimate Ship Tour!  It was scheduled for 8:15 am on Friday and I needed to confirmI would be attending.  I’m really excited I’ll get a chance to see all the places off limits to the passengers.

Day 3--At Sea

Day 3—At Sea

Well, another day, another sunrise.  Yes, I was up early again to watch the sunrise.  Joseph, another early riser was out there having coffee and we talked for a little bit.  He is travelling with his sister since his partner couldn’t get away from work.  We compared cruises and talked about the different cruise lines.  He apparently has cruised quite a bit and recommended Interline.com as a travel agent since he says they have incredible rates.  When I get home and have more internet time, I’ll check them out (although I’m really happy with American Express as my travel agent).

I had breakfast in the dining room this morning and sat with three other folks.  The dining room was much better than the buffet for breakfast.  After breakfast, I sat around and read on my Kindle (I’ve been doing that quite a bit between activities and talking to people).  I did go to the “Welcome to the Captain’s Circle” event for all the first-time Princess cruisers.  They had refreshments there and told us all the benefits of becoming repeat Princess cruisers.  (Seems crazy to have to tell a “cruise junkie” the benefits of booking another cruise, but I guess not all the people who attended are hooked yet like I am.)

I decided to skip lunch today since I had a full breakfast and since I’m at the early seating for dinner.  It has finally started to get warmer.  Most people already thought it was warm since they have been laying out by the pool and actually swimming, but I didn’t think low 70s was all that warm.  I think today was at least in the mid to high 70s in the sun (still cool in the shade), but not quite warm enough for me to put on a swimsuit yet.  (Of course my brother Jesse and his family--who live in Anchorage--probably think 70s is very warm, but those of us in Las Vegas are used to much higher temps.)  Instead I relaxed near the pool and read on my Kindle—but only for a short while.

Went to Bingo where I shared a table to two young Japanese ladies, and no they didn’t speak English and apparently had never played Bingo.  It was a challenge trying to explain that they didn’t need to look at every number on the card to find the one that was called, but only needed to look in the B row if a B was called, the I row if an I was called, etc.  They finally understood by the third game.  After Bingo, they both bowed and said thank you to me.  On my last cruise, I was practicing my German; on this cruise it seem I’m trying to rack my brain for the little Japanese I know.

Met JJ at the afternoon trivia—we were on the same trivia team the first day.  A friend of JJ’s also joined us along with another couple and her mother.  The questions were not easy, but between the six of us, we were able to answer 17 out of 20 questions correctly.  Unfortunately, we didn’t win, since another table answered 19 correctly.  Oh well, maybe next time.

The four “Walmart” ladies didn’t show up for dinner and I thought I might be the only one at our table for 9, but one of the couples that hadn’t shown up previously did arrive—Polly and Pat.  Pat had a bad back and shoulder and apparently had injured himself carrying luggage.  He had seen the ships doctor who had prescribed a muscle relaxer/pain reliever which had pretty much knocked him out, so they hadn’t made it to the first two dinners.  This was their first cruise, and unfortunately it didn’t get off to a good start.  He had been in the Navy before retiring as a radar operator and had spent a lot of time at sea, but never on a ship where he didn’t have to work, and where he had his own room and room service, so even though he was in pain the first few days, he said it’s been the best cruise he’d ever taken .  Dinner was good and the featured dessert was Cherries Jubilee which was made at the table, so once again we were able to watch and smell it beforehand (so of course, I had to have some).  (I’ve been able to confirm that the sea air does in fact shrink your clothes, since once again, my jeans seem to be getting a little tighter.)

Didn’t go to a show or do anything other than hang out and talk to people out on the Lido deck after dinner.  Tomorrow we arrive in Puerto Vallarta.

Day 2--At Sea

Day 2—At Sea

Slept great the night before.  Even though I was on Deck 14 all the way forward, I could barely feel the ship move; it was just enough to gently rock me to sleep.  As usual, I woke up a little after 5:00 am.  Since I’m on the Lido Deck, the Lido Buffet (and morning coffee), was just a short stroll away.  Drank my coffee out by the Neptune Pool on the Lido Deck and watched the sun rise—beautiful, and well worth getting out of bed to see.

Spent some time exploring the ship and tried to take the stairs most of the time (hoping to counteract all the food I know I’ll eat on board).  Went all the way forward on Deck 16 and all the way aft on Deck 18—yup, this ship is BIG compared to my first cruise.  I had breakfast in the buffet—it was just OK, nothing to rave about, and was a much smaller buffet than on the Zaandam (and definitely doesn’t come close to the buffets in Las Vegas—but I wouldn’t expect it to).  Two Japanese ladies were looking for a place to sit, so I invited them to join me.  They spoke very little English and I certainly don’t speak Japanese, somehow we did manage to communicate.  They were sisters, or rather sisters-in-law, were travelling together with a tour group.  They were both single (the brother of one and husband of the other had died—not sure how long ago).

I joined in on the trivia game and met a few other folks (JJ who is traveling with his wife, and Patrick and Chris, a married couple who are from Los Angeles)—even though we were only able to answer 11 of the 20 questions correctly, we still came in second.  Also went to the Journaling/Scrapbooking class.

I had heard so many great things about the pizza on board Princess Cruises from CruiseCritic.com that I thought I’d try it for lunch.  It was good pizza, but still it was pizza.  So while it was good pizza and something I’d order at home or for lunch at work, I’m not sure why so many folks would rave about it.  Don’t get me wrong, I definitely ate the entire large piece and enjoyed it, and might even have it again for lunch some day.

At 12:30, I met the CruiseCritic bunch in Skywalkers (all the way aft on Deck 18).  There were quite a few of us there and the executive chef, hotel manager, and assistant cruise director were all there to welcome us and spent some time socializing with us.  It was nice to meet some of the ships senior management (unfortunately the captain wasn’t able to join us).  I did meet all the people I had been “talking” to on line for the past two months, which is always fun.

Even though dinner was at 5:30, I decided to go to the afternoon tea to see how it compared to Holland America.  It was very good and the scones were wonderful.  There was a Canadian couple and another lady at my table along with a Japanese couple.  The Japanese couple didn’t speak English and didn’t join in the conversation, so I said good afternoon to them and told them my name in Japanese.  The man just nodded to me, but the Japanese lady smiled and introduced herself and her husband in Japanese, then started talking more.  I apologized for my very bad Japanese, but was able to at least make them feel welcome to the table instead of feeling left out.

It was formal night, so after tea, I went to my room to get dressed for dinner.  The four women from Walmart were there, but the other folks at our table still hadn’t shown up.  The “Walmart ladies” said they had to start getting ready for the formal night at 3:00 in the afternoon since all four were sharing one bathroom.  I can’t imagine four people in one small cabin.  Heck, I’ve gotten used to having the cabin for myself, there is no way I’d share with another person, let alone three other people—and I’m not in my cabin that much.  But they all seem to get along and were having fun on the cruise.  I’ve only been on one cruise, and this is my first on Princess, so I felt like the “old, experienced” cruiser. 

My table steward, Ryan, and assistant table steward, Riza, were both very good.  Riza now knew I wanted cappuccino after dinner and had it ready for me without my asking.  I did have to present my coffee card since Princess charges for specialty coffees.  The chef made bananas foster for dessert right at the front of the room, which was next to our table, so we were able to watch the whole process.  Even though I don’t usually have dessert, I decided I had to have some—it was wonderful! 

After dinner, the captain hosted a “Champagne waterfall” in the atrium.  Champagne glasses were stacked up to form a tree and there was a short staircase rolled up to it.  Champagne was poured into the top glass and when it was full spilled over to the next row of glasses, and so on down to the bottom.  They went through a lot of bottles Champagne—some of the passengers got in line and were able to pour the Champagne.  I didn’t really see the point of standing in line to do this, but watched for a few minutes from Deck 7—the atrium starts at Deck 5 and goes up to Deck 7—so I had a pretty good view.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me.  (Come to think of it, I haven’t taken nearly as many pictures as I did on my first cruise.)

I did go by the Wheelhouse Bar and listened to Phoenix Rising.  During the break, I walked up to the guitarist, Jerry, and introduced myself and told him my friend said I should say hello.  We talked for a few minutes, then he went back to work, and I went back to my cabin, to be lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the ship.

Day 1--Embarkation

Day 1--Embarkation

The vacation begins!  The flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles was uneventful and all my luggage arrived in Los Angeles.  I, along with several other folks from Las Vegas who were on the same cruise, were met by a Princess representative at baggage claim.  We turned over our luggage to them and were assured they would be delivered to our cabin, then got on the bus. 

I thought the bus was taking us to the port, but since we arrived at 9:30 in the morning and ship was not ready for us to board, the bus took us to a Sheraton hotel.  Princess had contracted with the Sheraton to provide us with pastries and coffee in the Mezzanine.  Tables were set up and we were provided our health forms to fill out.  We were then taken to a meeting room where Princess employees check us in.  I was given an orange card showing that I was already checked in along with a green card showing which bus I was on going to the port.  Spent time talking with the folks at my table while we waited for the bus.  All of them had been several Princess cruises, and one couple had been on over 100! 

My bus left the Sheraton at 11:30 and it was a 40 minute drive to the port.  When we got to the port, we were directed to a table to pick up our room keys and didn’t have to go through the check-in process at the port.  We were then directed straight to security and onto the ship.  The whole embarkation process at the port took only 10 minutes.

The rooms were ready so I went straight to my room to drop off my carry on.  I spent the afternoon exploring the ship and signing up for the “Ship’s Ultimate Tour.”  Only 12 people are allowed on this tour and Princess draws names of those who signed up to see would be allowed to go.  I’ll find out in a few days if I’m selected—sure hope so since it sounds interesting.  It is a behind-the-scenes look at the ship operations.

The Sapphire Princess is a much larger ship than the Zaandam and it appeared to be much newer.  My room was on the Lido Deck, Deck 14 (the Zaandam only had 10 decks, and half the number of passengers).  It was a good thing I didn’t have to be anywhere in particular since most of the afternoon I was pretty much “lost” and constantly consulted the deck plans to see where I was.

The ship left Los Angeles at 4:00.  Either the waters were calm or the ship is really stable since even all the way forward on Deck 14, I could hardly feel the ship move—just a very gentle, almost imperceptible slow rocking.

At 5:00, I got dressed for dinner and went to the International Dining Room to meet my tablemates.  I had Traditional early seating, which means I had a set time (5:30 pm) and set table for dinner each night.  I was seated at a table for 8 and only 4 other people showed up.  Those four were single women travelling together.  They were all sharing a room and all worked for Walmart.  Not sure how they all fit in the cabin since the cabins are all pretty small.  Plenty of room for me, but how four women fit is beyond imagination.

I ordered a bottle of red wine and had a glass with dinner.  The dining room caps the wine, puts your room number on it and will save it for you until it’s gone.  The bottle will probably last me the entire cruise since I’ll only have one glass at dinner.

The food was good.  I had the tortellini and spinach soup, then the prime rib with baked potato and grilled tomato.  After dinner, I had my usual cappuccino.  On Holland America, cappuccino in the dining room was free.  On Princess you have to pay for it.  Luckily, I knew this ahead of time and purchased a “coffee card” for $29.00 which will allow me to have the specialty coffees.

After dinner, I wandered over to the Princess Theater for the welcome aboard show.  Unfortunately, it was so packed that there was standing room only.  Since I didn’t really care about the show, I didn’t stay.  I did go to the Wheelhouse Bar where Phoenix Rising was playing.  A friend of mine knows the guitar player, Jerry, in Phoenix Rising and said I should introduce myself and tell him hello.  The music was pretty good and I recognized every song they played (which tells you what era music they were playing—definitely not Rap or current hits).  It had been a long day, so at 9:30 I headed back to my room.  Didn’t get a chance to say hello to Jerry since the band was playing the entire time I was there—but I’ll make a point of doing that at some point on the cruise. 

Day 15--Disembarkation, Going Home, and Final Thoughts (Jan 2, 2011)

Day 15—Disembarkation, Going Home, and Some Final Thoughts

I guess all these posts wouldn’t be complete without a post of my final hours on the ship and the trip home from my 14-day cruise (officially, disembarkation day doesn’t count, so even though it is “Day 15” it is still a 14-day cruise).

Dinner on the last night was (guess I’ve said this enough times) wonderful.  The three single ladies, Evie, Dorothy, and Alice decided to go into Ensenada, so I didn’t have dinner with them, but both Jim and Cheryl were there (thank goodness I finally remembered her name—I knew it when we were in the dining room, but everytime I was writing up the day’s activities, it would just slip my mind—guess those brain cells are getting old like the rest of me).  Couldn’t decide whether to have the prime rib or the pork with orange glaze and Gede recommended the pork so that’s what I ordered—it was a great choice.  His recommendations were always good.

We were reminded that this was the last night and that the next day we would have to go home and become reacquainted with our microwaves.  The dining room staff were all wonderful the entire time—it wasn’t just the service, but the genuine friendliness and, yes the joking around they did with our table.  Gede, Made, and Teo made dinners enjoyable times during the entire cruise and I hope to see them all again someday.  Since I wouldn’t see them again, I hugged them all good-bye; I’m going to miss them.

After dinner, I changed into the clothes I’d be wearing while travelling the next day so I could put my suitcases out in the hallway as instructed.  Then I went up to the Sea View bar and looked out at the city lights of Ensenada.  Stayed out there till almost midnight (way passed my bedtime) and watched as we pulled out of Ensenada and the city lights fell away.  This was my last night, and even though it was a little chilly out, I didn’t want to miss seeing us pull away from land for the last time and watching the lights fade away.

Set my alarm for 5:00 am so I could get ready and be up top for the last sunrise and watch us pull into San Diego, and fell asleep to the rocking of the ship.

Was up, showered, dressed and carryon bags were packed and ready by 5:30 am, then headed up to the Lido deck, coffee, and sitting out on the Sea View deck.  To my surprise, we were already docked in San Diego.  It was still dark out, but you could see the USS Midway Museum ship parked next to us.  Quietly sipped my coffee and then watched as a Celebrity cruise ship arrived and docked on the other side of us.  A few minutes later, Holland America’s Oosterdam came in and docked on the other side of the Celebrity ship.

Neal, a crewmember at the Sea View, brought me another cup of coffee (like he usually does every morning) and we talked for a while.  His contract is over in another few days and he’ll be going back to the Philippines for a few months, then will start a new contract, possibly on another Holland America ship.  I’m going to miss talking with him and having him bring me coffee in the morning.

Saw a few of the friends I’ve made on the ship—Inge, Stephanie, Janet, Miss Emily (who is in her 90s), a Polish man who had his family with him and with him I exchanged hellos every time we saw each other, and a lot of other people.  We all said goodbye and wished each other a safe trip home. 

Holland America issues you a color and number for disembarkation and the color and number are based upon your travel plans with those trying to catch a plane early given early disembarkation and those who are driving or who live in San Diego staying on the ship longer.  Since I had an 11:50 flight back, my color and number were called at 8:30 (we had been cleared by customs by a little after 7:30).  I hugged Neal goodbye and left the ship.

Then it was through passport control, then finding my color group, Blue, and my luggage that had been unloaded with all the other luggage from the previous night.  Both were there and I had to lug all the bags through customs.  Yes, I could have gotten a porter, but there were so many elderly folks who needed the help, that I decided I could lug my own bags (luckily, then strapped together and were on wheels—still, two large suitcases and two carry-ons make for a heavy load.

After getting through customs, went to the shuttle bus line (I had prepaid to take the HAL transfer to the airport), turned over the luggage and got on the bus to San Diego airport.  As we pulled away, I said a silent good-bye to the Zaandam and to her wonderful crew.

All I can say about the San Diego airport was it was a madhouse!  I think all the passengers from all three cruise ships that had docked that morning were all at the airport catching planes.  I think the cruise ships recommend not catching a flight before noon not because it takes long to disembark or go through passport control or customs, or even to get to the airport since it is practically next door to the docks (I was off the ship and to the airport in less than an hour) but because the lines are incredibly long at the airport.  It took over two hours just to check luggage, then to get through security!  My flight to Las Vegas was delayed, so I didn’t actually leave San Diego till 12:30.  By the time I actually got home I was really tired and my arms ached from dragging all the luggage.  (After such a long day, maybe I need a cruise to relax!)

I guess it was a good thing I was so busy yesterday since it didn’t give me much time to think.  It’s been one year exactly since my husband died.  It’s been a year from hell (pardon my language), but I guess I survived it.  After getting home, my son and I decided to go tomorrow to the cemetery—I know that my husband would understand why I wasn’t there. 

My son had the house clean when I got home, and the dogs were fine and excited to see me.  And even though I had a good time, it was really good to be home.  Thanks to my son for being there for me and for taking care of everything not just in the past 2 weeks, but for the past year.  Thanks for taking care of your Mom—I know that your Dad would have been proud of you.

I was tired and in bed by 8:30.  Despite how tired I was, I had trouble falling asleep and woke up several times.  I guess I missed the rocking of the ship lulling me to sleep every night.

This morning I had to make my own coffee, Neal wasn’t here to get me my second cup and when I went back into my bedroom, no one had made my bed.  I guess it’s time to get back to reality.

There are some final thoughts I want to share. 

This year was been the worst I’ve ever had to endure.  Some folks might question why I would go off on a cruise, especially by myself, but it really was the best thing I could have done.  Not necessarily because it was a very nice vacation, but because I learned something along the way. 

I learned that life does go on, and I learned that I can truly enjoy myself and not just survive or go through the motions.  I also learned that I’ll be able to let go now—not completely, I don’t think you ever really completely let go of someone you love when they are gone.  Later today, I’ll go out to the cemetery and say a final good-bye.  I love my husband and I will always love him, but I can let him go now because I know that a piece of him will always be in my heart. 

Perhaps someday, there will be someone else; I’m not ready now, but at least I know that someday I will be ready.  I know that I’ll still have some difficult moments, but I also know that those moments will pass.  I’m finally ready to face the future, whatever that may bring.

To my family, especially to my parents, thank you for being there for me whenever I needed you.  To my old friends, thanks for being so supportive, and for just being my friends.  To my new friends, both passengers and crew of the Zaandam, I hope to see you all again.  To each and every one of you, I wish you all the best as we look forward to the future together. 

Day 14--Ensenada, Mexico (Jan 1, 2011)

Day 14—Ensenada (New Years Day)

Woke up at 5:30 this morning and went upstairs to have coffee.  There was no one around at all—guess they were all sleeping in this morning.  Feel a little sad to be leaving the ship, although it will be good to get home, sleep in my own bed (although the beds are very comfortable, it’s still not the same), see my son, and my basset hounds, and, yes, even go back to work.

Packed one bag late morning, then went to the disembarkation meeting at 11:00.  During the disembarkation briefing, we were told to put our checked luggage in the hallway outside our staterooms by midnight and were reminded not to pack the clothes that we will be wearing tomorrow.  As Eric, the cruise director, said, if you forget and pack your clothes in your suitcase, then you’ll be leaving the ship in your pajamas, and if you don’t wear pajamas, then the only alternative is to wear the shower curtain or the Holland America bathrobe (and I’m sure you’ll get charged for them too) .

When I got back to my room, the luggage tags, customs forms, and survey were in my “mailbox” (there’s a slot outside every stateroom where we get our “mail”).  I finished packing, leaving only the clothes for tomorrow, and for the dinner and my toiletries.  After dinner, I’ll pack the clothes I’m wearing, put the luggage out, and go to sleep early since my anticipated disembarkation time is 8:30 am.  We disembark by color and number and those with confirmed airline reservations get off first.  My color and number is “1-Blue.” 

We make a stop in Ensenada at 8:00 pm tonight—all non-US ships going from a US port and to a US port have to make an international stop (this is in accordance with the Jones Act—guess I’ll look that one up when I have unlimited Internet time).  The all-aboard time is 11:30 pm, so we’ll only be there for 3-1/2 hours.  Most people don’t get off and I don’t think I will either.

I’ve been exchanging email addresses with friends I’ve met on the ship and will “friend” a few of the folks including some of the crew who have been absolutely wonderful.

I filled out the survey giving marking everything a “9” which is the highest you can give.  I also mentioned several crew by name as providing absolutely outstanding service.  I’m going to put together some final thoughts over the next few days and post those as well.

Well, gotta get ready for dinner soon, and want to get this posted.  Just wanted to say that I’m glad I came.  I’ve had a few sad moments when I thought I should be sharing this experience with My husband (but realize that I’d never get him to go since there is no way he’d want to dress up for dinner).  Despite a few sad moments, this was the best thing I could have done.  I know that otherwise, this past holiday season would just have been too hard to get through.  I know that I’ll still have some weepy moments in my future, but I also know now that they will pass and that, yes, I can still truly enjoy myself (and not just go through the motions of enjoying myself).

Ok, enough of the introspection—I’ll post my final thoughts about the ship itself, the crew, and my impression of Holland America as a whole soon.

Thanks for “sharing” the cruise with me, and most of all, thanks to all my family and friends for being there for me during this past difficult year.

Love you all!