Tricia’s Travelogue

Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed sitting on our balcony as the ship sailed away from Galveston, seeing many dolphins playing alongside the ship. We’re on the starboard side this time, close to the stern. We’re on deck 7 and are definitely feeling vibrations from the engines (I assume). For dinner, we went to Chops Grille, where we know the menu like the back of our hands. I tried the mushroom soup to start and enjoyed it. Charlie got his usual crab cake plus the shrimp cocktail. I had the petit filet and mashed potatoes, and he got the branzino served over sautéed spinach. No photos, alas, but you can check posts from previous cruises, if you like! This morning we dutifully went to the gym, then after getting ready for the day, went to the Diamond Lounge so our attendant could clean our room. They still had out a few breakfast items, but soon brought out cookies, which we tried to resist, but….  Charlie went to the casino for a bit, and I worked on Duolingo, etc.   We’re just ba...

And we’re off again!     This is a short cruise, just from Galveston to Cozumel and back.     It’s one of the “free” cruises Charlie qualified for, but he upgraded us to a balcony cabin. We ought to try an interior room sometime, I suppose.   I really packed lightly this time, wearing the only pair of pants I’m taking onto the ship. I packed one RipSkirt, a skort, and two sundresses (to wear to dinner), plus three tops, PJs, and exercise wear.  As always, we’re looking forward to not having to cook or clean for a few days!   We drove to Galveston and parked near the terminal, then handed off our small rolling bags to the luggage guys. Check-in was a breeze, with no line there or at Security. We waited about 15 minutes before they called for Diamond members to board. After boarding, we grabbed drinks at the Solarium bar and settled in to wait for lunchtime.  Lunch today was at Jamie’s Italian. We both ordered the “meat plank,” a mini charcuter...

We always enjoy sea days, which allow leisurely mornings and lounging around in between excellent meals.  We have dutifully gone to the gym each morning, and the crowds have dwindled quite a bit as the week wore on. We’ve tried to leave our stateroom by 9:30, to give our attendant time to clean it up.  We usually go to the Solarium, but today it’s VERY windy and much cooler, so we went into the Diamond lounge for a while, and Charlie went to the casino. He won enough points to get a good discount on a future trip. Yesterday we enjoyed our lunch at Izumi. I probably mentioned earlier that it’s located on the top deck, with wonderful views.  Our server, Alvin, told us to look for his friend Cedric in the Izumi on Mariner of the Seas, so I’ve made a note.  Shrimp & vegetable tempura Pork Gyoza dumplings  Crispy Philly roll (top) and champagne lobster roll The Crispy Philly roll included salmon, avocado, and cream cheese, rolled in panko crumbs and flash-fried. ...

Changing time zones PLUS Daylight Savings Time has us totally discombobulated.  We have no idea what time it is back home. We first gained a couple of hours flying to California, then on this second cruise we’ve had to “spring forward” twice, although Mexico doesn’t observe DST. Tonight we gain an hour. Keeping our phones and tablets and digital clock set correctly has kept us busy. All day today we thought it was an hour later than it apparently is. Oh, well, it’s always Happy Hour on the ship, right? Last night we enjoyed another excellent meal at Jamie’s Italian, which is becoming our favorite restaurant.  They have a really good side salad with avocado and radish slices that I’ve gotten every time. Last night I had tagliatelle bolognese that was really good, and Charlie had the prawn linguine. We arrived in Puerta Vallarta early this morning, and Charlie captured some photos of the area around the ship.  Sunrise  The crew members were excited about shopping at Wa...

Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed sitting on our balcony, watching all kinds of boats and jet skis zipping around. Dinner that night was at Hooked.  Charlie had the baked oysters—the best ones are topped with champagne Brie! His catch of the day was overcooked, so I shared some of my fried seafood platter.  Charlie watched a boat tow away the platform used to load tender passengers and captured this pic. This morning after the gym and showers, we returned to the Solarium to relax and give the attendant time to do our room. We had a quick salad in the Windjammer for lunch, the first time we’d been there on this ship.  We continue to enjoy watching the ship containers being loaded and unloaded.  Today they were emptying stacks of lumber and loading them on truck after truck. Yes, we’re easily amused. After lunch we boarded a trolley for our tour.  We first stopped at the cathedral in the market area. Here are some photos. I was taken with this enormous bougainvillea ...

Last night we returned to Chops Grille for dinner, and it was so busy that we were given a round table for five, the last one available. It was “dress your best” night, so maybe that’s why so many families were there, all dressed up. This time I had the branzino, served over garlic spinach — delicious! Charlie loved the lamb chops so much that he had them again.  This morning we went to the gym, then after showering, went up to the Solarium to watch the ship’s approach to Cabo.  We lucked into one of the double daybeds, so parked there until after lunch. Charlie took a few photos, and while we were hoping to see whales, we didn’t. Here are some smaller boats chasing whales. And I love this one, of the Arch of Cabo San Lucas.  Here’s a view of some of the resorts and other developments.  As I mentioned yesterday, we decided not to tender over for such a brief visit. From our balcony we’ve seen lots of party boats including one apparently filled with Aggies on Spring B...