Random Cruise Notes

So, we’re back from eight days on the Norwegian Star. We left Los Angeles, sailed to Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. It was an exceptional vacation.

During the vacation, as you might have noticed, I posted daily blog entries. Of course I couldn’t post everything and there were these oddball things we saw or did or experienced. I’m going to try and add them now.

My sense is, this will be a multipart series. I have over 1,500 photos to go through, and that will help me decide what to write.

Every cruise must have a muster drill within the first 24 hours. We had ours at 4:30 PM the afternoon of our departure. That was two hours before we left, and I assume not everyone was on board by then.

I’ve often worried if I’d remember any of this in the event of a ‘real’ emergency.

Of course normal lifeboats aren’t the only way off. There are some oddball methods which are enumerated on Deck 7.

In this one, we’re all supposed to slide down this fire engine red tube to a boat bobbing 40 feet below. There is even a box with shoe covers located alongside.

I already posted a shot of a device where you lower yourself down in a rope harness.

All I’m asking is, please float!

I can’t begin to tell you how clean this ship was. There were squads of employees constantly patrolling the food areas. No piece of schmutz would stay for long!

What I didn’t expect where these cleaning stations, little orbs with what looked like a saline breast implant inside. If you held your hands underneath, a small spray of disinfecting lotion would shoot down. rub your hands together and it sanitizes you and then evaporates away in a few seconds.

I guess earlier problem with the Norwalk Virus weren’t good for business.

How, in spite of this, I caught a cold is beyond me!

If Mexico to you is Tijuana, you would have been sorely disappointed. There was virtually no sleaze!

Here’s the one exception. In case you can’t read the small type, the club is Splash (across from Cabo Wabo in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico). It features (or so they claim) Mexico’s Finest Showgirls.

This arch, at Lands End, Cabo San Lucas, is a sight made famous by The Love Boat. I snapped a few shots of it as we passed by. Then, our ship made a u-turn and headed around the other side. I waited with the camera, but the arch never reappeared!

I don’t get it. Shouldn’t I have seen it from both sides?

It was very strange, because I waited diligently for the arch to reappear.

Going to the Colima Volcano was one of my favorite moments. It was reasonably far from Manzanillo (which the ship’s captain constantly pronounced “Man-zan-ill-oh”), which meant a long car drive.

On our way, we passed this typical highway scene. I guess I never thought about it, but speeding tickets are universal.

As we traveled from port-to-port, I began to notice these prehistoric looking birds.

They were very graceful in the sky, but even more noticeable was their incredible formation flying. There was never a bird out of place. I’ve never seen anything like this.

In the beginning, I actually thought I was watching some sort of radio controlled models.

If you know what they are, please let me know.

Is there a Mexican Navy, you might ask? Sure. We saw installations of four or five ships at a few of our port stops.

More importantly, every time we entered or left a port (and that included San Pedro in the United States) we we flanked by a small, fast boat carrying heavily armed sailors.

On one hand it was reassuring. On the other hand it was sobering.

Who would want to harm an innocent ship with 3,000+ passengers and crew? Unfortunately, it’s a long list.

More coming as I go through more photos.

4 thoughts on “Random Cruise Notes”

  1. Geoff,

    Thanks for all the writing you did on your vacation. As someone said, it DID make you feel like you were there. I have never been on a cruise–now maybe I don’t have to!

  2. Pelicans fly with the neck tucked, and in

    formation — sometimes right above the waves and sometimes higher up. Look like the ones I saw in Manzanillo, but hard to tell from “rear” view.

  3. “On our way, we passed this typical highway scene. I guess I never thought about it, but speeding tickets are universal.”

    In my experience the Mexican police (particularly in the inland areas) are tough, but fair.

  4. Geoff-

    Sorta surprised that your suit jacket, as seen on tonights weather forecast, still fits — after all of the many meals you recently recounted!!

    A long time reader, of your daily posts..

    dave

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