DAY 26 - WELCOME TO PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO

We wanted to begin by saying how terribly sorry we are for those passengers and crew who went through horrific tragedy on board the Costa ship.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims from this terrible tragedy and to their families.  It will likely take time to learn what caused this tragedy and there will likely be many lessons learned.

In the meantime, it is a reminder of the importance of safety and safety preparedness whether traveling on a cruise ship, flying on an airplane, staying at a hotel or in many other areas that each of us encounters each and everyday.

One thing that we wanted to mention is that as passengers we can do our part too.  This is to be sure that each of us attends the mandatory muster (life boat) drill and on top of this that we carefully listen to all of the directions that are provided to us at this drill.  We can also be sure to familiarize ourselves with all of the safety rules and that we comply with these rules.  Remember, the next tragedy could be caused by someone not complying with rules such as throwing a lit cigarette of the ship or by someone smoking in bed.  In addition, knowing how to put your lifeboat vest on during an emergency and moving swiftly to the life boat and following all directions is key.  Failure to do so can mean life or death.

We wanted to begin today's Blog by posting some additional photos from yesterdays Grand Gala Buffet.

Before dinner last evening we had cocktails at the Captain's Quarters with some of our fellow guests.

Anne Marie with Crystal Society Hostess Jaque Brown

We spoke with some fellow passengers and we also spoke with Crystal Society Hostess Jaque Brown,  Activities Hostess Mari Suzuki, Captain Okland and his wife, and we spoke extensively with Vice Captain Nenad Wilheim mainly about the tragedy involving the Costa Cruise Ship.  During the Captain's welcome remarks, he also mentioned the Costa ship and the tragedy.  Both the Captain and Vice Captain noted to not jump to any conclusions until all the facts are known.

Afterwards, we dined at the Crystal Main Dining Room.  The dinner theme was Neptune's Dinner.

We each had a salad.  Keith had his standing order and Anne Marie had one of the salads on the menu.

We each had the Broiled Fresh Yellow Fin Tuna Steak.  It was prepared differently than the tuna we had at Prego the night before but we also found it to be quite delicious.


Keith had strawberries for dessert and Anne Marie had a sugar free dessert.


The dining room was less crowded than it has been on most evenings of this voyage.   While a fair number of guests dined at other dining venues some guests ordered room service so the could watch the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots Playoff Game.  Some guests also mentioned that because the indulged at the Grand Gala Buffet that they decided to go with a light snack in lieu of a big dinner.


In fact, While we didn’t eat at the Grand Gala Buffet, we understand that most guests did and at one point just about every seat in the dining room was taken. 

We wanted to mention that in recent days we have seen quite a bit of sea life from the ship including several dolphins and also several turtles.  While we have not seen any whale, others have told us that they have spotted whale.  Overall, the weather has been very nice. The Captain mentioned last evening to expect some cooler weather and we understand that in Los Angeles that highs may only be in the 50’s on our arrival on January 18. 

Before arriving to Puerto Vallarta we each got in our morning workouts.  

While Anne Marie was out on the Promenade Deck Keith walked around the ship and took some interior photos since most passengers were still in their staterooms.

These are views of some of the on board stores on the ship.

Two photos of the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant

Two of the people who work at the reception desk.

Some views from our arrival to Puerto Vallarta before sun rise

We enjoyed breakfast in our room and chatted with butler Rao for a little while.  Afterwards, we got ready to go off the ship.


This marks our third visit to this port of call in the last fifteen months so we did not take a tour.  We revisited some places that we have been to before including walking along the beach.  


We do like to walk

We stopped for a quick photo with some familiar figures

This is hotel "Krystal" not to be confused with "Crystal" Cruises.

We took this photo for our son Eric who has recently been promoted to General Manager of a Chili's Restaurant in Texas

We walked for awhile on a public beach which also is used by guests at several nearby hotels and condominiums.

We thought we were in Mexico not England

Nearby the cruise ship terminal is a Walmart and a Shopping Mall so we also stopped by some of these stores to pick up a few small items, including a sporting goods store to pick up a Paddle Tennis Racket for Keith.  We also ran into friends Bob and Glo at both the Walmart and also the Shopping Mall.  At the Mall we also ran into several passengers and crew members.


The weather was quite nice.  It began on the cooler side but by late morning warmed up nicely.  Since it was a Sunday, it was not as crowded as our other recent visits.


A little while after we returned to the ship we had lunch at the Lido Cafe.  We sat outside and enjoyed the views of Puerto Vallarta from the ship.


In the afternoon,  Keith played Paddle Tennis while Anne Marie walked on the Promenade Deck.  Anne Marie sat outside and Keith met up with friend Bob.


This evening we will dine in the Crystal Dining Room.


TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.....

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank

Keith and Anne Marie