THE END OF BUCKET LIST  II

We have reached the end of our journey and have many more pictures to share once the book is published. Anyone wishing to view the book may email me at dshawberry@yahoo.com.

Day #50…Saturday, March 21, 2015

Los Angeles, California

We arrived in Los Angeles, California early in the morning, but had to wait for immigration and customs authorities to allow us to leave the ship.  We had booked a bus transfer from the San Pedro Pier to the Los Angeles (LAX) airport for our means of transportation.

With five pieces of luggage and our shoulder tote bags in hand, we were directed through customs and immigration without any problems.  The process was so brief and easy and we both thought it would require much more than we experienced.  After looking at our completed customs form, the agent only asked us to explain our major purchases and then let us pass through.

The bus ride to the airport allowed us some time to see some of the LA area terrain.  The bus ride took approximately 45 minutes to get to the airport.  We felt sorry for our bus driver, as he had to load and unload all the passengers’ luggage by himself.  With numerous terminal stops once we arrived at the airport, our trip extended an additional 45 minutes.  Our stop was the Delta terminal #5.

In retrospect, we should have arranged for some private transportation from the pier to the airport.  The Princess transfer bus process needs much improvement before we will ever consider it again.  We noticed a number of our fellow cruise passengers getting into privately arranged services and were told that the pricing was reasonable.

Our non-stop flight took between 4-5 hours.  We have had a wonderful adventure, visited amazing places and made some new friends, but it is good to get back home.  We are excited to see family, friends and our dog, Ming and finally be “home sweet home.”

Day #49…Friday, March 20, 2015

Sea Day #2 Heading to Los Angeles, California

We gained one hour of sleep last night as we were instructed to set our clocks back before retiring.  We got up fairly early and began the final day of organizing and packing our clothes and souvenirs.

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral, Puerto Vallarto

Buying another folding suitcase on the ship was a good idea.  We probably would have had enough space in our luggage we brought, but the weight would have exceeded the limits.

Lana Turner and her life of strife was the topic today by Robert Schirn.  His LA attorney’s office investigated the death by stabbing of her mob boss boyfriend.  We have enjoyed his presentations about celebrities and their investigations.

Frank and Judy joined us by the Terrace Pool and we played our last three (3) games of euchre with them this afternoon.  We hope we can continue corresponding with them after this cruise, especially since they are from our home state of Ohio.

 

Puerto Vallarta

We met our tablemates for our “last supper” in the main dining room.  We exchanged addresses with Ann and Ruben and said our “goodbyes” to our wonderful wait staff.  Luciana, our waiter, shared her email address with us.

Mark Preston entertained us in the Princess Theater tonight.  He was a member of the Letterman vocal group and provided us with some songs of yesteryear.  We said our final farewells to Bill and Stella and Judy and Frank and retired to our cabin to change our clothes and pack our final items into our luggage.

Early tomorrow morning we will be boarding a Princess transfer bus that will take us to the airport.  We must meet our group at 8:20 A.M. in one of the dining rooms.  Our flight leaves after 1 PM and we should be home before midnight tomorrow night.  We have really enjoyed this cruise but it will be good to be back home.  No matter where we roam, there is no place like home…

Day #48…Thursday, March 19, 2015

Sea Day #1 Heading to Los Angeles, California

We awoke this morning and Dennis downloaded our photos from our amazing port of call in Puerto Vallarta.  Then we attended a destination lecture on Los Angeles, California.  Though we will not be doing any site-seeing there on this trip, we listened to the information for future reference.

We enjoyed a Mexican buffet in the Horizon Court and then spent some time near the pool area.  We also did some more packing of clothes in preparation for our flight home.  It will be good to be back in Ohio, but hopefully it will not be so miserably COLD!

The last formal night of the cruise was spent with dinner in the main dining room.  We decided to spend our last formal night with our tablemates, took some photos of our friends and the wait staff and enjoyed our favorite main entrée of lobster tails.

 

Puerto Vallarta

A cruise staff game show titled “Would We Lie to You?” was our evening entertainment.  We met Judy and Frank in the Explorer’s Lounge and spent part of the evening with them.

An art appreciation champagne party was held in the Adagio Bar and Bill and Stella were also invited.  Bill had told us he was going to play the baby grand for the entertainment, so we decided to go and listen to his performance.  When we arrived the tango trio was playing background music.   We watched unveiling of some new art pieces and then spent the remainder of the evening in the Piazza.

Playa Los Arcos Hotel, Puerto Vallarta

Tomorrow morning we will pack our clothes and get ready for our return flight home on Saturday.  We received our disembarkation information and Princess luggage tags with our scheduled time to get off the ship.  We hate the final day of travel and the preparation.  Now the fun begins…

Day #47…Wednesday, March18, 2015

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

VIEW FROM EL SET

We docked in Puerto Vallarta this morning and what a beautiful port area!  Our first visit to this city was a positive one and we both agree that this is the most beautiful port of the whole cruise.

Spanish explorers discovered the area of Puerto Vallarta in 1525.  For the next 400 years, Puerto Vallarta remained a sleepy fishing village.  Then Hollywood celebrities discovered this coastal wonder in the 1960s and when Richard Burton bought land here, many other celebs followed.

Puerto Vallarta is located on the Bay of Banderas  (Day of the Flags) and is the seventh largest bay in the world.  Its population is approximately 300,000 people.  It enjoys a tropical temperature with everyday high averages of 86° F.  The rainy season extends from mid-June through mid-October.

The primary languages are Spanish and English and the national currency is the Mexican peso (MXN) with a conversion rate of 15 MXN = 1 USD.

We met Frank and Judy and walked on the pier looking for a private tour guide to show us the city and coastline area.  We soon found a young tour guide who was eager to show off his city.  At only $25.00 per person for over four hours, we felt we got a very good deal.  He let us pick and choose what we wanted to see and do, and we were very satisfied.

Our first glimpse of the city was a greeting with song and dance from a traveling mariachi band as we exited the ship.

After boarding the van, our tour guide told us he would be taking us to all three sections of the city.  We walked along the city’s popular boardwalk called the Malecon that was lined with shops, restaurants and artists selling their wares.  A green monument of a sea horse and a stone arch monument mark this area along the coastline.

The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe was our next stop in the colonial area.  The cathedral featured a gilded crown, a replica of one worn by Carlota, empress of Mexico.  The cathedral construction began in 1903 and was not completely finished in 1987.  Near the church was the former home of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.  Five stories high and located on a very hilly street, it has been sold and is currently undergoing renovation and will become a hotel complex.

We arrived for a photo stop at the El Set Restaurant and had piná coladas and took breathtaking pictures from the cliff area overlooking the coastline.  Free WIFI was a bonus here and we caught up on our email messages from the past couple of days.

This city reminded us of a continuous road show.  We were introduced to so many options such as great shopping, lively music or wandering through the many types of crafts and artwork shops by local artisans.  The Mercado Municipal Market was a great example of the variety of shopping options that the city offers.

From December to April, dolphins and humpback whales use the Bay of Banderas as their breeding ground.  The large dolphin and whale population in the bay has kept the shark population to nearly zero here.  Though we did not see any marine life during our tour, we did see some dolphins off the side of our ship just before arriving here. 

Since Bonnie was interested in looking for Mexican fire opal jewelry and Dennis wanted to look for some leather goods, we were able to check out some stores in the romantic area of the city.  A silver and jewelry factory was one of the stores we visited and Judy and Bonnie were able to find some very beautiful pieces to buy. 

Judy and Frank had been to Puerto Vallarta several times before and wanted to visit the shoreline near one of their favorite hotels.  We stopped at the Playa Los Arcos Hotel and walked through the lobby and pool area and onto the beach.  This is definitely a hotel we will be getting more information for booking. 

A tequila distillery called Don Tadeo was our next stop and we were welcomed by a staff member who explained the process of making tequila from the blue agave cactus into a fine brand of local tequila.  The agave “fruit” grows as the plants root and is about the size of a large watermelon when harvested for the process.  We sampled four (4) different types and flavors of tequila and we found peanut butter flavored tequila to be very tantalizing.  Judy and Frank could not resist buying some bottles to take home to enjoy.

When we returned to the ship’s docking area, we decided to try some authentic Mexican cuisine at the El Bucanero Restaurant and Bar.  The café style eatery offered a variety of delicious dining choices and we enjoyed tacos, homemade nachos and guacamole.  We then visited the many vendor stores along the marina area and found some souvenirs at reasonable prices.   We only wish we had more luggage room for some of the larger items that we would have liked to bring home.

We ate dinner with Ann and Ruben in the dining room.  Stella and Bill did not dine with us, as Stella is still not feeling well.  We worry about her health, as she has been sick off and on for the past six (6) weeks.

We then attended a comedy performance by Cary Long.  We have two (2) more sea days and then will be arriving in Los Angeles.  Our flight will leave in the afternoon and we will be home on March 21, 2015 before midnight.

Day #46…Tuesday, March17, 2015

Sea Day #3…Heading to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

LUNCH SAN JUAN DEL SUR

Happy St Patrick’s Day and guess who forgot to pack something green to wear?  Well, we will probably just have to drink some green beer today to celebrate the day!

We are winding down and the cruise is almost over.  Our last laundry bag was sent this morning to avoid taking too many soiled clothes home on Saturday.  The free laundry service as an elite Princess member benefit has been awesome!

After breakfast, we attended a special interest lecture on the death of Natalie Wood.  Robert Schirn has done presented some very interesting lectures regarding famous cases investigated through the LA prosecuting attorney’s office. 

We ate a light lunch and then headed to the Terrace Pool to spend the afternoon in the aft section of the ship.  We joined Frank and Judy and played cards for a couple of hours.

Dinner was enjoyed in the Horizon Court and then John Bressler, a musician and comedian, entertained us.  A trivia challenge was our next activity with the topic of St. Patrick’s Day.  Needless to say, we did not do very well, but had a good time.

Tomorrow we dock in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and our last port of call.  We will try to find a private tour of the city and coastline.  Stella and Bill will be meeting some old friends who live there and Frank and Judy plan to spend at least part of the day at one of the beaches.

We are getting anxious to travel home as we miss our family, friends and Ming.