March 14 - Cabo San Lucas (Day 2)

Saturday, March 14, 2026

Happy Pi Day! That was the text message from my son that woke me up this morning! As a former math teacher, it was a day that was always celebrated in my classroom!

Jon and Michelle were off on their adventure before we even crawled out of bed. Jon had found a tour company in town yesterday and had booked a combination tour that included three different activities. I knew my knee would not be up for what they had planned and when Bob heard the cost, he declined as well. 

 

If you haven't figured it out by now, our travel styles differ from Jon & Michelle's. I am now definitely limited by what I can do physically, but we also monitor our spending much more closely than they do. For the two days we were in Cabo, J & M ate all of their meals at restaurants in town. For us, eating out at a port is something we do occasionally. I'm not totally sure, but I would estimate that by the time J & M finished their Cabo tour it had cost close to $1000! (Tour cost, extra for private guide, insurance, photo package, taxi...) There have been times we have spent quite a lot on excursions (a penguin tour in the Falklands, flight over glaciers in Alaska, Iguazu Falls in Argentina, etc.) but we are not willing to spend that much on what Bob referred to as "cheap thrills". Having said that...J & M had a lot of fun so to them it was worth the cost! Here are a few photos from their tour:

For me it was a very low key day, but still enjoyable...and especially so since our home town was under a blizzard warning! We were able to check up on news at home while we ate breakfast outside overlooking the pool and according to our son, people were acting like the world was coming to an end based on the forecast. Minnesotans are used to blizzards so to have that kind of panic means it must be a pretty big storm!

Our son texted the current weather warning!

After breakfast, Bob tendered into town. He wasn't gone long before he returned with purchases he had made. He bought some maracas to use along with Native American flutes he has been making (Bob has more hobbies than anyone I know!) He had also bought some bird whistles for our grandsons. I reminded him that he had bought the same type of whistles a few years ago for the kids in Costa Rica and they never worked. (Note: These whistles broke before he even gave them to the boys!) 

Bob and I sat on the deck watching all of the boats, jet skis, and people parasailing. During the night the ship had turned completely around (by chance? or intentionally?) and now instead of facing the rock arch, we had a view of the town. This also meant our balcony was totally in the shade which made the temperature perfect. 

LOTS of jet skis.

When it was time for lunch, Bob suggested we get something at the buffet and come back and eat on the balcony. Our cabin location is so handy to just go straight up on the elevator to the buffet. 

After lunch, we both got so sleepy. Bob took a pillow outside and snoozed on the balcony and I napped on the bed. I woke up when he came inside to leave and go walk on the promenade deck. I went back outside with the binoculars and watched rays leaping out of the water...and the occasional whale spout off in the distance.

I was torn between watching sail away or going to dinner in the MDR. (I remembered how scenic it was to sail around the arch and along the coastline going north from our Panama Canal cruise in 2018.) Since we had missed dinner in the MDR for the last two nights, that was our choice. I tried beef wellington for the first time. The meat was more rare than I prefer, but otherwise it was delicious! I have been quite impressed with the quality of the beef dishes I have had on the cruise. Jon and Michelle filled us in on their day's activities while we ate.

The 7 pm show in the theater was comedy juggler, Michael Connell. All four of us "thought" we had seen his show previously so we decided to not go. In retrospect, I think we must have confused the description with Mark Nizer's show which we HAD seen. Both did comedy juggling routines.

But anyway...we went back to the cabin for awhile after dinner. We just barely missed sunset, but the orange glow in the sky was still beautiful!

The main plan for our evening was to watch the second tryout for the Voice of the Ocean at 9 pm. We knew it would be hard to get seats so we went around 7:30 and played cards in the Explorer's Lounge while we waited. We did participate in the 80's movie trivia but did horrible. Out of 21 questions, we got 6 correct. 😒

There were seven contestants that sang in the competition and there was one gal that easily topped the others. The votes were combined with the ones submitted at the first round and 6 finalists were chosen to compete at the end of the cruise. 

Tomorrow begins the last stretch of sea days before the cruise ends...

March 13 - Cabo San Lucas (Day 1)

Friday, March 13, 2026

We finally got smart and blocked the annoying automatic lights in the cabin. The lights under each night stand were easy to deal with...just stick one of the decorative pillows in front of the light to block the motion sensor. The ceiling light in the closet by the bathroom door required taping the sensor. That meant the light wouldn't come on during the day either, but the sacrifice was worth it to avoid dealing with the light during middle of the night bathroom trips. I was up a couple of times and it was wonderful to not be blinded by a bright light!

When morning came, I was aware of a small slice of daylight coming through the drapes, but it wasn't until I heard a tap on the balcony door that I became fully awake at 7:45. It was Jon letting us know that we had arrived in Cabo and had a fantastic view of the arch!

Jon was so anxious to get to shore that he didn't even go to breakfast. Michelle was moving slower like we were so the three of us ate together. The dining room staff must have been going through some sort of evaluation because all of the crew members were bending over backwards to bring drinks and be helpful. I also saw some officers taking photos of the food on the buffet. For the most part we have been pleased with the food served in the MDR, but the buffet? Not so much. The quality and selection of the food on the Ruby's buffet has been sub-par compared to what we are used to on HAL cruises. And more often than not, the food was not served hot. 

At home this guy eats oatmeal EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. 
Having a donut for breakfast was quite a switch for him!

While we were finishing up breakfast, I went onto the Cabo Blue website to check on their sunset cruise. A friend had taken the same cruise recently and seeing her beautiful sunset photos on Facebook got me interested. I had checked yesterday and only two spots were available for tonight but there must have been cancellations because now there were four openings. Michelle called Jon and got his "OK" so we booked the cruise immediately.

Cabo is a tender port and I didn't want to make two separate trips to shore today so I decided to wait until later in the day when it was time for our tour. Bob tagged along with Michelle when she went to meet up with Jon. Once they got onto the shore they went their separate ways. 

I sat on the balcony watching the constant boat traffic until the sun creeped over the divider and it got too hot. I was on the lookout for whales, but no sightings. Bob did text me a photo of some of the wildlife he saw on shore.

Bob was back on the ship in time for lunch. He said it was hot and there were too many people. When he laid down to take a nap, I joined him. Again, I was awakened by a tapping on the balcony door only this time it wasn't Jon, it was a sea gull! It was obvious that he was trapped and couldn't get up over the railing. I tossed out a few pieces of an oatmeal cookie and he scarfed it down immediately!

The bird was still on the balcony when Bob woke up. Bob went out and worked for some time before he could finally catch the sea gull and toss him over the side of the ship. Once he did, the bird easily flew off. The two of us sat on the balcony and when we saw a group of boats congregating in one spot we suspected whales...and we were right! It was quite a distance away, but we could definitely see the spouts.

Bob and I tendered into shore a little earlier than necessary (I wasn't sure how long the process would take.) On the tender ride we did get to see a whale breach three times. It wasn't close enough to get a good photo, but still fun to see. We sat on the benches near the tender dock until it was time to meet for the sunset cruise. That was a good place to watch all of the boats coming and going...some small and some yacht-size. We met up with Jon and Michelle when it was time to board the Cabo Blue catamaran for the sunset cruise.

The Ruby Princess taken as we tendered to shore.

The four of us sat on a bench at the front of the boat near a group of 20-somethings that we guessed might be part of a bachelorette party. Drinks were offered as soon as we boarded and just kept flowing while the music was blaring. Being non-alcohol drinkers, we just had a Pepsi...probably didn't get our money's worth on the cruise cost! 😄

The group of girls were so obsessed with their phones and spent the whole cruise posing for selfies...and drinking. My guess is that without the photos, they probably wouldn't remember much of the evening!

The boat sailed close to the arch and then out into the Pacific Ocean. I had hoped we might see some whales closer up, but we didn't see a single one. We did see some kind of fish jumping out of the water. Bob suspected some sort of ray.

Even without drinking, I felt the cruise was worth the cost just to experience the beautiful sunset. I took SO many photos and all are equally beautiful! 

Bob claims he was just trying to photograph the sunset. 😏

It was dark by the time the cruise ended. Jon and Michelle wanted to stay in town to eat dinner, but Bob and I came back to the ship. We got to our room just in time for a fireworks display off the balcony!

Our day ended by attending the Mexican folkloric show in the theater. The ship will remain docked in Cabo over night and it will be strange to sleep without the ship moving!

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

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Sunday, April 29

It was still dark out, but I was awake before the alarm went off. As quietly as I could, I got dressed and put on a little makeup. There is a curtain separating the closet area from the beds so I could keep the bathroom light from waking Bob. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the wake-up call cancelled in time and that for sure did wake him.

Breakfast was two poached eggs on English muffins, some fruit and one of the small shot-sized glasses of yogurt and muesli. Back in the cabin, I was double checking to make sure I had everything ready for the day and I missed seeing the arch in the rock formations as we sailed in. I did go out and take photos once the ship had anchored and the early morning light on the rocks was so beautiful. Anchored next to the Zaandam was the Nieuw Amsterdam, the ship we had been on last fall.

Bob had booked a 2-tank scuba diving trip so I decided to join Danny and Stan for the Coastal Highlights tour they had booked through the ship. All of us were to meet in the theater at 8:15 where we would wait until we were called for our tender. Bob’s tour left first, but then there was a delay because the seas were getting rough and it was complicating the tendering process. When we did get called, getting into the tender had to be timed just right as the boat rose and fell with the swells.

Tours waiting to be called for a tender. 

Lowering the tender boats.

The walk from the tender dock took us past a marina full of nice boats and a mega yacht or two. 

As seems to be our fate on this cruise, we ended up in the back of the bus for our tour. Our guide, Rudy, pointed out resort after resort after resort as we drove to a restaurant with a panoramic view of the ships in the bay. We had a chance to take photos and our choice of a free drink…beer, pop, or in my case…a bottle of water.

Our first stop...drinks and a view.

The drive from there to San Jose del Cabo, a short distance away, took us past even more huge, high end resorts and some fancy golf courses…all designed by big name golfers. Our guide, Rudy, explained that Cabo had been hit by a hurricane last fall which had done a tremendous amount of damage. Average rainfall for the region is 11”, but the hurricane had brought 42”!

Most of the town square (Plaza Mijares) had been rebuilt since the storm…a government building and the Mission San Jose del Cabo church were the only buildings dating back to the earlier colonial times. Mass was just getting over as we arrived and we were able to step into the back of the church and observe for a minute or two. Outside the church were ice cream vendors and a man selling balloons.

Being Sunday, many of the shops were closed and those that were open were pretty much all selling the same stuff…table cloths, blankets, t-shirts, etc. The hour we were given to shop was too long for most of the group and left everyone searching out shady areas to wait.

Not many shops were open on a Sunday morning.

Our last stop was at a glass blowing factory. We were given a demonstration which was interesting but I didn’t feel compelled to purchase anything from the store. No space in my luggage and I don’t need any more chotchkie to dust. (The Urban Dictionary defines “chotchkie” as:  A small piece of worthless crap, a decorative knick knack with little or no purpose.)

Making a Mexican glass turtle...wearing a sombrero!

Some views of the glass-blowing factory building.

The tour wasn't one of my favorites and not one I would recommend. It was basically a bus ride past the back side of many resorts with stops to shop interspersed throughout the day. If we ever return to Cabo, I will be searching out some other type of activity.

The tenders were getting backed up when we returned so the boat we were on had to circle the ship twice before it was our turn to unload. It was 2 pm by the time we stepped foot on the ship and we went straight to the buffet. Bob met us there shortly after we sat down.

Bob rated his scuba dive as “just OK”. The visibility had not been great but even worse was the water temperature. Being skinny, Bob gets cold easily. They had provided him with a full 5 mm wet suit, but with water temps of 60º he still froze. He had seen some new species of fish (for him) including  guitar shark but decided diving in the Caribbean is more to his liking.

Bob rushed off to get to the 3:00 scheduled pickleball game. Since the court is marked for tennis, Bob has been marking new lines using black duct tape that he got from guest services.

I intended to go to trivia at 4:00 but decided I would rather watch sail away and get some photos of the rock arch as the Zaandam sailed by. The Nieuw Amsterdam had left earlier while we were eating lunch.

Once the ship started to leave the port, the arch came into view.

As soon as the ship sailed past the rock formations and left the protected waters of the Sea of Cortez, the winds and waves picked up and it became quite chilly…enough that I decided it was time to get inside! And even though lunch had been very late, it was time to get dressed for dinner…a formal night.

The arch from the "other" side. The winds and waves picked up immediately after we rounded the end of the rock formation.

Buildings perched on the edge of the hill.

Bob and I both had the tomato soup and filet mignon and he had a couple of extra appetizers…the portobello mushroom and the salad with dates and goat cheese. For dessert I chose the lime and coconut souffle and Bob had the berry tart.

To get a decent seat for the 8 pm show we arrived at the theater around 7:30. To fill the time we had gotten into the habit of looking back over the day’s photos that I had taken on my iPhone. Of course Bob never takes any photos of his dives (although I wish I could convince him to start) but I showed him all of my pictures so he could see what we had done on my tour.

Bob enjoying his mocktail pina colada.

The Zaandam singers and dancers performed a production show called “Dance.” It amazed me to see the extent of the choreography that went into the show. The crew was all new for this cruise so each of the shows we saw were being performed for the first time. If there were any glitches, we didn’t notice. (Except we did find out that one of the male dancers had to leave due to medical problems so there were only 2 guys with 3 girl dancers.)

Even though the “chocolate surprise” had been listed in yesterday’s schedule by mistake, it took place this evening. (I guess that really makes it a surprise!) Bob and I went back to the cabin for awhile and then returned to Deck 5 a little after 9:30 pm Waiters were walking around carrying trays with all sorts of small chocolate treats. There was no problem getting any…they were begging us to take more and more. I suppose they had to empty their trays before they could quit serving! I was quite surprised to see how busy the piano bar was. We had been returning to our cabin right after the evening show and didn’t realize all of the fun we had been missing!

Our waiter, Lala, serving chocolate goodies.

A letter was waiting in our cabin that night explaining the process we would have to follow as “in-transit” passengers once we reached San Diego in a couple of days. Although we booked this cruise as a single itinerary, it was also offered as two separate legs so many people would be disembarking in San Diego.

For the 2^nd night in a row, we turned our clocks back…yippee! I could get used to 25-hour days.