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!

March 12 - Mazatlán

Thursday, March 12, 2026

What a fun day this turned out to be! And even more so knowing that the last minute change in our cruise itinerary almost ruined our chances to take the Flavor Teller Food tour that we had booked months ago. 

But let me back up just a bit. Eight years ago we had loved a food tour that we booked in Puerto Vallarta. And as much as I would have liked to have a similar experience in Mazatlán, I knew I was not up for the walking that would be necessary. But in early September I discovered the Flavor Teller website. They offer several different food tours and the Seafood Secrets Tour that was available on a Friday when we would be in port sounded perfect. The description from their website stated that it was designed for people who don't want to walk too much.

We booked it immediately! Then, due to political unrest in Mexico our itinerary was changed at the last minute and the day we were to be in Mazatlán was switched from Friday to Thursday. Fortunately we were able to get an immediate refund. The seafood tour was not available on Thursdays but a tour called Barrio Bites was offered. It also stated that it was for people who don't want to walk too much. BUT...unfortunately they had an 8-person limit and only one space was left.

I took a chance and emailed the owner and was thrilled to learn they would add a second tour to accommodate our group of four. Yay! The four of us quickly booked the tour.

The tour was scheduled to start at 10:30 am. Jon and Michelle left the ship earlier than Bob and I to walk through town. I wanted to save my legs since I wasn't sure just how much walking we would do on the tour. 

To get through the industrial port at Mazatlán, everyone was required to take a short trolley ride that dropped us off at the entrance. As we walked out of the terminal building, the traffic was very busy with taxis...both cars and pulmonias (a golf cart type of vehicle.) 

One of the trolleys to transport cruise passengers through the industrial dock area.

To escape the congestion, Bob and I walked a couple of blocks away from the terminal to call an Uber. The car arrived in one minute and our cost was $29.95 MXN which converted to $1.71 USD. On the way to the cruise meeting location we passed by Jon and Michelle coming out of a pharmacy.

The driver dropped us off right at the tour meeting point in the historical district. We had over an hour to wait until the tour began, but there were a couple of street performers in the plaza and as the town came to life, the people watching was interesting.

Not sure why a coffee pot was hanging upside down from the tree.

A mermaid playing the tuba...not your usual type sculpture!

Waiting for the tour to begin.

One of the street performers nearby.

When Maaika (the owner of Flavor Teller Tours) arrived she informed us that it would just be our group of four on the tour. Another guide, Luis, also came along. He regularly leads one of the other tours but wanted to learn the details of the Barrio Bites tour.

To get from one stop to another on the tour, we all rode in the back of a small pickup truck that had been fitted with bench seats (an "auriga" taxi). As we drove, Maaika gave us so much information on the foods we would be eating and also just Mazatlán in general. By the end of the tour we felt like we had spent the day with old friends!

Some of the stops on the tour:

Stop #1: El Veneno

The tacos we ate were considered a breakfast food.
We had our choice of several types of meats...Bob chose "pig insides". 

The owner of the first food stand was known as "The Venom". He was very cordial to us and we enjoyed eating with the locals. 

Stop #2: Taquería La Mexicana

Here we were served caguamanta stew...a tomato based dish with chunks of manta ray.

Stop #3 Tortilleria Zaragoza where the tortillas are made from
ground whole corn cooked in lime water (rather than corn meal). 

Maaika explaining the process used to make the tortillas.

Stop #4: Pescaderia Del Mar...a fish market.

We all sampled the smoked marlin.

Stop #5: Las Changueras Expendio De Mariscos...
a block long market selling many types of shrimp.

Across the street from the shrimp market we went to a stand selling dried shrimp, a snack food. We all tried some but it was hard for me to get past the idea of biting into the whole shrimp.

Stop #6: Cenaduria Chayito...a sit down restaurant.

And if we weren't already completely stuffed, they brought
out huge platters of various dishes for us to try!

Stop #7: Licuados de Coco

Here we tasted smoothies made entirely from coconuts using
both the pulp and coconut water or milk.

When the tour was over, Bob and I opted to be dropped off right at the port entrance while Jon and Michelle spent more time in the city. 

The remainder of the afternoon was spent relaxing on our balcony, taking advantage of cell service to stay in touch with the rest of the world. It was looking like a major snowstorm was on the way at home which made the warm Mexican weather that much more enjoyable!

After a day of non-stop eating, we were all too full to go to the dining room. Instead we went up to Deck 16 to watch the sunset. We watched as the a Royal Caribbean ship left ahead of us. And the Norwegian Bliss was parked right behind the Ruby. We did have a small bite to eat in the buffet and then just sat and visited for quite a long while before calling it a night. Tomorrow will be our last port of Cabo San Lucas.