Dawn Princess (Mexican) - March 1-10, 2008

Dawn Princess

Mexican Riveria Cruise

March 1st - 10th, 2008


Bob, Debe, Diana, Marty, Betty, Ray Lynn


Ports of call: San Diego, CA; Cabo San Lucas, MX; Mazatlan, MX; Puerto Vallarta, MX; and back to San Diego, CA

Nothing like a last minute special and in January, February and March - the Mexican Riveria cruising is a great one. So my mom, her friend Ray Lynn, Bob and myself all hoped on a plane and headed to San Diego, CA. Everyone but Diana & Marty went out early for an extra day in San Diego but we met up before the cruise. What a great time to get away from it all and just relax. Come ahead and follow us on our journey down the coast of Mexico.

Our first stop - San Diego, CA. This would also be our embarkation and debarkation port. Since it is winter and St. Louis is unpredictable this time of year - a day early in San Diego won't hurt. We checked into the Holiday Inn Express after flying first class from St. Louis to San Diego. (thank you American Airlines) It was a little cool in San Diego but we were determined to enjoy the day. We decided to do the Old Town Trolley tour, something Bob and I had done before and enjoyed. With a blanket to keep me warm, we boarded the trolley and it took us to the Zoo area, Balboa Park, the Marina, Old San Diego, Cornado, and much much more. For the price of $30 pp, you couldn't beat it. Lunch at Nortons Plaza completed the day.
Sunday we were up early to board the ship. We got all settled in and prepared for our cruise down the Mexican Riveria. First stop was Cabo San Lucas. At Cabo the ship has to anchor in the Harbor and you are tendered into the marina. Alot of shopping, glass bottom boats, etc.. but we had prebooked on our own - the Kodiak Whale Watching. (Thru Shoretrips) For $44 pp, we were in for a time of our life. After leaving the marina we passed the Lovers Beach, Finger Rock, Lands End, The famous El Arco (The Arch in English) among many other things. But the highlight - seeing the Humpback and grey whales. What an adventure.





Next stop, Mazatlan, MX. On this stop we booked a tour with VISTA Tours for $25 pp. The tour took us to The Majestic Cathedral, The Market, The High Divers, The Dolphin Monument, The Mermaid and Cupid Monument, The Cave of the Devil, The Lighthouse, The City University and "Old Mazatlan Section" . Below you can see pictures of many of those places. WE did pay an extra $1 once on the tour to go into the museum. The taxi fee to go from the port to "golden zone" is $6 - $10 each way so this was well worth it. Mazatlan also has open air taxis you can take that you do not see anywhere else. They are so popular that a statue was even made of one. (see photo) One of the highlights is the high dive (see photo below) and shopping at the market. Makes you think about the saying "to market to market to buy a fat pig" lol





Next stop, beautiful Puerto Vallarta, MEXICO. We opted to do ATVs at this port. We had prebooked them with shoretrips so we just needed to grab a taxi to get there. The cost was $79 pp for a single and $98 for a double. We took a dirt road that led us into the mountains. It was very dusty but also very fun. We went through a couple small rivers and stopped at a restaurant/snack place for a drink and snack. We also opted to not stop at the Tequila place since none of us drink. We did get stopped by the Mexican police for a check for drinking and driving. Sorry but they picked the wrong group. lol (see Bob below getting checked)

Below you will see random photos from things going on during the cruise and around the ship. This include photos of part of the cruise critic group that we joined, our cabin number, show pictures, cruise director, formal night pictures, our favorite restaurant on the Dawn and favorite food, our waiter with baked Alaska, and dessert buffet. Princess also has a "Champagne" night where they build a huge champagne waterfall. This was my first time to take part in pouring of the Champagne into the glasses. (a couple photos from that)







After disembarking the ship, we spent an extra day in San Diego so we could go to the zoo. St. Louis has an awesome zoo but San Diego was the best ever. It had koala bears and panda bears which I had never seen. Loved that. Plus it has escalators and double decker buses that can be used to get from place to place. And even a sky lift from one area to another. The cost was $34 but that included all those things. What a great day at the zoo.



Thanks again for taking this trip with us in photos and words. Spending this trip with family made it even more special and adding the zoo with it - awesome. I will never forget the zodiak boat whale watching. To come up close and personal with the whales was unbelievable. And of course, just that relaxing time on a ship always makes a vacation better. Thanks again and hope you enjoyed it.
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