Island Princess to Alaska, Embarkation Day

We spent the night right at the pier at the Pan Pacific. In all our visits to Vancouver we’ve never sprung for the expensive hotel, but after a week of bumming it in cheap hotels around Washington we decided to go for it. Plus, we think this might be our last trip here so might as well go out with a bang.

It was so easy to get from the hotel to the port. The hotel took our luggage to the port so all we had left was our backpack and an elevator ride that put us at port level. We left the hotel about 1:00 pm and checked in at the port pretty fast. But as usual, the immigration line was huge and we had quite a wait. Once through there we headed right onto the ship.

We are taking this cruise to see a couple of our favorite crew members. We saw our first gal when she was greeting passengers as they were going onboard. We chatted a bit with her and found out she has been switched from room service to the dining room. Boo hoo. When she was in room service we got to see her every single day. She might be working in the buffet in the morning so we’ll have to check there. We really don’t want to do the dining room at night if we don’t have to. We also saw our guy right away as he was working in Crooners. No alcohol for us – just water – and lots of conversation with him until muster drill.

We are so not impressed with the new muster drill routine. Not having to take lifejackets anymore is great, but the lightheartedness of the presentation and lack of authoritative voice for the directions are putting passengers at risk. We’ve had emergencies on ships before. With this new presentation people will really be panicked – and clueless about what to do – in a real emergency. Those of us who cruise a lot know muster drills should be serious business. I fear it will take another Costa Concordia type incident to shake the cruise industry to where they will focus again on the seriousness of the safety presentation.

No balcony for us this time so after muster we headed up to the buffet for sailaway. The buffet on the Island Princess is at the front of the ship so the views can’t be beat. We stayed there through dinner and boy, it got busy. After a while we headed back to our cabin to pick up the goodie bag we had put together for our Crooner’s guy. We always love the smile on the faces when we deliver the huge bags. After that we headed back to the cabin and called it a night early.

Here are the Princess Patters from today. 

5 Things to do on a Mexican Riviera Cruise

Today we're talking about what to do when visiting the cruise ports on a Mexican Riviera cruise. We'll cover Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Manzanillo, and Ensenada.

The port cities on Mexico's west coast are referred to as the Mexican Riviera. There are a couple dozen cities comprising the Mexican Riviera, but I'll be focusing on the ones most visited by mainstream cruise lines.

1. In Puerto Vallarta, go ziplining through the jungles.

2. In Mazatlan, follow the blue line to Old Mazatlan. Yes, it's a blue line painted right on the road. It helps passengers keep in the safe areas. You'll even find volunteers in blue shirts helping direct tourists. You'll also find food and drink and nice views.

Or make your way to the cliff divers. But a heads up - they will expect to be tipped if you watch.

3. In Cabo San Lucas, go snorkeling. You'll see fish here that aren't present in the Caribbean.

On your way to the snorkel spot your tour guide will most likely make a swing by the Arch so you can snap some photos.

More info on what to do in Cabo San Lucas can be found HERE.

4. Manzanillo is the sailfish capital of the world. 

Check out the giant statue in town.

Then wander the town. Probably the closest place to real Mexico we've been.

5. In Ensenada, head to the fish market. You'll see all kinds of fish. And if you're lucky you'll find a fisherman bringing in his catch - shark! - with a wheelbarrow.

 And then grab some delicious fish tacos at one of the restaurants next to the fish market or at one of the street side stands. So yummy! We won't eat fish tacos anywhere else in the world but in Ensenada.

More info on what to do in Ensenada can be found HERE.

How to Make a Luggage Tag - Tutorial Tuesday

After we had luggage go astray three times in one year (Puerto Vallarta, Iceland, and San Francisco), we went to nothing but carry-ons for our trips. Once we even took a two week trip with nothing but a backpack. (That one was hard.) But now we're back to taking a checked bag and a carry-on, no matter how long the trip. (We share that bag and carry-on.) The only reason we need that much luggage is that we usually have it half full of Cheetos, Kit Kats, Peanut M&Ms, and Oreos. Not for us, but for our cruise ship crew friends we go to visit. It is just as important to us not lose our clothes as it is to not lose their gift bags of goodies.

We need someone from Honduras to get his goodies.
We need someone from India to get his.
We need someone from Nicaragua to get hers.
We need someone from Serbia to get hers.
And we need someone from India to get his. (Along with a baby gift - he's a new daddy.)

Can you tell it's going to be a busy few weeks this year?

So a new luggage tag it is.

Looking for more travel accessory ideas? Check out these projects!

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Find the step-by-step how to tutorial for this homemade fabric luggage tag with vinyl see through window right here:

Luggage on a Cruise

It's Cruise Ship Saturday! Today we're talking about luggage.

I'm working on a new book about the lives of the crew working on cruise ships. The other day I was taping an interview with one of the crew members we know and he was talking about the hardest part of the job.

Click on the arrow below to hear part of the interview.


Luggage. Oh, the luggage. It's heavy, it's bulky, and people bring just too darn much of it. If you look at a ship of about 3,000 passengers, the crew could potentially be working with 10,000 pieces of luggage in one day. Like he mentions in the interview, some people bring eight pieces. And us? No matter how long we're gone it's just the one piece and the backpack. We don't want to make any extra work for the crew - or for us.

Even when the cruise is over, the work with luggage doesn't end for any of the parties.

The procedure for getting your luggage off the ship is different than any you may have experienced before. You are assigned color-coded luggage tags that control the flow of passengers off the ship and assist you in finding your luggage within the cruise terminal.

You attach the luggage tags to your bags and place the bags outside the cabin door on the last evening of the cruise. Crew collect luggage from hallways all throughout the night and organize it based on the tag's color. You don't see your bags again until the next morning in the terminal. (But keep your carry-on with you and be sure to have the obvious items like medications and passports in the carry-on.) And don't forget the clothes you'll be wearing the next day. Don’t be caught in pjs because you forgot to pack clothes to wear off the ship! Take everything out of the safe and leave it open. Hold onto your cruise card because you will need it for one last scanning off the ship.

When you collect your luggage in the terminal it will not be on a carousel like at the airport but placed side by side grouped by the luggage tag color. There may be several hundred bags in your luggage tag group - and several thousand bags in the terminal - so double check the bag carefully before leaving with it. There are porters available in the area for passengers needing luggage assistance. 

If you can manage all your luggage on your own you may have the option to take it off the ship yourself. For those driving home from the port or with an early morning flight this walk-off disembarkation can usually get you on your way earlier. But if you plan on carrying all your luggage off the ship, think very carefully about the logistics of it. Multiple large suitcases and carry-ons being dragged down a carpeted hall. Fitting into super-busy elevators. Finding a place to keep suitcases during breakfast. Rolling those suitcases up or down the gangway. Down another even busier and slower elevator in the terminal. Are you nimble and fit and patient enough? Are your travel companions?

Or just make it easier on everyone and keep the luggage to a minimum.

The Friday 15

Today's downsizing is a mix of sewing and office supplies.

1 box of ribbons and ties
1 pack of rings leftover from kiddo's wedding. That was a few years back!
1 spool of ribbon
2 packs of labels
1 ruler
9 pens and pencils

Goodbye 15!