Dinner was less than exciting, with some different choices that were a bit obscure, but Mo's pork chops were extremely tender and my simple fettuccini in a Parmesan basket was comfort food at its finest.
Fall Sunset from the Deck
Fall Sunset from the Deck
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Last Port and Home December 4
There is some vague maritime law that requires ships to port in a foreign country before returning to the US. Very vague! I will need to go read about it again, I guess. We are at the moment docked on the new cruise ship pier in Ensenada. We only landed at 4 and now at 5:30 it is already dark.
Mo and I have been to most ports on the Mexican Riviera and decided rushing around the port section of this little Mexican town and rushing back to the ship in 3 hours was a waste of energy. Instead we are relaxing, watching the lights of the city from our balcony and enjoying a movie on the stateroom tv. We are getting this relaxing thing down pat!
By 2:30 this afternoon the gray clouds lifted and after five days at sea, it was sort of nice to see the arid hills of the Mexican coast show up on the horizon. We managed to find a part of the ship we hadn't previously discovered. From the outdoor walking deck on the promenade there are stairs that go up to the 8th deck at the front of the ship. We were protected from the chill winds and enjoyed the warm sunshine as the captain rotated the huge ship in the tiny harbor and basically performed a parallel parking maneuver to put us next to the dock. It was the best entertainment of the day.
Dinner was less than exciting, with some different choices that were a bit obscure, but Mo's pork chops were extremely tender and my simple fettuccini in a Parmesan basket was comfort food at its finest.
It is now mid afternoon on our last day and we have again retreated to our stateroom for the peaceful sound of the sea and the western sun on our balcony. Too coolish to sit out there, but still wonderful pouring in the windows. The sea is almost glassy still, the skies are a bright whiteish overcast and I plan to fully take advantage of these last few hours right here.
The channel Islands and the coast of California is on the starboard side of the ship, but when we went down to the promenade deck to check it out, they were just faint echos on the distant horizon. Nothing worth giving up our sunny stateroom for.
Tomorrow we will be home, all of it just a memory, but definitely a good one. I miss my cat, I miss the ability to fast forward the television, and I miss virtually unlimited access to the Internet. I miss my phone so I can check in with friends and kids, too. It will be good to be home and get back to normal life and my own cooking! It might take awhile to catch up on blogs. See you then.
Dinner was less than exciting, with some different choices that were a bit obscure, but Mo's pork chops were extremely tender and my simple fettuccini in a Parmesan basket was comfort food at its finest.
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I feel relaxed from reading your blog and looking at your photos! Glad you had a great trip.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed your trip immensely, but like you say, time to go home again.
ReplyDeleteYou reports have definitely convinced me that all cruises must be booked with a balcony as part of the room! Happy Homecoming!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your cruise so much, glad you had a good ime.
ReplyDeleteWelcome home! I always miss those things too, even though I try to convince myself they're not important. Man, I'm spoiled :)
ReplyDeleteThough the act in question is often erroneous referred to as the Jones Act (it covers Merchant Marines), what you're referring to is the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA). It dates back to the 1880s and prohibits a foreign or non US-built vessel from picking up passengers in one US port and disembarking them in another US port. However, the PVSA does allow ships to pick up and return passengers to the same US port providing they call at a foreign port in the course of the voyage. It may also pick up passengers at a US port and disembark them at another US port providing it calls at a port deemed to be distant by the government.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Back!
What a great cruise you had. I always wanted to go on a cruise. Happy you had such a wonderful time.
ReplyDeleteWell, now I know why the ship stopped in Ensenada (thanx E Squared and Mui), but what a waste of a few hours to stop there! We didn't get off the ship either... esp after reading the warning sheet Princess left at each cabin about potential risks in that particular port (robberies, etc).
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed your cruise. Whatz next?!!
Welcome home -- now onto Christmas!