New Years Cruise 2005
Happy New Year everyone! For the first time in a long time I spent New Years out of town and on vacation with my family on a Cruise to Mexico. After having a nice quiet Christmas celebration with family, we headed out on Boxing Day to leave a projected high temperature of -27ºC for +20ºC in San Diego.
In San Diego, waiting to travel to the cruise ship terminal.
We were scheduled to arrive sometime in the afternoon in San Diego and board the ms Ryndam, one of the ships in the Holland America fleet, for our voyage. It is named after the famous Rhine River that runs through Germany. There were a lot of security checkpoints everywhere but we finally made it on. There were quite a few aircraft carriers all around our ship in the harbor and I wanted to go check them out but we didn't have time as our boat was to set sail at 6PM that evening. So we relaxed around the ship and I played a game of chess with my bro on the Lido deck.
Playing chess with Mike. I'm winning!
December 27, 2004
Today was our first day at sea. I woke up at around 8AM to find a note saying that the rest of my family had gone down to the main dining room for breakfast. After a quick shower I was able to catch up to them in time to order some food. Here is what I had for my first breakfast on board the Ryndam:
To Drink: cranberry juice and black coffee
To Eat: sliced bananas, a ham and cheese omelet, sliced bananas, hash browns
We sat at the very aft near some big windows looking back at the ship’s wake. It was a beautiful view with the wide open ocean and clearing skies. After breakfast I went to check out the books and magazines in the Explorer’s café on the 8th deck. Then I went to workout in the Greenhouse spa. After a very easy one hour workout I felt lightheaded and extremely out of shape. The afternoon was spent watching Real Madrid play Valencia on ESPN and playing scrabble and Texas Hold’em with my family (both of which I won :D). Then I had to go buy a tie for the formal dinner that evening since I forgot to bring one. I always seem to forget something when I have to dress up. At least this time it wasn’t black socks and it only cost me $10 US. Not a bad price for a silk tie. I should have gotten a few more.
Our table in the Rotterdam Dining Room.
Here’s what I had for dinner for the first evening:
Appetizer: Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, French Onion Soup
Main Courses: Filet Mignon with Hollandaise sauce, King Crab legs, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables
Dessert: Crémè Brûlée
Beverages: cranberry juice and a cappuccino
After dinner we went to watch a Broadway musical show in the Vermeer Lounge. Not really my cup of tea so I spent most of the time trying to figure out if they were lip-syncing or actually singing. The evening was capped off watching the Rams stun the Eagles 20-7 on Monday Night Football.
Mike and myself in the Vermeer Lounge waiting for the show to start.
December 28, 2004
Today we docked at around 8AM at our first port of call: Cabo San Lucas. This small town meaning “Cape of San Lucas” was a popular location for celebrities to stay. Many resorts lined the beaches that could cost as much as $2000 US a night. We used some of the lifeboats as tenders to ferry us to and from the shore because the water was too shallow for the ship to get any closer. Here we took a bus tour and visited a Glass Blowing Factory where they made all sorts of glassware from bottles and other used glass collected around town. Then we stopped at Da Giorgio Ristorante where we had a magnificent view of the bay area. We were treated to free Corona and Pacifico Clara, brewed in Mazatlan.
The view from Da Giorgio Ristorante.
A picture of two cruise ships in the bay. The ms Ryndan is on the left with the blue.
The mens urinal at Da Giorgio Ristorante.
Me at the front of Da Giorgio's.
Our last stop was Cacti Mundo, a cactus garden where they keep over 750 species of Cacti including the blue Agave used to make Tequila.
The blue Agave. Tequila is made from the sap that comes from the hearts of these plants.
We had oysters and lamb that evening for dinner.
December 29, 2004
We arrived at our second port, Topolobampo, at around 4AM in the morning. One of the excursions was this 14 hour train tour through the Copper Canyon region that cost around $400 US. I don’t know who would want to pay that kind of money to sit on a train for that long but I guess there were some people on our boat who did. There was nothing to see at Topolobampo. It was just a big commercial dock with rocky shore lines and no beaches. There was this huge cement parking lot area where they must store cargo containers and nothing else around our ship. Apparently it is the third deepest natural port in the world. We again took a bus tour inland to the nearest city of Los Mochis. It was about 30 minutes drive and had approximately 400,000 people. We visit a church, museum, sugar cane factory, and a botanical garden.
On the bus travelling from Topolobampo to Los Mochis.
Does raw bamboo taste good? There weren't any pandas around to ask...
December 30, 2004
Today we arrived in Mazatlan, Sinaloa at noon. It was really hot and sunny today but we were only staying in port for the afternoon since we were on a tight schedule and had to sail for Puerto Vallarta for New Years Eve.
The view of Mazatlan from our ship. The Pacifico factory can be seen on the left.
We took another bus tour and we started off to one of the higher points to get a nice view of the entire city. However, it was too crowded so we had to drive backwards all the way back down the narrow, winding road. Eventually, we managed to find a nice spot to see the second highest natural lighthouse in the world. Later, we visited the church downtown and also attended this show of Mexican dance and performances by some of the natives to the area.
My mom and I with the second highest natural lighthouse in the world in the background.
The church in Mazatlan.
Mexican dance performance.
I think I was sick of taking bus tours. I wanted to be out on the beach working on my suntan.
No more bus tours!
The sign at Mazatlan.
December 31, 2004
Woohoo! New Years Eve!
But before the festivities could begin we had to visit our fourth and last port of call: Puerto Vallarta. While the rest of my family took yet another bus tour, my dad and I went on a bike tour around the farmland and the rural areas outside the city. It began and ended at the Hacienda Doña Engracia which happened to also have a Tequila factory, restaurant and bar.
Biking across Mexico...
Got water?
The "relief truck" that followed behind us carrying extra bikes and supplies.
Our tour guide Julio.
After a 3 hour bike ride we returned to the Hacienda and they gave us a free sampling of some of the tequila that they produced there at the factory. I had never tried tequila before but I figured I was at a Tequila factory in Mexico, I might as well give it a taste. Well I got more than just a taste as we all went through more than 10 small shots of straight tequila, amaretto tequila, coffee and chocolate tequila, cherry tequila, and who knows what else tequila.
Arriba! El Abajo! El Centro! Entre!
It was a good thing they were small because at the end I was starting to feel the affects of the alcohol. I think some of the people there were from a tour this morning and having a rather enjoyable time with our host and the free tequila. For every shot we did this drinking chant. First we would hold the tequila high up in the air and yell “Arriba!”. Then we would hold the tequila down low and yell “El Abajo!”. Thirdly we would hold the tequila straight in front of our faces and yell “El Centro!”. Finally, we would take a deep breath in through our noses, breathe out through our mouths, and take in the full shot and swallow in one big gulp. After drinking the tequila our host told us to breathe only through our noses to get the full flavor. Later on I found out that in English it roughly translates to “It Arrives! Down, Center, Enter!”
Started the New Years celebrations a little early...
Last day of the year.
Later on that evening was our second formal dinner in the dining room. We went to the evening show and then there was a big celebration beginning at 11:15PM as everyone prepared for the New Year to arrive. The band was playing and the dance floor was open for everyone. It was a great time all over the boat well into the early hours of January 1, 2005.
New Years Eve Dinner.
Happy New Years dessert.
On the dance floor.
New Year balloons.
It's party time!
January 1, 2005
Well, the new year was here and we were now sailing the more than 1000 nautical miles back to San Diego. It was nice relaxing day on the boat filled with eating, playing cards, eating, working out, and more eating. That evening after dinner the dining room staff had a big parade for the baked Alaska dessert; special for the new year.
Baked Alaska dessert parade.
Ngakan, our dining room steward.
Baked Alaska.
January 2, 2005
Another day at sea as we sailed up the west coast of Mexico. I played in a volleyball tournament on the upper sports deck and our team won. We were given disposable cameras as prizes. In the afternoon they had a Dutch dessert extravaganza. They had all different kinds of cake and pastries for us to sample. We had dessert before dinner that day. That evening marked the last dinner that we would have with our awesome dining room steward Ngakan and his assistant Yoakim. They were so awesome in serving us. I had ordered a glass of cranberry juice the first dinner and every dinner after that Ngakan would bring me a glass before I even had to ask. The same occurred with my grandma. She ordered some hot water the first evening and Yoakim brought her hot water every dinner after that without her even asking. I definitely can’t wait until we go on another one of those “dam” ships.
Dutch dessert extravaganza.
From left to right: Ngakan, Mike, me, and Yoakim.
In San Diego, waiting to travel to the cruise ship terminal.
We were scheduled to arrive sometime in the afternoon in San Diego and board the ms Ryndam, one of the ships in the Holland America fleet, for our voyage. It is named after the famous Rhine River that runs through Germany. There were a lot of security checkpoints everywhere but we finally made it on. There were quite a few aircraft carriers all around our ship in the harbor and I wanted to go check them out but we didn't have time as our boat was to set sail at 6PM that evening. So we relaxed around the ship and I played a game of chess with my bro on the Lido deck.
Playing chess with Mike. I'm winning!
December 27, 2004
Today was our first day at sea. I woke up at around 8AM to find a note saying that the rest of my family had gone down to the main dining room for breakfast. After a quick shower I was able to catch up to them in time to order some food. Here is what I had for my first breakfast on board the Ryndam:
To Drink: cranberry juice and black coffee
To Eat: sliced bananas, a ham and cheese omelet, sliced bananas, hash browns
We sat at the very aft near some big windows looking back at the ship’s wake. It was a beautiful view with the wide open ocean and clearing skies. After breakfast I went to check out the books and magazines in the Explorer’s café on the 8th deck. Then I went to workout in the Greenhouse spa. After a very easy one hour workout I felt lightheaded and extremely out of shape. The afternoon was spent watching Real Madrid play Valencia on ESPN and playing scrabble and Texas Hold’em with my family (both of which I won :D). Then I had to go buy a tie for the formal dinner that evening since I forgot to bring one. I always seem to forget something when I have to dress up. At least this time it wasn’t black socks and it only cost me $10 US. Not a bad price for a silk tie. I should have gotten a few more.
Our table in the Rotterdam Dining Room.
Here’s what I had for dinner for the first evening:
Appetizer: Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, French Onion Soup
Main Courses: Filet Mignon with Hollandaise sauce, King Crab legs, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables
Dessert: Crémè Brûlée
Beverages: cranberry juice and a cappuccino
After dinner we went to watch a Broadway musical show in the Vermeer Lounge. Not really my cup of tea so I spent most of the time trying to figure out if they were lip-syncing or actually singing. The evening was capped off watching the Rams stun the Eagles 20-7 on Monday Night Football.
Mike and myself in the Vermeer Lounge waiting for the show to start.
December 28, 2004
Today we docked at around 8AM at our first port of call: Cabo San Lucas. This small town meaning “Cape of San Lucas” was a popular location for celebrities to stay. Many resorts lined the beaches that could cost as much as $2000 US a night. We used some of the lifeboats as tenders to ferry us to and from the shore because the water was too shallow for the ship to get any closer. Here we took a bus tour and visited a Glass Blowing Factory where they made all sorts of glassware from bottles and other used glass collected around town. Then we stopped at Da Giorgio Ristorante where we had a magnificent view of the bay area. We were treated to free Corona and Pacifico Clara, brewed in Mazatlan.
The view from Da Giorgio Ristorante.
A picture of two cruise ships in the bay. The ms Ryndan is on the left with the blue.
The mens urinal at Da Giorgio Ristorante.
Me at the front of Da Giorgio's.
Our last stop was Cacti Mundo, a cactus garden where they keep over 750 species of Cacti including the blue Agave used to make Tequila.
The blue Agave. Tequila is made from the sap that comes from the hearts of these plants.
We had oysters and lamb that evening for dinner.
December 29, 2004
We arrived at our second port, Topolobampo, at around 4AM in the morning. One of the excursions was this 14 hour train tour through the Copper Canyon region that cost around $400 US. I don’t know who would want to pay that kind of money to sit on a train for that long but I guess there were some people on our boat who did. There was nothing to see at Topolobampo. It was just a big commercial dock with rocky shore lines and no beaches. There was this huge cement parking lot area where they must store cargo containers and nothing else around our ship. Apparently it is the third deepest natural port in the world. We again took a bus tour inland to the nearest city of Los Mochis. It was about 30 minutes drive and had approximately 400,000 people. We visit a church, museum, sugar cane factory, and a botanical garden.
On the bus travelling from Topolobampo to Los Mochis.
Does raw bamboo taste good? There weren't any pandas around to ask...
December 30, 2004
Today we arrived in Mazatlan, Sinaloa at noon. It was really hot and sunny today but we were only staying in port for the afternoon since we were on a tight schedule and had to sail for Puerto Vallarta for New Years Eve.
The view of Mazatlan from our ship. The Pacifico factory can be seen on the left.
We took another bus tour and we started off to one of the higher points to get a nice view of the entire city. However, it was too crowded so we had to drive backwards all the way back down the narrow, winding road. Eventually, we managed to find a nice spot to see the second highest natural lighthouse in the world. Later, we visited the church downtown and also attended this show of Mexican dance and performances by some of the natives to the area.
My mom and I with the second highest natural lighthouse in the world in the background.
The church in Mazatlan.
Mexican dance performance.
I think I was sick of taking bus tours. I wanted to be out on the beach working on my suntan.
No more bus tours!
The sign at Mazatlan.
December 31, 2004
Woohoo! New Years Eve!
But before the festivities could begin we had to visit our fourth and last port of call: Puerto Vallarta. While the rest of my family took yet another bus tour, my dad and I went on a bike tour around the farmland and the rural areas outside the city. It began and ended at the Hacienda Doña Engracia which happened to also have a Tequila factory, restaurant and bar.
Biking across Mexico...
Got water?
The "relief truck" that followed behind us carrying extra bikes and supplies.
Our tour guide Julio.
After a 3 hour bike ride we returned to the Hacienda and they gave us a free sampling of some of the tequila that they produced there at the factory. I had never tried tequila before but I figured I was at a Tequila factory in Mexico, I might as well give it a taste. Well I got more than just a taste as we all went through more than 10 small shots of straight tequila, amaretto tequila, coffee and chocolate tequila, cherry tequila, and who knows what else tequila.
Arriba! El Abajo! El Centro! Entre!
It was a good thing they were small because at the end I was starting to feel the affects of the alcohol. I think some of the people there were from a tour this morning and having a rather enjoyable time with our host and the free tequila. For every shot we did this drinking chant. First we would hold the tequila high up in the air and yell “Arriba!”. Then we would hold the tequila down low and yell “El Abajo!”. Thirdly we would hold the tequila straight in front of our faces and yell “El Centro!”. Finally, we would take a deep breath in through our noses, breathe out through our mouths, and take in the full shot and swallow in one big gulp. After drinking the tequila our host told us to breathe only through our noses to get the full flavor. Later on I found out that in English it roughly translates to “It Arrives! Down, Center, Enter!”
Started the New Years celebrations a little early...
Last day of the year.
Later on that evening was our second formal dinner in the dining room. We went to the evening show and then there was a big celebration beginning at 11:15PM as everyone prepared for the New Year to arrive. The band was playing and the dance floor was open for everyone. It was a great time all over the boat well into the early hours of January 1, 2005.
New Years Eve Dinner.
Happy New Years dessert.
On the dance floor.
New Year balloons.
It's party time!
January 1, 2005
Well, the new year was here and we were now sailing the more than 1000 nautical miles back to San Diego. It was nice relaxing day on the boat filled with eating, playing cards, eating, working out, and more eating. That evening after dinner the dining room staff had a big parade for the baked Alaska dessert; special for the new year.
Baked Alaska dessert parade.
Ngakan, our dining room steward.
Baked Alaska.
January 2, 2005
Another day at sea as we sailed up the west coast of Mexico. I played in a volleyball tournament on the upper sports deck and our team won. We were given disposable cameras as prizes. In the afternoon they had a Dutch dessert extravaganza. They had all different kinds of cake and pastries for us to sample. We had dessert before dinner that day. That evening marked the last dinner that we would have with our awesome dining room steward Ngakan and his assistant Yoakim. They were so awesome in serving us. I had ordered a glass of cranberry juice the first dinner and every dinner after that Ngakan would bring me a glass before I even had to ask. The same occurred with my grandma. She ordered some hot water the first evening and Yoakim brought her hot water every dinner after that without her even asking. I definitely can’t wait until we go on another one of those “dam” ships.
Dutch dessert extravaganza.
From left to right: Ngakan, Mike, me, and Yoakim.
Labels: Travel
posted by Matt at 7:58 PM
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