Cruising Mexico
Visited East & West Coasts of Mexico? Been there, done that! Looking for something different? We definitely were and Holland America Line offered a 10-day Mexican Riviera & Sea of Cortez itinerary that provided just that. Our ports of call included Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Topolobampo, Loreto, Pichilingue, and Cabo San Lucas.
My husband and I flew to San Diego a couple of days prior to our cruise. San Diego is a destination in itself. We spent our time exploring and enjoying its sights and the beauty of its harbor side location. Our weather was great and we took full advantage of it. We dined al Fresco on the waterfront. We visited Coronado Island by ferry and toured the historic Hotel del Coronado. We literally walked miles during stay.
On Monday we boarded our ship, the ms Ryndam in Downtown San Diego. Embarkation was an easy process. As we arrived early, we were directed to the Lido Restaurant where a buffet luncheon was being served. Shortly thereafter an announcement was made that staterooms were available for occupancy. Our stateroom, our home away from home for the next 10 days, was spacious and comfortably appointed. Our sail away from San Diego provided us with a beautiful sunset and magnificent views of the skyline of San Diego.
The next two days at sea gave us an opportunity to enjoy the amenities and beauty of the ms Ryndam and its “Signature of Excellence” enhancements. Holland America Line recently invested $225 million dollars fleet wide to upgrade onboard facilities. These features include an Explorations Café powered by the New York Times. Here you can be quiet and comfortable reading the latest novel. You can surf the Internet and stay up on what’s happening in the world with free access to nytimes.com. Exploration Speaker Series are featured on select cruises providing fun, informative lectures by global experts. Our cruise speaker, Dave Levesque, presented three programs — “Cortes & the Conquest of Mexico”, “European Exploration of the Pacific Coast”, and “Libre Mexican: 100 Years of Rebellion & Revolution”. A Culinary Arts Center which features overhead mirror and cameras to project close-ups of the action onto large plasma screens provided a theater for fine food. Select Culinary Signature Cruises bring acclaimed celebrity and regional chefs on board.
Our guest chef was Chocolatier Fran Bigelow of Fran’s Chocolates, Seattle, Washington. Fran has been named the best chocolatier in America by some of the most venerated food publications in America including “The Book of Chocolate”. Being lovers of chocolate, we attended her complimentary chocolate demonstration where we enjoyed her delightful preparations of a Chocolate EspressoTorte and Chocolate Princess Pudding. Both to die for! We also participated in her Chocolate Tasting program for a nominal fee. Here we learned about the history of chocolate and its properties. Truly a fun event!
The Culinary Events Center was also used by the Executive Chef to present a cooking demonstration. His presentation included the preparation of a Mangospacho Soup, Tilapia Veracruz Style, and Crepes with a Mexican Chocolate Sauce. We then had the opportunity to sample all three and collect nicely printed recipe cards.
We also participated in a Wine Tasting Seminar hosted by the Sommelier. That afternoon provided not only tastings of excellent wines but also paired the wines with foods.
To contact Jan about this cruise vacation or other cruises, you can reach her at 303-442-2340×231.
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