Saturday, February 18, 2017

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico




Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahia de Banderas in Jalisco State. It is known for its beaches, water sports, night life and diverse and friendly population.

(All photos in this post will enlarge, for easier viewing, if clicked on)


As our cruise ship, the Ruby Princess--see prior post-- approached Puerto Vallarta, the morning fog was just beginning to lift off the shoreline and Sierra Madre mountains in the distance. The weather was warm and comfortable in the high seventies to low eighties during our visit at the end of January.


Disembarkation from the Ruby Princess in the port was very easy and convenient.  My husband and I then boarded an optional excursion bus trip for the day to see some of the highlights of the city.


 We stopped along the beautiful beach front, to view "El Malecon," which is a long promenade along the beach that is lined with numerous sculptures, restaurants, and boats, which can be rented for paragliding trips over the bay.


Our tour bus then traveled into the "El Centro," the old town center, which is divided by a densely foliage banked river. The streets here were paved with cobblestones, palm trees and large bougainvillea shrubs that were in a large array of luscious colors.

A statue of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.
It was easy to see why Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor fell in love with Puerto Vallarta when Richard Burton was here on location to film a lead role in the 1964 movie, "The Night of the Iguana." The interesting tale of their love affair during this period, and the times they returned to spend in a house they bought in town, where they could live without the pressure of celebrity, can be read on this link.  


I loved the old town's picturesque flair, from its flowered balconies, colorful windows, ceramic plaque street signs and variety of silver, leather and ceramic craft shops.


 On our tour we visited the very ornate  "Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe --- Our Lady of Guadalupe Roman Catholic Church.


Note the unusual wrought iron crown, hoisted by angels, on top of the steeple. It is said to resemble the crown worn by Empress Carlota of Mexico.


The interior of the church was beautiful -- please click on the photo collage to enlarge it. More about the history of the church can be read on this link.


As part of the tour we were driven up a steep hill into a lush jungle to the Don Tadeo Tequila Distillery, where the process of making tequila from the blue agave plant root was described to our tour group. We were given small samples of all the flavors to try and a chance to purchase what we liked.  We had a relaxing lunch in their restaurant patio afterward, where we were very entertained not only by the resident parrot, but also a number of tropical birds that flew around the canopy of palm trees above us.


I found it interesting to learn that Puerto Vallarta has become a popular retirement destination for both US and Canadian retirees. Rapid growth in tourist volume has also given rise to growth in condominium, hotel and rental apartment construction.  This growth has spilled over from the city limits to Nuevo Vallarta in the neighboring state of Nayarit, and is becoming one of the fastest growing regions in the Americas.

In my next post I'll show you our visit to the next Mexican Riviera city of Mazatlan, Mexico an equally beautiful resort town where we saw cliff divers perform and visited an amazing indoor market.

To see more about the Ruby Princess Cruise Ship see this post.

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Monday, February 13, 2017

Ruby Princess Cruise Ship


As promised, here are more highlights from our seven day cruise on the Ruby Princess Cruise Ship from Los Angeles, California to the Mexican Riviera, that my husband and I took last month.   This was only our second cruise, but I know it won't be our last, as we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Being on a large cruise ship with over 3,000 people is an experience in and of itself. The Ruby Princess had a variety of entertainment and activities and many different dining experiences to enjoy. There is also plenty of opportunity to just relax.  It is up to the passenger to decide how much, or how little you want to do while the ship is at sea.
(All photos in this post will enlarge if clicked on)


My husband and I usually plan our vacations ourselves and do our own research. We are the "hyper" type that get up early and get on the road and push ourselves to do and see as much as possible where ever we go. Going on a cruise is much more relaxed, and was a welcome break for us in that we felt very little pressure. 

We loved walking around the ship to get exercise, and to discover all the amenities. The 1,200 member crew was very helpful and pleasant. Our fellow passengers ranged in age, but were predominantly middle aged to retired, and the very young and the very elderly were also accommodated well. 

A good resource to check out for information about all the Ruby Princess, as well as other ships, is Cruise Critic.  This website is full of great tips and reviews of almost every cruise line and will help you chose what is right for you.


My husband and I chose the "anytime" dining option that the Ruby Princess offers, where we could dine in two of the three main dining rooms at any time during dinner hour and also sit at a table for two if we desired, instead of dining at a larger table with others. We had many a pleasant conversation with other nearby dinners, while at our table for two when we desired or could just concentrate on each other. 

There was also buffet dining available for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and casual cafes and specialty restaurant venues that required a cover charge or extra fee.


 There were many bars and lounges on the ship where one could sit and talk quietly, or enjoy a game show hosted by the Cruise Director with passenger volunteers.

The Gatsby Casino on board functions while the ship is at sea. We heard someone won a $3,000 jackpot one evening!

There were also four boutiques, which had varied merchandise from toiletries and souvenirs to jewelry, perfumes and clothing. 

The Ruby Princess theater has 800 seats and put on Broadway style shows every evening. The Ruby Princess also does "The Voice of the Ocean," on the last night of the cruise, their own version of  the popular NBC show The Voice. It features passengers who are picked from karaoke competitions done earlier in the cruise.

One of my favorite places on the ship was the art gallery, where the collections were rotated to show different paintings each day. I enjoyed going to the art auction events on the ship, as the auctioneer was very knowledgeable and described the painter's backgrounds. their painting techniques and gave interesting descriptions of each painting being auctioned.


There was such a beautiful array of artwork to marvel at!


We enjoyed many very delicious meals....


...and enjoyed all of the entertainment.


Of course the highlight of the cruise was the three different ports we anchored at in Western Mexico, and the land excursions we went on in each location--more about them in my next post.


So yes, we will cruise again in the future and enjoy the fun again! We may not go on 149 Princess cruises, like the couple who were the first to pour in the champagne fountain with the ship's captain, but we will definitely sail on a Princess ship again!


I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Thank you to all the blog hosts!



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