Cruising on the Star Princess

Princess Cruises new marketing slogan promises you will "come back new." I most certainly returned with renewed enthusiasm for cruising  and  a fond memory of ten days enjoying great food, service and fun. New is good! If only they could make me come back younger!

On this cruise we visited four ports in Mexico:  Puerto Vallarta, Loreto, La Paz and Cabo San Lucas.

It has been over a year since we cruised and two years since we visited Mexico. This journey started in San Francisco at Pier 27, a brand spanking new cruise terminal. We boarded quickly with very little wait in line.  Princess has been kind enough to port a ship in San Francisco year round, which makes for easy access for us. The current ship here is the Star Princess, which replaced  the Grand Princess that we sailed on last year. Depending on the  time of year it cruises to Mexico, Alaska or Hawaii.

We booked our cruise a year ago with an interior cabin,  but we were "upgraded" to an ocean-view room about six months ago. Our cabin was located on Plaza deck five, behind the art gallery and steps from the International Cafe,  serving food 24 hours a day. We are early risers and made a habit of having "breakfast #1" here, usually a pastry or a breakfast sandwich with a coffee drink. At six in the morning the place is empty and we got to enjoy the ambiance by ourselves while we caffeinated. This left us awake and ready for exercise. Avril attended the free Zumba class while I enjoyed a brisk walk on Promenade deck 7.
 More soon.

Breakfast -International Cafe Star Princess