Sorry for the Late Cruise Update… Here’s How It All Started

-

Sorry for the late update about the cruise — but honestly, this is exactly how it started (and there’s much more to come once I find the time).

I know it’s been a while since we got back from our cruise and I haven’t really talked about it yet. The holidays took over — preparation, events, gatherings — and everything else got pushed to the side. Now that the holidays are behind us and we’re officially in the new year, I finally have a bit of breathing room.

Sometimes the end of one year rolling into the next just feels like one big blob of pressure and chaos. You’re invited to things you feel obligated to attend, you genuinely look forward to other events, expectations pile up… and then when the actual day comes, sometimes all I want to do is stay home. I had that feeling more than once this season and ended up skipping a couple of events because it was just too much.

And honestly? The unexpected, unplanned quiet of staying home — having time to be still — felt like a gift to myself. I reminded myself that I have the rest of the year to socialize. It doesn’t all need to happen within the same frantic week of checking off a social list.

Anyway… back to the cruise. 😉

🌊 Back to the Mexican Riviera

This trip was our Mexican Riviera cruise, sailing out of San Diego and stopping in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas.

Leading up to the cruise, I was constantly checking the weather. After our February western Caribbean cruise (which had some rough weather), I was especially nervous — and Cabo had me the most anxious since I had snorkeling booked. I kept bracing myself for wind, cold water, or rain.

But when the week finally arrived?
Absolute perfection.

  • Around 80°F in Puerto Vallarta

  • About 75°F in the other ports

  • No rain

  • Full sunshine

It was one of those trips where the weather just quietly shows up and does its job perfectly. I can completely see now why November is such an ideal time to head south as winter approaches.

🚢 The Norwegian Jade: Small but Solid

Our ship for this cruise was the Norwegian Jade, which turned out to be the smallest and oldest ship we’ve sailed on so far.

That said — the room quality was actually very nice. Everything felt well-built and thoughtfully designed. It reminded me of walking into an older home that was clearly high-end when it was built: maybe a bit dated stylistically, but made with quality materials you know will stand the test of time.

We were located aft, which was a huge win — mainly because that’s where the food was. 😄 Just two floors up and we were at the Garden Café, which made quick meals incredibly convenient.

When we first stepped onto the ship, it almost felt like a “practice ship” — like the crew trained here before moving on to the newer, larger vessels. Not in a bad way, just a different vibe than the mega-ships.

🧳 Embarkation Day Realities

When we arrived at the dock, there were two ships side by side — the Norwegian Jade and a Holland America ship. Most of the activity seemed focused on NCL.

We traveled light with duffle bags and backpacks, while many passengers had pre-printed luggage tags and dropped their bags off immediately. On our last cruise, we left our bags at the bag watch area and noticed a lot of heavy-handed tipping pressure when picking them up — so this time, we decided to wait in the line for passengers without pre-printed bag tags.

That line?
Painfully slow.

About halfway through, we looked at each other and decided to just carry our bags on ourselves. It wasn’t too far from 2 p.m anyway, so it made sense.

Check-in itself went smoothly, and once we stepped onboard, we were immediately directed to complete the muster station check. Once that was done, we were officially free to roam.

Rooms weren’t ready yet, and we hadn’t eaten lunch — so naturally, we headed straight to the Garden Café. We found a spot to park our bags and enjoyed a solid first meal. The food was good and consistent with what we’ve experienced on other NCL ships.

🛏️ Settling In

Once the rooms opened, we dropped off our bags and took a walk around to get familiar with the ship’s layout. The Jade’s design was a little quirky — some floors don’t run all the way across, so we found ourselves going up a level and then back down to reach the same floor on the other side.

Once we finally wrapped our heads around the layout, we headed back to the room for a much-needed nap and to freshen up before the evening.

And that was just the beginning.

More cruise stories, port days, food, snorkeling, and surprises coming soon — once I carve out a little more quiet time again.

— The Trekking Pawns

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Exploring Storyville: The Scandalous Past of New Orleans’ Jazz and Red-Light District

-
Image
As part of our pre-trip journey into the rich and colorful history of New Orleans, we’ve been reading The Seamstress of New Orleans . The novel has been a fascinating guide, weaving together the city’s iconic culture with its complex history. One place that keeps popping up in the book is Storyville, a district infamous for legal prostitution and gambling. Intrigued, we had to find out if this place truly existed—and wow, what a story we uncovered! (Disclaimer: Some of the links on here are affiliate links and I may earn if you click or buy on them, AT NO EXTRA cost to you. Hope you find the information here useful! Thanks.)  (Photo: Amazon ) The History of Storyville Yes, Storyville was very real. From 1897 to 1917, this legalized red-light district was the beating heart of New Orleans’ nightlife. It was named after Alderman Sidney Story, who ironically didn’t intend for his name to become synonymous with debauchery. The district was bordered by Iberville, Basin, St. Louis, and No...
Read more

Getting Around Nice with Public Transportation: A Seamless Experience!

-
Image
As The Trekking Pawns, we’re all about making the most of our travels—and that includes figuring out the easiest and most affordable way to get around! During our time in Nice, France, we discovered a few public transportation options that made exploring the Côte d’Azur a breeze. With the city’s modern contactless cards from Lignes d’Azur , getting around has never been easier. Here’s a quick rundown of what we learned and how we plan to use these options during our French adventures. 1. "Ma Carte" : The Ultimate Go-To for Regular Travelers We love the convenience of the "Ma Carte"! This personalized contactless card can be reloaded with ease and comes with your name and photo, so it feels like your very own travel buddy. For just €2, you get a reusable card that allows you to purchase and top up occasional tickets or season passes. Plus, if you ever lose it (we’ve all been there), you can get it replaced along with all the tickets you’ve purchased. Super convenient...
Read more

Pros and Cons of Using the Lignes d’Azur App and Cards in Nice, France

-
Image
(In the upper right corner, click the flags to change to the language of preference.) As part of our ongoing adventures here in Nice, we’ve been experimenting with different ways to navigate the city’s public transportation system, specifically the Lignes d’Azur metro and bus networks. While playing around with the Lignes d’Azur Tickets app, we discovered some interesting pros and cons, especially compared to other transit systems we've used (looking at you, Paris Metro!). The Lignes d’Azur Digital Metro Card: A Pleasant Surprise One of the standout features of the Lignes d’Azur app is that the digital metro card doesn’t require data to work. This is a game-changer for us! Normally, when traveling, we try to limit our data usage to keep ourselves more immersed in the moment rather than constantly scrolling through social media or updating ourselves on the latest news. The fact that we could access and use the app offline meant one less thing to worry about and more time for explo...
Read more