Mexican Riviera Cruise on the Majestic Princess

Our first cruise of 2022 was also our first time on the Princess cruise line, and we were able to visit Cabo San Lucas again, as well as Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Not only did we get to explore a new cruise line and ship, but we also spent more time in the spa than we have in the past and enjoyed great food at our cruise ports. Princess may not have pushed Celebrity out of our favorite cruise spot, but this cruise definitely met our goals of relaxation, and we wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to take another Princess cruise (even if it’s just for Tea Time!).

Bonus! We got the idea to start our blog during this trip and so far, that has been one of our best decisions yet!

Table of Contents

• Day 1 – Travel Day
• Day 2 – Embarkation
• Day 3 – At Sea
• Day 4 – Cabo San Lucas
• Day 5 – Mazatlan
• Day 6 – Puerto Vallarta
• Day 7 – At Sea
• Day 8 – At Sea
• Day 9 – Disembarkation

Cruise Selection

This was a surprisingly difficult trip to select, which is not usual for us.

It had been months since our last trip, which may not sound like a lot but during this time we sold our house, moved downtown, holidays came and went, and then we purchased a new home and moved in! Needless to say we were stressed, tired, and really needed a vacation, but we didn’t have a specific location in mind and planning something in that mental state is not easy.

Cruising is always our first go-to when planning a vacation, but we ruled out flying anywhere due to costs and limiting our spending before the house purchase was final. That left cruises out of California, which limited us to Carnival or Princess.

Carnival is not a preferred cruise line for us, so that was ruled out. However, we were hesitant to travel with Princess. The Medallion features were very enticing, including the great internet everyone talked about. However, Princess does not have the most user-friendly website, which was frustrating and contradicted the technology advancements that the Medallions were supposed to offer.

Honestly, we were just scared to get our hopes up and be disappointed. Another large reason we wanted to try Princess was a future itinerary they had in the fall going through Europe for Oktoberfest. We wanted to try Princess before committing to our first international trip on a new cruise line.

We also thought about a road trip up the California coast to the Redwoods, which has been on our list for a while and would have been amazing. However, we realized relaxation was our goal and a road-trip would have been more effort on our part, so we decided against it in the end.

That left us with Princess as our top choice, and then we just had to decide when and where to go. We wanted to go as soon as we could after closing on the house, which left us with a California Coast or Mexican Riviera cruise. Both options would let us explore at least one new place (San Francisco or Mazatlan/Puerto Vallarta), which is always a nice to have requirement for our trips.

We ultimately decided on the Mexican Riviera because it was two new places instead of one and the dates were ideal to leave as soon as we could!

Day 1 (Friday, April 1, 2022) – Travel Day

One of the benefits of living in Phoenix is that a cruise port is only a short 6-hour car ride away! We left home right after work Friday afternoon and had a nice uneventful drive to Los Angeles. Next time I want to pull over and take GOOD landscape pictures, my cell phone through the car window didn’t do the view justice!

*Local Note: We were surprised that the SR 303 to I-10 was the fastest route. We thought for sure that we could leverage the US 60 would faster to I-10.

We stayed at the Hilton Long Beach, which turned out to be a great location for cruising, and we will definitely be back. They offered a ‘Park and Cruise’ rate, which meant we could leave our car at the hotel for the week we were gone and save parking fees at the port. Plus, they offered a shuttle to Long Beach port, unfortunately Princess sails out of San Pedro, so we used our Amex Uber credit to get us to the cruise terminal. The parking location was a little difficult, until you have been at least once to understand where you are going.

We got in late, and the hotel is not super close to restaurants, so we opted to eat at the hotel restaurant, which was a surprising win. Normally we find most hotels we stay at have average food at high costs, but the food here was really good and only slightly elevated prices.

The hotel itself was good and had our favorite feature of a physical door on the bathroom! Barn doors are great for some things, but hotels really need to stop using them as bathroom doors.

Day 2 (Saturday, April 2, 2022) – Embarkation, San Pedro

After a late evening, it was great to sleep in and not rush getting ready in the morning. One of the reasons we like to get to a cruise port a day in advance is to avoid stress and rush the morning of.

As mentioned, the only downside of the Hilton was their shuttle is limited to Long Beach, but luckily it was still pretty close to San Pedro the Uber was very reasonably priced.

San Pedro is one of the smallest ports we have sailed out of, which made it very easy to find the right place to be. Sadly, that is not always an easy task, we wish cruise ports took a lesson from airports and provided directions and labeling.

One downside is their porter service. We didn’t bring luggage tags partially on accident, and we are used to all the porters having a stash of tags to fill out as you go.

That was not the case here. Instead, there was a single, very long line to wait to get tags and then wait to drop off your bags. We will definitely remember to get them in advance next time!

Online check-in always makes the next part much easier. It was busy, which was to be expected with a larger ship, so we did have to wait about 30-45 minutes to get through the line to the ‘official’ check-in. Lucky for us, there was some kind of miscommunication and the gate attendant had us use a priority lane and we bypassed all other lines and were able to board immediately!

As usual, the first thing we did was head up to the buffet for lunch. Lucky for Nathan, we just happen to pass the permanent soft serve stand first.

This is where we learned that the ship was over 90% capacity! Not only was this one of the bigger ships we have been on, but after previous cruises at low capacity due to the shut-down, we definitely felt the crowds on the first day.

After lunch, our rooms were ready, so we were able to head down to Floor 10, C315 and explore our room and settle in. Surprisingly, Nathan’s luggage was already there, but mine was another story…

For the first time ever, I received a note instead of my bag because it was being held at security. Confused. Frustrated. Embarrassed. None of the emotions I wanted to feel on our first day of a relaxing vacation!

So, we headed down to the security office to figure out what in the world could have happened. The guard had to inspect my bag in my presence to determine the ‘problem’ item(s). She opened the first zipper which is where I keep my surge protector, charging cables, etc. and immediately grabbed the surge protector and said it was a prohibited item. She then zipped it up and gave me back my bag without going any further.

While I didn’t want to do it at all, it was just silly! For one, I verified after that Princess states online that surge protectors are allowed and second, she didn’t even really inspect my bag at all. Now I had to deal with collecting my confiscated items at the end of the cruise.

After that ordeal, we decided to explore the ship a little more and started with a Spa tour. This turned out to be a great choice as we knew we wanted to book a few services anyway, and they were doing specials if you booked on the first day. We were able to get 3 services booked with a 30%, 20%, and 10% discount on those bookings. Plus, they actually gave us 30% off the most expensive one!

That put us right at time for sail away, so we headed upstairs to the lido deck and enjoyed the view as we took off. In true Princess fashion, the traditional horn was replaced by the Love Boat tune, which was cute… the first time. However, 5+ times later, we were quickly over it.

Earlier in the day, we made reservations for the dining room through the app, so it was time to head to dinner. Dinner was pretty average; I enjoyed a fish ceviche and fettuccine Alfredo.

Nathan ordered jambalaya, and it’s always funny when cruise lines or restaurants in general don’t execute a dish the same way you expect. We are not sure what he received but it wasn’t the jambalaya he was expecting.

Dinner wrapped up with plenty of time to head to the first performance of the evening, which was comedian Robbie Printz. He was pretty good, though joked a lot about stereotypical marriage, and I never care for jokes like that.

When we got back to our room, we were sad to find no turn down service had occurred which meant no chocolates, mints, or towel animals. Only difference was the next day’s itinerary slipped under the door. Later, another guest said that they removed this since the pandemic, but hopefully they bring it back.

One of the better features of Princess, and their Medallion features, is their VAST on demand selection. We enjoyed movies all week long, and our first selection was The Martian. We caught the last 15 minutes or so in a hotel room previously, and I really wanted to see the whole thing, and it did not disappoint!

Day 3 (Sunday, April 3, 2022) – At Sea

We were able to sleep in and get up just in time for our first spa appointment. Being a novice to spa services and generally anxious about the experience, we debated for WAY too long what we should wear and finally settled on our loungewear.  

Once we arrived at the Spa they had us change into robes (for anyone who overthinks things like me – underwear was totally acceptable) and sandals, which they provided. They took us to a waiting room to do a consultation and sign waivers and such.

Next, they took us to our private massage room, which we saw in the Spa tour on the first day and it was beautiful. Sadly, we didn’t seem to be allowed to use the sauna and showers which were ‘advertised’ during the tour, but it was still a more than enjoyable experience.

Prior to getting on the massage table, we spoke with each of our masseuses to explain that we had previously had a bad experience with a couples massage, and we really wanted to feel this massage. We thought that meant a deep massage, but we were nervous to commit to a true deep tissue massage.

Then began the 75 glorious minutes of massage, incorporating hot stones throughout. The massage was a perfect level of pressure and the oil they used was fantastic, it was moisturizing but not greasy at all (It was so good, I actually bought a bottle!). The hot stones were the perfect addition, and I will never get another massage without them. Every time they used a stone, it had the same full body ‘ahh’ moment that you get the first moments of getting into a hot tub. Maybe even better because it felt just as good every time they grabbed a new stone.

After a morning of total relaxation, we went upstairs to the Lido deck and tried Chopsticks for lunch. We had recently fallen in love with Miso Ramen at a local Phoenix restaurant, so I was very excited to see a Miso Ramen option. I thought it was pretty good, but it was Nathan was not a fan.

We spent the afternoon relaxing in our room, and then decided to try Alfredo’s for dinner, since no reservation required. This was also a new option for us to try, as a sit-down pizzeria (with no cost!) specific to the Princess cruise line. Their pizza was fantastic, and this actually became one of our favorite places to eat during the trip.

Even better than dinner, we met a couple that had retired and were permanently travelling. It was a wonderful to hear about their experiences, especially navigating COVID lockdowns.

Shout-out to Mike and Jan! (whereintheworldaremikeandjan.com)

Their approach to traveling gave us a few ideas for our future requirement plans, specifically leveraging cruises as a cheaper way to travel without flying. While it will take longer, you will get to visit new places along the way and your cost per day remains lower than it would be flying.

Also, we shared a love of American Express travel cards. They have a number of different card options, but it’s a great way to earn points and redeem them on hotel stays, especially when you stay within the Hilton family!

We spent so long talking to Mike and Jan that we actually missed the production show. Thankfully we were not too disappointed as it was a soul music night which didn’t peak our interested.

Day 4 (Monday, April 4, 2022) – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Happy Birthday, Nathan!

After sleeping in, and enjoying breakfast at the buffet, it was time for our day in Cabo San Lucas. To read about our experiences at this location, click here.

One of the highlights of the Princess Medallion were the ‘Happy Birthday’ messages that would appear on the screens around the ship when Nathan walked by.

We had hoped to go to the specialty dining steakhouse, to celebrity Nathan’s birthday, but we spent the night before and morning looking for available reservations and there was nothing. Which was surprising when we walked past later that night and the restaurant seemed to be quite empty.

We decided that Alfredo’s was a better option than the regular dining room, which by this time didn’t have any reasonable time lots (dinner at 9pm… no, thanks!). It was still good, but we tried new entrée’s from the night before, and we would have been better to stick with our original choices.

When dinner doesn’t quite hit the spot, it’s time for the buffet! I opted for a very ‘American’ plate of Mac and Cheese, Pizza, and fries.

It was a pretty uneventful evening from there. We skipped the show again, return visit of Robbie Printz, and headed back to our room to watch Alita and ordered a few drinks to test out the room service.

Day 5 (Tuesday, April 5, 2022) – Mazatlan, Mexico

We arrived at Mazatlan early Tuesday morning, so it was a quick and light breakfast before we headed out on land. To read about our experienced at this location, click here.

After our time in Mazatlan, we ended up back onboard around 2-2:30pm, so with time to kill before dinner and the evening show we decided to try Tea Time, and oh boy we were in for the best surprise.

Tea Time was AMAZING!! Seriously, I still crave this on a weekly basis now and we have hunted down local stores to get the right ingredients to replicate at home.

Now, for some context first. I didn’t grow up drinking coffee or tea and as I became an adult I still have a really hard time drinking beverages that are warm. However, thanks to my sweet tooth I have become fond of sweet iced tea, but I never really drink hot tea. Nathan, however, loves coffee, hot tea and iced tea and I thought he would enjoy this experience.

So we made our way to the dining room and got seated right away. The waiter fills our tea cups and our first surprise was offering cream as well. Not so much that you would put cream/milk in your tea, thanks to the British TV we were familiar with this, but that Princess was actually doing it ‘right’.

Nathan took his first sip and was in heaven! We later found out it was just regular Lipton tea, but the combination with cream and the environment made it all perfect.

Next it was my turn, and not only was I trying hot tea for the first time, but I was not looking forward to the added milk, but as they say, ‘when in Rome’! (I should also note I added a good 1-2 TBSP of sugar, like I said I have a sweet tooth!). To my surprise, it was wonderful and even got a refill!

The only downside was it was so hot I had to ‘drink’ it with a spoon for the first few minutes until it cooled down enough to drink.

While we were trying our tea, the waiters started to come around with trays of sandwiches and desserts which, in true cruising fashion, you could have as much as you wanted!

Being our first time, we were a little more reserved and choose ham and cheese finger sandwiches, salami croissant, and carrot cake. All of which were some of the best food we had onboard.

While we enjoyed our afternoon meal, we made friends with the woman sitting next to us. She loved Tea Time so much, she skips dinner and makes that her meal instead, which we thought was a great idea!

Then she mentioned scones, and we realized we missed out on one of the waiters. She then went out of her way to flag down a waiter multiple times just so the ‘scone man’ would come by, and while we were hesitant in the moment, we were later glad she did!

Once again for context, I grew up in Idaho and later in life realized that my definition of ‘scone’ was not quite right. I think of Fry Bread when I hear scone, and any other version all I can think is DRY. Nathan shared my disinterest in scones, but since our new friend went to the effort, we gave it a try.

The waiter came by with a bowl filled with fresh warm berry scones and a side of clotted cream and raspberry jam.

Clotted cream was another first for us, and boy is it good! It’s the texture of whipped butter, but sweet, almost like whipping cream. The jam was as close to fresh homemade jam I have had on a ship, not some terrible jelly like substance.

Now let me tell you, these scones were INCREDIBLE. The warmness melted the cream a little and while they were a little crumbly, as expected with a scone, they were moist and tasted sooo good! We asked for seconds right away, and we would have lived off these scones the rest of the trip if we could.

Once we were full, we headed upstairs to the aft bar on deck 16 which become our favorite spot the rest of the cruise. There were tables in constant shade from the roof with easy access to food and drinks, but it was generally pretty quiet. We spent time reading and relaxing. Nathan didn’t have a book downloaded, so he went with his usual Wikipedia reading instead and I was finishing The Hobbit from a local book club I had joined.

Since we were still full from Tea Time, and the show didn’t’ sound appealing (vocal impressionist) we decided to head back to the room early. We watched ‘Keeping up with the Jones’ and fell asleep early.

Day 6 (Wednesday, April 6, 2022) – Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

We had another early morning arrival at Puerto Vallarta, and to read about our experiences at this location, click here.

Once we had returned to the ship, we had officially fallen into a routine onboard. We hung out at the aft bar for a few hours and then at 3pm headed downstairs to the dining room for Tea Time.

One interesting thing about this ship is their use of fountain soda instead of cans, this gave two great advantages.

First, they would provide a rather large glass when I ordered a Shirley Temple. If I had to guess, it was probably around 24 oz cup.

Second, fountain Sprite is always a less carbonated, which I prefer.

Yet again the evening entertainment was a bust. We actually went this time but left 10 minutes in when we realized it was not a production like we thought it was. More like opera singing, which just isn’t for us.

Our room entertainment for the evening included Black Widow and late night room service. Which is actually something we have not done on any cruise, but the Medallion app does make it really easy and clear to order room service, so it worked out nicely. We went with some classic food choices including grilled cheese, fired, quesadilla, chips and guac, and chocolate cake.

While the app does limit you to only drinks it has programmed, Nathan did find that the Strongbow was a great alternative to his normal Tom Collins because it was the British version, so it tasted slightly different and actually better than what you can get in the US.

At this point we had finished the touring portion of our trip, and now it was time to turn around and head back home. The Captain mentioned that we would be traveling 18 knots the entire way back. This was surprising as max speed is ~22 knots, so we were going to be moving quick to get home on time.

Day 7 (Thursday, April 7, 2022) – At Sea

As we made our way back home, it was time for my spa treatments scheduled first thing. So Nathan slept in while I made my way down to the spa for a Fire and Ice Mani Pedi and Facial.

First was the Mani Pedi, which was surprisingly nice. I choose to upgrade the polish to Shellac. I am still torn on if I would do that again, it lasted a long time which was amazing, but it was a massive pain to take off myself later.

Beyond the normal soak and hand/foot massage you get with a Mani Pedi, the Fire and Ice package included hot stones again. I didn’t necessarily know this when I chose it, but I was glad I did after loving the massage so much!

Next was my facial, which I would not repeat. It wasn’t bad, and nothing against the facilities, I just didn’t enjoy it. For the money it costs, I would much rather have another massage or go to specialty dining.

After my spa treatments and I had finally gotten ready for the day, we were both starving. So we headed upstairs for a light lunch as we waited for Tea Time.

Since we needed to pass the time, we decided to head to the shops and see if there was anything good. No surprise that Nathan was drawn to the watches, but beyond curiosity, we didn’t find anything good.

After another great Tea Time, we headed upstairs to our hang-out at the aft bar for a few hours.

We realized that we actually enjoyed spending time here more than our Balcony. We love having the balcony, but at the tables we were able to spread out more. Plus, like a coffee shop, there was always a bit of noise to keep it from being too quiet. Ultimately, we decided that a Balcony is not a required for future cruises. Our selection would likely vary by which cruise and the type of balcony we could get.

Again, the evening entertainment was no interest. We realized there has not been anything original on this cruise. It has been all music covers. No productions like Celebrity. Even the comedian was just ok.

So instead, we set up camp in our room for the evening and watched movies. We saw The Intern, Devil Wears Prada, and an indie film called Hero Mode.

Since we didn’t end up going to a specialty restaurant, we did decide to do room service one more time. This time Nathan wanted to try from the steakhouse menu, which he thought turned out pretty good. It was an nice option to have the specialty dining room meals delivered to your room with the app. I ended up choosing a meal off the complementary menu as it sounded better.

Day 8 (Friday, April 8, 2022) – At Sea

After staying up late, we slept in and missed breakfast. When we got upstairs they have shifted to early lunch instead.

The buffet options remained very consistent all week. Maybe even too consistent. They would have a variety option each day, but it never quite seemed like something we wanted. For instance, they had sushi one day, but it was all vegetable based or had shrimp. No salmon, yellowtail, tuna, or other fish based rolls.

There wasn’t much excitement as this was our last full day onboard, and we were at sea. We kept to our routine with hanging out at the aft bar, and enjoyed our last Tea Time before heading back to the room.

We opted to have them take our luggage the night before, so we packed everything up and turned in early since we had to be off the ship by 9AM.

Day 9 (Saturday, April 9, 2022) – At Sea

Disembarkation was pretty normal. We hung around the ship until it was our scheduled time and then headed to the exit.

They had the security post at the exit, so you could pick up any confiscated materials, which due to earlier events I had to deal with this time. The table was full of power strips, which just brought back all the feelings of frustration since they should have been allowed.

Once off the ship, the rest of the process was pretty standard and didn’t take too long. We were able to get an Uber and head back to the hotel for our car with no issues.

Thankfully, the drive home was also just as uneventful and as with many trips we were happy to be home.

This is one of the few trips we actually got home on a Saturday, so we had all afternoon and Sunday to still relax and get ready for work on Monday.

As with many of our vacations, there are always moments of frustration and this trip was no different but I look back at it fondly and would always choose to be out on a ship rather than working! 🙂