After breakfast on the morning when we cruised toward Cabo San Lucas, Julie and I headed outdoors on Deck 7, the Promenade Deck, in hopes of seeing whales.
In the design of Majestic Princess, the architect opted for some reason to not have an accessible walking path all-around the ship on the Promenade Deck as on older designs. There are plenty of areas to walk outdoors, including on Promenade, but no continual path to do laps around the ship. I think some joggers in particular must find that to be off-putting.
However, most exercisers adapted by walking or jogging either with smaller circles a deck above the Lido Deck's main pool area or by going up and down stairs intermittently during laps on higher decks. Probably even more exercisers went with the stationary bikes and other cardio-machines in the gym.
As we walked outside, we asked some folks looking through binoculars if they had seen any whales, and they said yes, pointing out to the horizon as another spouted. Julie and I immediately went to the rail to watch the show.
Whales in the distance spouted and occasionally breached, but none as close as on the tour boat we took during our last trip to Cabo. To see whales, definitely take a small boat on an excursion during the appropriate season. However, also be certain to take in free sea life shows as you cruise into Cabo.
What really dazzled us were dozens of dolphins playing in the waves generated by our ship cutting through the ocean. We love dolphins, whether watching them swim by our condo when we lived in Redondo Beach or swimming with them in a theme park like Dolphinaris in Cozumel or during a chance encounter in the ocean.
The show on this day was unlike any we've seen before, with a near constant exhibition of leaps and spins that lasted a half hour. Julie took some amazing video footage, but it was too long to email. Still, we do have a short video clip to share.
An important element of every tropical cruise we take is snorkeling, so as soon as we took the tender ashore, we sought out a vendor selling snorkel trips. He of course wanted to sell a full tour, so we compromised with a tour of highlights in the bay plus drop-off at Pelican Rock for three hours to snorkel.
He brought us to the little boat, one that was a little bigger than the one we'd taken whale watching on our last trip. As it turned out, the captain spoke almost no English, so as far as being a harbor tour, it obviously would not be much in terms of narration. After doubling back to pick up another Princess guest who had apparently booked a snorkel trip right after us, we went to the snorkel spot.
The last time we snorkeled Pelican Rock, there had been no beach, apparently due to a very high tide. We had been forced to perch on sharp rocks. This time, we found a rather large sandy beach where we could rest between dips in the ocean. I suppose if the reverse had been the case, and the beach had disappeared, I could write an article about global warming devastation and sold it to Pop Sci.
In any case, it was a pleasant surprise. Speaking with another Americano who was on the beach between dives, we learned that he had actually walked all the way there. What had been bay on our last trip was on this day a sandy path, occasionally routing through ankle-deep water.
Wow! Perhaps a new ice age is looming! The water sure felt cold this time. Actually, the sea was about 76 degrees, but we had not brought rash guards along. Rash guards normally used for boogie boarding work great for retaining body heat and also protecting our backs from sunburns while snorkeling.
My first foray swimming out to a bigger rock formation proved frustrating, because we had also not brought our own masks and snorkels. The loaner mask the captain handed me didn't seal well and also fogged up almost immediately despite my usual spit treatment on the lenses. In addition, the snorkel seemed to give me almost as much salt water as air.
Plus, it was cold without a rash guard. Still, I swam around for twenty minutes before coming back.
The guy who walked to the point said he saw a lot of colorful fish of many varieties in the very shallow area on the other side of the rock formation closest to shore. Julie took his advice and also squirts from his baby shampoo bottle to coat her mask lenses. After a half hour swim, she reported back raving that she indeed saw lots of our favorite fish and also a squid.
We had time to take a couple of extra dips, and while it was never warm, it was definitely rewarding.
The boat's captain returned at the appointed time, always a relief when you've paid in advance and could otherwise be stranded. He took us for what passed as a tour sans narration. The best part was when he motored in very close to a needle opening between the rocks which felt kind of dangerous and would have been a disaster if his engine had died. The only photo I have does not show exactly how close, almost running aground.
Satisfied with our day in Cabo, we took the tender back to the ship to get back to what had already become our afternoon rituals onboard.
Julie had a Tia Maria and Coffee in lieu of her usual afternoon vanilla coffee at home, and I had either that delicious adult beverage or a stylized cappuccino, as we watched the pre-dinner entertainment in the atrium.
Los Brilliantes, a three-piece mariachi band in full regalia, proved to be not only quite versatile but also very talented, playing everything from ballroom dance music to Latin jazz to typical Mariachi fare. The excellent lead guitarist used filters to make his guitar sound like many other instruments, including horns when appropriate. We loved it all.
Cabo was a delight, as always.
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| Did I really look that much younger returning to the ship than in the morning, or is it just the hat? |
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