The Incomparable James Hannan

So, after a very tiring 12 days of skiing in Whistler, it was time to head to LA before boarding our cruise to Mexico.

I had never been on a cruise, but always wanted to - I like the idea of visiting multiple destinations without packing bags and changing hotels every few days.

We were cruising on a Princess cruise, on board the Sapphire Princess. We arrived at San Pedro pier, and made our way to the ship. We boarded very smoothly, much easier than navigating international airports, and quickly found our room - which was just extraordinary. We had a sitting area, a bar, big bathroom and bedroom with a study, not to mention a huge balcony.

Every few rooms share a ‘butler’ of sorts, someone who will take care of any need you may have - ours was Rex, and he was the best. First stop on the cruise was Puerto Vallarta after two days of cruising, followed by Mazatlan, then Cabo San Lucas. You generally dock early morning, and then have from 8am till 5pm to do what you like in each destination, before getting back on the boat. Personally, the destinations where fantastic, but I couldn’t get over how good life on the ship was. You get breakfast served in your room on the balcony, with nothing but ocean to look at, you then go for a swim or a walk around, perhaps a coffee or a movie before lunch, then you relax all afternoon before picking one of 6 restaurants to dine at for dinner. You are so relaxed by the end of the cruise, you don’t want to return to reality.

Here are some pictures of our room;

Sapphire Princess Suite

Sapphire Princess Suite

It truly was sad to have to get off, but, all good things must come to an end - I am just happy we have another cruise booked for early 2010 through South America and the Panama Canal!