Cabo San Lucas

April 7^th, 2024

We were due to arrive in Cabo again at 1:00PM but when I looked out our window at 8:00 AM it looked like we were almost there.

Then the captain announced that there had been a medical emergency on board, so we would be arriving early, and as soon as they could get immigration clearance and the tenders organized, we would be able to go ashore early. We would still be able to remain in port until 10:00 PM.

Yay for more time in port, but I felt sorry for the poor passenger with the medical issue.

Soon after our arrival we looked outside, and sure enough the ship’s tenders and the water shuttles looked poised to take people ashore.

After our great tour to Todos Santos a few days ago, we thought we would forgo an organized tour this time, and our plan had been to take a water taxi to a beach, and to lie on the sand for a few hours.

As it must be a challenge getting 3,000 people off the ship, everyone couldn’t get off at the same time, and you had to obtain a ticket for the water shuttle/tender and wait until your number was called.

It was 10:00 AM when they called for the first group to take the shuttle, and we thought we would stay on board until there was no longer any need to obtain a ticket, and we could just go ashore at our leisure.

I sat on our balcony admiring the view

while Brian did all sorts of fancy things to the lens of his camera so he would be able to take eclipse photos tomorrow.

There were 2 other ships in the bay with us, the Holland America Konigsdam which will be eclipse watching with us, and Explora 1 which will be sailing to Los Angeles and will miss all of the fun tomorrow.

By 1:00 PM they were still calling out the numbers for the groups to go to the shuttles, so we thought we would wait by the pool.

By 2:30 you still needed a ticket to get a shuttle. We decided by then that we were actually very happy by the pool, and if it was taking this long to get passengers off the ship, what will it be like when we try to come back on board.

We changed our plans. We decided to stay by the pool and swim instead of going to a beach. We had a good view of the beach, and didn’t have to worry about bringing sand back to the cabin.

To make up for the lack of a beach day, I went to get one of the fancy ice creams they have on board. Now I am very partial to a nice hot fudge sundae, but I have to say this was a bit over the top. Nevertheless, it was delicious and worth the calories.

The only issue was how to eat the chocolate around the top of the glass without making a real mess? I never found the answer, but the chocolate and sprinkles did taste very good.

Getting ready for dinner we had a nice view of the sunset.

Explora 1 had moved on by then, but the Konigsdam was still there.

There was meant to be a Mexican folkloric show this evening. One of the real joys of late nights in port has always been the ability for local performers to come on board and entertain us. I was looking forward to this. I was hoping for a mariachi band. However, due to “issues with immigration” the performers were unable to come on the ship.

I was very disappointed, but one of the assistant cruise directors, Savannah Shepherd, filled in at the last minute, and gave a totally amazing performance. She is a soprano with a really lovely voice, and she sang several of my favorite operatic arias as well as a selection of songs from several musicals. This may not have been everyone’s cup of tea, but I was absolutely in awe of her talent.

When the show was over, even though it was after 10:00 PM, we were still firmly at anchor, and I could see the water shuttles trying to get everyone back on board. It was a lovely warm night, and the twinkling lights of Cabo made a stark contrast to the dark water below our balcony. However, the Konigsdam certainly brightened up the bay.

Suddenly there was a loud bang, and looking towards the direction of the Konigsdam there was a flash of light. Fireworks! We were treated to an amazing firework display and our balcony was the perfect place from which to really take advantage of it.

Finally everyone was back on board, the tenders were safely attached to the ship once more, and the water shuttles beat a hasty retreat back to the harbor.

It was time to head off into the night in order to make our rendezvous with the Discovery Princess off the coast of Mazatlán tomorrow. We both plan to make the most of the eclipse tomorrow morning. I am soooooo excited!