My views do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.
May 2025
Comparatively speaking, I had a pretty drama-free arrival to my new ship. I flew from the UK to California, then took a series of three flights overnight to Acapulco. Ron Voyage got me upgraded to first class on the final leg, and then – miracle of miracles- all of my bags arrived at the airport!
Getting through customs took forever, and I was in a hurry! A couple of weeks earlier, I’d found out that not only was Lauren waiting for me on Villa Vie Odyssey, but Dusan was there too! He is, in my humble opinion, the most talented techie that I’ve ever worked with. Our paths have crossed a few times, but we got to hang out the most on the Coral Princess where he was the Production Manager of the Explorers Lounge. He could fix things that others deemed unfixable, and he always subtly enhanced the experience with perfectly timed lighting and music. Plus he has such a kind aura – he just oozes good-person vibes. He’s not bad to look at, either.
I knew the old ship I was joining would be in better shape after he tinkered around with the production equipment. I was just as excited to see him as I was bummed that he would be disembarking as soon as I arrived.
Knowing he was about to leave, I had very little patience for customs and traffic, which were now standing between me and our reunion. Both Lauren and Dusan kept texting me along the way, fruitlessly urging me to hurry. When I finally reached the terminal, I was told that Dusan was already at the gangway. We would only have time for a quick hug.
Security at the Entrance told me to wait, and I told them that I needed to see someone onboard immediately. They said I could go- but I would have to leave my bags behind. I took off. I scolded myself for abandoning my luggage mere moments after arriving in Mexico, but I had to catch Dusan before he was gone!
We only had time for a quick, sweaty squeeze, but it was better than nothing! I still had four days with Lauren before she left on vacation. Lauren and I dragged my bags onto the ship, looked at the clock, and realized that I had safety training in 20 minutes. I took a lightning-fast shower and rummaged through my luggage for something professional to wear.
And just like that, I was on board. I was more acclimated to the time zone than usual, plus I had a handover. It was such a relief not to go straight into a sailaway party and then hosting karaoke late into the night.
Lauren’s replacement, Meg, had arrived a couple of hours before I did. I spent my first few days with them, soaking up as much time with Lauren as I possibly could.
We even managed a couple of short walks off the ship.
The first night in Manzanillo, the locals did a special performance just for our guests… er… residents (I have to get used to the new lingo). They performed in front of this giant statue:
In full costume:
The first morning in Manzanillo (my second full day on the ship), I learned that we’d be docking alongside the Island Princess in Puerto Vallarta. Andi was on the Island! My mom had just disembarked the Island Princess a couple of weeks before. I was IPM (in-port manning) that day, and I’d barely made any friends yet. I needed to find someone to cover my IPM!
Thankfully, I didn’t have to trade with someone who could also cover cruise staff duties – just someone with the same safety position. Luckily we had a drill the next day, so I was able to find someone to cover for me.
I said goodbye to Lauren (she was disembarking in Puerto Vallarta) while Andi filmed the Wake Show.
I met up with Emily (Business and Brand Director on Island Princess) while she took a quick break to come meet us (Lauren had to stay with the disembarking crew). Julie and Dave- some of my favorite guests from Diamond Princess– surprised me with a big hug on the street.
Island Princess is the sister ship to Coral Princess, which had been the smallest ship I’d worked on… until this one. Island Princess has twelve decks. Villa Vie Odyssey has eight.
Andi and I got some business done – we walked around the mall and Walmart. I’d visited Puerto Vallarta in 2022 on Discovery Princess, where Wendy, Stu my mom and I walked all around town, so I was happy to spend this visit soaking up time with Andi.
I was so happy to see him- what a fun surprise! We’d worked together on Diamond Princess, then he visted me in Southampton while I was on MSC Preziosa, and now we were meeting up again on my third ship of the year. I told him he’s now obligated to visit me every contract to keep the tradition alive.
A couple of days later, Meg, (Lauren’s replacement (and my new boss) and I went out in Mazatlán. I’d also stopped in Mazatlán on the same Discovery Princess cruise in December 2022. The shops didn’t open for our 200 guests like they had for Discovery’s approximately 3,500. In 2022, I’d visited the Aquarium with Wendy and Stu, then we had Mexican food and margaritas by the beach. We rode the little golf cart taxis and had an amazing time.
This time, Meg and I wandered through a quiet residential area in search of food and the old town.
We found a restaurant with the perfect atmosphere.
There were cocktail specials…
Gorgeous guacamole…
and Quesadillas…
we were very happy.
We wandered over to the beach,
And stumbled upon the Beatles.
Mazatlán was even more charming than I’d remembered.
The next day was a sea day. I’d deliver my first Destination talk – covering the next three ports we’d be visiting (and the last three in Mexico) : Topolobampo, La Paz and Cabo San Lucas.
Up until this point, this blog has mostly felt like a journal or diary as well as a way of sharing my experiences. But from here on out, I’ll be adding something new. Along with personal stories, I”ll also be sharing some other things I’ve researched about the places we’re heading to- starting with the next post.
Glad you are onboard.