Sunday, February 4, 2024
Today started out as a beautiful and sunny day with smooth waters as we made our way toward Cabo San Lucas. The daily Cruise Compass is shown below.
For breakfast this morning, I started with a strawberry granola parfait, which was strawberry yogart layered with berries and topped with crunchy granola (see below).
Although I didn't take a picture of the rest of our breakfast, I had a Breakfast Burrito -- which is scrambled eggs, chorizo sausage, hash browns and cheddar cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla, served with tomato salsa. Mel had an everything omelet made of Virginia ham, smoked salmon, tomato, onion, mushrooms, spinach, peppers and cheddar cheese, along with hash browns and crispy bacon.
Today was day three on the cruise and the temperature was to reach 74 degrees. Since there wasn’t a cruise ship dock in Cabo San Lucas, we had to take a tender to get to shore. The night before we received a letter from our stateroom attendant with instructions about how to retrieve tender tickets -- which were required to go ashore. The tender was a little rough at first, but once we left from the cruise ship it became smoother.
We were now in Cabo San Lucas. Cabo San Lucas, nestled at the southernmost tip of Baja California del Sur, is Mexico’s notorious party paradise. It is an electrifying destination and playground for the rich and famous with a population of 202,694.
(The map above shows that Cabo San Lucas was on several steamship lines in the 1880s.)Archaeological excavations have shown evidence of continual human habitation in the area for at least 10,000 years. When the first Europeans arrived, they encountered the Pericú people, who survived on a subsistence diet based on hunting and gathering seeds, roots, shellfish, and other marine resources. They called the location Yenecamú.
Located at the tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula -- Baja California Sur -- where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez at the iconic stone arch of Land's End (or El Arco de Cabo San Lucas), Cabo San Lucas is about non-stop action, hot nightlife, celebrity sightings, the gorgeous sunny Medano Beach, world-class sport fishing and spectacular championship golf courses designed by some of the world's most legendary professional golfers.
The distinctive signature landmark, or simply “the Arch” -- is a rugged taffy-colored limestone arch roughly three stories tall, carved by the tide, wind, waves, and erosion over time a millions of years ago. This natural attraction erupts from the sea at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez as it runs down to the water’s edge at Land’s End, the southernmost tip of Cabo San Lucas.
After breakfast at around 9:40 a.m., we went up to the Deck 4 to secure some deck chairs to watch the scenery as we cruised along. As you will see later in my blog post, we enjoyed spectacular views of the Land’s End arch and Lover’s Beach from the comfort of our cruise ship as we sailed into Cabo San Lucas.
I got a chance to take a picture of the Navigator of the Seas Life Preserver from the deck as we were cruising into Cabo. The next several pictures are views as we are cruising along before we get to Land's End and the Arch.
After several hours of scenic cruising, we decided to take turns getting something to eat for lunch at the Cafe Promenade (shown below) on deck 5 so we could keep our great deck chairs. Cafe Promenade carried a variety of “easy-to-eat” food items including pastries, pizza, sandwiches and wraps, cookies and other desserts.
Happily munching on our food from Cafe Promenade, we continued watching the beautiful scenery along the Cabo San Lucas coastline.
Shown above and below are several resort hotels along the coast of Cabo San Lucas.
Now we're getting very close to Land's End and the famous Arch.
Our first glimpse of Land's End from a distance.
Now our first glimpse of the Arch.
Shown above is the distinctive Arch of Cabo San Lucas. In the winter, pods of whales have been observed in the area. They bear their calves in the warm waters of the Gulf of California after traveling up to 6,000 miles from Alaska and Siberia.
Boats take tourists closer to the famous arch of Cabo San Lucas, El Arco (see above and below).
In the above and below pictures, we could now see Lover's Beach. Known as Playa del Amor, or Lover’s Beach, this tiny little spit of secluded sands is nestled between two prominent jagged granite rock formations. The beach is one of the most sought-after attractions in Cabo San Lucas.
Sometimes called Playa del Amor or Lover’s Beach, this singular shoreline has many names. Many people question just how this famous beach at the end of Land’s End earned itself such a romantic string of titles. However, the answer differs depending on who you ask.
Some people attribute the name to its location. Lover's Beach is where the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean meet. Thus, where their union occurs is given the enchanting moniker of Lover's Beach. However, others claim the name comes from Lover's Beach itself. The rolling shore of golden sand, gently lapping waves, and shimmering turquoise waters paint the perfect picture of beauty, making the namesake of Playa del Amor an ideal fit.
But perhaps the most beautiful and tragic reason for the name is a story that dates back to the 18th century. The legend goes that a young woman from the area rescued a Japanese sailor, and the two fell in love on the shores of Lover's Beach. Alas, their love wasn’t meant to be. In a fit of rage, her father murdered the sailor, and the woman took her life on the shores of Divorce Beach located nearby.
Our cruise ship dropped anchor outside of Cabo San Lucas at around 12:30 p.m. We then jockeyed into position, anchoring offshore in the deeper water.
We watched closely as a larger ferry boat from Cabo San Lucas pushed an enormous floating dock up to the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Sea cruise ship (see below).
Then they worked meticulously to get it in just the right position.
In the meantime, we could see numerous ferry boats waiting for the floating dock to be stabilized and secured, so passengers off the ship could board the ferries and be transported into Cabo San Lucas.
The pictures above and below show numerous ferry boats waiting to pick up cruise ship passengers. At one time I counted 13 ferry boats in waiting.
After the large ferry made sure the floating dock was secured to our cruise ship, it was loaded with shore excursion passengers and then it took off.
Just as soon as this larger ferry was out of the way, two smaller ferry boats quickly pulled up and jockeyed into position to load more passengers to go ashore. This continued for quite awhile, until finally our tender ticket number was called and we made our way down to the tender area.
The ferry tendered us into the inner harbor with the transport taking only 10 to 15 minutes once everyone was aboard.
Above is a picture of Shirley and Mel on the tender ferry, while below is a picture of the tender loaded with passengers on our way over to Cabo San Lucas.
Above and below are some pictures of the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas anchored a short distance offshore from the Marina.
On our ferry ride, as we got closer to the marina, we could see people with umbrellas along the beach.
We could also see many sea birds bobbing in the water.
We now passed the La Teminal De Cabo (a famous restaurant in Cabo) as we made our way to the public maritime terminal.
We went ashore and were now in Cabo San Lucas. See Mel above by the Cabo concierge station.
We didn't take a shore excursion as we had been in Cabo San Lucas some 20 years ago. Instead, we simply walked around the marina harbor.
(Shown above is the Cabo San Lucas Marina.)
The marina is shaped like a U -- we just start walking around and stayed to the right. As we strolled around the marina, the area was lined with many, many vendors asking if we wanted to go on some sort of tour or adventure.
(Shown above is a walking map of Cabo San Lucas.)
As we strolled along the marina boardwalk, we passed by luxury yachts and famous bars, like Señor Frog's and the Cabo Wabo Cantina.
We saw pelicans dive-bombing for fish and snoozing on the docks as well.
There was a surprisingly large number of pelicans settled into the dockside environment and they seemed to play the role of the seagulls typically found at other beaches -- massing on the boats and docks as well as lounging on the rock ledges along Land’s End and the marina.
At the narrow entrance to the harbor, the pelicans bobbed in the water waiting. As sportfishing boats returned to the marina, the birds flew up and followed just off the stern, expecting to get scraps from the fishermen.
The pelicans were awesome and beautiful creatures for sure!
We gawked at the sleek white yachts and boats in the harbor wondering who owned those beauties!
The red and white striped Lighthouse Cabo located at Hotel Tesoro Los Cabos was a delightful culinary gem nestled in the vibrant marina. We were told that you could embark on a culinary journey like no other at the Lighthouse Restaurant -- where the flavors of the sea and the charm of Los Cabos unite to create a memorable and captivating dining experience. Maybe we will check it out next time.
Shown above is a local street vendor selling several types candy and nuts right out of a wheelbarrow.
Shown above is another photo opportunity for tourists at Cabo San Lucas.
At around 4:00 p.m., we have had our fill of Cabo San Lucas for the day and make our way back to the ferry boarding area. Shown above and below are a couple of pictures of the beach area in Cabo San Lucas as taken from the tender ferry as we journey back to our cruise ship.
We get back on board the ship and go to our stateroom to get ready for dinner. Tonight in the dining room they are offering "A Taste of Mexico." See the menu below.
For dinner tonight, Mel started out with an appetizer of chilled shrimp cocktail, which consisted of four tender shrimp, classic horseradish cocktail sauce and fresh lemon.
We both then had the roasted poblano pepper soup (a rich and silky soup topped with roasted corn, red peppers, fresh cilantro and sauteed chorizo) as shown below.
And then we both had the grilled sweet corn cakes (shown below) that were served golden brown with grilled vegetables, tomato avocado salsa and fresh cilantro.
For our main course, Mel and I both had the carne asada (shown below), which was a chili-marinated and grilled flank steak served with pinto beans, sauteed spinach and peppers, finished with a bright salsa verde.
Not being too pleased with the carne asada, I ordered a plate of spaghetti bolognese (shown above), which was a rich and meaty sauce with San Marzano tomatoes, roasted garlic, Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
Mel ordered the chili-lime crusted salmon (shown below), which was served over a sweet potato, mushroom and kale hash topped with tangy mango and bell pepper salsa.
Shown below Mel looks on his phone to give our waiter, Maricar our order for tomorrow night.
For dessert, Mel and I both had tres leches cake, which is a vanilla sponge cake soaked in a triad of sweet creams, with dulce de leche and meringue (see above and below).
After dinner, we went to the Schooner Bar to play 'Name that Tune - Queen Hits.' I decided to have a strawberry daquiri, while Mel had the port side punch, which was the drink of the day.
We decided that since we had already seen the Headliner Showtime performer, Jason Garfield, a World Champion Juggler before, we would remain in the Schooner Bar and wait for Piano Martin to play. Later, I had my second drink of the day -- a mudslide (shown above), and decided that was all I wanted for the day so I took two bottles of water back to my stateroom.
We called it an early night and headed back to our stateroom. Pleasant dreams y'all as we look forward to another day of adventure tomorrow in Mazatlan!
Shirley & Mel
Cabo looked like lots of fun. I loved all thr photos and good times. Whatever port we have gone too many look alike with shops etc. The water is beautiful. So glad you had a good tinrb. 👍
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