Inaugural Season of Princess' newest ship, Diamond Princess.

Year Built	2004
Tons	113000
Length (Feet)	970
Width (Feet)	123
Speed (Knots)	23
Crew	1099
Passengers	2670

Cruise Itinerary

   4/17/04 Embark

   4/18/04 At Sea

   4/19/04 At Sea

   4/20/04 Port of Call: Puerto Vallarta

   4/21/04 Port of Call: Mazatlan

   4/22/04 Port of Call: Cabo San Lucas

   4/23/04 At Sea

   4/24/04 Disembark

 

Green Flash

During the first evening's dinner, Allen watched the sunset through the window of the dining room and saw the rare Green Flash. Jules Verne's 1882 novel "Le Rayon Vert" (The Green Ray) popularized the green flash. Legend has it that one sees the green flash with whom you will share the rest of your life. Since ancient times people have marveled at this unusual phenomenon. The flash occurs because sunlight spreads out in air of increased density just like water vapor creates a rainbow. For the flash to occur refracted light must lose color at both ends of the spectrum. The violet-blue-green end of the spectrum is usually filtered out or scattered by air molecules as the sunlight travels a long low path through the atmosphere. Sometimes only the violet-blue is filtered leaving the green part and we see a green flash.

 

4/18 and 4/19, At Sea

Peyton's loves to pull on ceiling fans' controls. Peyton is famous with the employees at a hardware store (OSH) where they have displays he loves to play with...

 

4/20/04

Puerto Vallarta has uncluttered beaches, endless sunshine and glorious sunsets that are unforgettable. Other sights include The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadeloupe, an example of elegant Spanish architecture. The shoreline board walk is beautiful, but curiously dangerous with no railings to prevent people from falling over.

Casa Kimberly, located in Gringo Gulch, is famous from its once owners, Elizabeth Taylor and Burt Reynolds.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadeloupe

Beautiful boardwalk, but no railings!

Once back on the ship and Peyton discovers Ping pong.

We made our own ceramic photo frame on the ship.

 

4/21/04

Translated, Mazatlan means "place of deer" from the ancient Nahuati tongue. Great herds of deer were said to have roamed this area, located at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Resplendent with rich tradition and folklore, Mazatlan is said to have been frequented by priates who left behind their buried treasure. Noted for its sparkling sand beaches and warm Pacfic waters, Mazatlan is an ideal spot to get in a swim.

Iguana on Peifang's shoulder! Bigger than it looks - quite a long reptile...

We took a tour of Mazatlan in one of its famous open-air taxis.

Cliff Diver.

Our home-made matching "family world-tour" T-shirts.

The room steward used Peyton's sunglasses to add a touch to the Elephant creation he left for us.

 

4/22/04

Here at the tip of the Baja Peninsula where the amazing rock formation known as Los Arcos guards the entrance to the bay lies Cabo San Lucas which was once a hideout for pirates on the lookout for trading ships. Here you can spy on a no-longer-secret underwater garden through a glass-bottom boat, flirt with a whale or sea lion, shop at a quayside bazaar, or rekindle romance at the secluded Palya del Amor.

View of the rock formations from our balcony.

On our coastal tour, we get a closer picture of Los Arcos.

4/23/04, At Sea