Jennifer's Pixie Vacations

03/15/2026

Mexican Riviera Royal Princess Cruise - March 2026 - Day 9 - (This was yesterday, but I got home late last night and didn't get to this.) Had to be out of the stateroom by 8:00 am so up early, showered and finished packing everything up. Went to the Main Dining room for breakfast. We had the first time for assisted luggage walk off - 8:15. I assume because of the Elite status. Was seated right away, plenty of breakfast selections available and I even got them to fully toast the English muffin. Our luggage tag was called at about 8:25. Finished up breakfast and headed to the line to walk off. It moved at a decent pace. Luggage was easy to find and customs used photo id for passport verification and it went super fast. Was outside in the pick up area at 9:00. My Pixie buddy's friend picked us up and took me to SNA. Arrived about 10. Luggage checked and through security in about 20 minutes. Luggage checking took longer than security. I would have made the 11:30 flight but everything went perfectly and relaying on that would have made me nervous. My flight was to board at 2:44 so had lots of time to kill. Read for awhile and then had lunch at Ruby's Dinner. BLT and onion rings were really good. Then sat by the window and crocheting for awhile. Boarding started about 20 minutes late as the plane arrived later than it should have. Boarding went quickly and the flight wasn't quite sold out. The middle seat next to me was empty so flight was quite comfortable. Flight was originally suppose to land at 9:30 but despite taking off late it landed at 9:00. Danny picked me up and was home shortly after 10:00. Walked in to happy cats. Misty followed me around as I unpacked and sat on my lap as I had a late night dinner. Another adventure completed.

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03/14/2026

Mexican Riviera Royal Princess Cruise March 2026 - Day 8 - Got up with the alarm today. Moving a little slowly as were others. Buffet breakfast was pretty crowded. Nice and sunny out - still windy and a little chilly. Went to the Culinary demonstration in the Princess Theater. The cruise director hosted while the head chef showed how to cook a pasta dish and a salmon dish. Then the head of the restaurants came out and they did a German cake bake off. Afterwards, we were directed to follow them on a tour of the galley. Basically, we were led down to the main dining room on level 5 and did a walk through of the galley. Always interesting to see, but no commentary on what we were seeing. Checked out the last day sales in the shops. Nothing exciting there. Walked the deck a little before going to the Last Day Art Auction. Always interesting to hear about the art and see what people will pay. Several Romero Britto pieces that I loved but I would have to sell my children to own. It ran late so I went to the Trident Grill on the lido deck and grabbed a cheeseburger and fries. Really good burgers. Next up was the Voice of the Ocean in the Princess Theater. Very much set up like the Voice tv show. The coaches were the cruise director, the comic from last night and one of the Latin Divos singers. 6 passengers performed and they were really good. It was not Korokke. And it packed the theater. Then had to take the time to pack up and get the suitcase out before dinner. Official time to put out the luggage is 9:00 pm but we figured we wouldn't be back to the room before then. Dinner was prime rib and baked potato in the main dining room. Was again seated in a different spot with a different wait staff. Afterwards, we went to Princess Live for what was billed as a game show - The top 5. It was really trivia. Showtime was the Latin Divos again which was a very enjoyable performance. For our last activity it was back to Princess Live for the Game Show Yes or No - where you have to answer a serious of questions and not say yes or no. Picked up some cookies from the International Cafe and back to the room. Tomorrow - heading home!

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03/13/2026

Mexican Riviera Royal Princess cruise - March 2026 - day 7 - Did not set an alarm for this sea day but woke up before 8:00 anyway. Went to the Main Dining room to try their breakfast. Basically what you can get at the buffet but with service. No grape jelly though. I was offered orange marmalade instead. Then it was off to the seminar - Life at Sea - where the cruise director showed slides and talked about life as crew members on a ship. Went to pick up the last of the ship's bracelet charms. Noticed I was given a discount - she said yes the Elite member discount. I said I didn't get that on the other charms I bought. A manager was there who then refunded me the discount that should have been given. Point for the new girl who rang it correctly the first time. Wandered some out on deck 7 which does not go around the ship. Each side has a small section with deck chairs. I went to the Lightning Fast Art Auction where the goal was to auction off 50 pieces of art in 45 minutes. I left before the ending to try lunch in the main dining room. I tried the grilled cheese which just wasn't right and then had the club sandwich. The truffle fries were really good. After lunch, I explored the Lido deck and the sun decks above. Found the adult pool and cabanas and several out of the way sun lounging areas. But there was no place to walk the entire loop of the ship. The jogging path was on the top of one side of the ship and it stated you had to circle it 7 times to go a mile. It was windy and not conducive to reading so I headed back to the stateroom for some quiet reading time. I had selected 4:30 for the formal night canapes to be delivered to the stateroom and they arrived at 3:45. A nice little snack. Decided the main dining room menu didn't really appeal and we back to Alfredo's the casual dine pizza place for dinner. Did Hawaiian pizza with Italian sausage. Good and filling. Then it was to the Princess Theater for Showtime - Mo Town Hits with the Princess singers and dancers. Very good show. We left right at the end to make our way to the Vista Lounge. First up was the Marriage Show - the Princess version of the Newlywed game. It was hosted by Jodie the cruise director and the couples were really funny. Next was the new game show No Shame, No Fame - which is their newly remade version of Royal's The Quest. It was a lot less raunchy then the Royal version. During this the overzealous lady behind me took the limes out of my drink to bring up to the stage. To her credit she was a little mortified when I said I guess I won't be finishing that drink anymore. And the last show of the evening was the adult show for last night's comedian LeClerc Andre. He again put on a good show and even ran over his time. Back at the room luggage tags for disembarkation were waiting. Tomorrow - last day at Sea.

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03/12/2026

Mexican Riviera Royal Princess cruise - March 2026 - Day 6 - Woke up before the alarm went off. Could see land as we were arriving in Mazatlán. Had breakfast at the buffet. It was sunny and warm out. Headed off the ship early to see the area before the excursion. There wasn't one. Trams drive you out of the container district into their port area, So, we hung out until our excursion - Mexican Dane and Sightseeing was ready to go. The guide let us onto the bus at 9:25 - meeting time was 9:50. Everyone was there and we took off at 9:35. The guide Arturo was really good. He memorized the names of all 26 in our group and told stories of growing up in Mazatlán. First stop was the Cliff divers where we watched 2 divers, dive off a cliff into the rock filled water below. Lots of pushy vendors here. Next stop was a beautiful catholic church built in the 1850's. Next stop was a shopping district. One side of the street had a lot of hotels and the other shops. I did find a pretty pair of earrings. But couldn't find a sweatshirt for Jessica or a doll in a traditional Mexican dance outfit. Last stop was for the Mexican Dance show. Really nice stage area surrounded by tables where they served food and drink. Had chips and salsa and really enjoyed the show. We took the scenic route along the beachfront back to the port and Arturo narrated more of the area's history and sites. We were dropped off in the shopping area which we had to walk through to get to the tram. Back on board we picked up sandwiches and drinks and had a light late lunch. I went out on deck to call the kids and check in before we sailed. Then headed up to the room and I could not get my medallion to open the door. The light on the door kept blinking red. Went down to guest services, explained and was the told the battery in the door needed to be changed out. She called a supervisor and said they would be up shortly to fix. I headed back up and about 10 minutes later the supervisor came up, let me into the room and changed the battery. Got ready for dinner, answered some email and headed to the sports bar to try to catch the Italy vs Mexico WBC game. It was not being shown - they could only show what was on ESPN. Attempted to get today's charm and were told they were inventorying them and it would be available tomorrow. Gave up and headed to dinner a little early. Menu was Chef's Table. Had the Spaghetti Carbonara and the cheese plate. After dinner, we went to the Vista Lounge for the new comedian Leclec Ash. He was pretty good and again no swearing. Then we watched the game show Majority Rules which was the same as it is on Royal Caribbean. And lastly was the Main Showtime event - A Magician in Smoke and Mirrors. Picked up cookies and juice for a late night snack and ready to call it a night. Tomorrow - Day at Sea!

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03/11/2026

Mexican Riviera Royal Princess Cruise - March 2026 - Day 5 - Up really early this morning. I ordered room service breakfast to be delivered between 7 & 7:30. Showered and was ready when they knocked at 7:00 am. I tried the pepperoni pizza muffin and could not stomach it that early. So had my croissant and apple juice. Wandered out onto the deck for a quick stroll. It was nice and sunny out. Meet up for the excursion - Cabo by Land and Sea was at 8:15 in the theater. By 8:20 we were heading to the tender boat. Nice ride over. The Marina was really busy. First part of the excursion was a small boat ride around the peninsula to see the arch, Lover's Beach and out into the Pacific. Saw a few whales. I love being out on a boat like that. Back on shore, our group of 15 went on the land portion of the tour. Frist stop was a glass blowing factory where we saw how they make things out of glass. They use all recycled glass. I did purchase a glass cat. Next up was a stop at the Mona Lisa restaurant which had a great view of the Arch and the bay. Received a cold drink here. The last stop was in San Jose del Cabo. We were dropped off in the town square where their was a city hall, old church and shops to look around in. Quite a few beautiful art shops here. Wandered around - didn't find anything to buy but got pictures. Then it was back on the bus for the 35 minute drive back to the marina. We did leave late as 1 of the 15 didn't get back to the bus on time and the guide had to go find her. Took the tender back to the ship. Water was really choppy going back and got wet as water sprayed into the boat as they attempted to dock. It was past 3:00 so I picked up a drink and a sandwich and went to put on dry clothes. Ordered room service through Ocean Now on the Princess app. Food came quickly. Intended to rest to an episode of Love Boat and crochet but ended up going to the First Cruisers reception. They offered free drinks which didn't mean much with having the Princess Plus package. Afterwards, headed to dinner in the Main Dining room. It was Italian night - had Heirloom Caprese, chicken parmesan and apple pie. Made it to the 7:30 Showtime in the Main Theatre which was Colors of the World - with the Princesses singers and dancers. Then did 2 game shows Liar's Club and Generation Trivia before calling it a night. The first was odd but funny. The second was actually pretty easy until they got to the music portion. Tomorrow - Mazatlán

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03/10/2026

Cabo by Sea.

03/10/2026

Mexican Riviera - Princess Cruise - March 2026 - Day 4 - Woke up before the alarm this morning. Showered and packed up for the shore excursion. Breakfast at the buffet was less crowded this morning. Found a table right away. Had hashbrowns, croissants and apple Juice. The waiter from yesterday remembered me and brought me a large apple juice. Went to the shops. Picked up today's charm. Then went to the Quizzacal Trivia in the Princess Live studio. Afterwards, went up to the top deck to watch the ship sail into Cabo San Lucas. No animal sightings but very pretty coming in. Went to the Princess Theater to meet for our Shore Excursion - Hotel California and Todos Santos. Ship cleared a few minutes early and we didn't have to wait long to get on the water shuttle to land. I've done water shuttles before. This was the first time the boat driver passed around a cup asking for tips. Very odd. Once off the boat, we were led to the motor coach. Very nice and air conditioned. It was about an hour's drive to Todos Santos. The guide narrated the drive. He grew up in the area and had pictures of it from the 70's he shared. When we arrived he walked us around the town. Some cool art work around the town and lots of shops. Then we were taken to a restaurant and fed a very late Mexican lunch. It wasn't bad. I ate about half of it. Then we had an hour to wander around and see the Hotel California. Which had a lobby with artwork on display, a gift shop and a courtyard. Really thought there would be more to see or tour. We headed back to the port, were dropped off and took the water shuttle back to the ship. Stopped at the International Cafe and grabbed a sandwich. Tonight's Showtime was a Mexican Folk Dance troupe from the area and there was only 1 show at 7:30. Didn't have time to do the dining room. Show was fantastic - dancers, a singer and a rodeo cowboy with a lasso. Then we went up to the Lido deck and tried the Pizza and Burger stands. Both were pretty good. We ate while the 80's dance party was taking place on the deck. Afterwards, we picked up some cookies at the buffet and took them to the room to save for a bedtime snack. Went to the Adult only comedy show by the same comedian. He was still quite good and still no swearing. Called it a night then as tomorrow, I have an early excursion in Cabo.

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03/09/2026

Mexican Riviera Royal Princess Cruise - March 2026 - Day 3- Set the alarm for 8:00 which was 7:00 am ship time. Time change is taking effect on the ship tonight instead of last night. Showered and went to the buffet for breakfast. Had a hard time getting my apple juice but the hash brown, croissant and cinnamon donut were quite good. First seminar we attended was in the Princess Theater about our port stops - Cabo San Lucas and Mazatlán. Next up we moved to the Princess Theater for the Princess first time cruisers seminar led by the cruise director Jodie -who kind of reminds me of Judy McCoy. Didn't win anything but learned about what each medallion color meant. Had lunch at Alfredo's one of their casual dining locations. The Princess Plus package includes 4 casual dining meals. I had a sausage pizza which was pretty good and very filling. I picked up my Love Boat charm bracelet - 5 charms for $10 set. Decided to go walk the deck and see if reading outside would be a good idea. And it wasn't. Extremely windy out. In fact, the very upper sun deck was closed due to the winds. Headed back to the stateroom and took a short nap. Then went to guest services to ask about my status. Elite benefit status should have been granted due to completing all the Princess training. Stood in line for over 20 minutes and the agent then found I had 2 profiles - one first cruiser and one Elite. She said she had to email the future cruise desk to fix. I went to the desk and as I walked in the crew member there looked up and said - oh I'm working on your account. He took 2 more minutes, changed my medallion to black and I was on my way. He also called food services and the mini-bar set up the room steward and removed was brought back. Went to the dining room for Afternoon Tea. I still don't like tea but the little cookies were good. Checked out what was on the tv. Movies and tv shows are free to watch. Among the choices are a lot of Love Boat episodes. Watched one as we got ready for dinner. Had dinner back in the main dining room. Was sat at a different table. Ordered a Shirley temple with Sprite Zero and no attempt was made to charge me for a can of soda. Dinner was shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad and Beef Tenderloin. After dinner, went to the Vista Lounge for the Comedian Mike Siegel. He said he had been in a lot of tv shows and such but I did not recognize him. He was pretty good - with no swearing. Went up to the Lido deck, still cold but got some popcorn and went in to eat in a warm lounge. Then went to the late showing of the main show Encore - a variety of songs sung by the ship's singers and dancers. An odd collection of songs but they all had amazing voices. Made a quick stop at the International Cafe. Got a piece of Lemon cake to try and headed back to the room to call it a night. Tomorrow - Cabo San Lucas.

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03/08/2026

Mexican Riviera Royal Princess Cruise - March 2026 - Day 2 - Slept in a little, had breakfast in the room and packed everything up. Slept very well despite the warnings about not being able to control the temperature in the room and thin walls. I didn't hear anybody in the halls after 10. Got a Lyft and the driver Juan was extremely friendly and personable. He told me all about his 2 cats. Was dropped off at the port at 11:15. Porter took the suitcase right away and I waited for my Pixie Buddy to arrive. We met up and went to the Green Line which was the shorter one outside for those who had their Medallions. The Medallions came with a lanyard but I swapped it into a wrist bracelet to make it just like a Magic Band. Inside there was quite a line to check in but it kept moving. After checking in, then it was the security line which moved fast and then onto the ship. Apparently, this morning they had a full coast guard inspection which is why it was so backed up checking in. Announcement was made that staterooms would be ready at 2:00. It was about 12:15. We scanned into our muster station and then headed up to the buffet for lunch. Buffet had a lot of variety and we found seats outside. It did become extremely windy as we ate. After eating wandered a little - saw the pool and the sports deck before heading to the room. We had bid for an upgrade to a balcony stateroom which we won. Room was set up with the 2 twin beds, desk and mini-frig bar area. Large (for a cruise ship) closet area. Bathroom is bigger than Royal's. Balcony seemed on the smaller side but had 2 deck chairs on it. Took a bit for the luggage to show up. I went and walked the hallway and found it sitting down the hall not moved here yet. Unpacked - found spaces for everything - storage not bad at all. Did a quick change for dinner and then went to wander the stores. We identified all the shops, found where the most of the eateries were and the entertainment venues. Dinner was in the Allegro dining room. It was the Sail away menu. Had the shrimp cocktail, fried brie bites (very good) and the Fettucine Alfredo which was fine. The virgin Mojito tasted off to me so I asked for a Sprite Zero. Was told that it only came in a can and they would have to charge me for it. Now with our Princess Plus plan I get 15 drinks - alcoholic or non-alcoholic - a day, along with up to 12 bottles of water and unlimited specialty coffees and teas. But not a $4.00 can of soda - had to be from the fountain. Made no sense. So I got a diet coke. Then we made the 7:20 main show in the Princess Theater - The 3 Latin Divos. They have amazing voices and one played the heck out of the violin. A lot of Italian and Mexican music with an Irish jig and Elvis thrown in. Next we went to the Princess Live! venue. Watched the Strikeout gameshow - where you had the choose the year the song was released. Then did Music Movie Trivia. It was about 10 and we went up to the Lido deck and all the different food venues were closing up. Went down tot he 24 hour International cafe and had a mozzarella and tomato sandwich and a Shirley Temple with Sprite Zero that was included in the drink package. Picked up bottled water for the room and called it a night. Tomorrow - the first Sea Day!

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03/07/2026

Mexican Riviera Royal Princess Cruise - March 2026 - Early trip to the airport with the eldest driving. Ran into an accident and the construction at O'Hare had traffic backed up more than usual at 5:00 am. TSA line was also twice as long as usual. Still made it to the gate within an hour of leaving the house. Flight boarded on time and smoothly. Then we sat for 45 minutes waiting to take off. Storms had all the planes leaving from the South and had to line up to take off. Still ran into some turbulence on and off. Arrived late. I flew into the John Wayne airport = very small and easy to navigate. Took a taxi to the Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach. The driver was talkative telling me all about how much the toll roads were and the how much tickets were for various traffic offenses. The Queen Mary Hotel is an old ocean liner that Long Beach bought and restored as a hotel and museum. Checked in and he found a ready room to give me. I booked the basic standard room with a double bed. It is more spacious then I expected but there is no closet which I found odd. ON the tour I took, he showed us a king room which had a closet and a desk and a minibar area. After dropping off my luggage, I went to the Promenade Cafe for lunch. Had chicken quesadillas and some really good crispy fries. Then I signed up for the Glory Days tour and went on the free Embarkation tour. It was a 30 minute introduction to the ship. Afterwards, I wandered around the ship. It was built in the 1930s, twice the size of the Titanic and was very fast. During WWII it transported troops from America to Britain. Decided I needed a nap before the official tour and took an hour to rest and do a little Pixie work. Then I went to the Glory Days Tour which was much more in depth and we saw more restricted areas. It was close to a private tour as there were only 3 other ladies on the tour with me. Afterwards, did a little more wandering then went to have dinner at the Observation Bar. Great view of the Harbor and live music. Had a grilled cheese sandwich and homemade chips. Walked off dinner with a walk around the promenade deck in the dark before calling it an early night. Tomorrow - boarding the Royal Princess

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03/07/2026

Staying on the Queen Mary Hotel before cruising tomorrow. She is an ocean liner built in the 1930’s. Now retired from sailing it’s fascinating to walk around and see how they sailed then.

10/24/2025

Royal Caribbean Pixie Fam Wonder of the Seas & Disney World trip - Day 8 - Up early again. Dropped off luggage at bell services and was on the first bus to Magic Kingdom at 7:15. Went through security right away. Was scanned into the park at 8:00. There was no rope drop area. Scanned again for the Early Entry and was able to directly into Fantasyland and line up. I lined up for the Mine Train. Hadn't done it in awhile. The line was let into the que at 8:30 and the ride started. Was off the ride at 8:45 and headed to Peter Pan and was done with that at 9:00. Headed to the Little Mermaid which opened up about 5 minutes later. Rode that and then Small World. Headed to use my Pirates LL and it was down which really messed with my schedule. At this same time Tiana and Space Mountain were also down. I I went to the Hall of Presidents but the next show wasn't until 10:30. Wandered until my Jungle Cruise LL was ready. Skipper Libby was really good. Then I used my LL for Haunted Mansion and finally Pirates was running. I had lunch at Columbia Harbor House - the fried shrimp basket. Before I headed back, I went to ride the Railroad. I had found out that the Frontier Land station was closed. I was still surprised when I boarded the train at Main Street and found out it was going to go backwards to Fantasyland and then forwards back to Main Street. They had changed the seating so half the seats were facing one way and half the other way. So with the construction going on the whole track around Frontier Land is closed. After the ride, I headed back to the resort to get ready for airport pick up. The lobby area of All-Star Music had comfortable seating with outlets so I got on the computer to do a little work while waiting. Ride to the airport was uneventful. The line for TSA was longer than typical and they had 3 agents working it. Another uneventful flight and came back to a very chilly Chicago evening. Danny picked me up and I came home to happy kitties!