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Photos from aboard the Holland America Oosterdam as it cruises through the Mexican Riviera. The cruise starts in San Diego. The port is located very close to the airport as well as downtown. Nearby are Mission Beach and Coronado.

As the cruise ship leaves the port for the cruise it passes by Cabrillo National Park before sailing south to Mexico while the sun sets over the hill.

As the ship sails out of port, there are sailaway events poolside to get people into the mood for a visit to Mexico.

The first stop is two days later in Cabo San Lucas. Cabo is regarded by most as a 'party city'. There are certainly beautiful beaches to catch the sun as well as a small town to investigate.

Cabo is a tender port. For those who have never tendered, it means the marina is not deep enough for a cruise ship. The ship gets as close as reasonably possible, and then drops anchor. It also drops a few of the life boats, which serve as tender boats, ferrying passengers from the ship to land. This process adds about 30 minutes to getting to shore.
After the 30 minute maneuver to shore, you are greeted by an armed Mexican security person. It is assumed that the armed men are there to protect the passengers, not to recruit for the Mexican military, but the definite visual precense of their weaponry does not provide the greatest comfort.

What's that, a coke that costs $7? No, your eyes aren't fooling you, it really is $7, but that's Mexican dollars. The Mexican dollar sign and US dollar sign are virtually identical, but the current conversation rate is $10.6 Mexican dollars for every US dollar. That means the bottle of coke is closer to 70 cents, which is not such a bad deal.

Boat tours are very popular in Cabo San Lucas, despite the fact that most tourists just arrived by boat. This particular boat is able to ferry up to 200 people at a time to Lands End, providing narration, free drinks, and a relatively smooth ride.

This boat offers a different ride than the one pictured above. The catamaran holds a smaller amount of people, but offers loud music, more drinks, and less narration. People on this tour are likely to be a younger crowd.

This catamaran visits the Lands End and then continues on for 45 minutes towards a heavily occupied reef area for snorkeling. On the tour I took, I was able to see many types of fish and some fish were in schools in the thousands. Other fish sat alone at the bottom of the ocean. It was a wonderful tour.

You are not seeing dead bodies floating in the ocean, but rather snorkelers looking at the vast amount of fish below them. Jumping in the water without a mask, one would not know just who they were sharing the water with. One look with the mask and it is quickly revealed that there are thousands of fish nearby.

Aboard the pirate ship in Cabo, the crew is dressed to give you the impression you are going to hunt for treasure. However, instead of treasure, this ship wil take you out to Lands End, and then for a snorkel trip in heavily populated waters. The ship is supposedly from 1885.

A very popular tour in the winter time in Cabo San Lucas is whale watching. The humpback whales of Alaska make their way down the California coastline and find safe waters in Mexico to give birth to their children. On this particular ocassion there were at least 6 whales out, but finding the right opportunity to photograph them was difficult.

Back in the Cabo marina, many boats sit idle, waiting for passengers to sign up for tours. Most boats here are not pleasure boats, as would be found in most American marinas. These boats are all ready to take tourists out on the water for the right price.

The shops in the Mexican Riviera don't vary much from town to town. This one in Cabo offers very standard blankets and bowls. Prices are very negotiable.

After a day in Cabo, which is on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, the ship heads East towards Mazatlan. Mazatlan is the smallest city that this ship visits. There are not so many places to visit in town, but there is an impressive hill capped by a lighthouse. This lighthouse is claimed to be the highest in the world.

Near the lighthouse, waves crash into the land, smoothing over the rocks on the shore, to the point where they are all perfectly smooth.

On the way back to the ship there is a marina where many boats are anchored in the bay, waiting to take tourists on a sport fishing adventure.

As mentioned, Mazatlan is not the most exciting port, so many people make their way to the aft pool on deck 9 to catch some sun. The pool doesn't get a lot of use because of the large number of other things to do on the ship.

If you do wander around the old town of Mazatlan, which is near where the cruise ships dock, you'll find many streets lined with buildings just like these. Note the randomness of the sidewalk heights in relation to street level, as well as the vacancy of the buildings.

Still, even in the heart of all these decrepid buildings, Mazatlan has a wonderful Catholic Cathedral. The Mexican population is largely Catholic, and they take their religion seriously. Entry into the Cathedral is not allowed without long pants on. Surrounding the Cathedral, many Mexican opportunists peddle goods to the waves of tourists that arrive by bus and taxi.

Back on board, into the evening, the passengers of the ship gather in the Queens Lounge to cheer for their favorite competitors in Oosterdam Superstars. Passengers sign up to compete, and then through several elimination rounds, one passenger is chosen as the superstar of the week. Do you have what it takes to win?

The final stop on the cruise before returning to San Diego is Puerto Vallarta. Another tender port, but for different reasons. There is plenty of depth to the marina for a cruise ship to park, but other ships have preferential treatment or just get there first and get the best parking spaces. Here, the Carnival Pride is docked while the tenders from the Regal Princess and HAL Oosterdam pull up to unload.

Puerto Vallarta has some cultural extremes. On one side there are the dirt roads and shanties. Next to those there are the resorts for tourists, which often sit right on the beach, as this one does, with a wonderful pool and view of the anchored cruise ships.

This view was shared by Elizabeth Taylor and her husband at the time, Richard Burton, through the late 70's and 80's. What they saw during the 80's is very different than today. An unobstructed view of the ocean was theirs. Today there are many resorts, houses, shops, and restaurants vying for a piece of the panoramic view.

The shops in Puerto Vallarta sell similar items as the other stops along the Mexican Riviera, but this part of town meanders through the forest, next to a stream. There are actually rope and wood bridges that cross over the stream. They are not for the weak of heart or for those wearing clunky heels, because they are not very stable. Even a walk across with sandals is risky.

Along the way through one of the driving tours of Puerto Vallarta, a stop is made to sample Tequila. In this tasting, there are three different grades, or ages, of tequila. The left most has not been aged at all. The middle one has been aged for 6 months. Finally, the one on the right (and coincidentally the most expensive) has been aged for 3 years. Prices go up to $55 a bottle for the 3 year version, which is considerably higher than Jose Cuervo on the ship.

Similar to the US, pizza is available from well known businesses in Mexico. However, it is delivered to houses by a different means. Small motorcycles equipped with pizza racks on the back are used to transport a pizza to its destination. I guess they don't have to worry about it being hot when it arrives, since the air is usually very hot in Mexico.

An outdoor 'indoor' soccer field, next door to Burger King.

This truly is the epitomy of Mexico. A bar doesn't need to be any more than a few coolers, ,some benches, and a drawing of a pitcher of beer. This bar was found at the end of the Sierra Madre hike in Puerto Vallarta. The hike is very difficult because of the intense heat, even in the winter, and the elevation changes. The beers are welcome at the tend of the walk.

On the "Tropical Jungle Paradise" tour in Puerto Vallarta, there is an easy walk through the lush green jungle, part of which entails crossing this stream. The stream is not deep, so people just remove their shoes and walk across. The sand on the bottom of the stream was very soothing to my feet, but the water was chilly.

This photo shows the instruction given before undertaking the "Canopy Adventure" tour in Puerto Vallarta. This tour is a fairly physically demanding tour, and one of the most popular. Only 14 people at a time can go on this tour, which involves wearing a harness and swinging along ziplines from tree to tree. Most ziplines are at least 100 feet long, with the longest being 666 feet. There is also a tarzan swing and two bridges suspended between trees to cross. Overall, this is an excellent tour, well worth whatever they charge for it.

The Oosterdam stopped in Pitchilingue three times during the Holiday Cruise season. Pitchilingue is basically just a place to dock the boat, and from there, you take a bus to La Paz. La Paz was not that exciting. In fact, the most exciting thing I sawa was this man feeding the birds outside the cathedral.

The Oosterdam sails back to San Diego after a journey into three ports of call in the Mexican Riviera.

	As the cruise ship leaves the port for the cruise it passes by Cabrillo National Park before sailing south to Mexico while the sun sets over the hill.
	As the ship sails out of port, there are sailaway events poolside to get people into the mood for a visit to Mexico.
	The first stop is two days later in Cabo San Lucas. Cabo is regarded by most as a 'party city'. There are certainly beautiful beaches to catch the sun as well as a small town to investigate.
	Cabo is a tender port. For those who have never tendered, it means the marina is not deep enough for a cruise ship. The ship gets as close as reasonably possible, and then drops anchor. It also drops a few of the life boats, which serve as tender boats, ferrying passengers from the ship to land. This process adds about 30 minutes to getting to shore.
	After the 30 minute maneuver to shore, you are greeted by an armed Mexican security person. It is assumed that the armed men are there to protect the passengers, not to recruit for the Mexican military, but the definite visual precense of their weaponry does not provide the greatest comfort.
	What's that, a coke that costs $7? No, your eyes aren't fooling you, it really is $7, but that's Mexican dollars. The Mexican dollar sign and US dollar sign are virtually identical, but the current conversation rate is $10.6 Mexican dollars for every US dollar. That means the bottle of coke is closer to 70 cents, which is not such a bad deal.
	Boat tours are very popular in Cabo San Lucas, despite the fact that most tourists just arrived by boat. This particular boat is able to ferry up to 200 people at a time to Lands End, providing narration, free drinks, and a relatively smooth ride.
	This boat offers a different ride than the one pictured above. The catamaran holds a smaller amount of people, but offers loud music, more drinks, and less narration. People on this tour are likely to be a younger crowd.
	This catamaran visits the Lands End and then continues on for 45 minutes towards a heavily occupied reef area for snorkeling. On the tour I took, I was able to see many types of fish and some fish were in schools in the thousands. Other fish sat alone at the bottom of the ocean. It was a wonderful tour.
	You are not seeing dead bodies floating in the ocean, but rather snorkelers looking at the vast amount of fish below them. Jumping in the water without a mask, one would not know just who they were sharing the water with. One look with the mask and it is quickly revealed that there are thousands of fish nearby.
	Aboard the pirate ship in Cabo, the crew is dressed to give you the impression you are going to hunt for treasure. However, instead of treasure, this ship wil take you out to Lands End, and then for a snorkel trip in heavily populated waters. The ship is supposedly from 1885.
	A very popular tour in the winter time in Cabo San Lucas is whale watching. The humpback whales of Alaska make their way down the California coastline and find safe waters in Mexico to give birth to their children. On this particular ocassion there were at least 6 whales out, but finding the right opportunity to photograph them was difficult.
	Back in the Cabo marina, many boats sit idle, waiting for passengers to sign up for tours. Most boats here are not pleasure boats, as would be found in most American marinas. These boats are all ready to take tourists out on the water for the right price.
	The shops in the Mexican Riviera don't vary much from town to town. This one in Cabo offers very standard blankets and bowls. Prices are very negotiable.
	After a day in Cabo, which is on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, the ship heads East towards Mazatlan. Mazatlan is the smallest city that this ship visits. There are not so many places to visit in town, but there is an impressive hill capped by a lighthouse. This lighthouse is claimed to be the highest in the world.
	Near the lighthouse, waves crash into the land, smoothing over the rocks on the shore, to the point where they are all perfectly smooth.
	On the way back to the ship there is a marina where many boats are anchored in the bay, waiting to take tourists on a sport fishing adventure.
	As mentioned, Mazatlan is not the most exciting port, so many people make their way to the aft pool on deck 9 to catch some sun. The pool doesn't get a lot of use because of the large number of other things to do on the ship.
	If you do wander around the old town of Mazatlan, which is near where the cruise ships dock, you'll find many streets lined with buildings just like these. Note the randomness of the sidewalk heights in relation to street level, as well as the vacancy of the buildings.
	Still, even in the heart of all these decrepid buildings, Mazatlan has a wonderful Catholic Cathedral. The Mexican population is largely Catholic, and they take their religion seriously. Entry into the Cathedral is not allowed without long pants on. Surrounding the Cathedral, many Mexican opportunists peddle goods to the waves of tourists that arrive by bus and taxi.
	Back on board, into the evening, the passengers of the ship gather in the Queens Lounge to cheer for their favorite competitors in Oosterdam Superstars. Passengers sign up to compete, and then through several elimination rounds, one passenger is chosen as the superstar of the week. Do you have what it takes to win?
	The final stop on the cruise before returning to San Diego is Puerto Vallarta. Another tender port, but for different reasons. There is plenty of depth to the marina for a cruise ship to park, but other ships have preferential treatment or just get there first and get the best parking spaces. Here, the Carnival Pride is docked while the tenders from the Regal Princess and HAL Oosterdam pull up to unload.
	Puerto Vallarta has some cultural extremes. On one side there are the dirt roads and shanties. Next to those there are the resorts for tourists, which often sit right on the beach, as this one does, with a wonderful pool and view of the anchored cruise ships.
	This view was shared by Elizabeth Taylor and her husband at the time, Richard Burton, through the late 70's and 80's. What they saw during the 80's is very different than today. An unobstructed view of the ocean was theirs. Today there are many resorts, houses, shops, and restaurants vying for a piece of the panoramic view.
	The shops in Puerto Vallarta sell similar items as the other stops along the Mexican Riviera, but this part of town meanders through the forest, next to a stream. There are actually rope and wood bridges that cross over the stream. They are not for the weak of heart or for those wearing clunky heels, because they are not very stable. Even a walk across with sandals is risky.
	Along the way through one of the driving tours of Puerto Vallarta, a stop is made to sample Tequila. In this tasting, there are three different grades, or ages, of tequila. The left most has not been aged at all. The middle one has been aged for 6 months. Finally, the one on the right (and coincidentally the most expensive) has been aged for 3 years. Prices go up to $55 a bottle for the 3 year version, which is considerably higher than Jose Cuervo on the ship.
	Similar to the US, pizza is available from well known businesses in Mexico. However, it is delivered to houses by a different means. Small motorcycles equipped with pizza racks on the back are used to transport a pizza to its destination. I guess they don't have to worry about it being hot when it arrives, since the air is usually very hot in Mexico.
	An outdoor 'indoor' soccer field, next door to Burger King.
	This truly is the epitomy of Mexico. A bar doesn't need to be any more than a few coolers, ,some benches, and a drawing of a pitcher of beer. This bar was found at the end of the Sierra Madre hike in Puerto Vallarta. The hike is very difficult because of the intense heat, even in the winter, and the elevation changes. The beers are welcome at the tend of the walk.
	On the "Tropical Jungle Paradise" tour in Puerto Vallarta, there is an easy walk through the lush green jungle, part of which entails crossing this stream. The stream is not deep, so people just remove their shoes and walk across. The sand on the bottom of the stream was very soothing to my feet, but the water was chilly.
	This photo shows the instruction given before undertaking the "Canopy Adventure" tour in Puerto Vallarta. This tour is a fairly physically demanding tour, and one of the most popular. Only 14 people at a time can go on this tour, which involves wearing a harness and swinging along ziplines from tree to tree. Most ziplines are at least 100 feet long, with the longest being 666 feet. There is also a tarzan swing and two bridges suspended between trees to cross. Overall, this is an excellent tour, well worth whatever they charge for it.
	The Oosterdam stopped in Pitchilingue three times during the Holiday Cruise season. Pitchilingue is basically just a place to dock the boat, and from there, you take a bus to La Paz. La Paz was not that exciting. In fact, the most exciting thing I sawa was this man feeding the birds outside the cathedral.
	The Oosterdam sails back to San Diego after a journey into three ports of call in the Mexican Riviera.