We checked out of our hotel and were driven to the pier to be tendered to the Golden Princess at anchor in the harbor. Our luggage, too many bags, was loaded and we went to the ship. This passenger ship is 950 feet long (three football fields) and carries 2,600 passengers. Since this is Easter vacation, most of the passengers appear to be children of all ages who are everywhere. Our state room is in the aft section of the ship which means a walk of some considerable distance to go anywhere on the ship and which is a good reason to avoid anything located in the bow of this ship. We pulled anchor and left the harbor heading for Puerto Vallarta. The seas are flat, but here in the stern of the shift above the propellers, there is a "swaying"  I hope to get used to. There were Good Friday services and I was surprised to see over 250 people in attendance, but I guess there are a lot of passengers. Afterwards we had the life vest drill narrated in both English and Spanish along with a lot of safety rules so it took longer then what I am used to on cruise ships.

We have our office cocktail party tonight even though it seems like an inappropriate time, given it’s Good Friday, but it was the only day that worked well for everyone. We have about fifty people we are taking on this cruise so we have had to think about schedules of group activity. Tonight is also formal night which means I need to put on the tuxedo I didn’t want to pack and really don’t like wearing. After tonight I plan to stick to shorts and tee shirts as much as I can.  These big ships are not my favorite way to travel. We were on the new Queen Mary II shortly after it was put in operation and I have never recovered from the great distances required to get around on that monster of a ship. Beautiful, but enormous with too many passengers. I am hopeful this cruise will be less strenuous then the Queen Mary. The weather remains sunny and warm. More reports to follow