It was a trip to parts seldom seen by cruise ships around the Sea of Cortez, and an experience we’ve been waiting for since they first mentioned a cruise port in Puerto Peñasco. We'd find that this cruise would also be attractive to Mexican travelers who want to avoid US border hassles, and there a number of Mexican cruisers aboard to keep things lively! It’s an easy and scenic drive north from Kino, and we were quick to sign on.
Three Kino Bay couples (Mann, Kolosseus & us) booked the January 20 cruise aboard the MV Astoria. Two more Kino couples (Powers & Jones-Crutchfields) boarded the last cruise, right after ours returned. There were wide ranging expectations among the six on our cruise and sometimes it felt like we were on three different ships. Or maybe 6 different ships! ¡Ah, Kino folks!
The itinerary included eight ports in the Sea of Cortez, departing from Puerto Peñasco (‘Rocky Point’), with port calls at Topolobampo-Los Mochis, Mazatlán, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Loreto, Santa Rosalia, and Guaymas. We’ve been to these places but hadn’t seen Mazatlán in about 30 years, so we were glad for an update on each port.
Our three cars caravanned north up La Costera (the coastal road), with only one bad stretch of ’baches’ (potholes) south of Puerto Libertad, where we stopped for a hearty lunch at an amiable little family-run place. The rest of the road was easy, with scenic views over the Sea. We’ve driven this route several times before, and this was a recap on road conditions.
We wandered the streets of old Puerto Peñasco that afternoon, and ‘the Rock’ is still the funky-artistic place we remember. Later we had dinner with our friend Glenda Maud and spent the night in a comfortable 3 BR rented condo. From the waterfront we saw our ship anchored offshore, beckoning like a siren’s call to an adventure. (BTW. ask any local if you want the full entertaining story about what happened to the highly-touted Cruise Port project in Puerto Peñasco. It's a good way to kill some time over a few beers.)
In the morning we stowed our cars near the Fonatur dock, and departed on tenders to the historic ship. At 72 years old (launched in 1948), she’s the ‘oldest cruise ship still in operation’ – and about the same age as most of the passengers aboard! She’s had many names over the years and was once owned by East Germany. But she’s now the ‘MV Astoria,’ operated by the British company Cruise and Maritime Voyages (CMV).
This is the ship once known as the ‘MS Stockholm’ – yes, the one that sank the ‘SS Andrea Doria’ in thick fog off Nantucket in July of 1956. I was 11 years old at the time, watching rescue efforts on the evening TV news, and the arrival of haggard survivors over the next few days in New York harbor. The old ship’s bell from the MS Stockholm got tangled in the collision and went down with the Andrea Doria, but was rescued years later. It’s now in a glass case on the Astoria – with a large dent it suffered in the crash.
Andrea Doria (1466-1560), an Admiral from Genoa, fought against the Ottomans and his bust stands today with other famous Italians in Rome’s hilltop Villa Borgese Park. The SS Andrea Doria was the pride of post-war Italy, and a luxurious way to cross the Atlantic, for those in the best cabins on the upper decks – where the worst damage occurred. Many passengers in the cheaper lower levels had booked passage to better lives in the New World.
To Italians the tragedy was like the sinking of the Titanic, but involving two recently-built ships with radar and other modern technologies. And today she lies about two hundred feet down off Nantucket Island, in an area swept by dangerous currents.
The authorities in Puerto Peñasco made sure this cruise would go well, and an armed patrol boat kept watch as we boarded the ship.
We slipped away from Puerto Peñasco in the evening, with drinks in hand and a floor show on the aft deck. And with the latest technology aboard (we hoped!), we partied safely through the night.
Our first two nights and a day were at sea, getting into the rhythm of the ship. A Champagne Welcome on our second night out, featured toasts by our courtly Portuguese Captain, and our Cruise Director, a big friendly Brit. And then we enjoyed one of many excellent dinners at sea, served on fine china still bearing the ship’s former name, “Açores.” The ship still sails under the Portuguese flag, which flies proudly off the stern rail.
Our first port was Topolobampo (say that three or four times real fast!). The very name rings with the exotic charm of a port call at the end of the earth. This is where the large fast ferry leaves for La Paz, and that’s how they supply the lower Baja. We’ve been on it three times and it’s a comfortable ride. It’s pricey to get your car or rig across the Sea, but the cabins are good for an overnight passage. Have your personal and car paperwork in order, as the Customs officials at La Paz treat the Baja like a separate country.
Our real destination was the prosperous nearby city of Los Mochis, an important agricultural center. Our knowledgable and amusing guide took us to the extensive Jardín Botánico Benjamin Francis Johnston. It’s a fine place on any nice day, with broad pedestrian lanes through the trees, plants, and ponds. And the ‘Plantarium’ greenhouse is filled with lush growth and a tank of large goldfish – a favorite for school outings and families. A ’Sin Popote’ sign asks folks to avoid using plastic straws. Mexico has been a leader in that effort in recent years.
Then we were off to the well-tended and verdant grounds of a large hacienda for a delicious luncheon cooked over a wood fire and an enthusiastic and gorgeous dance troupe.
Our last stop was the small Museo Regional del Valle del Fuerte. Our guide said he was among those painted on the mural behind the dancers. And the youngest dancer’s mom had to cinch up his pants because they were falling off due to all the heavy beads and other decorations.
After another restful night at sea, we docked in Mazatlán. The pier is close to downtown, and we walked ashore to meet up with our old friends Richard and Alana. They’ve lived part-time in the city for many years and play musical gigs around town, so they met us in their ‘traditional native costume.’ It was hard to imagine a better couple of guides to show us what’s been going on in Maz for the past few decades.
The downtown has been cleaned up in recent years, and it’s a fine place to hang out. There are good coffee shops and restaurants, and musical events at the renovated Teatro Ángela Peralta. And there are plenty of good bars where local combos play into the night. And we hopped on one of the famous pulmones for a cruise down the malecón.
Our next stop was Cabo San Lucas, where ships anchor out, and we tendered in to the dock. Cabo looks about like always – it’s still a great place for young head-bangers. And yes, there were times when we loved all that wonderful tacky stuff!
But we had friends in town at a resort, so we met them for lunch. Carolyn found a nice place online, and we asked a local bus driver how to get there. His route only went part of the way, then dropped us off to catch the next bus that would pass our lunch spot. It was a fairly short ride that only cost a few pesos, instead of paying extra for a cab.
El Puerto Viejo is a pretty classy place and the view was excellent, with our ‘hotel’ at anchor in the distance. There was even a great view over the neighborhood from the open-air men’s room, with clever sayings on the walls above.
And afterward we wandered the docks to get that full ‘Cabo experience.’ It was just like old times.
We left under a fine sunset over the western hills, and the kitchen crew put on a show at dinner!
In La Paz we docked at the nearby port of Pichilingue, where the ferry comes in from Topolobampo and other ships make port. And a good mariachi group welcomed us to town. All through the cruise we were impressed by local efforts to make this cruise a special experience.
After a short bus ride into town, we wandered the streets with Bev and Ray until we ran out of steam. We’ve enjoyed La Paz in the past, with fond memories of arriving once just in time for Carnival. There were bands of all kinds along the broad Malecón – from mariachis to a female grunge band – and Gloria Trevi was on the main stage. We appeared to be the only Gringos in town, and that works for us!
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That evening we left the lights of La Paz in our wake, and had a round of Blue Margaritas along with entertainment on the open back deck.
Loreto was as beautiful as we remembered it from our last visit almost a decade ago. In fact it may be even more beautiful today.
And there was good music waiting for us in the Plaza. The Hermanos Arce have been playing together for the past several decades, and they made it a special day. And the dancers brought all the brilliant colors of Mexico we always enjoy.
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Loreto has a beautiful central district for wandering and hanging out at small restaurants and coffee houses. We found a good handicraft shop on a back street. And the shop next door had some interesting piñatas.
There was a problem at Santa Rosalia, our next port call. We waited in a breezy cold morning to board the tender for shore. But the Captain finally announced that the current and one-meter waves were a hazard for boarding the small boats. But the real problem was that two-meter waves were predicted for the afternoon, and it would be impossible to bring us back to the ship. We’d leave instead for Guaymas, our next port, and spend an extra night there. We were looking forward to seeing what’s new in Santa Rosalia and felt sorry for the folks who had everything ready for our visit. But we only got a good view from the back deck as the ship pulled away.
Guaymas was our last port of call, and we got reacquainted with this old working port. We took a shuttle to the center of town for an afternoon wander, and a group of local kids were fascinated with fellow passenger Linda, an engaging Canadian championship weightlifter – with bright pink hair! She loved posing with the kids, and they posted plenty of selfies on their Facebook accounts. And across the harbor, beyond Bev and Ray, we could see our ship at the dock.
We’d signed on for a tour the next day to see things near the plaza that we’ve missed on previous visits and to get more of the history of Guaymas.
And then off to the local pearl farm, Perlas del Mar de Cortez, for an introduction to that different aspect of sea life. (John Steinbeck’s famous novel, The Pearl, was set in La Paz.)
We headed back to the Astoria and left Guaymas behind as the sun was setting. It was time for another fine dinner and another evening of very good entertainment.
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As for the cruise overall, we enjoyed it as a very special experience. One person aboard half-jokingly called it “the Motel 6 cruise,” but we knew it was only rated 3.5 stars when we booked on, and we were OK with that.
The breakfast buffet was ‘Brit-inspired,’ with the usual eggs, bangers, and beans, plus cold cuts. Omelets were made to order, but I didn’t want to wait so I went with the buffet. There was a variety of cereals and fruit, and some good granola. And there was Weetabix, a Brit breakfast ‘treat’ to some folks. Here’s an alternate take on Weetabix: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oasi93nVqE0
The dinners aboard were generally excellent, except those who ordered steaks felt they were not at their best. And the service was top-notch, with all the wine – good wine – that you could drink.
We had a group of very good mariachis to serenade us at dinners and other events and they stayed with us during the entire cruise.
Evening entertainment was much better than we expected, with a group of fine performers and excellent singers. And the bar drinks were very well crafted.
The ship’s store offered a good clothing selection and inexpensive 2-pin adapters to the European electrical outlets onboard, plus a variety of high-quality olive oils, and Greek jams for topping on Greek yoghurt.
Overall, it was a fine trip aboard an older historic vessel to a number of interesting ports around the Sea of Cortez. And when was the last time you were aboard a ship with signs pointing toward the “Wireless Station?”
Maintenance is always an issue on ships, and they used any time we were tied to docks for painting the hull. I got this pic through our porthole window.
Unfortunately CMV will not be repeating this itinerary, and this may have been our only chance to cruise aboard this historic old ship. And we're very glad we had the opportunity! We hope someone will offer this route again, although March or April may be a better time for a cruise in the Sea of Cortez than chilly January. — PRW