The newly built Star Princess made its maiden port of call in Seattle this weekend. She was constructed in 2025 by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy, with a capacity for 4,300 passengers and a gross tonnage of 175,500. The Star Princess is the second Sphere-class vessel for Princess Cruises, a sister ship to the Sun Princess.
The Star Princess was at Pier 91 with MS Noordam on the opposite side of the pier, and was scheduled to depart this afternoon at 3 pm.
Instead, it was MS Noordam that sounded her horn three times, and departed shortly after 3 pm.
I waited until after 4 pm for Star Princess to depart, and then gave up. (Later, at home, I saw online that the Star Princess had departed at 5.25 pm).
I walked up to the Magnolia Bridge to take another picture or two, and right then the Norwegian Encore came by in the distance. She was at Pier 66.
Port of Seattle’s Pier 91 this afternoon at 3 pm. From left to right: the Star Princess, the Arctic Fjord (a state-of-the-art, 325.8-foot/ 99-meter U.S.-built factory trawler designed for harvesting and processing Alaska pollock in the Bering Sea) and the MS Noordam. A closer look at the Star Princess. The dome at the top is a multi-level, glass-enclosed top-deck venue. The structure directly in front of the dome is a relaxing, forward-facing outdoor area known as the Sea View. The bridge is located at the very front of the ship, situated on Deck 15 (the Sun Deck).The MS Noordam, bound for Juneau, Alaska. The MS Noordam had sounded her horn three times, backed away from the pier, and turned north. In the foreground in Elliot Bay Marina. So now all of Star Princess is visible from my vantage point at Elliott Bay Marina. I am not 100% sure, but I believe this tugboat is using its water cannon to produce a ‘water salute’ to the Star Princess prior to her departure. Look at the Mountain looming in the distance, magnified by my telefoto lens. By about 4.20 pm at Elliott Bay Marina, I gave up to see Star Princess depart. Her mooring lines were still in place. I walked up the Magnolia Bridge to get this view of Pier 91 for a final picture or two. The vessel to the left of Star Princess is Seaspan Baker, a bunkering tanker. These are specialized vessels designed to supply fuel (bunker) directly to other ships for propulsion and energy. While I was on the Magnolia Bridge, the Norwegian Encore came by. She was at Pier 66 and had a scheduled 4 pm departure. She was a little late departing as well (this picture taken at 4.35 pm).
It was a beautiful spring day here in the city (62°F / 17°C).
The Norwegian Bliss set sail for Sitka, Alaska shortly after 4 pm this afternoon, from Pier 66 here at the Seattle Waterfront.
Norwegian Bliss will spend two days at sea to get to Sitka on Baranof Island. Then she will make her way back to Seattle along the Alaska Inside Passage (a network of sheltered waterways, fjords, and lush islands stretching from Washington State through the British Columbia coast to the Alaska panhandle). [Map generated from cruise itinerary with Nano Banana 2 by Google AI. The map is close but not 100% accurate. Icy Strait Point (5) is to the west of Juneau.]Is the mountain out? Yes. The view to the south from the top of Pike Place Market along Alaskan Way this afternoon. I walked as far as I could on Pier 62 for this picture. Norwegian Bliss is at Pier 66.There is a game of chess and several cornhole games in progress on Pier 62. The staircases are part of the pedestrian overpass to Pike Place Market and downtown. The expanded Seattle Aquarium is housed in the structure with the darkened wood shell on the right.I made my way to the cruise terminal building by Pier 66 and took the elevator up to the viewing deck on the fifth floor.The departure time of 4.00 pm has come and gone 5 minutes ago. The mooring lines have all been taken care of, though, and it can only be minutes to departure. There she goes, pulling away from the pier. There was no tugboat, and Norwegian Bliss did not sound her horn. Bon voyage!
The MS Noordam from Holland America Line arrived at Pier 91 at the Port of Seattle at 7 am this morning, completing her 36-night crossing of the Pacific Ocean from Sydney, Australia.
She departed from Pier 91 at 4 pm this afternoon, for 7-day round trip to Ketchikan, Alaska.
So we will see her again next Sunday.
The itinerary of MS Noordam included Melanesia & Polynesia, French Polynesia, followed by a 5-day crossing to Hawaii, and then on to Seattle. [Map generated by Nano Banana 2 in Google AI Mode from the itinerary]Looking out at Pier 91 from the Elliott Bay Marina. Look for the Space Needle on the left, and for Mount Rainier, to the right of MS Noordam.At 4 o’clock MS Noordam sounded her horn three times, and pulled back from the pier. As far as I could tell there was no tug boat in attendance.Turning to head to the north of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.Bon voyage!
Happy Friday. So the Strait of Hormuz is open— sort of. Iran demands that ships use the route in the strait that runs close to its coastline, and the U.S. blockade is still in place. (The U.S. Navy is actively intercepting and restricting ships entering or leaving Iranian ports to cut off Tehran’s revenue.)
Late afternoon, I went down to the Seattle waterfront to see the first cruise ship of the season set sail.
The Mountain was out today. (Mount Rainier, seen from the top of Pike Place Market and looking south along Alaskan Way. That’s Lumen Field Stadium’s roof with the white (home of the Seahawks football team) and T-Mobile Park to its right with the black roof (home of the Seattle Mariners baseball team).Making my way down to the water’s edge, using the overpass and stairs from Pike Place Market. That’s Pier 62 straight ahead. The Norwegian Jade is the first cruise ship to arrive at the Port of Seattle this year and she is at Pier 66.It is almost 6 pm. The engines are running and the Norwegian Jade is about to set sail for Vancouver. She started out in San Diego on an eight-day cruise. There is a solar halo in the sky, made by sunlight refracting in the ice crystals inside high-altitude cirrus clouds.There she goes, leaving Elliott Bay to get to the north end of Puget Sound and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the passage to the Pacific Ocean. There is a ‘mosquito’ in the sky at the Norwegian Jade’s bow: a seaplane.
My time in Mazatlán was over on Friday morning 😢.
My stuffed axolotl from the Gran Acuario Mazatlán gift shop went into the suitcase with my clothes, and now I am at Mazatlán airport.
I will try to get a few airplane pictures before we board.
Update at Sat 12.30 am:
I made it home.
That connection to Seattle for international arrivals into LAX is quite something.
We arrived at the gate at LAX at 5.55 pm.
The flight to Seattle was going to leave at 7.40 pm.
First, there is a very long walk through a labyrinth of walkways and hallways to get to the US Customs and Border Control point. I said to a friendly official that they need to put more signs up for us, to which she replied – oh, but you should ‘just look for open doors’ if you don’t know where to go next.
(The problem was that I had no crowd to follow. A group of people in front of me on the airplane took so long to disembark, that the rest had disappeared completely out of sight by the time I stepped off.
Where did everyone go? 😱)
Anyway, there was no Global Entry kiosk open at Customs and Border Control (they are part of the partial government shutdown that still has not been resolved). So instead, there was a facial recognition photo check for everyone, regardless if you had Global Entry credentials or not. The camera did not recognize everyone and those were then directed to an official for a manual passport check.
Now I still had to pick up my bag from the international arrivals carousel for rechecking it for the flight to Seattle. That took a very long time as well, after which you get ejected into the public area at Terminal 6.
So now you go up the escalator, to go through the standard domestic flight security check again— which ate up the remaining time I had for the connection.
My flight to Seattle was already into boarding Group E by the time I had gone to the restroom and taken a few bites out of a sandwich and banana that I had bought hastily.
There were puffy white clouds in the view of the Pacific Ocean by Olas Altas beach this morning. From Wikipedia: The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a species of paedomorphic mole salamander. They mature into the terrestrial adult form without undergoing metamorphosis; the adults remain fully aquatic with obvious external gills. This trait, although somewhat unusual among the majority of amphibians, is not unique. Axolotls originally inhabited a system of interconnected wetlands and lakes in the Mexican highlands. They were known to inhabit the smaller lakes of Xochimilco and Chalco, and are also presumed to have inhabited the larger lakes of Texcoco and Zumpango. These waterways were mostly drained by Spanish settlers after the conquest of the Aztec Empire, leading to the destruction of much of the axolotl’s natural habitat, which is now largely occupied by Mexico City. Despite this, they remained abundant enough to form part of the staple in the diet of native Mexica during the colonial era. Today, due to continued urbanization in Mexico City, which causes water pollution in the remaining waterways, as well as the introduction of invasive species such as tilapia and carp, the axolotls are now near extinction. The species has been listed as critically endangered in the wild, with a decreasing population of around 50 to 1,000 adult individuals. A large captive population of axolotls currently exists, though, with the specimens being used extensively in scientific research for their remarkable ability to regenerate parts of their body, including limbs, gills and parts of their eyes and brains.
Here is a sample of beautiful architecture that had caught my eye the last few days as I walked around Centro de Mazatlán (the old center of Mazatlán).
Casa Paredes Herrasti was designed by a young French architect and built in 1907 as a family home for Doña Francisca Rojas de Paredes, a direct descendant of Don Bonifacio Rojas who discovered the prosperous gold and silver mine of El Tajo in 1655. [Source: oceanblueworld.com]It need a a lot of restoration work..Founded in 1845 by the company Heymann Sucesores, in this building was the commercial house known as La Merceria Alemana. It operated as a store for luxury furnishments (pianos, porcelain from Dresden and Meissen, Baccarat and Bohemian crystal), until the beginning of World War II. The orange building opened as a commercial house in 1900 and is called La Casa Elorza. It exported products to Guatemala and Chile. The property functioned as a renowned high school at the end of the 20th century. A colorful mural. The deer is the primary symbol of Mazatlán, rooted in the Nahuatl* word mazatl (“deer”) and tlan (“place of”), translating to “Place of Deer”. *Nahuatl is a vibrant Indigenous language family with approximately 1.5 to 1.7 million speakers, primarily in central Mexico. As the historic language of the Aztec Empire, it remains the most spoken indigenous language in Mexico, known for its agglutinative structure, unique “tl” sound, and influence on English words like chocolate and coyote.The apartment building at 1402 Blvd Niños Héroes. ..The Hotel Freeman, built between 1945 and 1950 overlooking Olas Altas beach, was the first skyscraper in Mazatlán and northwestern Mexico. With 13 floors, it became an icon of modernity for its time. Its presence marked a turning point in the port’s urban landscape, playing a key role in the transformation of the historic center during the 20th century. Despite its innovative design, locals viewed its height with skepticism and often joked about its collapse. [Source: Alfredo Velazquez on Facebook]The flags of the U.S.A., Mexico and Canada are on the flagpoles on the top.Elementary school Benito Juárez on 20 Campana Street, serves children in grades 1-6. Benito Juárez was the 26th president of Mexico, from 1858 until his death in 1872.
We attended Fiesta del Agave 2026 at the El Cid Golf & Country Club here in Mazatlán today.
There were tables with bottles of mezcal and tequila* for tasting (and to buy, of course). We sat in on chef Héctor Saracho’s food prep demonstration. He prepared a ceviche from Sierra Spanish mackerel, served up on a made-from-scratch toasted tortilla shell. (Chef Saracho has impressive credentials. He travels to Cabo San Lucas and elsewhere to cook for the likes of Jennifer Aniston, George Clooney and Howard Stern.)
Then we had a little lunch and tasted some locally brewed beer (excellent, and the stout was the best). The mariachi band arrived just then and we listened to three or four songs before calling it a day.
The sunset is from a new acquaintance’s lookout over the beach in Mazatlán’s Golden Zone.
*Mezcal and tequila are almost the same, but not quite.
Here is Google AI Overview explaining: Tequila is a type of mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. The primary differences are in agave type, region, and production: Tequila uses only Blue Weber agave, mostly in Jalisco, typically steamed. Mezcal uses various agave types (mainly Espadín) roasted in earthen pits, giving it a distinctive smoky flavor.
There was a marine layer out on the ocean this morning as we made our way toCerro del Vigía (‘Lookout Hill’).
We took the short cable car trip up to the observatory: the touristic park named Observatorio 1873, after the year of its construction.
By the observatory there is a small agaviario (a dedicated agave garden) and steps down to a bird sanctuary called El Nido. A few steps further down the hill there is an enclosure with iguanas and tortoises.
The last stop is the new whale museum called Museo Nacional de la Ballena (National Whale Museum) that opened in August 2025.
(Thanks to Bryan for the picture of the toucan and of the green parrot).
Here is a closer look at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception of Mazatlán (La Catedral Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción en Mazatlán).
It is a Roman Catholic Church that was built in the Baroque-Revival style from 1856 to 1899. Approximately 78% of Mexico’s population identifies as Catholic, according to the 2020 Mexican government census.
Based on available history for the city’s central public spaces, the notable iron gazebo located in the plaza directly in front of the Cathedral (Plaza República) was built around 1870.
It was another sunny and cloudless day here in Mazatlán (76°F /24°C ).
This morning, we went for a walk up the main lookout hill here on the shoreline (Cerro del Vigía).
This afternoon, we ran out to the local Sam’s Club (warehouse grocery store) for grocery shopping. We went there by bus and came back with a little Uber car with its trunk and back seat full of groceries.
Rocky outcroppings on the coastline, seen from the street above as we walk towards Cerro del Vigía.This is Isla El Crestón (Crestón Island) that is right by Cerro del Vigía. There is a lighthouse at the top of the Crestón Island hill. Almost at the top of the steps that lead up to the outlook at the top of Cerro del Vigía.The photo spot at the top of Cerro del Vigía.The cruise ship at the Mazatlán cruise port is the Royal Princess. She set sail late afternoon for Long Beach, California.A vista of Centro de Mazatlán from the top of Cerro del Vigía. Look for the yellow Catedral Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción, a beautiful 19th-century Baroque-Revival church. The towering condo buildings at the top left are on Avenida del Mar, the road that runs along the promenade called Malecón Mazatlán. We would drive right by them later in the day.Bougainvillea flowersOur bus looked like this one. There is the church: the Catedral Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción. I will take close-up pictures of it later this week.Looking towards Centro de Mazatlán (Mazatlán’s old center) and Isla El Crestón from the Uber car on Avenue del Mar the way back from Sam’s Club. (Optical illusion: it looks as if there is no sand and as if the surf is breaking onto the pavement, but there is a drop to the beach and the sand from the edge of the promenade’s paving. )Here are the condo buildings on Avenue del Mar that could be seen from the Cerro del Vigía lookout this morning.Looking back at the Golden Zone, while still on Avenue del Mar.It looks like someone is getting ready for some parasailing at the beach that runs along Malecón Mazatlán (the Mazatlán promenade).
It just happened to be Día de la Bandera— National Flag Day— today here in Mexico.
While catching the sunset at the Olas Altas beach by Centro de Mazatlán, we spotted the giant Mexican flag on the flagpole way down along the promenade (the far left in the second picture)—a rare treat since it’s only up a few days each year.
We reached it in the nick of time, just as the flag was being lowered and taken away.
P.S. Built in the early 1920s (often cited as 1919–1920) by Californian Louis Bradbury, Hotel Belmar is Mazatlán’s original oceanfront hotel, representing the city’s golden age. Located on the Olas Altas boardwalk, it was a 1940s/50s hot spot for Hollywood stars like John Wayne and Lucille Ball, known for its elegant, historic, and slightly bohemian atmosphere.
I arrived in Mazatlán, Mexico, today (to visit my two amigos that had been here since January).
I was not sure right up until Sunday night that my trip would happen, because violence broke out in Puerto Vallarta and Jalisco state over the weekend after drug lord El Mencho was killed in an operation.
Here is a brief update from the New York Times:
The authorities in Mexico appeared to have restored order in multiple cities on Monday after a wave of violence set off by the killing of a major cartel leader left highways blocked, buildings burned and at least 62 people dead.
Mexico’s most powerful criminal organization, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, unleashed the chaos after its leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes or El Mencho, the nation’s most wanted cartel boss, died in a military raid on Sunday in western Jalisco State.
Pictures below:
There was a system-wide glitch with the new automated bag drop machines at Seattle airport when I checked in early this morning, but it was soon resolved;
The Boeing 737 MAX 9 (twin-jet) at the gate that took us to Los Angeles’s LAX airport;
Alaska Air and United Airlines airplanes at Terminal 6 at LAX;
Stepping on board the Boeing 737-900 (twin-jet) that took us to Mazatlán;
Welcome sign with picture of Old Mazatllan, on the wall at arrival in the airport;
Sunset over the Pacific Ocean tonight, seen from the beach by Centro Histórico, or Old Mazatlán.
These little souvenirs out of my suitcase are doing duty on in the kitchen window for a week or two.
They will join the many others I already have, in the display cabinet.
From left to right: Glass ‘Merlion’ from Chinatown, Singapore; Encased postage stamp from Singapore General Post Office; Miniature pyramid depicting Independence Palace, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from the museum store there; Gilded elephant from gift store at Ream Boutique Hotel, Cambodia; Miniature Year of The Horse wood carving from a pop-up store inside Takashimaya department store, Tokyo; Miniature paper weight of Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, bought at Port Klang Cruise Terminal, Malaysia.
There was a young lady named Bright Whose speed was faster than light; She set out one day In a relative way And returned on the previous night.
-Limerick published in London humor magazine “Punch” in 1923.
I set out on Tuesday night at 10 and arrived at Tuesday afternoon at 1.
There was no relativity and no speed of light involved, though.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner twin jet that brought us to Seattle traveled at a speed of 563 mph (per flightaware.com).
Wall panel at Haneda airport.Travel time across the northern Pacific came to 8 h 27 min.Here comes a Delta plane. I’m looking to the south from inside the long pedestrian overpass that connects the Main Terminal (International Arrivals Facility) to the South terminal at Seattle-Tacoma airport.There goes the Delta airplane, now looking to the north from inside the long pedestrian overpass.
My time in Tokyo was up on Tuesday, and that’s OK.
It is time for me to go home.
I made one last run, on the Yamanote Line to Shibuya station and Shibuya crossing (picture), just three stops down from Shinjuku.
I checked in on Tower Records and ended up buying a music CD.
(Yes— I still like to buy music now and then. I do rent my music nowadays as well, on Youtube Music).
Late afternoon I took an airport limousine bus runs from Kabukicho Tower to Haneda airport— super convenient and for all of ¥1,400 (US$8.93).
I took the picture of the control tower at Haneda airport just before I hopped off the bus. That might just be Mt Fuji in the distance, in the bottom right corner of the picture.
On Monday I went up to the 17th-floor observation deck of the Kabukicho Tower. It offers a nice view of the trains running into and out of Shinjuku station.
The other photos are from Ginza shopping district around sunset.
Everything in Ginza is art— the buildings, the lamp posts, the manhole covers in the pavement, all the way down to the metro stations below ground.
The clocks are from inside the Wako Building, owned by Seiko watch corporation.
I took the Marounochi Line back to Shinjuku just before the onset of rush hour (rush hour starts at around 5.30 pm).
Sunday was bright and mild (57 °F/ 14 °C) here in Shinjuku.
The streets around Shinjuku station were closed for traffic all day.
A little parade of sorts came by, featuring bands and groups for firefighter and disaster support, and little league baseball teams. Elsewhere there was a protest for the war in Ukraine (offering support for Ukraine).
There are a Teslas on the streets, but not many. In the picture with the black Tesla, the hotel is on the left.
The beautiful building with the wavy top is Tokyu Kabukicho Towerー 48-story skyscraper completed in 2023. It was designed by Yuko Nagayama & Associates and developed by Shimizu Corporation. [Wikipedia]
At Shinjuku Station’s East Exit, the giant 3D cat is still there, entertaining crowds near the crosswalk for Studio Alta.
My hotel room in the Prince Hotel Shinjuku (brown brick building in second from last pic) is barely bigger than my stateroom on the Diamond Princess had been, but that’s OK. I knew that when I made the reservation.
I can see the Yamanote Line out of my hotel room window (the train with the green trim).
I made the obligatory run out to Yodobashi Camera, taking the Marounochi Line (red train) and the Chūō Line (yellow train) out to Akihabara station.
There’s a thundering (digital) waterfall in the check-in and departures area at Singapore’s Changi airport.
And watch out for the 3-D jaguar inside the secure area that will pounce on you!
Changi airport’s layout feels different than the standard airport floor layout.
There are no check-in counters, and I had to look around to find out where to take my tagged luggage for check-in.
(It is handled by fully automated stations with conveyor belts that swallow your bags.)
The security check is done right at the gate with its dedicated waiting area.
So no bottled water or other large liquids can be carried onto the plane. There are no toilets right by the gate’s waiting area as you wait to board.
(So what happens if it turns out there is a 30 min or 1 hr delay with the boarding process? Can you go out and come back in through the security check?)
All went according to schedule, though, and off we were on the 6 hr 16 min flight to Tokyo’s Haneda airport.
We were northeast bound with a flight path that had Viet Nam to the west, and going between Taiwan to the north and the Philippines to the south.
It was still Friday night rush hour on Tokyo’s trains upon my arrival, and I would have had to navigate my way out of Shinjuku station with bags in tow, the busiest of them all. (A station that handles 3.6 million passengers every day).
So Go Taxi it was, and the US $55 fare that brought me right to the entrance of the hotel was totally worth it.
Today was my last day here on the tip of the Malay peninsula. I will travel to Tokyo in the morning.
I ran out to the Singapore main post office and a Singapore Mint store— for a souvenir or two in the form of stamps and coins, of course.
(Will post what I got, later. I bought a lot of stamps! )
The lunar new year (the Year Of The Horse) is coming, so several Singapore Mint coins with horse motifs on were on offer.
I liked the shiny golden Merlion better— made of an one-ounce 999 (99.9%) fine silver proof ingot that is clad with pure gold.
