Puerto Vallarta

So the last post showed Sunday and Monday at sea. Monday was Valentines Day so we had a formal dinner that night. And because we live in freezing cold temperatures this time of year, those two days of laying in the sun all day confused our skin bad...We weren't burnt but we did have a special reddish color:) And I wore about the exact same color dress...looks a little silly, but oh well!




On Tuesday Morning I woke up at about 5:30...I was so excited that I couldn't sleep at all! I've never been out of the United States and was ecstatic to be in another country. I got dressed really fast and ran upstairs to check out Mexico. When I looked over the ship I saw the sun coming up right over the Walmart and Sams Club in Puerto Vallarta. I couldn't believe that far south they had American Stores. (I honestly didn't know what to expect but that really surprised me!) It was so tropical and beautiful to see all the palm tree's and green hills everywhere!


At this port we decided to go ride a zip line throughout the forest. So when we got off the ship we caught a taxi that took us to the top of this very green/jungly/rain foresty type of mountain. The tropical flowers and trees were just incredible! There really are no words for how beautiful and green it was there.


Once we were all suited up we started hiking. They had us hike up and ride down, then hike up another part, then ride down...it took about 2 hours and was a little more work than we expected, but it was nice to get a little workout:)


They didn't let us take cameras up with us so I took a pictures of some random person so the kid would understand what we did. This was one of the lower zip lines. There were a few that we rode over deep canyons-or valleys (not sure what they were called). But it was an amazing way to view the most beautiful part of Puerto Vallarta!


After the zip line while we were waiting for our taxi Kevin and Tj decided to go for a swim in this river that ran down the mountain. FREEZING cold...like icicles just melted FREEZING cold! So Rachel and I decided to take pictures:) The had a rope swing and a sliding rock that the guys had a good ole' time with.




Once we got back to town we stopped and ate at one of the restaurants in town that was on the beach, I think it was called "The Blue Shrimp". They had the yummiest coconut shrimp and nachos!! After we ate we walked along the beach and shopped for some souvenirs.
Ohhh and while we were eating we saw whales right by the shore. We heard that this is whale mating season and that there were quite a few of them and I managed to get their backs on video tape but that was it! I really really wanted a "Free Willy" moment but no worries, I'll get it next time:)!! Wayyy cool that we were that close!
(real "mexican" nachos)




It was interesting to see some of the ways they improvised things...for example - Boxes and trash were used in construction zones instead of orange traffic cones.


Puerto Vallarta was beautiful but just wait til you see pictures from Mazatlan and Cabo...

Mazatlan

Mazatlan was again...INCREDIBLE!! We didn't have any plans on what to do when we got off the ship so we jumped in on a tour around the city. It actually was a great idea because they took us to the coolest parts of the town, let us get out and walk around and at the same time explaining the history of each area. When we got there it was cold and foggy but by about 9:30 we were able to get rid of our jackets!

Mazatlan had the best beaches between the 3 ports we visited! And the most beautiful scenery too.


A lot of the homes were built into the sides of the hills.






We visited the church downtown. We were able to go in and look inside too. It still holds multiple services each day but in between those we went inside and were just in awe of the beautiful details.




Our ships from a distance...ours is the blue one.


Each year Mazatlan holds this big "Carnival" which the way the tour guide was explaining sounds exactly like Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Its just a huge party along the streets for an entire week. Although the only difference is if you break the law - instead of putting you into a jail cell they put you in this cell built in the side of a mountain. Its just a hole with a locked gate. They leave you in there all night and said you get eaten alive by mosquito's.


One of the stops we made were by these absolute CRAZY people! TJ and Rachel paid them 5 bucks and got him to jump from the top of this cliff into 5 feet deep water!! He would wait until a wave came by which would give him an extra foot of water. It was amazing what they would do for a few dollars!


Then after that we headed to the beach! The tide was really really low so it had a lot of beach front for us to enjoy.
Here's Kevin and Tj ready to do some boogie boarding.




Us girls even got in. Ohhhh it was sooo nice!! I haven't been to the beach in years and the few hours we had before heading back to the ship just wasn't enough!!
Me and Rachel.




Check out these taxi's!! The weather was so perfect and so beautiful that we were able to have the wind in our hair the entire 20 minutes back to the ship. I'm not kiddin...I could really get used the cruisin life:)


When we got back to the dock Kevin and Tj took advantage of a $5 massage while Rachel and I shopped!


We did have a freak out moment though...when we got back to the dock and did the massages and shopping we thought we had lots of time but that time went by wayyy fast and on the shuttle back to the ship we realized that we were the LAST ones back on the ship!! They pulled in the ramps right behind us!! I would have loved to stay in Mazatlan longer but having to figure out how to catch a flight back to the US or catch a flight to meet up with the boat in Cabo would have been one hectic night!! And to think of the fun we would have missed if we missed the boat that night...
When we got back on the ship we had some yummy dinner and went to the show that night (I think it was the comedian) and after headed upstairs to play some basketball. When we got up top all the lights were off and they had just washed the basketball deck so it was dark and very very slippery. But we decided to play anyways!! Turns out those two details makes it very interesting to play basketball! Honestly it was BLAST!!!
Then we went down to the arcade and played some more games...
Kev and Tj.


Another FUN FUN thing about the ship is that twice a day they come into our room and CLEAN IT!! Yes...someone else was cleaning my crap for once!!! And not only did they clean it but they left us a different cute, fluffy animal each night (with some chocolates for the eyes...which I would usually eat before Kevin even knew they existed!!).
Here's fluffy/cute/chocolatey elephant man!


So the next and last post is of Cabo and our last day at Sea...oh how sad that its almost over!!

~~CLICK ON "OLDER POSTS" BELOW TO SEE OUR STOP IN CABO SAN LUCAS!!!!~~

Cabo San Lucas and home to Utah

Our last port was Cabo San Lucas. This was our favorite spot of them all! The scenery, the weather, the beaches, the sand, the excursion...everything was perfect!!
The view coming into Cabo...




Getting off the ship we had to use the tender boats...it was really cool though because the view of all 3 ships was pretty majestic!! Ours again is the blue one!


The beaches were AMAZING! Actually amazing doesn't really cut it...they were better than that! Crystal clear water and sand that was softer than any sand I've ever touched! This beach was called "Lovers beach". It was perfect!


...then you walk between the two cliffs and you're at "Divorce beach". They told us not to swim over here because the current was so strong that it was drowning people.




Lots and lots of pictures!!


This guy just pulled this jellyfish out of a wave. This is a terrible look for me I know but I was a little nervous!


The beautiful beach and the lovely ship in the background!


Such beautiful scenery everywhere we looked!!


We even got to get up close and personal with some sea lions that hang out in the shade all day.


We were SOOOOO excited to do a last minute excursion on the beach. One thing we learned...NEVER buy an excursion from the ship. For the zip line in Puerto Vallarta it was $120 per person if you bought it from the cruise line but if you go in person and pay then it was only $60 per person. The same was for the Jet Skii's in Cabo...they wanted $90 on the ship for 45 minutes but on the beach we made a deal for $50 for over an hour of fun! It was incredible riding around the HUGEMUNGOUS ships and jumping waves. We got so much water in our face that kevin was burping it up...even though that doesn't sound like much fun - it was AWESOME!!


After a while of riding doubles us girls went to lay out and the guys went off to be their own kind of crazy.

After Jet Skiing we walked along the beach and around the town before heading back to the ship. That night was the last formal dinner night.




Ohhhh the food was delish...but the deserts were even better!! White chocolate this and fudgy that and cake and brownie...oh my!!


For the show we had a "tribute to Elton John". Don't let the feathery costume fool ya...he was great!!


That night we had a Dessert Extravaganza!! It was very very elegant and upscale...nothing like the desserts back home. Everything was wonderful but by then we were dying for something as simple as oreo's dipped in milk.




Then we had our own little Ping Pong tournament upstairs.


And got back to our clean room just to find my favorite animal of the week...Monkey Man!!


The next day was Friday...our last day. It was spent at sea sailing back to San Diego. We soaked up as much sunlight and pool as possible before getting back to our snowy Utah!


For lunch we ate in the buffet dining room and sat by the window. It was so neat to be eating while looking out at the ocean right under us! Every little detail about our adventure was absolutely incredible and perfect!


Kevin played in a knock-out tournament.


That night was fun, exciting and sooo sad all at the same time. It was our last 5 star dinner! The waiters put on a fun show for us and made it so memorable!






And our dessert of the night...Glacier something?? But it was Neapolitan ice cream covered in this fluffy whip cream!! YUMMMY!!! We devoured that sucker!


Us with our drink lady (Mel) and our amazing waiter (Reiza). The life these guys live on the ships amaze me every time we would talk to them about it. They came from all these different countries and live on the ship for 10 months at a time. They made the eating part of our trip simply perfect!


That night we went down the the casino and played our own little game between the four of us. Kev won first but bet it all on the Roulette table and lost it, then we played it again and TJ won it all and bet it on the Roulette table and doubled his money...so we left breaking even. Again one of the funnest nights ever!


The last show that night was a mixture of the comedian, magician, dancers, singers, everyone we had seen the whole week packed into one nights performance. AWESOME!!


I remember shedding a tear when we got off the ship...I missed my kids more than anything but it was such a relaxing and amazing week with our friends that I just didn't want it to end! While we were waiting for our flight in San Diego we hung out at the local mall and ran into the guy that did the "tribute to Elton John".


I went into this trip thinking we'd be able to relax a little and have some much needed alone time, but honestly came out with so much more. The experiences I'll never ever forget, the people we met on the boat, the food, the excursions, the tours and ports, the beaches, the millions of laughs with Tj and Rach, the time that Kevin and I got to spend together, there's just so much that made this cruise the best week ever!

We loved it so much that when we got home we planned another cruise for May 2012 with my family. We're taking our kids on the new Disney Dream Cruise leaving from Florida. Its a long way away but I want them to be able to see and experience some of the incredible things we got to! Lesson learned...if you ever ever ever get a chance to cruise - DO IT!!!