You can't see it here, but behind those boards are two large bellies and it's only half way through the cruise. If you have never been on a cruise before, then I will explain how it goes. Eat Swim Eat Swim Sleep repeat.
Our trip began with a 2hr drive to Seattle on Halloween night. The kids were full of sugar and the adults were coated with explosives from fireworks. Fortunately we stayed overnight and changed before setting of airport detectors. The plane to LAX was so small we actually walked out onto the tarmac at Seatac and I have to admit it was a little scary. The children really enjoyed their first takeoff and the short flight was kept busy with a game of Uno.
After a hair raising drive from the airport to the harbour, we boarded the Sapphire Princess where we found our room and our new friend Richard. For the remainder of the the cruise the children would run down the hall thanking Richard for the chocolates he left each night. The first order of business was a safety drill where we all gathered with our bright orange life vests. Nicholas was very interested in how many lifeboats there were and kept mentioning the Titanic.
The first two days of the cruise was spent exploring the ship and eating and drinking as much as possible. This is were I meet my new best friend Alan, who was our waiter in the dining room. Every night I would order shrimp cocktail and the meat of the night. Alan surprised us all the first night with what he called the Volcano, which consisted of three flavors of ice cream a banana and lots of chocolate sauce. This was why you needed to go swimming every day.
Our first port of call was Puerto Vallarta, where we first encountered the local bartering system. This consisted of guys telling you they won't rip you off as much as the other guy. The beach was filled with people trying to sell you wood carvings and t-shirts. We enjoyed swimming in the warm salty water but found the sand a little course.
A short ride into old town found us in the local flee market. It seemed rather slow and I decided to buy a hat to help out the local economy. Everyone was really friendly and it was nice to see the local people and a little piece of old
Mexico. My only complaint was that it was very very humid and my shirt stuck to me the whole day.
Our second stop was in Mazatlan, which was my favorite city of the three. The ship docked at a working wharf and on our shuttle ride to the gate we could see Mexican soldiers armed with M16 rifles. Once outside the gates it was a free for all to find the best deal to drive you to the Gold zone. After a hot and scary ride across town, we found ourselves on a beautiful beach in front of a very nice hotel. The sand was soft and you could walk right out till the waves rolled in and lifted you up. Nicholas and I had a wonderful time surfing the waves and getting tossed on shore. I would definitely consider an all inclusive in Mazatlan, where I could spend everyday on the beach.
Our final stop was in the beautiful city of
Cabo San
Lucus
. We decided to take a boat out to Lover's beach and try a little snorkeling. The boat ride was very entertaining with a little trip to the pacific side where we just about got swamped. The beach was beautiful but the waves were a little strong for snorkeling. I would have liked to have tried the beaches near the hotels, which might have been a little more suitable for Nicholas. The climate in
Cabo was warm and dry and I think if the beach was as nice as Mazatlan, then I would have picked
Cabo as my favorite.
All in all we had a great trip and enjoyed our visit to Mexico. After a two day pig fest back to Los Angeles, we headed off to Disneyland.
