Last Day- Out to Sea

On our last day cruising, we stayed out to sea. Since we were headed back from Cabo and needed to be in Long Beach by 8 am the next day, the ride was rocky. We slept in as late as 'The Boy' would allow and enjoyed some breakfast on the Lido deck. I woke up with 'The Boy's' cold- thanks again, cousin Wade- so, I just wanted to relax.

We went up to the top deck and attempted to play mini golf. It was so windy and cold because the ship was haulin' booty. I was so sure that we wouldn't last the first few holes but, we played all nine.

Screaming, "Too windy! Too windy!".

Gearing up to make the most of it.

Daddy putting with his pal.

'The Boy' kept picking up our balls and running and putting them in the hole.

I mentioned that it was windy, right?

I love this picture. It looks like he is about to crush the skull with that club.

Getting a little help.

Starting to get the hang of it.

Concentrating like I'm actually playing. It was way to hard to play a serious game because the wind was totally interfering.


After our adventures in golfing, we relaxed a bit by the indoor pool and then went to get some lunch. 'The Boy' fell asleep as soon as we sat down. So we enjoyed a peaceful lunch together.

Then we all went for a nap before heading to the pool for the afternoon. For whatever reason, the indoor pool was absolutely freezing and since the ship was moving so much, the pool water was sloshing all over the place. Not so inviting to a 2 year old.

So, we watched tv on the jumbo screen and 'The Boy' ran his trains all over the pool benches.

He was at this for over an hour.



'The Hubs' got the courage to get in the pool. I don't know what he was thinking!

Playing in the fountain. This was the closest we could get him to playing in the water.


That night, we fed 'The Boy' early in hopes of trying kid's camp one last time. He screamed as soon as we set foot through the door. Thankfully, he fell asleep on the way to dinner. Alone at last. Too bad I was so nauseous from the ship rocking that I couldn't eat.

We went back to our cabin to pack and then watched a movie on tv before falling asleep.

We had such a great vacation. Trying at times but still fun and somewhat relaxing. We usually don't take our big family vacation until about June so it feels so sad that it is already over. We are going to be super busy in the coming months so I'm sure it won't feel like we're missing out. Next year, we'll be vacationing as a family of four!

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo was our final port-of-call and it was absolutely perfect. We had read that there would be rain on this day but we were blessed with a gorgeous sunny day. Unfortunately, this was our shortest time in port and we were wishing we could have stayed longer.

We had to wake up early to catch the tender to the pier. Someone was super tired and we actually took him half asleep and in his pajamas.

Wake up sleepy head!


Such a pretty view from our ship.

We booked an excursion at an exclusive beach resort called Casa Dorado. We loved it and want to stay there if we ever get back to Cabo.

View from our beach resort.


Playing in the shallow water



Me and 'The Boy' taking a dip.

'The Hubs' at the swim up bar.

"Daddy's beer, Tyler's beer"- I didn't find this funny.
The sippy cup is filled with apple juice not Negra Modela.



Trying out Daddy's shades.

Enjoying the heat.



There he goes again-still not funny.

The beach- our ship is off in the left corner.


Relaxing on the beach and holding his trains close.


I tried so hard to get him to dip his feet in the ocean but, of course, he screamed "No, no, no like it".

My handsome boy all dressed up for dinner.

Dancing at the karaoke club.


He tried to make it through dinner but ended up falling asleep in Daddy's arms shortly after this picture was taken.

We loved Cabo and really want to go back there for a vacation. Maybe without the kiddos???? I can't believe that our trip is almost done! Next up: Our last Fun Day at Sea.

Mazatlan

We watched our ship pulling to Mazatlan from(sigh) our ocean view window. It was overcast outside but pretty darn warm and humid. We had booked a tour to Stone Island through our cruise ship. It was very interesting. I'll let the pictures do the explaining.

First up, 'The Hubs' enjoying our new view.

The Pontoon boat that took us to Stone Island.

Me and 'The Boy' on the pontoon boat. He was a little sick that day. Thanks a lot cousin Wade!

Daddy and 'The Boy'

Looking at the ocean

Me and my Bud

Our Ship from the pontoon boat

The Pacifico Brewery. Next time, babe.

"Mexican Limos" took us to the beach.

The "resort" we played at. It was really just a restaurant on the beach.

'The Boy' and Edward in the sand.



Checking out the water. It was pretty warm.

Running away from the waves.

I guess that's why they call it Stone Island.

Taking a dip in the ocean.

Playing in the sand.

There were a bunch of vendors harassing, I mean selling a variety of crap, I mean goods, and we bought 'The Boy' some sand toys.

Double fisting. I don't know why you think this is so funny.

This was 'The Boy's' most sick day so we did a lot of cuddling on the beach. I had to sing Jingle Bells numerous times and at this point he found my zipper to be fascinating.

Playing trains in the sand.

About ready to go.

Passed out!

Stone Island certainly was interesting. Mazatlan is such a poor area of Mexico and we really appreciated that the people there tried to show us a good time. Had 'The Boy' not been so sick, we may have had a bit more fun but it certainly was the most relaxing day I have ever had on the beach.

Next Stop: Cabo San Lucas!

Puerto Vallarta

Yay! We finally made it to dry land. Not that I minded spending my days lounging on a luxury cruise liner but, I was getting cabin fever. Haha!

We arrived in port while we were sleeping. Yes, due in part to the fact that we had been up until 2 a.m. with the nightclub. (The night before, 'The Boy' couldn't even sleep through it. He stood
up in his crib around 1:30 and said, "Mommy, Daddy, I hear a song. I dance." Then he started
grooving away to the Black Eyed Peas)

Our view upon waking. Downtown Puerto Vallarta and the cruise terminal.

More of the view from our balcony. Puerto Vallarta was unlike any other Mexican city we had
ever been to. It was so tropical.

More downtown and cruise terminal.

I had booked a shore excursion through the cruise line to visit an all-inclusive resort for the day.
Some of the other excursions they offered looked like so much fun but my pregnancy kept us
from doing anything adventurous. The excursion we took was absolutely perfect for us.

Driving on the tour bus to the resort. I always find it funny that, no matter where in Mexico you are, every tour bus is the same...cramped and stuffy.

Once leaving the downtown area, everything is so tropical. We were in awe of our surroundings.


After about a 30 minute ride we arrived at the Barcelo resort. Our tour guide showed us around
the property and then left us to enjoy the day. Everyone that was on the bus with us went
straight to the beach but, we decided to lounge poolside. Partly because we have a beach at home and partly because 'The Boy' is not super excited about being that close to the ocean.

The pool





The Beach




Of course we found the playground right away.





Me and my little man and his new breakfast of choice. I don't think he'll ever
look at a Cheerio the same way again.

Testing out the water. It was a little cool but, the humidity was high so it was nice.




Swimming with Daddy

Trying to steer clear of the sun.





Getting ready to jump!

Swimming with Mommy

The resort was all-inclusive so 'The Hubs' drank a bunch of beer and I had a few virgin pina coladas (totally not the same). We also got to eat a delicious Mexican buffet with a gorgeous ocean view.

So tired after lunch.

My Boys, just before we left the resort.

We spent 4 hours at the resort which was plenty for us (we burn pretty quickly out there if we're not careful.) The ride back to the cruise terminal was quiet and both of my boys slept. We walked around the flea market at the cruise terminal for a bit before heading back on the ship.

When we got back to our room, we watched a movie on tv and got cleaned up. Then, about a hour before dinner, we got a pleasant surprise. A deluxe ocean view cabin had become available! A couple had a vacation home in Puerto Vallarta and didn't fly so they took the ship down there and got off. We are sooooooooo lucky! We had to kiss our balcony good-bye but we didn't have to deal with the nightclub anymore. Plus, Carnival compensated us for the room downgrade and gave us a credit for the inconvenience.

At last, we all had a peaceful night of sleep. Next stop: Mazatlan.