I’ve now officially been to Mexico, and on a cruise! Woo! It was fun. I still feel a rocking sensation every once in a while- especially if I stand up after sitting for a long time. We had a pretty good time, we cruised on Royal Caribbean on The Monarch of the Seas. It was a quick cruise, but after doing it I felt like it was really long. We went with Steve’s company (and on his boss’s dime).
Us in front of The Monarch of the Seas
Everyone that I’ve heard talk about cruises mentions the food, and how absolutely wonderful it is and how delicious and on and on and on… I’ll have to stand up here and disagree. The food snob in me was expecting better. It was okay, and edible, but if I was going to say the most impressive thing about the cruise it would be the service, not the food. Oh, and the towel animals!
An elephant, made from towels, no clips, pins or anything!
A bunny towel- it’s only made from a bath towel and a hand towel!
But seriously the service was fabulous. We dined in the dining room for dinner every night and for breakfast one morning. Our waitress was from Hungry and was hysterical. She was brutally honest about what was best in the food department. (I followed her advice on the sugar free coconut cake and it was fabulous as she had promised). Her assistant Mei Linn (from China) was about the cutest girl I’d ever seen. She was maybe 18? But so eager to help and to please. Everything you asked for they would accommodate. I do have to back up on the food thing, they did have fabulous fruit soups, which I’d never had before. But I’ve got a whole new realm of food to discover there. But every single person on the boat that was a part of the staff was always friendly and helpful. Always.
We went to Ensenada Mexico for our ’stop’. We did a shore excursion that took us on a 50 minute drive through Ensenada and up into the mountains to La Bufadora, which is a ‘blow hole’ on the edge of a cliff. When the waves crash into it the shape of the cliff causes water to forcefully ‘blow’ up into the air. The street down to La Bufadora was lined with vendors selling their wares. We made the mistake of buying something in the first shop on the way back up and from then on every vendor said something along these lines, “now it’s my turn!” “You buy from my neighbor you need to look at what I have!” “Honeymooners! Come look at our (fill in the blank)” “Come on, don’t be Mexican!” What shocked me were the number of ‘Farmacias’ selling pretty much whatever you wanted as far as prescription drugs. (We didn’t buy any.) One vendor after learning of our four kids gave us some free advice, ‘you need buy tv’. (Which he wasn’t selling).
A dancer/drummer on the way to La Bufadora
We did buy a very nice leather jacket for Steve though. The original price? $285 The price I haggled down to? $80. I know! I was pretty proud of myself. (”Doesn’t he look nice? He gave you four kids, he needs a nice jacket.”- comments from the seller). The most hysterical thing was the ‘lighter test’. Pretty much everything was deemed ‘authentic’ if it didn’t burn or melt when held to the flame of a lighter. Leather jackets, jewelery, purses etc. One store even when as far as to have a sign out front that bragged that they had ‘free lighter tests’. We got a shawl for Ashley, some bongos and maracas for me, a purse for megan and another for annika and a little wooden turtle with a bobbing head for Cori. Steve’s decided I get to buy our next car.
We also had fish tacos. Ensenada’s economy is supported by fishing, tourism, and agriculture (in that order). The town was actually pretty gross looking, but the countryside was beautiful. I was surprised how many American stores/restaurants we saw on our way through town. (Costco, Walmart, Applebee’s, Burger King and of course McDonalds, of which we saw 3, to name a few).
Most the housing looked like this
Some of the scenery on our drive. I really just love the ocean.
We participated in some fun activities (a cooking demo with the head chef, an art buying seminar, an impressionist show, a game show and the musical show put on by the dancers of the boat.) Steve climbed the rock wall and we played some highly competitive ping pong. We got to know some of Steve’s co-workers and their spouses better. There were lots of REALLY drunk people (some of them were with Steve’s company) and one in particular (Really Drunk Guy - not from Steve’s company) that we ran into constantly.
Steve climbing the rock wall. He said compared to climbing real rocks with my sisters this was super easy.
All in all it was a fun trip. It’s always nice to get away and spend time together without the girls and they had a great time at Grandma’s playing with Grandma and two aunts. They were happy to see us though.
The question is where to next??
Suggestions? Ideas?
Where was your favorite vacation?
Have you been on a cruise? Did you enjoy it?
So, sounds like you had fun!! So… do you like cruises? Would you do it again? Like I said, a Mediterranean cruise would be really fun I think. Alaska could be neat too. TTYL
We did an Alaskan cruise a few summers ago. I was always anti cruising until I did one. Now I think it is a great way to go, especially places with so much to see and do like Alaska or Mediterranean, etc. where you won’t even scratch the surface of things to do on a vacation.
Cruising south still doesn’t hold a whole lot of appeal to me though. Probably because I am mighty familiar with the Gulf of Mexico thankyouverymuch. I don’t need to be on a boat breathing strangers germs to get the feel of that part of the world! (Of course if DH offered up a cruise to anywhere I’d be right on that! Ha!)
I agree with you on the food. It is amazing because it is so gluttonous. “You mean I can have MORE escargot drowning in butter?” But 5 star. Meh.
Oh but I did love the cruising and will totally go again some day. Top of my list are a fall cruise through New England/North East and Panama Canal!!
Sounds super fun, glad you had a good trip!
Oh so lovely! i can’t wait to go on my first cruise some day!
Oooh!! Looks like it was a blast! *jealous*
Sounds SO fun!!!
Wow.
Wow, that looks like fun! We’re thinking of doing a Mexican Riviera cruise in November with a bunch of my relatives. Fingers crossed we can come up with the money for all four of us. Eek!
That makes me excited! We’re cruising on RC next month to Mexico. It looks like you had a fabulous time!
Maria- I’m not sure if I’ll do it again. It would be more fun if we’d gone with another couple that we really liked hanging out with rather then with Steve’s co-workers I think. Also if we went in the summer and went to ports that had beaches.
I do think it would be cool to cruise to Alaska and see the Northern Lights, and to go on a cruise in the Caribbean to lots of different islands.
It was fun though- I thought that the 3 days would just fly by, but it really didn’t. It was really relaxing.
So glad you had a good time. We went on a cruise three years ago and it was the best vacation ever! I’d do it again in a heartbeat for all the reasons you listed. I didn’t hate or love the food, but loved that I didn’t ever have to worry about it or think about it. It was just there.
So incredibly jealous! We are planning on taking a cruise for our 10th anniversary and I have my sights set on Alaska. Why? Because I look much better in a parka than in a swimming suit!
And you must have forgotten to mention what you got for me? Don’t worry…you can give it to me when you show me all your pictures during lunch.
Sounds like you had a lot of fun!! I think the animal towels are great. Wouldn’t want to live in Ensenada, though. I’m completely jealous, though!
Gordon is dying to take me on a cruise. I’m the one who is hesitant. It’s the Scrooge in me.
Wow, you get a lot of comments. You are quite the knowledable blogger! I would love to go on a cruise that looks so fun. I would say next…Hawaii. But, you have to go to the Big Island, not Oahu (Except to see Pearl Harbor if you haven’t already). Cool that the boss paid!