Sad, oh sad.
We were sad to see our vacation end. We set our bigger luggage out the night before to be picked up so in the morning we got ready and just had our carry ons and a small roll-on luggage. The debarkation wasn't nearly as bad this time around as it was the last time. We were able to go to the Mermaid's Grill and have breakfast. We just took the luggage with us so we wouldn't have to go back to our room. Afterwards we went down to the Taj Mahal where Jerome had promised to entertain everyone during the debarkation process. We were there for quite a long time. They kept calling different groups and different colored tags to debark until we were among the last group to be called. When it was time to go we got through customs fairly quickly and were able to locate our luggage. We'd had a reservation for a shuttle to take us back to the airport, and they'd called to make sure everything was ok and to see what time we would be ready. Well, we waited and waited for about a half hour, I'd talked to them twice and they still hadn't shown up so I called them back and just cancelled as they said they were probably 30 minutes out still. There were numerous shuttles available for us to take that we could have grabbed, so we just got one of those and headed to the airport.
Our flight didn't leave until that evening, but we felt we didn't have quite enough time to rent a car, sightsee around L.A. and then make it back to the airport in time, so we decided to just stay the day at the airport. What a nightmare! The airport is so disorganized and dirty. We got in a long line, waited about 45 min., got to the counter for self check-in, got to the part about luggage and found out we were too early to check our luggage in. The guy behind the counter kept ignoring us until finally Chad was able get him to talk to us. He told us to go to another line, so we did. While heading over to that area we were stopped by an employee, told her our situation and she directed us to another line. We were in that line for quite a while when another employee asked if we were in the right line. We said yes, we were told go there. She wanted to know our situation to be sure, so we told her and were told that we were in the wrong line. She directed us to another line! Grrrr..... We waited about another 45 min. in this other line and were able to check our luggage in and be done with it. The guys doing the x-ray machines were rude and we had problems regarding Derek's dvd player. Finally that was all straightened out and we went and got lunch and then made ourselves at home in the waiting area. I met a nice couple across from us who had been on our ship, so we chatted off and on. I read for a bit and then helped the kids with their homework they'd put off until the last minute. Chad and the kids decided to wander around and I sprawled out and took a very long nap, I was so exhausted. Later I decided to wander around, so Micki and I went to the gift shops and I bought myself a mocha not knowing that Chad had already bought one for me. We finally took off for San Francisco, before we knew it we'd landed and then got to wait some more. Everybody but me had been snacking, so I went and got myself some soup from the Soup Company, of course shared that with my begging kids. We were among the first called to board, but as we got to the plane the flight attendant was saying "no, no", we're not ready yet. We went back to the confused ticket lady where she wrote down our names since our tickets were already taken. We wound up being almost an hour delayed, I think the crew was late getting there. We saw Derek's Kindergarten teacher and her family on the plane. They were going home from a vacation in San Diego. Derek thought that was neat. We got home around midnight, the pilot said he took a shortcut but we did have to wait for a couple of other planes scheduled to land so we did a lot of circling. Chad and Micki took a taxi home while Derek and I waited for the luggage. We live close to the airport and figured it would be cheaper for him to go home and get the car, found out it wouldn't have been much more for Derek and I too, but oh well. It took a while to get our luggage and then we loaded it up and got back home.
Next vacation ~ wherever that may be ~ here we come!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
May 5th - Day at Sea
This day was just a day to hang out and relax doing whatever or nothing. At 10:00 Chad and I went to the Taj Mahal to play TV theme song trivia. It was kind of like "play that tune". It was fun, we didn't win the ship on a stick, but oh well. We played cards and just relaxed. In the afternoon we all went to the Galley Tour where they took us through the kitchen Galley and we could watch them preparing for dinner and learned all about the food, how much they have to order and what all goes on behind the scenes. We were surprised at how pristine and spotless the kitchen was, even where the prep work was going on. Not a drop of anything out of place. Afterwards we went to the family karaoke going on in the Butterflies lounge. We didn't karaoke, but watched other families do it.
We went to the Normandie Lounge for dinner this night. The sho
The main show for this night was called the Carnival Legends and was kind of the Big Finale one for the whole week. It was funny and very entertaining. Earlier in the week they held auditions for guests to participate, kind of like a big karaoke thing, and they held practices for them to get ready for the big show. The night of the show the guests dressed up in their costumes and performed their songs along with the main singers Janae Longo & Jon Williams, the carnival pride dancers and the pride showband. The singers the guests impersonated were: James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Britney Spears, Madonna, Garth Brooks, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. Sonny and Cher made an appearance with our very own cruise director Jeff Bronson being Cher.
We went to the Normandie Lounge for dinner this night. The sho
The main show for this night was called the Carnival Legends and was kind of the Big Finale one for the whole week. It was funny and very entertaining. Earlier in the week they held auditions for guests to participate, kind of like a big karaoke thing, and they held practices for them to get ready for the big show. The night of the show the guests dressed up in their costumes and performed their songs along with the main singers Janae Longo & Jon Williams, the carnival pride dancers and the pride showband. The singers the guests impersonated were: James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Britney Spears, Madonna, Garth Brooks, Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. Sonny and Cher made an appearance with our very own cruise director Jeff Bronson being Cher.
May 4th - Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas day!
We were really looking forward to Cabo, it seemed so pretty and beachy and we couldn't wait to go ashore. We hadn't preplanned anything for this day as we'd decided to just wait and see what we felt like. Well, we decided during the week that we would like to snorkel so on Thursday night we signed up for a snorkel excursion at the Carnival desk. I am normally totally against using the ship's excursions as they cost a lot more and are limited, but we felt that since the Pride was to set sail at 3:30 and we had to be back by 3:00 that it left us very limited time and if we booked through the ship we were guaranteed the ship would wait for us even if we were late which it would not do if we booked on our own. The ship had to tender a ways out and we took boat taxis to shore, it was only about a 10 minute ride.
Our tour wasn't until 11:00, so we decided to get out fairly early so we could see the sights and city and do some souvenir shopping knowing that we wouldn't have time after the snorkel tour. We walked quite a bit through the city, we stopped at the Hard Rock for some t-shirts and hats and then went into some other souvenir shops. We found a great one with cheap prices and were able to finish our souvenir shopping. Chad tried to find Cabo Wabo but didn't take directions very well and we never did find it.
We eventually made our way back to the pier where we waited for our tour to begin. They split the tour up into two boat groups. The other one left first and then we did only to turn back around. Apparantly there was a couple who were late so our guide was contacted on his phone to turn back and pick them up. The guy was middle aged and wore a red speedo. Ughhh.... We were what was called the Ecological tour. First we went to Santa Maria Bay to snorkel. It was awesome, and the water was warm. At first it's kind of freaky and Micki had some fin problems, plus she was scared once she saw all the fish. After much coaxing she started snorkeling and wound up loving it. After a while I decided to swim to shore and soak up some sun. The beach was gorgeous, but it was deceiving. What looked like white sand was actually white tiny pebbles, almost like what you would see in fish tanks. The kids and I laid out for a bit and then went back in and joined their dad for some more snorkel time. When it was time to go we got aboard the ship and headed out. I started counting heads and noticed that 1 was missing. I started asking around and told the guide that I thought we were missing the newcomer in the red speedo. Sure enough. Weird thing is that his wife was on the boat and didn't notice he was missing? Weird people. I guess she thought he was in the back of the boat. Anyway we had to go back and look for him, saw him off snorkeling by himself past where we were supposed to be, all of which we were warned not to do. It took a while to get his attention, but eventually we did and were able to head to our next destination.
Our next stop was at Chileno Bay. We thought the last place was gorgeous with gorgeous fish, but Chileno Bay was soooo awesome! We swam over the coral reef and there were so many gorgeous fish. We saw puffers and Doris, clowns, eels, just a whole array and the water was crystal clear and beautiful. We had such a good time and were disappointed when it was time to head back. We were very late heading back. When we got back to the pier we were the last group of people to leave. The Carnival employees were waiting for us as they all had to ride back on our boat to the ship as it was the last one. I think we made the Pride about an hour late, we were literally the last ones to get back on the ship.
This night was our other formal dinner night. We dressed up and had a good time at dinner. Main show this evening was called "Vroom". It featured song and dance from the different decades including the 60's through the 80's. It was a high powered and very fun show to watch. The kids chose to do their own thing and then joined us after it started, Micki could not stay awake though and chose to go back to the room and sleep. Our room was in the hallway closest to the Taj Mahal lounge and was just a few steps in so not far at all. Chad and I went to the R-rated comedy show at midnight put on by Jerome. It was R rated, but he was very funny. We enjoyed having the time together just the two of us. Afterwards we went outside for a bit and walked around, it was very chilly and windy as we were booking at higher knots as to get back home in time on Sunday morning.
We were really looking forward to Cabo, it seemed so pretty and beachy and we couldn't wait to go ashore. We hadn't preplanned anything for this day as we'd decided to just wait and see what we felt like. Well, we decided during the week that we would like to snorkel so on Thursday night we signed up for a snorkel excursion at the Carnival desk. I am normally totally against using the ship's excursions as they cost a lot more and are limited, but we felt that since the Pride was to set sail at 3:30 and we had to be back by 3:00 that it left us very limited time and if we booked through the ship we were guaranteed the ship would wait for us even if we were late which it would not do if we booked on our own. The ship had to tender a ways out and we took boat taxis to shore, it was only about a 10 minute ride.
Our tour wasn't until 11:00, so we decided to get out fairly early so we could see the sights and city and do some souvenir shopping knowing that we wouldn't have time after the snorkel tour. We walked quite a bit through the city, we stopped at the Hard Rock for some t-shirts and hats and then went into some other souvenir shops. We found a great one with cheap prices and were able to finish our souvenir shopping. Chad tried to find Cabo Wabo but didn't take directions very well and we never did find it.
We eventually made our way back to the pier where we waited for our tour to begin. They split the tour up into two boat groups. The other one left first and then we did only to turn back around. Apparantly there was a couple who were late so our guide was contacted on his phone to turn back and pick them up. The guy was middle aged and wore a red speedo. Ughhh.... We were what was called the Ecological tour. First we went to Santa Maria Bay to snorkel. It was awesome, and the water was warm. At first it's kind of freaky and Micki had some fin problems, plus she was scared once she saw all the fish. After much coaxing she started snorkeling and wound up loving it. After a while I decided to swim to shore and soak up some sun. The beach was gorgeous, but it was deceiving. What looked like white sand was actually white tiny pebbles, almost like what you would see in fish tanks. The kids and I laid out for a bit and then went back in and joined their dad for some more snorkel time. When it was time to go we got aboard the ship and headed out. I started counting heads and noticed that 1 was missing. I started asking around and told the guide that I thought we were missing the newcomer in the red speedo. Sure enough. Weird thing is that his wife was on the boat and didn't notice he was missing? Weird people. I guess she thought he was in the back of the boat. Anyway we had to go back and look for him, saw him off snorkeling by himself past where we were supposed to be, all of which we were warned not to do. It took a while to get his attention, but eventually we did and were able to head to our next destination.
Our next stop was at Chileno Bay. We thought the last place was gorgeous with gorgeous fish, but Chileno Bay was soooo awesome! We swam over the coral reef and there were so many gorgeous fish. We saw puffers and Doris, clowns, eels, just a whole array and the water was crystal clear and beautiful. We had such a good time and were disappointed when it was time to head back. We were very late heading back. When we got back to the pier we were the last group of people to leave. The Carnival employees were waiting for us as they all had to ride back on our boat to the ship as it was the last one. I think we made the Pride about an hour late, we were literally the last ones to get back on the ship.
This night was our other formal dinner night. We dressed up and had a good time at dinner. Main show this evening was called "Vroom". It featured song and dance from the different decades including the 60's through the 80's. It was a high powered and very fun show to watch. The kids chose to do their own thing and then joined us after it started, Micki could not stay awake though and chose to go back to the room and sleep. Our room was in the hallway closest to the Taj Mahal lounge and was just a few steps in so not far at all. Chad and I went to the R-rated comedy show at midnight put on by Jerome. It was R rated, but he was very funny. We enjoyed having the time together just the two of us. Afterwards we went outside for a bit and walked around, it was very chilly and windy as we were booking at higher knots as to get back home in time on Sunday morning.
May 3rd - Mazatlan
Thursday is Mazatlan day! I had booked a tour through Mazatlan Frank due to many recommendations and positive feedback on the cruiscritic message boards. He wasn't available as he already had a tour booked, but his associate was. I was able to book a private tour for just the 4 of us, usually they take bigger non-private groups. We were to meet him as soon as the ship docked. Mazatlan is an industrial fishing city so we docked in where all the fishing vessels come in and out. We got aboard a tram and it took us to the duty free shops and the terminal where we pass security. Once through we saw a man holding up a sign with our name. Our guide's name was "Tomato" (Tomas' Rosa). Mazatlan Frank was next to him waiting for his party, so we got to meet him, nice guy.
First we went downtown to a famous Catholic church there. Tomato pointed out different things along the way and told us about the city. We've never been in a Catholic church, there was a lot of detail, statues and gaudy stuff, but a lot of work and detail had been put into this old church. After that we wandered around the streets, went into a Senor Frogs and a few other shops. We then were driven to some jewelry and trinket shops where I'm sure they're paid kickbacks, we didn't care. These shops had free margaritas and sodas for us. Yummmy. They do NOT cheat on the alcohol. Chad and Derek did find some wallets in the leather shop. We then went up the coastline a bit to a place that had divers, so we waited and watched the divers perform. Afterwards Derek wanted to find a place that had a shark tooth necklace, so Tomato drove us to an area that had a bunch of touristy type shops. We had fun in those, Derek did find his shark tooth necklace and we all found some trinkets to take back home. We toured some residential areas, he pointed out where a famous Mexican singer lived and some other people we were clueless about. There were a LOT of americans living here, we saw a lot of CA, TX, CO, OR and WA license plates. He went on and on about how expensive the homes were in this particular gated community, they were really nice and big, but cheap to us. We went to lunch at place on the beach where I'm sure they get kickbacks. There was another associate there with his tour. We didn't care, it was great food, we sat at a table right in front of the beach, it was all open to outside. The margaritas were huge. We took turns going down and playing on the beach. Afterwards we did some more tours of neighborhoods and then went up to the top of a hill where we could overlook the city. After this we headed back to the ship where we did a bit of shopping in the duty free shops. We really enjoyed Mazatlan.
This evening we decided to hit the Mermaid's Grill for dinner instead of the Normandie. It was refreshing to go when we wanted and to eat from the buffet for a change. We went in the jacuzzi that evening while the kids swam in the pool. The show for this night was a comedy/magic show by a guy named Cameron, and then a comedy performance by Jerome. Jerome is on Comedy Central and is in a movie that's coming out. He is very funny and we really enjoyed him.
First we went downtown to a famous Catholic church there. Tomato pointed out different things along the way and told us about the city. We've never been in a Catholic church, there was a lot of detail, statues and gaudy stuff, but a lot of work and detail had been put into this old church. After that we wandered around the streets, went into a Senor Frogs and a few other shops. We then were driven to some jewelry and trinket shops where I'm sure they're paid kickbacks, we didn't care. These shops had free margaritas and sodas for us. Yummmy. They do NOT cheat on the alcohol. Chad and Derek did find some wallets in the leather shop. We then went up the coastline a bit to a place that had divers, so we waited and watched the divers perform. Afterwards Derek wanted to find a place that had a shark tooth necklace, so Tomato drove us to an area that had a bunch of touristy type shops. We had fun in those, Derek did find his shark tooth necklace and we all found some trinkets to take back home. We toured some residential areas, he pointed out where a famous Mexican singer lived and some other people we were clueless about. There were a LOT of americans living here, we saw a lot of CA, TX, CO, OR and WA license plates. He went on and on about how expensive the homes were in this particular gated community, they were really nice and big, but cheap to us. We went to lunch at place on the beach where I'm sure they get kickbacks. There was another associate there with his tour. We didn't care, it was great food, we sat at a table right in front of the beach, it was all open to outside. The margaritas were huge. We took turns going down and playing on the beach. Afterwards we did some more tours of neighborhoods and then went up to the top of a hill where we could overlook the city. After this we headed back to the ship where we did a bit of shopping in the duty free shops. We really enjoyed Mazatlan.
This evening we decided to hit the Mermaid's Grill for dinner instead of the Normandie. It was refreshing to go when we wanted and to eat from the buffet for a change. We went in the jacuzzi that evening while the kids swam in the pool. The show for this night was a comedy/magic show by a guy named Cameron, and then a comedy performance by Jerome. Jerome is on Comedy Central and is in a movie that's coming out. He is very funny and we really enjoyed him.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
May 2nd - Puerto Vallarta continued...
After the canopy tour we ate lunch and had these HUGE margaritas at the restaurant on site. They were sooooo yummy, but man did they pack a punch! No watered down drinks here. We had planned on swimming in the swimming area and river, but decided not to. We went in some monkey cages and iteracted with some adorable little monkeys. After that a bus was leaving so we hightailed it out of there and back to town. We got a taxi outside the tour office. Boy, that was a mistake. It was a young guy and he wanted an astronimcal price. We talked him down to something reasonable, told him we wanted to go to the market area. Well, he took the long way too and from what we could tell it was just a few blocks away minus all the bogus turns he made. He kept yelling out to people that they were gay, or other remarks and then would kiss the cross hanging from his review mirror and cross himself. He was crazy.
We went to the outdoor markets and looked at all the crap and trinkets. We wound up walking a lot and noticed we were getting closer to the beach. We stopped in a Senor Frogs and some other fun shops along the beach access. After that we played on the beach for about an hour. The kids and Chad played in the warm water while I layed out and soaked up the sun. They wound up getting pretty drenched. We decided it was time to start heading back in the direction of the ship, so we just moseyed on down the beach. Eventually the beach ended with buildings in the way so we had to go down roads. We kept walking and walking and walking and walking. I wanted to hail a taxi or bus but oh no, Chad didn't think we needed to spend the $. He was soaked and his legs were rubbing together, was soaked and his legs were rubbing together, magnified by all the sand and salt and you get the picture. Micki was soaked too and miserable. My feet hurt really bad as I had chafing and blisters from wearing my new sandals earlier. We kept walking and walking and walking. Finally Chad relented and said he wanted to snag a bus, but I noticed a Starbucks that I'd seen on our taxi ride earlier and was pretty sure it wasn't far from the ship, so why bother now. We went in, got some yummies and when we headed back out and up the hill we saw our ship not too far away. We did get a lot of exercise, but boy were we chafed and miserable. I'm thinking we walked about 7 - 8 miles.
This evening the main show was a comedy/variety act by a guy named Fred Anderson.
We went to the outdoor markets and looked at all the crap and trinkets. We wound up walking a lot and noticed we were getting closer to the beach. We stopped in a Senor Frogs and some other fun shops along the beach access. After that we played on the beach for about an hour. The kids and Chad played in the warm water while I layed out and soaked up the sun. They wound up getting pretty drenched. We decided it was time to start heading back in the direction of the ship, so we just moseyed on down the beach. Eventually the beach ended with buildings in the way so we had to go down roads. We kept walking and walking and walking and walking. I wanted to hail a taxi or bus but oh no, Chad didn't think we needed to spend the $. He was soaked and his legs were rubbing together, was soaked and his legs were rubbing together, magnified by all the sand and salt and you get the picture. Micki was soaked too and miserable. My feet hurt really bad as I had chafing and blisters from wearing my new sandals earlier. We kept walking and walking and walking. Finally Chad relented and said he wanted to snag a bus, but I noticed a Starbucks that I'd seen on our taxi ride earlier and was pretty sure it wasn't far from the ship, so why bother now. We went in, got some yummies and when we headed back out and up the hill we saw our ship not too far away. We did get a lot of exercise, but boy were we chafed and miserable. I'm thinking we walked about 7 - 8 miles.
This evening the main show was a comedy/variety act by a guy named Fred Anderson.
Friday, July 13, 2007
May 2nd - Puerto Vallarta
We got up early this day. Instead of going to breakfast, we decided to have room service brought in to save time since we needed to leave the ship fairly early. I was the first one awake and up. I got up and went on deck to watch the ship as it came into dock. It was interesting to watch and I got a lot of pictures.
Puerto Vallarta Sunrise
Ship coming in to dock
Almost there
Puerto Vallarta
Docked!
We had the Los Veranos Canopy Tour booked today. We were to be at the canopy tour office at
11 AM. We got off the ship and walked out of the docking area and found a cab outside on the street. We had been warned to to use one that was inside the terminal as they charged a lot more $. We got the cab and the driver was very friendly and spoke good English. He knew right where to go, but I suspected he took the long route to get there as he went through a lot more streets than I know was necessary. We got to the place and then had to wait as we were early. There was another group of people to leave before us and we were given the option to either wait or to go with that group on the bus and then just wait when we got there for our group. We chose to go ahead and go, they had a restaurant and different things to look at so we figured we'd rather do that than wait around in a hot waiting room. The bus ride was kind of scary. It was rickety and we went up the cliffs along the coastline and then up into the hills. We saw a lot of shacks and shanties along the way. When we got to the place, the guys there said there was room for us to go on that tour, so that was awesome that we didn't have to wait. There were a bunch of young, fun, good looking guys giving the tour. They were really sweet and friendly and funny and helped make it really enjoyable for everyone.
This was such a blast! We all had such a good time and it was definitely a highlight of the trip. It started off that Micki was no way Jose going to go first and Derek was no way Jose going to go first, Dad wanted to bring up the rear for our family, so guess who went first? Mom, and that's ok with me because I'm a bit of a daredevil anyway. Well, it was so much fun that after that Derek was going first, but no, Micki wanted to go first and so on and so on. The one not fun thing about the tour is that we had to climb up a lot and it was hard on the ankles. We did all that climbing while carrying our really heavy pullys. The guides were sweet and carried Micki's for her. She was the youngest in our tour. In fact, Derek and Micki were the only kids in our tour.
Puerto Vallarta Sunrise
Ship coming in to dock
Almost there
Puerto Vallarta
Docked!
We had the Los Veranos Canopy Tour booked today. We were to be at the canopy tour office at
11 AM. We got off the ship and walked out of the docking area and found a cab outside on the street. We had been warned to to use one that was inside the terminal as they charged a lot more $. We got the cab and the driver was very friendly and spoke good English. He knew right where to go, but I suspected he took the long route to get there as he went through a lot more streets than I know was necessary. We got to the place and then had to wait as we were early. There was another group of people to leave before us and we were given the option to either wait or to go with that group on the bus and then just wait when we got there for our group. We chose to go ahead and go, they had a restaurant and different things to look at so we figured we'd rather do that than wait around in a hot waiting room. The bus ride was kind of scary. It was rickety and we went up the cliffs along the coastline and then up into the hills. We saw a lot of shacks and shanties along the way. When we got to the place, the guys there said there was room for us to go on that tour, so that was awesome that we didn't have to wait. There were a bunch of young, fun, good looking guys giving the tour. They were really sweet and friendly and funny and helped make it really enjoyable for everyone.
This was such a blast! We all had such a good time and it was definitely a highlight of the trip. It started off that Micki was no way Jose going to go first and Derek was no way Jose going to go first, Dad wanted to bring up the rear for our family, so guess who went first? Mom, and that's ok with me because I'm a bit of a daredevil anyway. Well, it was so much fun that after that Derek was going first, but no, Micki wanted to go first and so on and so on. The one not fun thing about the tour is that we had to climb up a lot and it was hard on the ankles. We did all that climbing while carrying our really heavy pullys. The guides were sweet and carried Micki's for her. She was the youngest in our tour. In fact, Derek and Micki were the only kids in our tour.
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