swcruiser Posted May 18, 2005 #1 Share Posted May 18, 2005 I received so much good information from all of you I thought it would be nice to let everyone know how my cruise went. Warning: It's very long!!! We were a group of twelve ages ranging from 13 months old to 66 years old. We all had a great time, especially since the grandparents did some babysitting for us. This was my second cruise and about everyone else was a newbie. Embarkation: My mother-in-law lives about 15 minutes from San Pedro so dh and my sister’s dh shuttled the group, drove back and dropped the cars off at her place and then had a relative drive them back to the pier. However, I heard that parking is about $10/day so that’s not too bad if you drive yourself. We decided to get onboard first and had no problems checking in separately from our dhs even though our information was on the same boarding documents. Just make sure they have their IDs with them. I filled out the paperwork already regarding the credit card info and had them include it on his seapass as well. We had to wait in line for about 30 minutes, but there was no line at all for dh when he got there. Dh basically walked up to the counter, showed his driver’s license and he was ready to go. So maybe checking in later is better! We boarded the ship by 2pm and decided to drop our stuff off in the cabin. Dhs arrived around 3pm. We headed straight up to the Windjammer for some food!:) Cabin: We were on Decks 2 and 3 near the middle of the ship. We had an ocean view room which was nice. Dd liked to stand there and watch the waves. The room was small, but had plenty of storage for all our belongings and we brought a lot! We decided to not use the pack n’ play as a crib and just had dd sleep with us. We put the two beds together and had it moved against one wall. It worked out perfectly because that gave us room to store our stroller against the other wall. We still had plenty of room to move about. There were plenty of hangers in the closet and I had the cabin steward keep the ice bucket full to store dd’s milk. We looked forward to the towel animals every night and took pictures of dd next to them. Too cute! The furniture was a little worn, but that was expected. Overall, the cabin worked out fine. Maybe we’ll splurge for a balcony the next time we cruise!:D Food: Dinner in the dining room was terrific! We had a wonderful wait staff who kept us entertained and well-fed the entire week. Super job Herman and Lengshan! My dd was 13 months old and her cousin was 16 months old so they weren’t quite eating everything we were eating yet. They had the two high chairs set up and milk and bread were on the table ready for our girls when we arrived for dinner every night. The first night we had to ask that the steamed veggies be cooked even more and by day 2, they were perfect. The two girls ate very well! They had veggies, grilled chicken, various fish, rice, creamed soups and much much more. We just asked for certain items even if they were not on the menu. After a couple days, Herman took care of their meals. He even served them the lobster on formal night! Needless to say, I was the one that ate dd’s lobster. :p Herman even fed my dd so that I could eat. I wished that I could bring him home with me! As for the adults, the menu was great. Tons of choices and I was not shy about ordering more than one appetizer, entrée or dessert. After the first couple nights we learned to take Herman’s recommendations. The duck was superb and the lamb was just as succulent. My dh ordered the lobster and prime rib which was also done very well. The main courses were served fresh and hot. We had no complaints about the entrees at all, but next time I would skip the consommes. I preferred the thicker creamier soups and my dh really liked the chilled soups. He said the strawberry one tasted like a smoothie! For dessert, loved anything that was chocolate, but the baked alaska was lacking. The lunch menu in the dining room never changed but we enjoyed their baby back ribs, calamari and thai lettuce wraps so we ate there 3 times. We only ate breakfast once in there. The rest of the time we were in the Windjammer Café. The selection was greater but sometimes that isn’t a good thing because I ended up eating a lot more desserts than I should have.:D We went to the Solarium for late night snacks. The pizza and hot dogs were not that good, but we loved the fries! I tried the grilled chicken burger there, but didn’t get the chance to taste a regular burger. I also like the cookies they had. Midnight Gala Buffet: Definitely go check it out. Pretty impressive sculptures made out of food and ice, but we didn’t really eat anything there except the cookies which were excellent! AquaBabies: This program was for babies ages 6-18 months old. They met at 9:30 every day and we went to all of them except during port days. Dd enjoyed playing with the Fisher Price toys but her cousin who’s older didn’t really like them. I think she was too “advanced” for these toys. My sister asked if her dd could participate in the Aqua Tots program, but they preferred the child to be 18 months old to join. However, both dds did enjoy the Laugh and Learn Home. Looks like I’ll have to go buy one now. Btw, , I never went to aquababies with dd. Grandma took her everyday so that dh and I were able to sleep in. I believe my sister said that another child joined in once and that was it. The rest of the cruise it was just dd and her cousin. Sea Days: The sea days were windy, especially the last day. I believe the day after the ports was still pretty warm. I recall seeing people laying out by the pool. However, the last day was definitely colder. You will need a light jacket unless you don’t get cold easily, but we just stayed inside so it wasn’t a problem. We didn’t utilize the pool at all since it was usually very crowded and also dd wasn’t allowed to use it. We’re not sun worshippers so it didn’t bother us too much. Some of us did use the whirl pools early in the morning as that was the only time it wasn’t crowded. I didn’t use the gym at all but my brother did and he said that it was pretty busy unless you got there early in the morning. I didn’t try any of the classes since most were in the mornings and some charged a $10 fee (yoga). I just climbed the stairs from our deck to deck 9 everyday for my exercise.:p We tried not to use the elevators. We didn’t get to do all the activities since we had to work around the babies’ schedules, but according to the Daily Compass there was plenty to do. I tried the rock wall and never found it crowded during the open sessions. There was always a lot of people at the dance lessons and it looked like people were in general just having a good time. When they showed the Cruise in Review video there appeare to be lots of partying going on, but we just missed them because of the the kids. We managed to get the grandmas to babysit one night so that we could go to the midnight bbq by the pool. Dh and I got to do some dancing after all! Entertainment: I didn’t get to see all the shows, but the ones I saw were alright. The most memorable was the duo juggling comedy act. That was pretty hilarious. Other than that, the rest of the productions were decent. I know the performers worked very hard so we went and enjoyed them as much as possible. Also, we learned to get to the shows earlier or else there were no seats available. Port Days: Cabo San Lucas: Weather: Hot hot hot! This was the only day I didn’t have anything pre-planned so we took our time getting off the ship. My brother waited in line to get tender tickets for our group but it wasn’t necessary unless you wanted to get off early. I believe we docked at 10 or maybe earlier and we got ticket #4. We still were not ready to leave when they called our number. We got on when we were ready were on land by 11am. As soon as we walked off we were approached by many vendors. We decided to do a glass bottom boat ride. He charged us $10/person (the babies were free) to go out to The Arches and Lover’s Beach area. Luckily, my sister speaks Spanish fluently so the guy was our own personal tour guide. Made lots of jokes like “This side is Lover’s beach and the other side is Divorce Beach.” He took us to see where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. We also saw lots of fish and sea lions. We brought our own life vests for the babies. Good thing we did! It’s pretty rocky out there by the Arch. We decided to go the beach since he was willing to drop us off and pick us up afterwards. This way saved us a taxi ride! He dropped us off at Medano Beach and we did get our feet wet so wear appropriate shoes, but you can always go barefoot. There were guys that helped you out of the boat so be sure to have some singles handy for tips. We decided to plant ourselves at The Office and ordered some lunch. Our dds loved playing in the ocean. Make sure you have a good hold on them because both got knocked down by a wave. Luckily, they didn’t get hurt. Just more surprised than anything. Dd still wanted to play in the water afterwards although her cousin was a little more apprehensive. Wished we had a video camera on hand because it was a pretty funny sight although it wasn’t funny at the time. I can’t remember how much the bill was at the Office, but we basically ordered some nachos, quesadillas and drinks. They had umbrellas over their tables which was a good thing because it was hot out there! They didn’t make us move even after we finished our lunch so we just sat there and took turns going out to the beach. We did order some more drinks. After a couple hours our boat came back to pick us up. He took us back to where the stores were and we strolled around a little bit. Saw Cabo Wabo from the outside but didn’t go in to try anything. We’re not really into shopping so can’t tell you how that was. We then walked about 10-15 minutes back to the ship. Btw, we brought our strollers and a backpack carrier would have worked much better for the boat ride and beach. Overall, a pretty relaxing day. Mazatlan: I booked Randi’s Happy Horses and we met her at the terminal around 8:30. The Mercury was in that day so she had two groups riding. The first group was already out by the time we met up with her. I was hoping to go in the first group but we just couldn’t get ready in time with the babies. Randi said that some people were waiting for her at 7:30 am! So the 12 of us joined her along with 13 others and took the ride to the fish market. Then we hopped on the boat and headed out to Stone Island. They do require you to wear a life jacket so luckily we brought dd’s along since they didn’t have any that small on the boat. We took the tractor ride out to Victor’s where we preordered our lunches. Then we waited for our turn to ride. My mom and mil stayed at Victor’s with our dds and just hung out with Randi. Dd loved playing in the ocean again. I’m glad we were able to bring her along on this excursion. There was a breeze out there so bring a light jacket for the kids just in case. It was an absolutely beautiful day. The rest of us met Daniel who paired us up with our horses. They had just enough horses for the 21 riders and I believe they had to go back and get more horses for the guides. Since there were so many of us, by the end he was just pairing us up without asking about our experiences. Dh and I were the last ones to mount. Luckily, I got a fast horse “Borrego?” all I know is that it means “little cow”, but my dh got a very slow horse. Dh was disappointed that it didn’t even want to trot. However, the ride itself was beautiful. I wore a t-shirt and hiking pants along with teva-like sandals. Some others wore shorts and even though they had a towel my sister still got some chafing. I wish I would have worn tennis shoes instead especially since my horse liked to go fast. However, if your horse was slower sandals worked just fine. We rode along the beach that seemed to go on forever. We were all stretched out along the beach. My brother and I were in the fast group and dh and others were in the middle and end groups. They had a guide with each group but it was great that we could go at our own pace. I loved it when my horse galloped! Overall, a great ride even with so many people. The ride lasted approximately 1-1.5 hours and we returned to Victor’s where our food was ready. There were vendors, but they didn’t bother us too much. We actually bought some bracelets from Daniel’s brother before our ride and my sister bought her dd a little dress for $4. I’d say we only had to say “No Gracias” about 3 or 4 times total. By the time we finished our lunch it was time to go back to the ship. I was hoping that we would have had time to try the banana boat or boogie boards, but we didn’t get the chance. We brought our own snorkel gear but didn’t get to use them. Oh well, something for next time. Stone Island is like stepping back into the past. The beach was beautiful especially since there weren’t tons of people! I really enjoyed it and would have loved to spend another day out there. It was nice to be away from the touristy places. Btw, Victor’s had a bathroom but no door so just a head’s up! The garden at Victor’s was also very lovely and Chris and the food were great! Garlic shrimp all the way! We spent the rest of the day on the ship, but my sister and family went to do some shopping outside the terminal. According to Randi, the prices are about the same as in town so she said to save yourself a taxi ride. Puerto Vallarta: This was probably my favorite port. I would love to come back here and spend a few more days exploring. I booked the Los Veranos Canopy Tour for 6 of us at noon. My mom and mil came along with the babies and just stayed in the restaurant they had by the river. I actually wanted an earlier tour but that was all they had available. It worked out since PV is an hour ahead of ship’s time and like usual it took us forever to get ready. We got off the ship and went outside of the gate to hail a yellow taxi since it’s supposed to be cheaper than the white ones. We got two taxis and they wanted to charge $3 per person for the 15-20 minute ride to the Los Veranos office, but we bargained it down to $10/taxi so there were 4 adults and 1 baby in each one. We boarded an open air truck and took the 30 minute ride out to the jungle. The view was absolutely gorgeous. We saw some dolphins swimming, too! We got a taxi for the grandmas and babies and that cost $18 for the ride out there. The ride back was free with the rest of us. Btw, it was pretty windy in the open air truck so luckily we had towels to cover the babies. Other than that, I loved the wind blowing through my hair! Ziplining wasn’t scary at all. It looked like it’d be scary being so high up, but I think I was concentrating on just making it across the line that I didn’t even think about the height. I had to pull myself to the platform a couple times when I stopped a little short. It was no big deal. If you stopped too far out, the guide will go out and bring you in. They had everything taken care of. My brother and sister who are afraid of heights actually were not terrified at all. My sister said that she did get a little adrenaline rush the first couple lines but that was about it. Even without the thrill, it was still lots of fun hanging out there on a line! The guides were well trained and entertaining. They truly did all the work. You didn’t have to worry about a thing! We did 15 lines in about 2 hours and then ended at the restaurant. Again, I wished we had more time to enjoy the river and waterslide as it was pretty hot that day. However, we pretty much left after they finished making our dvd. It was around 4pm. We took lots of pictures ourselves but bought their picture($8) and video($40) anyway. The guides were totally crazy and fun! Jorge, the guy making the video was an absolute hoot and he took great shots of us zipping across the river so we can now go back and view what we missed! It’s a little hard to get a good view since you’re supposed to have both hands on the handle and be in a cannonball position. Btw, some guy dropped their camera early on in the tour. He had it in his pocket and when he tucked into the cannonball position it fell out. Make sure that your camera’s strapped around you somehow. Made me wonder how many cameras, hats and sunglasses this jungle had consumed. Btw, dh and I wore t-shirts and hiking pants and either tennis shoes or sandals. We were fine. My sister actually wore white capris and they didn’t get too dirty! Imagine that! After ziplining we went back to the ship for $8/taxi. Guess we didn’t get that great a deal earlier. I would totally recommend this tour. It was so much fun and it would have been even better if we could have stayed to play in the river. There weren’t any mosquitos that I noticed and the restaurant and bathrooms were nice and clean. I was glad we brought the babies with us. Dd again enjoyed playing in the water with grandma while we were on the tour. We went back to the ship and then headed out to the Krystal hotel taking the shortcut route to see if we could get some massages. Unfortunately, they were closing up (it was already after 5pm) but they were willing to do one more in the salon, so I let my mil have it as a Mother’s day present. You really can’t beat the price of $35 for 75 minutes. This is a really nice place to spend the day. I would love to come back again and use their pools and beach. They even had a playground for kids! While mil was getting her massage, dh and dd went on the beach and played in the ocean. We missed dinner so we just went to the Windjammer to eat. I’m glad we were able to check out the Krystal. Too bad we couldn’t spend the entire day there. Disembarkation: We didn’t have any priority tags so we actually waited over two hours to get off the ship. Luggages were easily located and we all had U.S. passports so the line was fairly short. Overall, a very easy process although I wish we didn’t have to wait that long. At least we were in the Masquerade Theater where we watched some Looney Tune cartoons. It was a terrific vacation and we would do it again in a heartbeat. Everyone’s already asking when we can go on our next cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dien2cruize Posted May 18, 2005 #2 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Thanks so much for your review. While I will be sailing a different ship, I found your info on the ports very interesting and informative. Hope we have as much fun as you.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crhenderson Posted May 18, 2005 #3 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Great report! Did you bring car seats for the babies? Where did you buy the life jackets and how much did they cost? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swcruiser Posted May 18, 2005 Author #4 Share Posted May 18, 2005 We bought the life vests on ebay for $10 each. I think they were the Type II kind. I can't remember exactly as my brother-in-law was the one that did the buying. Also, we didn't bring carseats for the babies. I know a lot of people bring the sit n' stroll, but I had heard that most likely the taxis won't even have seatbelts available in the backseats. The taxis we took did have seatbelts available so it's up to you whether to bring a carseat or not. We took our chances....:eek: By the way, I forgot to mention in my review that dd slept in the stroller while on the ship or at port for naps and sometimes at night so that we could go see the shows. The stroller was invaluable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justmarie Posted May 18, 2005 #5 Share Posted May 18, 2005 We're also going on a different ship but are riding with Randi and doing the Zip-Lines, glad to hear you enjoyed both of them. How early can you book the Zip-lines, we want to enjoy the whole day, but need to be back by 5pm for a 6pm departure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swcruiser Posted May 19, 2005 Author #6 Share Posted May 19, 2005 We checked in at their office at 11:45 PV time, got to the jungle by 12:45 and finished the last line at 3:30. We waited a little while for the dvd to get made and then took the shuttle back to their office. I'd say we were back on the ship by 4:30 PV time which was an hour later than ship time. I'm not sure what the earliest tour is but I believe some people have booked a 9am tour? You can email Sylvie and ask her. Here's her email: info@canopytours-vallarta.com They only accept reservations one month prior to the date and booking it online saves you $7. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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