The Cruise: Ports of Call

Originally, when we began looking at a cruise, the ports of call for this trip were Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Due to violence, most of the cruise lines had dropped Mazatlan as a port before we booked our trip.

Tuesday- Cabo San Lucas
After a day spent on the ship exploring and relaxing, we were ready for our first port in Cabo San Lucas. We woke up, got a ticket for the tender boats, and ate breakfast aboard the ship. We had a great view of Los Arcos while we ate.

After a half an hour or so, our number was called to board the tender boat to take us from our ship in the bay to the pier.

We decided not to book any shore excursions. Since Spanish is Jose's first language, and I understand it well, we are able to navigate around and communicate. After stopping in a Mexican pharmacy to buy some more sunscreen (for $15!) we headed downtown to shop. The sun was hot! It was about 95 degrees, but in the desert heat, it felt more like 195 degrees. My first purchase, besides the expensive sunscreen, was a hat.

We spent the next few hours wandering around, buying gifts, and getting our fill of the little city. By that time, I was ready for some food. Jose was disappointed that we couldn't find any real street tacos, but we held out hope for Puerto Vallarta. Instead, we had tacos and margaritas in the harbor before beginning the long, hot trek back to the pier to catch a tender (spotting this place on our walk back).

The wildlife we saw was amazing! While sailing down to Mexico, we had a group of dolphins swimming along side the ship. In port we saw crabs crawling all over rocks, sea otters, pelicans, and more!

Back on the cruise ship, we put on our swimsuits and immediately jumped in the pool (which was salt water, surprise!), and spent the rest of that day relaxing.

Wednesday- Cabo San Lucas
The next day was also spent in Cabo. Once ashore, we went exploring in the opposite direction. We had our swimsuits on, and were in search of a beach. After a few hours, we were pretty done with this port and we went back to the cruise ship to lay by the pool.

Thursday- Puerto Vallarta
Thursday we woke up in Puerto Vallarta. Jose and I had vacationed here previously, and had a pretty good feel for the town. We grabbed a taxi down to the malecon in search of a few specific items.

First stop, we found a Chivas jersey for Isabella. Next, we hit up the dulceria for Mexican candies for Jose's parents. Finally, we tracked down a street vendor selling duritos.

Last stop was Walmart. Oh, yes. We found lots of treasures from Jose's childhood including chips, candies, and comics.

With our trifecta complete, we went back to the boat to relax before dinner. Upon boarding, I was handed a flyer for that day's spa special: a hot stone massage. I quickly booked one before dinner. After my wonderful spa afternoon, Jose and I went to dinner at Victor's in the marina. The first time my family ever went to PV, we happened upon this small outdoor restaurant. The owner visited with us for a while and gave us free tequila, plus the food is AMAZING! Every trip since, we have gone there to eat. Per usual, Victor stayed to chat and gave us free margaritas. Once I told him how we always come to visit, he stopped by our table several more times with tequila shots. Perhaps too many as I was feeling it soon after. I heart Victor!

After a quick cab ride, we boarded the boat and headed up to the top deck to watch as we sailed away.

That night, Game 6 of the World Series was on the big screen by the pool, and we stayed to watch the incredible ending. It was a great atmosphere as there was a huge crowd yelling for both sides. We ended up recruiting all those around us to help us cheer on the Cardinals.