Cruise Highlights

We got back from our trip yesterday afternoon. Everyone pretty much crashed. Not a lot done today either. Ken, the master of laundry took over and got us headed back to the real world.

So, we left on a gloriously sunny Friday afternoon. (does that sound literary enough?) Since we'd been on this particular ship before, we didn't bother to do the usual walk around and get acquainted. Instead, we headed straight for the buffet. We sat on the Lido deck, ate some lunch, had the drink of the day, and started to unwind and get ready for a great trip.

We headed to our cabins and got unpacked, and then went to dinner. Are you sensing the theme of cruise life? Eat, play, eat, play. That's it in a nutshell.

We had two days at sea on our way down to Acapulco. Ken and I headed to the Trivia Challenges and read in the lounge chairs on the Lido deck. The kids took this time to get acquainted with the other teens on the ship. They have a great program for kids. On sea days, we didn't see the kids much at all, only at dinner because I insist. The kids had lots of options. Basketball, miniature golf, swimming, water slides, games, the buffet, ice cream, and "hangin" with their new friends.

Our first formal night, Michael got pre-occupied playing and forgot to unpack his nice clothes. He decided, (maybe I should take a bigger interest in how they pack) to pack his tuxedo from band (red bow tie and red cumber bun). So, he showed up to dinner a little late in a totally wrinkled shirt with a red tie and cumber bun. He looked a little.....ridiculous. Our waiter started calling him "Bond" and it stuck through the whole cruise.

The shows were similar to what we saw last year, but they were still great. We love the Broadway show tune night, the hypnotist and the comedian the best. I don't think Michael made it to one show, he was so busy scoping chicks in the teen disco. Megan and Jake usually joined us for the show, then headed to their activities. Ken and I usually headed to bed after the shows.

Our first port was Acapulco. It was stinkin' hot. Definitely not used to humidity. We took a bus to the site where the cliff divers were. It was fascinating to watch them free climb up this cliff and then dive into the water. We got some pictures that you can see in our slide show, if I can get it loaded. Then we headed to a lagoon right across the street from the beach for a drink and a hammock. The waves were a little too strong to swim, but we relaxed and enjoyed the water up to our toes anyway.

The next stop was Ixtapa and another city I can't spell (Ziwatenajo?). We took a short tour of the city and got some history and then took a small boat to an island. Ken and the kids went snorkeling, and I sat in a lounge chair. We were on the west side of the island so the waves weren't so strong and we could get in the water. It was really warm. After a couple of hours we headed back for some shopping.

Final port was Manzanillo. We took another City Tour/Shopping/Beach excursion. The water was a little rougher, but was still fun to play. After three days in the sun, all of us were exhausted, and just a little rojo (that's red for all you non-Spanish Dos people.)

I'll share some other specific stories in my next blog.