Call us crazy but Disney has us hooked! We have drunk the lemonade and have our Disney buzz. When Disney offered the Kids Sail Free promo last June for their Mexican Riviera itineraries this winter, it was hard to pass up, especially when they had the week of mid winter break available. We had yet to sail on a promo like this and I love a good deal. I can say it was probably more about smart marketing than a great deal but regardless, we can always count on Disney turning what would be a regular week into a fantastic memory!
The biggest highlight probably included surprising the kids and having my parents sail with us. We booked them less than two weeks before our sail date so it was very exciting for them too! Little did they know that each night a friendly visitor with the name of Connor would sleep in their room with them! Another highlight was being able to celebrate the boys birthday on the ship. Everyone went out of their way to make it special for them. And finally, our suite helped once again make the cruise fantastic. Call me a room snob but traveling in a suite makes a world of difference. This is not like me as everyone knows I don't like overpaying for anything but getting the concierge service sure makes the cruises more enjoyable. There is no waiting to board the ship, no lines to stand in to get off the ship at port, nightly goodies delivered to the room, among many other special things. Of course the biggest perk is the room!
So here goes the story:
Adventures Away Sail Away Party!!! This was all new and exciting for my parents since it was not only their first time sailing Disney but their first time on a cruise ever!!! We were thrilled to learn that Clayton, the first Cruise Director we ever had on a Disney cruise would be our cruise director for this cruise. Leaving out of LA was a bit cooler this time of year but traveling to LA instead of Orlando is much more kid friendly...
The kids loved seeing Tangled and Gnomeo and Juliet in 3D, going to the Theater each night to see Disney's amazing shows, eating, eating, and oh did I say eating? Not to mention, we got to watch Ty perform onstage again. This was a hilarious story. Our last cruise was almost exactly a year ago. We did the Disney Magic that sailed to the western Caribbean. On one of the nights they had this comedian perform and he was hilarious. Well, as it turned out, he was on the Wonder for this cruise and with the exception of a few minor changes, he did the same show. We were OK with that since we thought he was hilarious but what made the show even more funny was that he again did a skit where he asks for a volunteer from the audience. Of course the theater is packed full of screaming kids who all want to get chosen. He comes running off the stage and goes up and down the stairs looking for the kid with the most energy and enthusiasm. What are the chances that once again, out of all the kids, he would pick Ty? It was unbelievable. I was waiting for Ty to say something once he got on stage about how he had been a part of this skit before but he didn't. He played it off like it was all brand new and once again did fantastic. We really need to get this kid in the entertainment business.
Of course the kids love the Character Breakfast and I'm pretty certain secretly this photo was the highlight of mom and dad's cruise...
Welcome to Puerto Vallarta!
Once again I came on the cruise prepared with our excursions all precooked. Booking through the cruise line is always more expensive but they also have much more stricter age requirements so I book port excursions on my own. I had done all the research and found out that Puerto Vallarta is knows for some fantastic zip lining. Los Veranos Canopy Tours came highly recommended on Trip Advisor and they did not disappoint. They even let Sage go. Originally they said we'd pretty much have to sign her life away being that she was so young but we arrived and no one said a thing. We were so proud of how brave she was. She did the first 4 zip lines all by herself which also included the longest one. After that one, I think the reality of what she was doing sunk in and from that point forward she wanted to go with someone...at least until the last one where you got to race someone and she chose to race me. The other highlight was watching my parents do it. Watching my mom was a miracle in itself. What makes the location so great is that they also have their own private restaurant and swimming area where they have slides, rope swings and places to relax. So after we were done zip lining, we had a bite to eat and spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing. Aside from some bug bites, we all had a fabulous time but boy are those bites itchy!!!
Having some fun after zip lining! I love that you can see a zip liner up in the air above Sage. That was her just minutes before this photo...
Next it was on to Cabo! I was really happy when we learned that DCL had eliminated Mazatlan from our itinerary due to crime and instead we got to do two days in Cabo. Of the three ports, Cabo was the one I was looking most forward to. It had been 6 or so years since Jack and I had vacationed there and although at the time it was not one of my more favorite places we'd vacationed to, I was excited to give it a second try. Jack has always liked it and now I can say that things are looking on the bright side with my love/hate relationship with Cabo. On our first morning as we arrived this was the view from our room. As you can see, the weather was a far cry from what we had left in Seattle.
For our first day in Cabo I had prebooked a whale watching excursion with Pez Gato. We had some time to kill before the tour and Jack had promised the kids we'd find them some sombreros as souvenirs. We spent the morning exploring downtown Cabo and the shops and also found just what we were looking for... I can say by the second day we had found a few more than we were looking for as we now have one for every member in the family... lol!
Whale watching: Once on the catamaran, they took us on a tour around the Arches and then along the pacific coastline where we watched for whales. We didn't capture any breaching but we did see tons of humps and tails right up close. We were even greeted by a couple of whales side by side. The kids loved it and Jack made it through the tour without puking... :)
We set aside our 2nd day in Cabo as a beach day. Grandma and Grandpa had decided they wanted to hang out on the ship and relax (Grandpa actually had his first massage and grandma enjoyed the sunshine) while we tendered back in to port and hired a water taxi to take us to Lovers Beach. This was the perfect activity. This beach is probably the nicest one in Cabo and the rock formations make it so beautiful and picturesque.
We always come home with a ton of photos and videos so it's hard to select the best ones but here are a few of my favorites...
A couple nice shots with Grandma and Grandpa:
I can't post without including a few of Sage and some of her favorite cast members...
The cruise ended on a perfect note too since it was the boys 9th birthday the day we arrived back into the Port of LA! The servers, room steward, and our concierge all did things to make it special for the boys! I would like to say I'm officially Disney'd out but until our next cruise on the Disney Dream, I better not say such words...
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