Mexico Cruise

On May 2nd, we drove to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal to depart for our cruise. We go on a family trip every year and this year it was tough to decide where to go/what to do with Luc being 8 months old and Hudson being 2 years 9 months old. We decided the cruise sounded enticing because we didn't have to fly so we could bring all the kid's crap, we could see multiple places without re-packing, we didn't have to worry about car seats and this particular cruise line had a kid's program for kids 2 and up. Our main reservation was all sharing a tiny room, but we figured we don't sleep at home so we might as well go on a trip and not sleep while having some fun and seeing some new places. So we booked the cruise and with very low expectations off we went. 

We got settled in, (Luc took a little nap in the ergo), Hudson was so excited about everything and immediately started jumping on the bed when we got into the room. We went out on the deck for the sail off, went to dinner, went to the welcome show, which wasn't very impressive, and unfortunately, we got our luggage late (we had paid extra for some faster to the fun package which guaranteed our luggage in an hour, but that didn't happen so we didn't get the room set up before bed like we wanted). Hudson finally fell asleep around 9:30pm and Luc around 10pm, but Luc mostly slept in the bed with me. 

On May 3rd, we had a day at sea to get ourselves organized. I had discussed Hudson's food allergies with a Carnival representative prior to departure and they gave me specific instructions, but when I followed those instructions at breakfast, the waiter had quite an attitude and it ended up being a bit of a nightmare. I had to go to guest relations where I was told the new plan was to pre-order every meal for Hudson a day in advance (as you can imagine when you are on a cruise with little kids and no set plans/schedule figuring out what time and where we would be eating a day in advance was a bit tricky, but we quickly figured out was safe and what wasn't and made it work. We did a little exploring and Hudson commented that the water looked like rice milk. haha. That night was formal night, which was fun. We got a bunch of photos taken and it seemed like every person we passed loved the boys and their tuxes. After dinner, we went to the Getaway Island show, which was much better and featured songs by Bob Marley, Beach Boys, etc. *Hudson is obsessed with the glass elevator and guesses if we are going up or down every time we get in one. After we got the boys to bed we drank some wine on the balcony while Luc fell asleep. (We arranged the room so Hudson was on one side of the curtain, then Luc was with us, but we would hide outside until he fell asleep).

On May 4th the boys were up bright and early. We were supposed to stop in Cabo today, but the weather wasn't agreeable so they changed our itinerary. Nic took Hudson out to explore the ship, while Luc napped and I read on the balcony.  Hudson tried out camp carnival, but we got called to pick him back up because he was apparently upset and crying for mama. That afternoon, we played in the pool (kids aren't allowed in the pool unless they are potty trained so we put swim diapers on the kids and just let them splash around the edges. That night the show was called 88 Keys and featured Elton John and Billy Joel music. 

Nic jokingly held Luc over the balcony and gave me a heart attack! Luc was obviously very upset about it too. 

On May 5th, we stopped in our first port, Puerto Vallarta. Nic, Hud and I hung out on the balcony taking in the action while Luc took a nap, then we walked to the Crown Paradise Hotel. We went to the beach first, which Hudson loved, then we went to the pool and lastly, while Luc napped, Hudson played with Nic at the kid's water park. It was pretty impressive and Hudson had a blast!I loved watching Hud go down the big grey slide with dada and watching them wait for the water to dump out of the bucket. They were having the best time together and I definitely think the water park was the highlight of this port.

That night, as we were walking back from dinner, we saw a photo set-up for Cinco de Mayo and even though the boys were in pjs we had to get some pics. They crack me up!

On May 6th, we stopped in Mazatlan. We hung out on the ship in the morning again so Luc could get a nap in, then we walked and took a water taxi to Stone Island. Normally on a trip like this, we would be gone all day and making sure we did the "highlights" of the area, but we had decided before hand that we were going to be much more laid back this trip and just do more kid friendly outings at a slower pace. We grabbed food at Lety's. Hud loved the guac! The pineapple salsa was also delicious. We ordered coconut shrimp and 3 tacos; chicken, fish and shrimp (Nic had 3 Pacificos and I had an enormous margarita all for $32 -on a side note I was nervous about the margarita so I only drank a few sips of it before the ice started melting- apparently my instincts were right and I should have skipped it. I had stomach problems for a few weeks after). 

The beach was pretty, a bit cloudy of a day, but still really nice. Hudson and Luc had a blast playing in the waves together. 

When we got back, the boys took baths on the balcony. Such a gorgeous view and luxurious way to bathe if you ask me (as you can see, Hudson has been taking full advantage of every moment on this cruise ship! He is loving it! haha) We had an early dinner and bedtime that night. 

On May 7th, we stopped in Cabo San Lucas. In this port we had to tender and Hud got to drive the small boat from the cruise ship to the dock. 

This was the only port we had pre-arranged a submarine boat because we figured it would be a better way to see the Arch. Hud loved the hammerhead shark on the submarine. I think it was the best part for him. 

After that ended, I asked if we had time to fit in the dolphin encounter (we only had a few hours stop in Cabo) at Cabo Dolphins. The timing worked out perfect, so Hud and I were able to do it. Uleke, which is apparently the spanish word for rattle, was our dolphin. Hud loved it!! We got to pet the dolphin, watched her jump, took pictures kissing and dancing with the dolphin (she stuck her tongue out and licked Hud).To show how fast it could swim it raced straight towards us and stopped on a dime, did flips and spins and that moving back thing. She also gave high fives and a high ten to the trainer. Hud loved feeding her fish and even asked to do it a second time. This was without a doubt the highlight of the trip for me. It was incredible to watch Hudson interact with the dolphin. I am so happy he enjoyed it so much! (let's be honest, I loved it too, but watching your child experience something that brings you so much joy, is even better than experiencing it yourself!) It was apprentely not as enjoyable for Nic because Luc was upset and crying (he was overtired and couln't get to sleep) during most of it. He of course fell asleep right at the end, so Nic was less than thrilled when I wanted to wake Luc up when they invited him to pet the dolphin. I'm so glad we did because Luc seemed to like petting the dolphin and we got to get a few family photos with our dolphin. *We bought Hudson a stuffed dolphin with a baby dolphin attached as a souvenier and it is one of his most beloved toys. He sleeps with mama and baby dolphin every night!

Here is the video from our dolphin encounter. (The quality isn't great-if I find the better version, I will post it)

On our way back to the ship, Hud and I stopped in some booth where I held a baby lion and fed it a bottle. Hud pet it. He wasn't afraid at all, but I was a little nervous.

Hudson fell asleep on the boat ride back to the cruise ship, then sprawled out on our bed for a nap. Luc and I took in the view from our balcony while dada and Hud napped. 

That night was another formal night, so we got the boys all dressed up again, did another mirror selfie, took cruise photos again and had a nice dinner in the dining room. Hudson seems to be getting pretty used to his plate of fruit of every night, followed by either grilled chicken or salmon with french fries and sorbet for dessert. He was loving this whole cruise experience!

May 8th, was our last day of the cruise and we spent it at sea. We grabbed breakfast on the lido deck. Then Luc napped while Hudson and dada explored the ship. Hud went to Camp Carnival where they had face painting and a balloon game. He loved it. He got painted like a tiger then ran around the cruise ship growling at random people and telling everyone that he was a tiger. haha! 

We grabbed lunch, then both boys napped while Nic watched a movie on the balcony and I finished my book, Twenties Girl. Then we purchased the rip off photos. Then we went to our last dinner. Everyone seemed so happy to see us that last night and they all wanted to hold Luc. For dessert tonight, they had grand marnier souffle and warm chocolate cake. Yum! We ended the night with the final show, 80's pop to the max, then went to bed. *Just in case anyone is curious, here are a few pictures of our room set-up: We rigged a curtain across the ceiling to serve as a room divider and hung a shoe organizer over the door to hold all our small items. Luc slept in the baby bjorn next to our bed and Hudson slept in the crib provided by the cruise ship on the other side of the curtain (We tried the bed and a blow up kid mattress we had brought, but the tight squeeze in the crib worked out best).

On May 9th, our cruise came to an end. It wasn't a very relxing trip, but I did read a book and Nic and I enjoyed a few movies. We even squeezed in a few naps and early bedtimes so we weren't any more tired than at home. It was a different pace vacation than what we are used to, but we had a great time and made so many wonderful memories. (A year later, Hudson still talks about the cruise ship and how much fun he had!)