The Pack Family

We decided we needed to do something fun for our 25th anniversary. So we booked a Mexican cruise. We found a good deal on Norwegian Cruise Line. We hadn't been on one of their cruises before so there was a lot to learn but we liked it a lot. We didn't have to make reservations for all the meals. We had options to eat whenever we wanted. They had a great observation deck that was quiet and another deck with outside chairs that was really quiet also. The food was good and there was a lot to do on the ship.

Here is a run-down of what we did.

Day 1: We got on the ship at LA. It was different than other cruises we had been on. They let us on the ship in the morning but we couldn't go to our room yet. They had the pool open and it was crowded. They also had the buffet open so we got lunch and decided to explore until it was time for us to go to our room.

We were given a drink package with our cruise so we were able to get as many virgin pina coladas as we wanted and we took advantage of that one!

When we finally got to our room, we unpacked and hung out so we could watch the ship pull away from LA. There were some great opportunities to take pictures and the sunset didn't disappoint.

They had a lot of activities for us to do onboard. We decided to go to the Silent Disco and it was SO MUCH FUN! We were all given headphones to put on but the music was only in the headphones. The ceiling was divided into 4 sections - 80s, 90s, 2000s, and current. When you walked into a section, your headphones would play music from that time period. As you moved around the room, the music would change. The fun thing was, you could sing as loud as you wanted and everyone else had headphones on so they couldn't hear you. And because no one could hear you, or so you thought, no one was afraid to belt out the music. It was hilarious!!

It was hilarious when a song would come on and everyone in that section would start jumping around. It was so much fun.

Day 2: This was a day at sea. That meant the pool was crowded, but not only later in the day. Bryan and I went to exercise, ate breakfast at the buffet, and then went to the pool to cool off. No one was around and we had the entire pool to ourselves. It was cool to be in a pool on a cruise ship with no one around. When someone else showed up we went to the hot tub for a while. After getting pruned in the hot tub, we went back to our room, got ready, then explored around until we found the Observation Deck. It was like being in a library, it was so quiet. We played cards, Cribbage, and read books. I think Bryan took a nap.

We took advantage of the virgin pina coladas!

Why go to a pool and not get in?!

We ate a fancy breakfast at one of the restaurants. The hot chocolate wasn't very good but the muffins and the yogurt was really good.

We had a reservation to watch the show "Six" about the wives of Henry the VIII but it was canceled so we watched a Beatles tribute band. They were so good. It was crazy when they were talking between sets because they were from Argentina! So they had strong accents but were singing in British English. It was great.

We also had a reservation at a specialty restaurant. It was a steakhouse.

Day 3: We were getting to the port at Cabo San Lucas. We were excited because our excursion was to ride bikes on the beach.

We got breakfast and then met up for our excursion. We rode on a bus for a long time (Bryan had his GPS and watched as we were driving. We went the long way around!).

When we got to the place where we would be riding bikes, we loaded off the bus and met our tour guides. They taught us how to ride the bikes and then we took a practice ride where 3-4 people promptly crashed. I wasn't one of them!!

We then went on a ride to get some practice before going to the beach. I found that my right leg is my balance regulator. When I would get nervous about my balance, my leg would go out. But we had a lot of fun. When we got to the actual beach it was tough. I didn't like the out-of-control feeling of riding fast on the sand. But I did it.

See, the right leg is sticking out and Bryan is really amused at me.

When we finished our ride, they fed us authentic Mexican food. They did a margarita demonstration, which wasn't of any interest to us. But while they were doing that, Bryan and I saw some dolphins off the beach, so that was fun.

We loaded back on the bus to make our way back to the port. We had to ride a tender for this port, so we got some nice pictures of our ship as we were getting back to it. It is huge!

Our daily virgin pina colada!

Day 4: This was our day in Puerto Vallarta. We were going to Sabal Playa which was an exclusive beach club. We had a different excursion planned but decided we wanted to do something different and this one was open. I am so glad we switched although it wasn't all we thought it would be.

We loaded on a bus and were taken to a "beach club" that was just a pool on a beach that had chairs for everyone. It was a nice pool and I loved relaxing in the warm temperatures and with the water close. But it was kind of a tourist trap because the food wasn't free and was super expensive. We knew this before we went so we were prepared but the other people weren't so they were complaining. And then there were a lot of vendors on the beach that would ask you, constantly, if you wanted to buy their things. However, we had a good time relaxing.

We ate dinner and took advantage of the pool on the ship. It was a great day.

Day 5: We were in Mazatlan that day. We got off the ship early to go on a walking tour. It was hot and humid but this was my favorite day. I loved walking around and seeing everything. It reminded me, a little, of Guatemala.

We went to a plaza, a Catholic church, and some other locations around Mazatlan. We were told the history of the area and given some insider information.

The bench reads "Tiny Pack."

The major of Mazatlan is a huge fan of the Beatles. There was a part of the city that wasn't being used and so he decided to make it into a Beatles tribute. It was not only to use the area but to have a place for tourists to come to. It was weird to see England in Mexico.

We watched a cliff diver.

At the end of our tour we were taken for chips and salsa at a beach side restaurant. It was good.

It was then time to go back to the ship. We went to the observation deck to get some quiet and relax. Bryan was pretty tired and got a nap in while we were at sea.

We had a dinner reservation at another of the specialty restaurants. I think they must have been understaffed because they forgot about us and our food was cold. I wasn't very impressed and we left before dessert. Oh well.

Day 6: This was another day at sea. We took advantage of the pool in the morning before everyone else got up. Then we sat outside and watched the waves go by while playing card games. It was so relaxing!

We went to see a comedian that night but he wasn't very funny, and he knew it. His show kind of bombed but it was something to do.

We ate dinner and then went back to our room to watch movies.

Day 7: This was the day we were in Ensenada. We have been there a couple of times and there wasn't anything interesting to us, so we stayed on the ship and enjoyed having everyone else leave us. We sat outside and enjoyed the quiet. We got to watch a soccer game between (we think) staff from the cruise ships. We spent a bit of time at the pool, had our pina colada, and played games.

We had reservations that night at Tempanaki. It was so loud but the food was good and we got to meet some people. We are the kind of people that don't go on vacation to make friends. We like to go to dinner by ourselves and have our own schedule. But the people we were sitting by were very nice.

We had reservations for the show "Jersey Boys." It was about Frankie Valley and was pretty good. I knew the songs so that was a plus.

Day 8: We were back to LA and had to get off the ship. It wasn't as easy as we thought it would be and it took a long time. The ship had a hard time going through the port authority, but finally, after standing in line for an hour or so, we were able to get off the ship and make our way home.

We had a great time and are so glad we did it! Happy 25th anniversary to us!