6/08/08 Magic to Mexico

[GrumpyMom1]

Warning: This is my first real attemp at a trip report. It will not be nearly as entertaining as others I have read on this board but I have enjoyed everyone's reports so much that I want to share our experience.

Me
DH
DD1 - 19
DD2 - 15
DD3 - 22 months (yes, there is a 13 year gap in the kids ages)

This was the 4th cruise (3rd on the Magic) for me and the older 2 DD's. This was the 2nd for DH and his first 7 day cruise and this was the first cruise with the baby. Our last cruise was the Mexican Riviera cruise in July 2005. Since this was my first cruise with a little one, I was worried about just how relaxing it was going to be.

Instead of going into detail about every day, I am just going to cover the areas that I think will interest most people. I will be happy to answer any questions. I am going through the 1700+ photos that we took and uploading the best of them. I will post a link as soon as I'm done.

[GrumpyMom1]

On Our Way
We arrived at the port around 10am or a few minutes after. We dropped off the luggage with a porter and then parked the car. The parking lot was more crowded than it was in 2005 but that could be because the Royal Caribbean ship "Vision of the Seas" is sailing out of the same port on the same day.

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We went into the terminal building and then upstairs to check in. The Castaway Club line was long, I think it was even longer than the regular check in line and it moved very slowly. While standing in line we chatted with a family behind us and it turns out they were another DIS family. We finally got checked in and proceeded to the waiting area where we received boarding #5.

While we waited a live band played and there were pictures with the characters. The line to register for the kids clubs was very long.

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Time went by quickly and soon it was time to board. Once they start calling the groups it goes very quickly. I didn't look at the time but I'm guessing we were onboard by noon. We went straight to Rockin Bar D to fix our Palo reservation which I accidentally made for only DH. There was only a short line and by the time it was my turn, the computers were down so they just made note of it and said they would call to confirm. We never did receive the call but we went up to Palo later in the week (the reservation was for brunch on Friday) and they confirmed that the change had been made. We went to lunch at Parrot Cay and then walked around until our room was ready which wasn't until 2:00pm.

We had connecting category 10 rooms on deck 2 - 2107 and 2109. I had never stayed on deck 2 before but it turned out to be a great location. We hung out in our rooms for a little while and soon our luggage started arriving. Our stateroom host Benny from India came by to introduce himself. He also brought us door stops for the connecting doors but we had brought our own from home. There was a Pack n Play waiting in the room since we had requested one on our reservation. But since the little one sleeps with us most of the time we had Benny take it away. Benny went to hunt down the rest of our luggage and we had it all and we were mostly unpacked before the drill.

The drill was at 3:30 and was quick and painless and the little one did very well in her adorable life vest. Our muster station was N on deck 4 outside.

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After the drill we went up to deck 10 for our DIS meet. It was great putting faces with all the names.

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We were sailing away before I knew it and my heart skipped a beat when they played the ships horn. I've been planning this so long it seemed this day would never come.

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[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

Great start!!

You said:
We finally got checked in and proceeded to the waiting area where we received boarding #5.

Does that mean that the numbers aren't handed out until you are checked in??

[GrumpyMom1]

Great start!!

You said:


Does that mean that the numbers aren't handed out until you are checked in??

Correct. They don't hand out the numbers when you check in - they hand them out when you enter the waiting area.

[jlima]

Correct. They don't hand out the numbers when you check in - they hand them out when you enter the waiting area.I wish I had figured this out sooner . . . after I checked in, I sat with DH & the kids for a few minutes; then walked to the end of the terminal to try and check in DS8 into the kids clubs; and I was handed the cards for boarding group 5. In 2005 they gave them to us when we checked in. But it wasn't too bad; we were on the ship by about 12:15 anyway.

[DMMarla07860]

did they have something for college kids on the cruise?

[TotallyAngelic]

[QUOTE=GrumpyMom1;25716678]

http://sjb2410.smugmug.com/photos/314545748_nCnGg-M-1.jpg

That is one of the cutest photos I have seen ! She looks adorable!

[GrumpyMom1]

did they have something for college kids on the cruise?

Yes, they did have the college club social on several days and I was just looking at my navigators and see that they even had college club Wii one day. My DD did not participate since she just likes to hang out with the family.

[DMMarla07860]

Yes, they did have the college club social on several days and I was just looking at my navigators and see that they even had college club Wii one day. My DD did not participate since she just likes to hang out with the family.


they had wii on the ship I love wii and i totally understand I like to hangout with my family so I will prob do that, but if I need to get away it's good to know I can

[GrumpyMom1]

That is one of the cutest photos I have seen ! She looks adorable!

Thanks! She did get quite a few comments when we were walking out to deck 4. And she didn't seem to mind at all having that bulky thing on. Well, at this point she didn't seem too happy but she never fussed.

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[BrettySpaghetti]

Warning: This is my first real attemp at a trip report. It will not be nearly as entertaining as others I have read on this board but I have enjoyed everyone's reports so much that I want to share our experience.

Love it! Thank you for sharing. More, more, more!!!

I was on the Magic to Mexico May 25 to June 1 and had the time of my life. Your daughters are beautiful!!!

[tksbaskets]

We leave on Sunday so I'm trying to get my fix. Nice start! :goodvibes

[helenb]

We leave on Sunday so I'm trying to get my fix. Nice start! :goodvibes

Us too! I will see you onboard!!!!

[ayumac]

Your daughters are so beautiful.

BTW, what kind of camera do you use? Your pictures are all so gorgeous and colors are crisp.

[Disney Debbie]

Great pics - You're DD's are all beautiful - I could kick myself for not getting a picture on our Anniversary last year with that solid white background - it looks so good!

[GrumpyMom1]

Love it! Thank you for sharing. More, more, more!!!

I was on the Magic to Mexico May 25 to June 1 and had the time of my life. Your daughters are beautiful!!!

Thanks Brett. I enjoyed your trip report and your videos were great.

We leave on Sunday so I'm trying to get my fix. Nice start! :goodvibes

Us too! I will see you onboard!!!!

You are going to have a great time!

Your daughters are so beautiful.

BTW, what kind of camera do you use? Your pictures are all so gorgeous and colors are crisp.

Thanks. We actually had 3 different cameras with us since we are major photo people - a Canon Digital Rebel XT SLR, a Canon 40D SLR (DH's new toy), and a Panasonic FZ5 which we used in port so we wouldn't have to carry the big ones around.

Great pics - You're DD's are all beautiful - I could kick myself for not getting a picture on our Anniversary last year with that solid white background - it looks so good!

I didn't plan on getting any of the white background pictures since I have the setup to take those at home but they came out so well I couldn't resist.


I have typed up most of my trip report but I'm still trying to go through the photos. I should be able to post some more before the night is over.

[marlinmike]

The line to register for the kids clubs was very long.

Do you register for the kids clubs in the terminal or on the ship? Or is this just if you didn't fill out their information online?

Marlin

Thanks for your report and the work you're putting into this.

[GrumpyMom1]

Cabo - I did not schedule anything in Cabo and our only intentions were to go to the beach and shop. Oh, and have a Margarita. DH and I were up early enough that day to be up on deck as we pulled into the harbor. By the time the girls got up and we had breakfast, it was about 9:30 or 10am before we headed to the Walt Disney Theater to wait for a tender. We didn't have to wait long - I would guess it was about 10 minutes. As I'm writing this report, I'm noticing that I didn't keep track of time very well. But I guess that's a good thing on vacation

Tender boat
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The Magic from the tender
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Welcome sign
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Once we got to the dock we found looked for someone to take us to Lover's Beach. It's not hard since there are many many guys waiting at the dock and offering their water taxi's. The first guy we talked to wanted $15 per person to do a little tour and then drop us off at Medano Beach. We politely declined and the next guy said he would take us on a tour and drop us off at Lover's Beach for however long we wanted, then take us to Medano Beach. His price was $10 per person. We took him up on his offer and the first guy wasn't too happy when we walked by with this guy. He took us down to the little boat and we waited for a few minutes for more people and we ended up with 2 other couples. Our guide took us out to Pelican Rock where he threw some bread in the water to bring the fish to the surface. He called them "Mexican Piranha" because they ferociously went after the bread. He then took us to see the rocks of "Lands End", the sea lions, the Pacific side, and Divorce Beach which is on the Pacific side.

The "glass bottom boat"
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Mexican piranha
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The rocks at Lands End
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Scooby Doo Rock
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After the tour he dropped us off at Lover's Beach with the agreement that he would pick us up in an hour. We had to jump out of the boat into the water but it wasn't that bad. They have guys on the beach that will help you but of course they expect a tip. The beach was beautiful and we walked over to the Pacific side where the surf is very heavy. There were many small jelly fish washed up on the beach so between those and the heavy surf, there was no way we were getting in the water here. We walked back over to Lover's Beach which still had heavy surf but not as bad. The baby played in the sand while DH and DD1 went in the water.

Divorce Beach on the Pacific side
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Jellyfish
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The stretch of beach between the 2 sides
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Playing in the sand
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I could not get over how beautiful it was there. But it was quite warm and sunny and I was ready to go when our guide came back to get us. He dropped us off at Medano Beach where we walked for a while looking for somewhere to eat and get a drink. We walked for a while and then realized that we should have just gone where he dropped us off so we walked back down that way. We ate at a place right on the beach, I think it was called Las Palmas, and enjoyed a yummy Margarita. The only bad thing was the vendors who constantly came up to us. The same ones would come up over and over even after we said no. After lunch was walked back down the street and through town back to the dock. At the end of the beach we ran into the same guy who had rented the water taxi to us and he said he would take us back to the dock for no charge. We wanted to shop so we declined. He then pointed us in the right direction for walking back. We bought a few things along the way and finished our day at the shopping area at the dock. I think we headed back to the ship around 3pm.

Shoppinghttp://sjb2410.smugmug.com/photos/314492769_Zk4BN-M-1.jpg

Back to the ship
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[koalagurl]

Great report so far!

I'll second the question above about registering for the kids club...do we do that in the terminal only if we didn't fill out the registration online? Or is it for everyone?

Thanks! Can't wait to hear more, especially with the 22 month old...my DS is 22 months old, and would love to hear any tips / advice! (We are leaving Sunday).

Thanks!! :)

[GrumpyMom1]

Great report so far!

I'll second the question above about registering for the kids club...do we do that in the terminal only if we didn't fill out the registration online? Or is it for everyone?

Thanks! Can't wait to hear more, especially with the 22 month old...my DS is 22 months old, and would love to hear any tips / advice! (We are leaving Sunday).

Thanks!! :)

Since we were not registering for the kids club I'm not sure if the kids club registration is only if you don't register online or if you still have to do it even if you registered online. Hopefully someone else can answer this.

My biggest advice for traveling with a 22 month old - go with the flow and don't try to pack too much into the day. We had a great time just hanging out and walking around the ship. By the end of the cruise she called the stateroom "home" and knew how to get to the elevators from our room. We didn't get many pictures with the characters because she just doesn't have the patience to stand in line. She liked the musical shows - Golden Mickey's, Twice Charmed, and Disney Dreams. We tried to make sure she got a nap each day because she turns into a little stinker without one. She sleeps very well in her stroller so on a couple of days we would put her in there and walked around until she fell asleep. She was then portable and we could walk around and do other stuff. Oh, and don't let him walk through Shutters where they display all the photos. Our little one kept trying to grab all of the pictures that were in her reach.

[BrettySpaghetti]

Oh, and don't let him walk through Shutters where they display all the photos. Our little one kept trying to grab all of the pictures that were in her reach.

I'm sure Disney offers a special "photo grabbing" package... $250 for six grabs, $500 for 10 grabs, etc. :rotfl2:

[jlima]

Great report so far!

I'll second the question above about registering for the kids club...do we do that in the terminal only if we didn't fill out the registration online? Or is it for everyone?

Thanks! Can't wait to hear more, especially with the 22 month old...my DS is 22 months old, and would love to hear any tips / advice! (We are leaving Sunday).

Thanks!! :)The line in the terminal is for your child to get a wristband and for you to get a pager. Even if you registered your child on-line, you will need to pick up a pager and the wristband for your child. We did this on board in the evening of the first day, as the line in the terminal was massive.

[SGcruiser]

Your report is great:) When you took the water taxi, did you pay up front or after he came back for you? I was wondering how you knew he would come back. Thanks so much for sharing.:thumbsup2

[dizneygirlz3]

:yay: Your Cabo pictures are beautiful. Thanks for sharing...

[Deb T.]

We sail in a few more weeks! Thanks for posting your very first TR! We are enjoying it immensely :)

[kristasmom]

I was pleasantly surprised to open your trip report and see your cute little one. I sat next to her at 2 of the shows last week. What a sweetheart. My DD had an extra kids menu which she gave to your DD to color on while waiting for the show to start. She was there with your older DD. Enjoying your trip report.

[AttilaTheHun]

Around what time did you get into Cabo? I scheduled our Dolphin Swim for between 10:00am -11:00am thru their web site. I will need to send them a e-mail to move our swim time to start between 11:30 - 12:00 so we can make it there on time. I hear it is only about a few minutes walk but I hate being late for events. What time would be safe to set it up in your opinion or anyone else who did the Dolphin swim in Cabo. Thanks, Nora

[koalagurl]

Since we were not registering for the kids club I'm not sure if the kids club registration is only if you don't register online or if you still have to do it even if you registered online. Hopefully someone else can answer this.

My biggest advice for traveling with a 22 month old - go with the flow and don't try to pack too much into the day. We had a great time just hanging out and walking around the ship. By the end of the cruise she called the stateroom "home" and knew how to get to the elevators from our room. We didn't get many pictures with the characters because she just doesn't have the patience to stand in line. She liked the musical shows - Golden Mickey's, Twice Charmed, and Disney Dreams. We tried to make sure she got a nap each day because she turns into a little stinker without one. She sleeps very well in her stroller so on a couple of days we would put her in there and walked around until she fell asleep. She was then portable and we could walk around and do other stuff. Oh, and don't let him walk through Shutters where they display all the photos. Our little one kept trying to grab all of the pictures that were in her reach.

Great advice, thanks!

The line in the terminal is for your child to get a wristband and for you to get a pager. Even if you registered your child on-line, you will need to pick up a pager and the wristband for your child. We did this on board in the evening of the first day, as the line in the terminal was massive.

Got it, thanks for clarifying. :)

[GrumpyMom1]

Your report is great:) When you took the water taxi, did you pay up front or after he came back for you? I was wondering how you knew he would come back. Thanks so much for sharing.:thumbsup2

We paid upfront. Silly me didn't even think about the fact that he might not come back. I had read on cruisecritic about how you could be dropped off at Lover's Beach and picked up later so I just trusted that he would be there.

I was pleasantly surprised to open your trip report and see your cute little one. I sat next to her at 2 of the shows last week. What a sweetheart. My DD had an extra kids menu which she gave to your DD to color on while waiting for the show to start. She was there with your older DD. Enjoying your trip report.

That's so funny! I know exactly who you are. Sorry for any ruckas we caused. Tell your DD thanks for sharing with Lauren. That did keep her occupied for a few minutes. I think that was the last night and DD1 ended up taking her back to the room because she was just not going to sit through the show. That's the only night we really had a problem with her at dinner or the show.

Around what time did you get into Cabo? I scheduled our Dolphin Swim for between 10:00am -11:00am thru their web site. I will need to send them a e-mail to move our swim time to start between 11:30 - 12:00 so we can make it there on time. I hear it is only about a few minutes walk but I hate being late for events. What time would be safe to set it up in your opinion or anyone else who did the Dolphin swim in Cabo. Thanks, Nora

We arrived the the harbor about 7:30 or 8:00 and tendering started at 8:30. The first tenders are reservered for those doing Disney sponsered excursions. If your not doing an excursion you have to go to the Walt Disney Theater to get a tender ticket and wait your turn. They had said that at peak times it could be a half hour wait but we only waited 10 minutes or so. According to the time stamp on my pictures we were off the tender at the dock by 11:00. You should be able to make it by 10:00 if you get moving faster than us in the morning.

[GrumpyMom1]

Mazatlan - We also did our own thing in Mazatlan. I did a lot of online research before we went and mapped out a walking tour of old Mazatlan. So we got off the ship and started walking. And walking and walking and walking. Actually the walking wasn't that bad and even though there was the threat of rain, we never got more than a few sprinkles. But we found that Mazatlan is not a great city for walking and sightseeing. If we are even in Mazatlan again we will take some sort of organized tour. We walked over to the beach which I though would be nice but it was rundown and there was a lot of trash. There were several statues along the boardwalk that were interesting.

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We went over to where the cliff divers are and there was a guy there getting ready to dive. But after about 10 minutes of him building up the intensity and a guy collecting tips, we decided to move on before he actually went in. Farther down the beach we cut back toward downtown aiming for the cathedral. We went through a part of town where there were no tourists other than us. I felt uncomfortable but I didn't really feel unsafe.

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Finally we made it to the marketplace and the cathedral where there were many more people. The cathedral and the plaza across the street were actually very pretty. We took a bunch of pictures and then walked back to the ship.

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We stopped at the shopping area right at the cruise ship terminal and picked up a couple of souveniers. I got a hand painted tile that has the Magic on it which I thought was pretty cool. We were back on the ship early enough to have some lunch and then see the 3:00 matinee of Twice Charmed.

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[AttilaTheHun]

Hi, Well I just got a e-mail from the dolphin swim site that the Disney Cruise had booked the whole Dolphin facility so they could not get me in. Do you think they may have some spots available once we board the ship? I sure hope so. I would hate to tell my son we will not be able to to it.

[GrumpyMom1]

This is the painted tile that I got in Mazatlan. There was also a guy at the dock in PV painting and selling similar items.

http://sjb2410.smugmug.com/photos/315780721_sAoz5-M.jpg

[GrumpyMom1]

Hi, Well I just got a e-mail from the dolphin swim site that the Disney Cruise had booked the whole Dolphin facility so they could not get me in. Do you think they may have some spots available once we board the ship? I sure hope so. I would hate to tell my son we will not be able to to it.

What a bummer! Definitely check when you get onboard to see if there are any openings. We booked the dolphin swim on our own in PV but it was a different facility than Disney was using.

[vossjemi]

Did you go to Sea Life Park in PV? If so, did you like it? How much was the taxi fare? We plan to go there in Aug and would love some feedback! Thanks!

[GrumpyMom1]

Did you go to Sea Life Park in PV? If so, did you like it? How much was the taxi fare? We plan to go there in Aug and would love some feedback! Thanks!

Yes, we went to Sea Life Park and we really enjoyed it. We paid $20 to get there and $25 back to the ship. I will posting more about that tonight.

[justmestace]

Sheila, I love your pictures so far! I didn't download mine while we were gone, will have to do it today or tomorrow.
I'm glad you did a report, since you did different things than what we did.

Someone had asked about the water taxi's in Cabo. We were at Lover's Beach also, and even if your taxi didn't come back, there are several of them in and out of the beach area all the time....at least every 5 minutes, and they sit out in the water just a little ways, so you can flag one down any time you need one.

[GrumpyMom1]

Puerto Vallarta - DH and I got up early on PV day and went up on deck to watch the ship dock. When we first got up on deck it was still dark and there were very few people out and about. After we docked, the Vision of the Seas, which followed the same itinerary all week, pulled in behind us.

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I booked dolphin swims and encounters directly with Sea Life Park. I went this route because it was less expensive than DCL plus their minimum age for the encounter is 1 so the baby could participate. Not only could she participate but she was free. So way back in February I booked the swim for DH and the 2 big girls and the encounter for me and the baby. In April DH had surgery on his arm and still cannot put pressure on it so he ended up doing the encounter and I did the swim. The total price we paid was $372. Just a note if you book an encounter for a child under 5 who is free - When I booked I listed the baby but put a note on the reservation that she was under 5 and free just as they said to do on their website. When I received my confirmation email, I replied back asking about the baby being free because they charged me for her. They gave me a credit but did charge me a 10% fee. So we did end up paying $6 for her. I see that they now say on their website to not include any children under 5 on the reservation and if you do you will be charged and will not receive a refund. Instead you should send them an email asking to add the child after the reservation has been made. So in all including transportation we paid $417 for our dolphin programs which would have been $650 through DCL not including the baby.

I wanted to make sure that we got there in time so we left the ship around 9:30. When we were disembarking the ship we ran into another family that was also going to Sea Life Park so we shared a van with them. They quoted us $35 for all of us but I only had a $20 so that's what we paid. The van was comfortable and had seatbelts and the driving was much better than what I have experienced in other ports. PV is built up much more than the other ports. Across the street from the port is a Walmart and Sam's Club and on the way to Sea Life Park we passed Home Depot. On the way back to the ship I saw a Chuck E Cheez.

We arrived at Sea Life Park by 10:00 and checked in. When you check in they give you a wrist band that allows you to use all of the facilities. We still had another hour until our 11am appointment so we looked around and tried out the water slides. There were about 6 or 8 slides that were open and there was a little kids area. Some areas were a little rundown but you could see that they are trying to make improvements as they were painting and making repairs. The only thing that was questionable to me was the water in the kids play area didn't look very clean. There is also some play equipment, Little Tikes type stuff, around the park so this could be a great place for a family with small children to spend the day.

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When it was time we went to the meeting place for the dolphins and waited until it was our turn. They took all of us at once (swim and encounter) to an area to get life jackets. They had free lockers in the bathrooms to store your stuff. After everyone had life jackets they tooks us to another area for a short orientation. We then went to the pool where we met our dolphins. The encounter and swim were in the same pool just a short distance from each other. There were also other groups there who I believe were from the Vision of the Seas. For the swim we got to kiss and dance with the dolphins, we were pushed on a boogie board, and we did the "belly ride" where we were pulled by the dolphin while holding the fins. There was only one other family of 4 in our group for the swim. The encounter also did the kisses and the handshake and had plenty of time to pet the dolphins. I was so happy when I looked over and saw the baby smiling when the dolphin was in front of her. It was over all too quickly and we said goodbye to the dolphins and turned in our life jackets. In the gift shop at the front of the park they display your photos and videos for purchase. I ended up buying a photo of each of us and the video for each program. After the dolphin programs we spent a little more time on the water slides and then decided we wanted to go back to the ship to eat.

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There were taxis waiting outside the park and they told us it would be $25 to go back to the ship. I felt that was high but didn't want to barter so we went with that. This time we were in a small car and the driver was a little more agressive.

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Back on the ship we showered and changed and ate some lunch. After lunch and some ice cream we went back on shore to the small shopping area at the port. It seemed to me that all of the shops had similar stuff and the owners all were outside the small shops approaching us and wanting us to go in. It only took a few minutes of this for me to be done and want to go back to the ship so we purchased a couple of things and left. On the way back to the ship an iguana ran across the path and then posed for a photo or two.

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Cabo was my favorite port in 2005 and was again this trip but PV was a close 2nd. There is a lot to do and I would love to take a trip up into the mountains. Maybe some day I'll be brave enough to try the zip lines.

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

There's a note on the website to be aware of the time zone. Is the Sea Life Park on the same time as the ship?? I don't want to be late for our encounter.

[GrumpyMom1]

There's a note on the website to be aware of the time zone. Is the Sea Life Park on the same time as the ship?? I don't want to be late for our encounter.

The ship is on the same time zone as PV and Sea Life Park. I was worried about that too and felt better when I saw the time on the big flashing marquee across the street at the port and it was the same time as the ship.

[vossjemi]

Great pictures & review of Sea Life Park. Do you think our kids will be disappointed with the Encounter only? You see my son is 6 and my daugher 8. She could do the swim, but frankly she is the more skiddish one who would be afraid to do it. My son would do anything, but thinking both tours would be all in the same pool area, I knew if I had my kids doing different things, it would be "its not fair" thing, so I just booked all 4 of us for the encounter. I read one poster wrote they called and their 6 year old gs was allowed to do the sea lion swim even though he was supposed to be 8, but then they had to argue with the manager when they got there to do that. Since I didn't want that battle, I just signed us all up for the encounter. Will my 6 and 8 year olds be disappointed with that? I hope not. I'm not really sure either of them would do the swim anyway. I just never know what is going to make them nervous, but my son is definitely the more adventurous one.

[GrumpyMom1]

Great pictures & review of Sea Life Park. Do you think our kids will be disappointed with the Encounter only? You see my son is 6 and my daugher 8. She could do the swim, but frankly she is the more skiddish one who would be afraid to do it. My son would do anything, but thinking both tours would be all in the same pool area, I knew if I had my kids doing different things, it would be "its not fair" thing, so I just booked all 4 of us for the encounter. I read one poster wrote they called and their 6 year old gs was allowed to do the sea lion swim even though he was supposed to be 8, but then they had to argue with the manager when they got there to do that. Since I didn't want that battle, I just signed us all up for the encounter. Will my 6 and 8 year olds be disappointed with that? I hope not. I'm not really sure either of them would do the swim anyway. I just never know what is going to make them nervous, but my son is definitely the more adventurous one.

I think the encounter would be great for a 6 and 8 year old. They will have a great time!

I realized as I was posting my pictures that I didn't have any of the dolphin area. We had a waterproof camera but they didn't let us take it in because the dolphins my try and take it (or at least that's what they told us). But I'm mad at myself now for not going to the observation area afterwards and taking some pictures. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to go back again.

[justmestace]

This is the painted tile that I got in Mazatlan. There was also a guy at the dock in PV painting and selling similar items.

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I almost bought a tile in Mazatlan also, but was worried about how I'd get it home in one piece. How did you pack it?
I ended up buying a watercolor in PV.

[jfletcher]

We were also thinking of taking a cab to Sea Life Park, but I'm wondering about the safety of small kids in cabs. We're obviously not dragging car seats around. Riding in a big bus is one thing, but a small cab is another. How did you do it?

[GrumpyMom1]

I almost bought a tile in Mazatlan also, but was worried about how I'd get it home in one piece. How did you pack it?
I ended up buying a watercolor in PV.

They wrapped it in cardboard and taped it up pretty well. We put all of our souvenirs in a duffle bag (the special from the shops where you spent $60 and got the duffle bag for $20) and carried them off. Thank goodness we drove and didn't have to pack for a flight!

[GrumpyMom1]

We were also thinking of taking a cab to Sea Life Park, but I'm wondering about the safety of small kids in cabs. We're obviously not dragging car seats around. Riding in a big bus is one thing, but a small cab is another. How did you do it?

It wasn't until after I had booked the dolphin programs that I realized that we would be taking a taxi without a carseat. We ended up taking the cab without a carseat and just put her on our laps. I am a major carseat freak so this was hard for me but thank goodness it all worked out ok. I thought about taking one but there would have been nowhere to leave it at Sea Life Park and we didn't take the same taxi back.

[vossjemi]

Do the taxis have seat belts in them? My kids are 6 & 8 and could use a seatbelt in the back seat if there is one.

[GrumpyMom1]

Note: This is kind of a miscellaneous post. I still need to cover the food and entertainment (aka The Important Stuff) but we took so many pictures that it's taking a lot of time to get through them.

On Monday Cruise Director Brent mentioned that some people had spotted whales. Don't these people know that the whales migrate south in November and back north in February? Well, later that day DD2 and I were up on deck while DH and DD1 were at one of the adult events and sure enough, we saw whales. We saw the water spouts and their backs as they came up out of the water. A little later we were down in Beat Street at our favorite port holes and saw some more from there. We didn't get any pictures because they were too far out and by the time the camera would focus, they were gone.

We were up on deck on Tuesday morning as we approached Cabo and DH noticed that there were rays of some sort in the water. Big ones and not just one or two, but a whole bunch of them.

On Tuesday evening after leaving Cabo we decided not to go to the show. The baby had slept through dinner and was still asleep so we went to deck 4 to watch the sunset. It was a beautiful sunset which was enhanced by the dolphins swimming alongside the ship and jumping out of the water. This was definitely one of the most magical moments on our cruise.

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[ayumac]

This is the painted tile that I got in Mazatlan. There was also a guy at the dock in PV painting and selling similar items.



Dear Sheila,
Sorry for the late THANKS! about your camera. Your pictures are just so beautiful. It must not only be the camera, but your skills, too. Wonderful stories, also. Lastly, what a great found, I mean about the painted tile. They are just perfect for the memories. I LOOOOVE tiles. Mexico = beautiful tiles, I totally forgot about that fact. I will try not to forget to look for THAT guy in both Maz and PV on my trip :idea: .

Thanks for sharing your experiences. :love: