Im not going to Disney PTR/TR-Chichen Itza and Palenque

[Marlea98]

Oh where abouts are you going to marlea??
We did a Tijuana day trip on our first disney visit, the kids didn't want to get off the bus. At the time they were 5 and 7 and all they wanted to do was go back to disneyland. They whinged so much that it was dirty and yucky and my DD just kept asking to go back so she could put her princess dress on and be a real princess. They clearly werent ready for any culture

Im sure this time though we will get a taste of the real Mexico!

We are doing Costa Maya and Cozumel as our ports. Last time we did Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas on the Wonder; Mazatlan was the port I most wanted to visit but it was cancelled. Cabo ended up being my favourite port.

DH went to Tijuana as a young teen and hated it. I wanted to go for the sake of going but so many people told me to give it a big miss.

 

[gogo65]

Oh that sounds good, now you get to see both sides of the country (I had to google a Mexico Map to work out where everything is )
We can go to Cozumel as one of day trips when we are in playa del Carmen. But we haven't decided what we want to do yet, Will see how we feel.

 

[Andona]

Sounds like a fantastic trip! My oldest DS did a backpack trip around Guatemala and southern Mexico, he loved it and would be very happy to go back. I remember he was very enthusiastic about Flores and Antigua. Can't wait to hear your plans..
Andona

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Your DD abilities are very impressive! I have a friend tripping around parts of Mexico right this minute but it was a last minute thing so I am not up to date on her itinerary yet. Your luxury resort stay at the end looks divine! and may well be needed after local buses...

 

[aussietravellers]

(in a good way). That is an AWESOME photo. I was thinking, I couldn't even get my leg to a 90 degree angle Let alone 180 degrees like your DD. That is amazing!

 

[dabecs]

Thanks dabecs!
My daughter cheers for Starlets in Sydney, Outlaws are an amazing team and fierce competition

I don't know much about cheering but I do know a girl who is in the outlaws - it is an amazing sport and so good to watch

 

[Minniemum]

Your DD's legs are straighter than the turrets on Cinderella's castle!

Your trip sounds brilliant! I love that you'll be using local transport to get around - you're certainly braver than most. Chichen Itza is amazing to see and wander around. I'm looking forward to reading all about it in 7 short weeks.

 

[gogo65]

Sounds like a fantastic trip! My oldest DS did a backpack trip around Guatemala and southern Mexico, he loved it and would be very happy to go back. I remember he was very enthusiastic about Flores and Antigua. Can't wait to hear your plans..
Andona

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thanks Andona,
We will be visiting Antigua and Flores
Even though I did geography for school, I got all excited to hear our tour went to Antigua. Until I did a little research and realised Antigua Guatemala is different to Antigua in the Caribbean, so my ideas of relaxing on the beach were quickly shot down

 

[gogo65]

Your DD abilities are very impressive! I have a friend tripping around parts of Mexico right this minute but it was a last minute thing so I am not up to date on her itinerary yet. Your luxury resort stay at the end looks divine! and may well be needed after local buses...

Thanks Aussie Wendy.
My dd is so flexible it isn't fair, I struggle to tie my shoe laces up some times
I think it will be so funny turning up to the luxury resort in our backpacking gear, I'm sure it won't take me long to get into five star mode though and get the cocktails happening

 

[gogo65]

(in a good way). That is an AWESOME photo. I was thinking, I couldn't even get my leg to a 90 degree angle Let alone 180 degrees like your DD. That is amazing!

Same here, we actually have a photo of some of the cheer mums in Daytona beach trying the actual pose, it got so many laughs from anyone that saw it, and yes I think my leg got to about 45 degrees

 

[gogo65]

I don't know much about cheering but I do know a girl who is in the outlaws - it is an amazing sport and so good to watch

It certainly is amazing to watch, not so amazing when your dd is being thrown 10m in the air and twisting back down again, it gets scary sometimes

 

[gogo65]

Your DD's legs are straighter than the turrets on Cinderella's castle!

Your trip sounds brilliant! I love that you'll be using local transport to get around - you're certainly braver than most. Chichen Itza is amazing to see and wander around. I'm looking forward to reading all about it in 7 short weeks.

Thanks minniemum,
I know the photo is so amazing against the turrets, it was an absolute fluke that her leg was smack bang centre

So looking forward to Chichen Itza and also the Palenque and Tikal ruins, they will definitely be the highlight for me
I don't know that I'm too brave about the whole thing, will most likely just whinge a lot

 

[gogo65]

Not much happening on the planning end. Things are pretty organised.
Things still to do
Arrange transfers in Mexico
Arrange transfers in LA for our last night.
Still deciding about booking a shuttle from lax to universal studios Hilton or taking a cab, we arrive late at night, so figure traffic will be light, so a cab will be a lot quicker. The return is more an issue as we have a 9.30pm flight out, which means we need to be a lax at 6.30pm, smack bang in peak hour, so worried a cab could cost a fortune

Bought some merrell hiking shoes this week, so have six weeks to break them in, not the most fashionable shoes but hopefully will be comfortable. Sand shoes when walking on cobble streets and dirt roads, just don't provide me enough support and by the end of the day my feet ache

 

[gogo65]

So I am packed and ready to go
Getting picked up in the morning by FIL with a 2.40pm flight out of Sydney to lax. Flying premium economy with virgin over then business class on the way home.
Everything is arranged, staying one night at the renaissance lax, arrive LA at 9.30am, plan to drop bags at hotel, if room is ready then we will have a quick shower, otherwise will be smelly bellys and head to either venice beach or get the trolley bus to manhattan beach, planning on an early night as we have a 10.30am flight to cancunso need to be at the airport at 7.30
Then the fun begins as we start the tour on Sunday
Very stressed as we are leaving the kids at home......

Hopefully will have some Internet access, so i can post a couple of photos, but believe me, photography is not my forte, point and shoot and hope for the best, but you will be all good little disboarders and say how wonderful they are

 

[Minniemum]

Gee that came around quickly. The kids will be fine. They'll probably even invite a few friends over to help them look after the house LOL.

Looking forward to hearing all about it and seeing some photos. Safe travels and have a great time.

 

[gogo65]

I'm sitting in the foyer of the renaissance lax.
Arrived this morning about half an hour late, plane was delayed out of Sydney due to weather. Flight was pretty good, we flew with virgin in premium economy, love those seats, food ok.
Caught the ocean express shuttle to manhattan beach and had some lunch and went for a walk on the beach, wandered around a few shops then back to hotel. Feeling very tired now, so early night now then up early for our 10am flight to cancun
Hopefully Internet won't be too bad so I can post some photos

 

[PrincessInOz]

Have a safe trip to Cancun.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Have a safe and fun trip down south. Lookign forward to hearing all about it! Glad leg one went well.

 

[gogo65]

Gee that came around quickly. The kids will be fine. They'll probably even invite a few friends over to help them look after the house LOL.

Looking forward to hearing all about it and seeing some photos. Safe travels and have a great time.

Thanks minniemum, PIO and Aussie Wendy
surprise surprise, my darling DS had people around last night and one of the neighbors called the police at 11pm. So they had a visit from the boys in blue, all was good,the police said there was no problems, the doors were shut and they couldn't hear music from the front, so they let them be, but I did give him a little mummy look on Skype tonight

So yesterday we went to manhattan beach, from the hotel at lax, much more quaint than I expected, a nice pretty spot. A few photos,but remember photography isn't my forte!

So we were up early and had a yummy breakfast at the hotel, before heading to the airport, we arrived at 7.30am, checked into our flight no problems, a few hours sitting around LAXAnd finally onto the plane. Arrived into cancun at 5pm and after huge lines at the airport made our way to the hotel around 6.30, quick dinner and early night?
A few photos of Cancun from the plane and one of the engine cause it kept getting in the way of my photos

We arrived at our very posh hotel sothis is an adventure tour, so basic hotels all the way but really, yellow curtains??? We are staying in downtown cancun not the hotel zone, which was lovely as we went and had dinner at a little restaurant in an alley way with the best food. Two for 1 coronas, ($1 each) free tapas and a good mealI don't normally do food porn cause I'm way to embarrassed but got one photo of the free food

Then we went for a walk around the main square area where all the locals were hanging outand then back tothe room to try and catch up on zzzzz's.
Tomorrow a day exploring cancun, meeting our tour guide and othertravelers, there

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Sounds like your having fun already
DS only got a mummy look he got of easy then