This is now Part 4 of my Disney Cruise blog. Here's a link to my Facebook page with Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&¬e_id=10150117651822659
Well I guess I gotta talk about Mexico.......this cruise was supposed to have 3 stops (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas). I was looking forward to Cabo and Mazatlan since Nancy and I had lots of fun during our previous visits to those areas. But Mazatlan was taken out of the mix due to issues going on in that region. So instead, Disney scheduled a 2-day stop in Cabo - not bad!!!
Puerto Vallarta - The stop in Puerto Vallarta meant we had to spend 2.5 days at sea (from Sunday thru Tuesday) prior to arriving at PV. One of the cool things that took place was on Tuesday, directly after our Character Breakfast, I looked outside and saw "land". I thought we were approaching Puerto Vallarta. But to my surprise, we were in the Cabo San Lucas area. It was a bright sunny day, and we were able to get a glimpse of Cabo while we were sailing towards Puerto Vallarta.
I've been on a previous Mexican Riviera cruise with another cruise ship, and I remember that by the time Day 2 hit, I was already getting so bored and anxious to get off the ship. I was always the kind of vacationer where I'd rather be flown to my destination and I'll do my own thing. I can tell you that the same anxiety was not at all present in this Disney Cruise. While I was looking forward to our Mexico stops, the ship in itself kept us quite busy, which made our ship days extremely fun and enjoyable.
Prior to our cruise - I checked out various options for our group of 20 (10 kids, 10 adults). I remember exploring Puerto Vallarta when it was just me and Nancy (about 8 years ago). We took a local bus and walked around the city. We knew that it was not a good idea to drag all the kids on a city tour. So, I looked at possibly going to a local beachfront hotel where we could swim and dine. Someone posted in Disboards.com about Crown Paradise Hotel. That person emailed the hotel and got a confirmation rate of $35 per person (12 and over), and 1/2 price for kids 7-11. I planned on emailing Crown Paradise, and I just never got around to it, so I figured, we'd just take our chances and see what kind of rates we'll get.
First of all, we were advised that Crown Paradise was within walking distance. HA! Define walking distance, since 2 hours could also be walking distance hehehehe. Sure enough, it was a good 15 minute walk from the Port. We actually took the long way by going through the side of the port before we approached the beach. Crown Paradise was the very 1st hotel closest to the port. Since I had no previous reservations at this resort, we decided to check out 2 other resorts to see what kind of charges they have. But that meant we'd walk further, thus, delaying our day trip. So we decided to negotiate with Crown Paradise. We were quoted $45 per person (and $22.50 for kids 7-11, 6 and under were free). It included an all-day pass to the facilities, drinks, buffet, and snack bars. There were 2 private restaurants that were not a part of the deal (one looked like a Japanese restaurant....darn). Since we had a big party, and planned on staying no more than 4 hours, we negotiated. The front desk clerk said that they recently raised their rates. Although I had no confirmation email, I mentioned that "a friend" (meaning someone from disboards.com), mentioned that they were charged $35 per person and 1/2 off for kids 7-11. I was surprised that the front desk clerk accepted that. She did not ask for any proof. Basically, she said, if that was quoted to me, then they'll honor it! DONE!!! I saved us nearly $200 with that offer!!! Yay!!!
What I liked about Crown Paradise:
Swimming Pool - There were 2 pool areas (kiddie pool, and adult pool). We mainly stayed in the kiddie pool area. There was also a playground, and babysitting area nearby.
Internet Access - since the internet access on the ship was pricey and slow, I had the opportunity to check my email at Crown Paradise. There's an Internet Cafe where you pay $5 for 30 minutes, or if you have your laptop or smartphone, you can use their WiFi service for $8/hour. I chose to go to the Internet Cafe. I had to buy the passcode from the front desk.
Beachfront - it was a beachfront property, and truly within walking distance to the pier.
What about the food:
I wasn't expecting Disney Wonder-type of food. It was just okay. There was a beachfront type of buffet, they had hot wings, hotdogs, burgers, salad, tacos, and nachos. There was another snack bar between the kiddie and adult pool where you could get fried chicken, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks etc. It was just enough to get us through the day since we were very well fed aboard the ship anyway. The drinks at the bar were also okay, the kids enjoyed frozen Nemo.
Someone broke the pool rules - It was a very warm sunny day (in the 80's if not more) and it just felt wrong not to get wet. So I played and swam with the kids. I saw how much they enjoyed the slide so I thought I'd slide down too. I carried Evan (my 1 yr old) with me, and I heard a whistle, so I thought, I guess I couldn't slide down with Evan. I brought Evan down, and I went back up the slide again. I slid down and one of the lifeguards talked to me , "Adults are not allowed to slide down"! HAHAHAHAHA!!! Bummer! Leave it to me to get in trouble in Mexico. Oh well....after a few hours, we left the resort and headed back to the ship. We passed by a little market place where we were able to purchase some souvenir items.
Cabo San Lucas - the next stop was on Thursday, Cabo San Lucas. We had to use a "tender" or a small motorized boat to get us down from the ship to the tender to the port of Cabo San Lucas. The boat ride was about 5 minutes. The ride in itself gave us a picturesque view of Cabo San Lucas. Nancy and I have been to Cabo in previous occasion, 1st during a cruise, and then the last time was on a short 3-day quick getaway. We love Cabo.
Nom Nom in Cabo - By this day, our 4th or 5th day, I realized that I've not had "real" Mexican food yet. So the moment we got off the boat, I asked the local Cabo security guard for info on street tacos. Not the kind that I'll find in a touristy restaurant, but a street food. He knew exactly what I was talking about. He drew us a map to Irina's not too far from where we were. To my surprise, we found 3-4 lunch trucks. I was laughing inside because it was the kind of food or dining I was looking for since I'm a huge gourmet food truck fan. We easily crowded Irina's truck and ordered tacos that were familiar to us (carnitas, carne asada, rice and beans). Irina also introduced me to something new called "Huaraches". It looked like a Mexican pizza........muy bien!!! Irina's was so close to the port, and I could see myself going back here again in the future.
Hablo Espanol - Our friend Bong, to our surprise, could speak Spanish. During our walk towards Irina, he was negotiating with the a local boat man on a boat tour. He was able to get us a private boat for about $5 per person. That included a ride around the famous Los Arcos, Lover's Beach, and Divorce Beach (it's true). The guy maneuvering the boat was kind enough to explain what each section represented, he took pride in his job. We chose not to get off the boat in these areas, instead, we were taken to Medano Beach. That's where the kids swam and played for over 2 hours. We had lunch at Billygan's, where I was also able to get free WiFi. We enjoyed taking pictures of the beautiful Cabo beach. The kids played and swam and enjoyed that gorgeous Thursday afternoon. We didn't want to leave but Thursday night was jampacked with activities aboard the ship (Pirate Night, Palo dining, and Isabella's birthday). Before leaving Cabo, I told Nancy that I want to go back to Cabo, maybe stay in a hotel sometime in the near future.
What could've been our Day 2 in Cabo (Tsunami day) - Friday was scheduled to be another day spent in Cabo San Lucas. Around 7am, there was an announcement made on the PA system about Japan earthquake and tsunami warning. The Captain wasn't sure what time we'd be allowed to get off the ship, but at 7am, there was a possibility of allowing us to spend a few hours. With that announcement, I woke up and tuned in to CNN and saw the catastrophe that swept Japan. I had no idea that all of those images were captured until I turned on the TV. I was skeptical that we'd be allowed once I saw the news coverage.
We got up and got ready anyway, and went up to the 9th Deck for breakfast at the Beach Blanket. The mood was quite somber. There wasn't a whole lot of commotion. The ship was just stationary, it overlooked the majestic views of Cabo San Lucas. There were no sea or water activities. No parasailing, no water or jet skis, so motorized boats. It was like watching a movie and everything was "paused". It was a surreal morning. Two announcements were made. One, that there will be no day in Cabo today due to the tsunami warning. And two, that Disney was adding more activities to compensate for the extra time. As much as most of us were disappointed, reality struck that this was the best thing for all of us. It was safer to be on the ship, than being on land or at the beach where the unknown could happen. Disney came to the rescue. What would have been a morning or a day off for some of the crew members, became an extra unexpected work day. Thank you, Disney!
So that's all about our Mexico visits. The activities we did in Mexico were the exact activities I had in mind given our huge group with little kids. Although we had other options of exploring Cabo and Puerto Vallarta, we opted for what was best for us. Maybe when the kids are older, we'd be opting to go and check out the city tour, or zip line. For now, hasta la vista, Mexico!
Thanks again for reading.
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&¬e_id=10150117651822659
Well I guess I gotta talk about Mexico.......this cruise was supposed to have 3 stops (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas). I was looking forward to Cabo and Mazatlan since Nancy and I had lots of fun during our previous visits to those areas. But Mazatlan was taken out of the mix due to issues going on in that region. So instead, Disney scheduled a 2-day stop in Cabo - not bad!!!
Puerto Vallarta - The stop in Puerto Vallarta meant we had to spend 2.5 days at sea (from Sunday thru Tuesday) prior to arriving at PV. One of the cool things that took place was on Tuesday, directly after our Character Breakfast, I looked outside and saw "land". I thought we were approaching Puerto Vallarta. But to my surprise, we were in the Cabo San Lucas area. It was a bright sunny day, and we were able to get a glimpse of Cabo while we were sailing towards Puerto Vallarta.
I've been on a previous Mexican Riviera cruise with another cruise ship, and I remember that by the time Day 2 hit, I was already getting so bored and anxious to get off the ship. I was always the kind of vacationer where I'd rather be flown to my destination and I'll do my own thing. I can tell you that the same anxiety was not at all present in this Disney Cruise. While I was looking forward to our Mexico stops, the ship in itself kept us quite busy, which made our ship days extremely fun and enjoyable.
Prior to our cruise - I checked out various options for our group of 20 (10 kids, 10 adults). I remember exploring Puerto Vallarta when it was just me and Nancy (about 8 years ago). We took a local bus and walked around the city. We knew that it was not a good idea to drag all the kids on a city tour. So, I looked at possibly going to a local beachfront hotel where we could swim and dine. Someone posted in Disboards.com about Crown Paradise Hotel. That person emailed the hotel and got a confirmation rate of $35 per person (12 and over), and 1/2 price for kids 7-11. I planned on emailing Crown Paradise, and I just never got around to it, so I figured, we'd just take our chances and see what kind of rates we'll get.
First of all, we were advised that Crown Paradise was within walking distance. HA! Define walking distance, since 2 hours could also be walking distance hehehehe. Sure enough, it was a good 15 minute walk from the Port. We actually took the long way by going through the side of the port before we approached the beach. Crown Paradise was the very 1st hotel closest to the port. Since I had no previous reservations at this resort, we decided to check out 2 other resorts to see what kind of charges they have. But that meant we'd walk further, thus, delaying our day trip. So we decided to negotiate with Crown Paradise. We were quoted $45 per person (and $22.50 for kids 7-11, 6 and under were free). It included an all-day pass to the facilities, drinks, buffet, and snack bars. There were 2 private restaurants that were not a part of the deal (one looked like a Japanese restaurant....darn). Since we had a big party, and planned on staying no more than 4 hours, we negotiated. The front desk clerk said that they recently raised their rates. Although I had no confirmation email, I mentioned that "a friend" (meaning someone from disboards.com), mentioned that they were charged $35 per person and 1/2 off for kids 7-11. I was surprised that the front desk clerk accepted that. She did not ask for any proof. Basically, she said, if that was quoted to me, then they'll honor it! DONE!!! I saved us nearly $200 with that offer!!! Yay!!!
What I liked about Crown Paradise:
Swimming Pool - There were 2 pool areas (kiddie pool, and adult pool). We mainly stayed in the kiddie pool area. There was also a playground, and babysitting area nearby.
Internet Access - since the internet access on the ship was pricey and slow, I had the opportunity to check my email at Crown Paradise. There's an Internet Cafe where you pay $5 for 30 minutes, or if you have your laptop or smartphone, you can use their WiFi service for $8/hour. I chose to go to the Internet Cafe. I had to buy the passcode from the front desk.
Beachfront - it was a beachfront property, and truly within walking distance to the pier.
What about the food:
I wasn't expecting Disney Wonder-type of food. It was just okay. There was a beachfront type of buffet, they had hot wings, hotdogs, burgers, salad, tacos, and nachos. There was another snack bar between the kiddie and adult pool where you could get fried chicken, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks etc. It was just enough to get us through the day since we were very well fed aboard the ship anyway. The drinks at the bar were also okay, the kids enjoyed frozen Nemo.
Someone broke the pool rules - It was a very warm sunny day (in the 80's if not more) and it just felt wrong not to get wet. So I played and swam with the kids. I saw how much they enjoyed the slide so I thought I'd slide down too. I carried Evan (my 1 yr old) with me, and I heard a whistle, so I thought, I guess I couldn't slide down with Evan. I brought Evan down, and I went back up the slide again. I slid down and one of the lifeguards talked to me , "Adults are not allowed to slide down"! HAHAHAHAHA!!! Bummer! Leave it to me to get in trouble in Mexico. Oh well....after a few hours, we left the resort and headed back to the ship. We passed by a little market place where we were able to purchase some souvenir items.
Cabo San Lucas - the next stop was on Thursday, Cabo San Lucas. We had to use a "tender" or a small motorized boat to get us down from the ship to the tender to the port of Cabo San Lucas. The boat ride was about 5 minutes. The ride in itself gave us a picturesque view of Cabo San Lucas. Nancy and I have been to Cabo in previous occasion, 1st during a cruise, and then the last time was on a short 3-day quick getaway. We love Cabo.
Nom Nom in Cabo - By this day, our 4th or 5th day, I realized that I've not had "real" Mexican food yet. So the moment we got off the boat, I asked the local Cabo security guard for info on street tacos. Not the kind that I'll find in a touristy restaurant, but a street food. He knew exactly what I was talking about. He drew us a map to Irina's not too far from where we were. To my surprise, we found 3-4 lunch trucks. I was laughing inside because it was the kind of food or dining I was looking for since I'm a huge gourmet food truck fan. We easily crowded Irina's truck and ordered tacos that were familiar to us (carnitas, carne asada, rice and beans). Irina also introduced me to something new called "Huaraches". It looked like a Mexican pizza........muy bien!!! Irina's was so close to the port, and I could see myself going back here again in the future.
Hablo Espanol - Our friend Bong, to our surprise, could speak Spanish. During our walk towards Irina, he was negotiating with the a local boat man on a boat tour. He was able to get us a private boat for about $5 per person. That included a ride around the famous Los Arcos, Lover's Beach, and Divorce Beach (it's true). The guy maneuvering the boat was kind enough to explain what each section represented, he took pride in his job. We chose not to get off the boat in these areas, instead, we were taken to Medano Beach. That's where the kids swam and played for over 2 hours. We had lunch at Billygan's, where I was also able to get free WiFi. We enjoyed taking pictures of the beautiful Cabo beach. The kids played and swam and enjoyed that gorgeous Thursday afternoon. We didn't want to leave but Thursday night was jampacked with activities aboard the ship (Pirate Night, Palo dining, and Isabella's birthday). Before leaving Cabo, I told Nancy that I want to go back to Cabo, maybe stay in a hotel sometime in the near future.
What could've been our Day 2 in Cabo (Tsunami day) - Friday was scheduled to be another day spent in Cabo San Lucas. Around 7am, there was an announcement made on the PA system about Japan earthquake and tsunami warning. The Captain wasn't sure what time we'd be allowed to get off the ship, but at 7am, there was a possibility of allowing us to spend a few hours. With that announcement, I woke up and tuned in to CNN and saw the catastrophe that swept Japan. I had no idea that all of those images were captured until I turned on the TV. I was skeptical that we'd be allowed once I saw the news coverage.
We got up and got ready anyway, and went up to the 9th Deck for breakfast at the Beach Blanket. The mood was quite somber. There wasn't a whole lot of commotion. The ship was just stationary, it overlooked the majestic views of Cabo San Lucas. There were no sea or water activities. No parasailing, no water or jet skis, so motorized boats. It was like watching a movie and everything was "paused". It was a surreal morning. Two announcements were made. One, that there will be no day in Cabo today due to the tsunami warning. And two, that Disney was adding more activities to compensate for the extra time. As much as most of us were disappointed, reality struck that this was the best thing for all of us. It was safer to be on the ship, than being on land or at the beach where the unknown could happen. Disney came to the rescue. What would have been a morning or a day off for some of the crew members, became an extra unexpected work day. Thank you, Disney!
So that's all about our Mexico visits. The activities we did in Mexico were the exact activities I had in mind given our huge group with little kids. Although we had other options of exploring Cabo and Puerto Vallarta, we opted for what was best for us. Maybe when the kids are older, we'd be opting to go and check out the city tour, or zip line. For now, hasta la vista, Mexico!
Thanks again for reading.
