Two Adults on a Disney Cruise! 4/10 MR Wonder ***FINISHED*** TRIP REPORT!!!

[Mindyjoy]

I am loving your trip report! DH and I don't have any kids, so I like to read reports of adults only trips! I can't wait to read more!

Thank you! Be sure to check out DisFaninCO's report, too, for another adults only report. I hopefully will get some more of my report done today.

 

[Mindyjoy]

Day 4 – Puerto Vallarta
Part 1

When I woke up the ship wasn't moving, and this was the view from our veranda.

Pirates! I'm guessing this was the ship for the pirate excursion.

We didn't have any excursions planned, so we had a leisurely breakfast at BBB and headed off the ship.

I had read on previous MR TRs about taking a taxi to downtown/Malecon, so this is what we did. We walked out of the marina area and found a taxi parked on the street. We were offered a ride to downtown for $4 per person. I tried to talk him down to $3 but he wouldn't budge so we paid the $8 plus a $2 tip.

Downtown runs along the shore and there are several street performers, stacking rocks and making sand sculptures. There are also several statues. We walked along this stretch of street, taking pictures of the sights and leaving tips for the performers. Then we walked back on the other side of the street, where the shops were.

I loved these little figurines made of beads but they were a bit pricey, so DF took some pictures for me.

At some point, the touristy area stops and the beach turns into a stretch of resorts and restaurants on the beach. I had done some research and read about a restaurant called La Palapa. I had heard it was a bit pricey but worth it. So I figured we walk along and try to find it, and if we get too hungry we can just stop anywhere. Walking along the sidewalk, everyone was trying to get us to stop and have food or buy a day pass for their resort. I think we walked about half a mile south of the downtown area before we came upon La Palapa.

Before we sat down, we asked if we could stay there for a couple hours as long as we kept ordering drinks and they said no problem. We were led to a table right on the sand. They had lounge chairs and tables closer to the beach but they looked uncomfortable for eating so we were happy with our table in the shade. We were there at around 11am or so and it wasn't very busy. Their margaritas were very good.

Their menu was a little pricey.

We ordered the guacamole with chips, I had the beef arrachera (like carne asada), and DF had the crab enchiladas with shrimp. Everything was very good.

Our servers were great, spoke perfect english, and were aware we wanted to sit there for a while and brought our food out slowly and kept our drinks full. We sat there for about three hours, enjoying the drinks, food, and view of the ocean. We didn't have a clear view of the beach but we were content being in the shade. We were very happy with this restaurant. I should note that the vendors are plentiful here, and we did say "No Gracias" about 100 times, but it didn't diminish our enjoyment of the restaurant.

 

[Mindyjoy]

Day 4 - Puerto Vallarta
Part 2

After our lunch we walked back towards downtown along the beach.

The plan was to look for the bus that said WALMART to take us back to the marina for much cheaper than a taxi (another tip from previous cruisers).

Just to backtrack a little, while I was researching things to do in PV I came across the story of Casa Kimberley. In a nutshell, Richard Burton bought this house for Elizabeth Taylor in the 1960s when they were filming a movie there together. He eventually bought the house across the street and built a pink bridge to connect the two houses, called "The Lovers Arch." Taylor apparently owned the property until the 1990s, when she sold and it was converted into a bed and breakfast and the owner also gave tours of the property. This sounded really interesting to me, until I did further research and found the property had been foreclosed on two years ago and was now abandoned and dilapidated.

Back to us looking for the bus, I noticed we were on the street for Casa Kimberley, called Calle Zaragoza. I asked DF if he was up for an adventure and she said sure. So we headed east, away from the beach. Soon we came upon a steep and long set of stairs.

At the top of the stairs we were greeted by a very friendly native!

I was so distracted by the cat that I failed to notice what was right in front of us.

The street was very quiet and the property was in very bad shape. We took a few pictures and then headed back down the stairs.

We got back down to the street and walked towards the marina. We saw the Walmart buses but couldn't figure out where they stopped. Finally a taxi stopped and offered a ride, so we got in and got the same rate as before, $4 per person. This cab driver was really friendly and indulged me a bit as I tried to carry on a conversation using the basic Spanish I learned in high school (which was a LONG time ago). The drive back to port flew by and we gave him an extra tip for his friendliness.

We had about three hours before we had to get on the boat but didn't really have anything we wanted to do, so we walked around a bit and took pictures and then headed back on the boat.

We came across this big guy.

Obligatory Walmart picture.

Back to the ship.

Back on the ship and walking up the stairs to our deck, we saw Mickey in the atrium so we got in line for pictures.

Always a gentleman!

Then up to our cabin to get ready for our dinner in Animator's Palate. Show night!

 

[Mindyjoy]

Day 4 - Puerto Vallarta
Part 3

Dinner was in AP and this was the first time either of us were seeing the show. I had read about it but all DF knew was that it changed from black and white to color.

Tektas jumped in on the fun.

Mulan was right at the front of the restaurant. One of the head servers saw me taking pictures and offered to take a picture for me.

Dinner this night was very good. I started with the mushroom risotto of course. I also got the butternut squash soup which tasted exactly like the butternut squash soup I had at Club 33 a couple months ago. DF had potato cheese soup. All were very good.

For entree, I had the lemon-thyme chicken breast and the black bean chipotle cakes and DF had the phyllo-wrapped salmon. Both were very good. I really liked my chicken. The bean cakes were okay but a bit dry. I really liked the Spanish rice on the side.

We were both pretty full so we shared the apple crumble.

This was the only night we had some issues with our AS. We had brought our own wine to dinner but I had finished it and wanted to order one of the specialty drinks. I didn't see our AS for a while, so when our Head Server Tektas stopped by he asked if he could get me more wine and I said I actually wanted the drink from the menu. He said he would tell our AS right away. Well, the drink never showed. Prior to ordering dessert, DF wanted to get coffee with some kind of liquor in it. On the dessert menu, it says, "Ask your server about our specialty coffees, which combine a range of delicious liqueurs with your favorite style of coffee." DF asked about the specialty coffees which our AS did not understand, so DF pointed to the menu. The AS said he didn't know. So DF asked what kind of liqueurs were available to pair with coffee, and our AS just simply did not understand this at all. Finally DF just ordered a decaf latte. All this was before the show. Our dessert came out and then the show started. I won't post pictures because I don't want to contribute to any spoilers for you first time cruisers!!!

After the show Nelson came by and we told him we wanted to cancel both our drinks, since dinner and the show were both over. Nelson seemed surprised that neither of us had gotten our drinks. While we were talking to Nelson our AS brought the coffee, and Nelson told him we didn't want it anymore since we were leaving. We felt bad, since I think all our servers were a bit rushed due to the show and having to change clothes. It really wasn't a huge deal but it's the only hiccup we encountered with our servers during the week.

On the way out of course I had to get another picture with my girl.

In the atrium we ran into some friends.

We also saw a tiny Donald, which I thought was TOO CUTE. Real Donald went crazy over this kid. It was really cute to watch.

Back to the room to find more treats and another towel animal!

We decided to stop by Cadillac Lounge and order the coffee drink DF wanted. On the menu they had a drink with coffee, Baileys, and Kahlua, so we both got one and told ghost stories before retiring for the evening.

 

[Mindyjoy]

Day 5 - Cabo San Lucas
Part 1

When I woke up on Day 5 we were still moving. We weren't scheduled to arrive in Cabo San Lucas until 11am. I woke up to a bit of color in the sky.

Today we had the excursion Pacific Horseback Ride, meeting in Wavebands at 10:45am. We woke up early enough to grab breakfast in Tritons. I had the buckwheat crepe with Eggbeaters, soy, and tomato salsa. It tasted okay but was VERY salty so I couldn't finish it. I ate about half. The crepe itself was very good. I requested a delicious McDonalds-style hashbrown to help fill me up for my excursion. DF had belgian waffles and requested strawberries and a side of crispy bacon. They brought him strawberries in syrup, which he doesn't like. He was expecting normal sliced strawberries. DF said his waffles were okay - just normal waffles. Our server noticed DF wasn't eating his strawberries and asked what was wrong, and brought out normal sliced strawberries right away.

During our breakfast we could see out the windows and noticed we were arriving in port and eventually stopped. After breakfast we had some time to kill before our excursion meeting time, so we up to Deck 10 to look around and take some pictures.

Christiaan looking official.

We headed to Wavebands and turned in our tickets for a blue Belle sticker, which identified us for our excursion. From there we were led to a tender, and once we were on dock there was a CM with a matching Belle sign waiting for us. We lined up and waited for our entire party, and then the CM led us through the marina to a building where our bus was waiting. The whole thing was extremely organized and impressive.

Our bus ride was about 30 minutes into the desert of Cabo. We passed through neighborhoods showing "real" Mexico, and then there was a whole lot of desert.

In the middle of nothing we came upon a ranch. We got off the bus and we were given some instructions on how to direct our horse (how to make them stop, for example). Then we were each paired up with a horse.

I took a video of DF getting on his horse so didn't get a very good still picture until we were off and trotting.

There were two guides, one at the front and one who stuck towards the back. DF and I were more towards the back of the line. The horses were trained very well and knew to get into a line. If the horse in front sped up, the rest sped up. I didn't really need to direct my horse, except to slow it down once in a while.

We were led out of the ranch into the desert.

After about 5 minutes through the desert, we turn a corner and there's the ocean!

We rode along the ocean for quite a while, maybe 40 minutes. The best thing was that it was so secluded.

At some point we did a U-turn and started walking back the same way and eventually ended up back at the ranch. The whole ride lasted maybe a little over an hour.

Back at the ranch they had free bottles of water and Coronas to buy. They also take a professional picture of you on the horse which they had printed and ready to purchase for $20, I think. Neither of us bought our picture. DF bought a couple Coronas and was excited to learn he could bring his open beer on the bus back to town.

During the bus ride back we both looked through our 100s of photos we took and the time flew by. I noticed we were back in town and happened to look up and see Cabo Wabo, which we wanted to visit at some point during our vacation so I made a mental note of where it was. About a block later, the bus stopped and our driver made an announcement that we would be back at the marina shortly. Someone asked if we could get off the bus now and the driver said yes, so DF and I decided to just visit Cabo Wabo now and we got off the bus. On the way we passed a shop with postcards by the door, so I stopped and bought some, talked the vendor down from $2 each to $1. In just a couple minutes we got to Cabo Wabo.

We grabbed a table outside and ordered two Waboritas - which is basically a fancy way to say Overpriced Margarita.

It was actually really delicious and I had to restrain myself from downing more than one.

We just needed a light snack to hold us over til dinner so we ordered the chicken nachos.

I must have been excited to eat them because I forgot to take a picture until after they were half gone. They were very good and the chicken was breaded which is a little unusual for nachos but very good. To sum up, everything was overpriced but we're glad we stopped there.

We found our way to the gift shop and bought three bottles of Cabo Wabo tequila, one of us and a bottle for both our parents, a shirt for my dad and shot glasses for my brothers.

Next up - dinner at Palo and fireworks!

 

[Mindyjoy]

Day 5 - Cabo San Lucas
Part 2

After leaving Cabo Wabo we made our way back to the marina and walked back to the boat, stopping for pictures and souvenirs.

These magnets caught my eye because they had pictures of the cruise ships on them, but I didn't see any with the Disney ship. So I asked if they could make one with the Disney ship on it. They said it would be ready in 5 minutes and it would be $4. I agreed, so we walked along the marina to kill time. I went back to pick it up. It looks really nice and I'm pleased I got one.

After picking up my magnet we headed back to the tender dock. We were put on a large, two deck tender.

This is me being terrified we were going to hit the boat. I learned later there were bumpers between the ship and the tender.

Back to our room to get ready for Palo. We took some pictures of Donald in his homeland.

We got cleaned up and headed up to Deck 10.

As we were in Palo, the ship turned so that the aft of the ship faced the marina, where the sun was setting. We wondered if this was done just for the diners in Palo to have a nice view.

We asked our server if we could run out and get some photos, which he graciously allowed. We asked one of the many people outside taking a photos to take a few of us.

The sunset was quite spectacular and kept getting better and better as our meal went on.

But I am getting a bit ahead of myself.

We were seated and introduced to our server Nikola (not sure on that spelling) from Serbia, who was excellent. He brought over a tray of antipasto and basket of bread to start.

When Nikola came back to take our order, we told him we wanted our dishes to come out slowly so we could enjoy all our dishes. He said he understood and was very good about coming back to ask if we were ready for our next course.

I ordered a margarita pizza, the mushroom risotto (natch), and beef tenderloin. Nikola insisted I also needed to get another course and asked if he could bring out the mushroom polenta to start. I didn't know what this was so I made sure it wasn't seafood before I agreed. It's basically mushroom cornmeal and OMG it was soooo good!

The tenderloin comes with your choice of gargonzola sauce or cabernet sauce, so I asked for both! I liked the cabernet sauce the best. The tenderloin melted in your mouth ... so good. Everything at Palo was amazing.

DF ordered the mozzarella and tomato, the gnocchi, and the osso bucco. He also split my margarita pizza with me.

Before the main course, we were brought out a lemon sorbet pallet cleanser. I was excited because I had been telling DF I want a sorbet pallet cleanser at our wedding because I think it's so fancy. DF agreed it was interesting and pretty darn fancy.

I was so, so, so, so, so full but I had read so much about the chocolate souffle that I had to try it. In fact, Nikola came over before our main course came out and said that the souffle needed 25 minutes to cook and asked if we wanted it for dessert. We weren't given any other dessert options or a dessert menu, although I'm sure we would have gotten one if we asked.

I was so sad because I could only eat a couple bites and it was so good. As we were leaving, we saw DisFanInCO and her DH come in for dinner. They seemed to be following in our footsteps around the ship!!! They also had Nikola so I knew they were in good hands.

We slowly waddled out of Palo and tried to go out on Deck 10 to walk off our meal but it was too windy. We went back to the room to change clothes and found a friend.

We sat around for a bit, too stuffed to move, before heading up to Deck 10 to see the fireworks. I didn't care too much for the pirate party but I enjoyed seeing Mickey and I love the Disneyland fireworks, so I had to see the ones from the ship.

The fireworks show was really great.

We were way too stuffed for the pirate buffet, and I don't have any more pictures after the fireworks, so I think we just headed back to the room to get ready for bed. We were docking in Cabo early the next day.

 

[Daisy5115]

Mindy, Yes, I was the one that recognized your shirt! We were also at Cabo Wabo that first day. I am glad you mentioned Casa Kimberly because in 1999 I took a tour of the house which at that time was owned by an old "John Houston" type guy. He didn't know too much but walked us around the place. We had to ask around to find it too. A shame that it was in bad shape but it was a tiny place really. Your pictures of the fireworks are very good!

 

[DisFanInCO]

As we were leaving, we saw DisFanInCO and her DH come in for dinner. They seemed to be following in our footsteps around the ship!!! They also had Nikola so I knew they were in good hands.

Yep, we were stalking the two of you as well as AnimalPrincess and her DH ALL week. Too funny Nikola WAS great, and he also insisted that we try "extra" food, including an extra dessert on top of the souffles. We were STUFFED when we left, but it was SO good.

Looks like your horseback riding excursion was about in the same location as our ATV tour. The views of the ocean were great!

 

[Mindyjoy]

Yep, we were stalking the two of you as well as AnimalPrincess and her DH ALL week. Too funny Nikola WAS great, and he also insisted that we try "extra" food, including an extra dessert on top of the souffles. We were STUFFED when we left, but it was SO good.

Looks like your horseback riding excursion was about in the same location as our ATV tour. The views of the ocean were great!

I can't wait to see what you guys ordered at Palo. I'm back to my regular boring diet and wish I could eat that tenderloin for lunch today.

Yes, our tour included three groups, us horseback riders, Rhino(?) ATVs and jeeps, I think. The three groups split up at the ranch but we all rode on the bus together. On they way back you could tell who rode horses and who rode ATVs because the ATVers were covered in dirt!

 

[Lilbunnyk]

Hi, I am really enjoying your trip report. My husband and I are going on our fifth Disney cruise in two weeks and are very excited. I am a little bummed because your photos from post 65 and 66 do not show up on my iPad and i dont have a computer so I can't see them. Hopefully it's just a glitch and I can see them later! We also live in California and hope to do the MR cruise soon but for now we are headed for Alaska.

 

[Mindyjoy]

Hi, I am really enjoying your trip report. My husband and I are going on our fifth Disney cruise in two weeks and are very excited. I am a little bummed because your photos from post 65 and 66 do not show up on my iPad and i dont have a computer so I can't see them. Hopefully it's just a glitch and I can see them later! We also live in California and hope to do the MR cruise soon but for now we are headed for Alaska.

Thank you so much for reading. The pictures aren't loading on my iphone but I can see them fine on my laptop so hopefully it's just a loading issue and not an issue with my source hosting site. Hope you can see them eventually; if not you can see all my trip photos on my flickr site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindyjoy/sets/

Have fun in Alaska and please do a TR! I hope to do that itinerary someday.

 

[disneygrl122]

Hi Mindy!
I just caught up with your trip report and it looks like so much fun! I've been wanting to go on a Disney cruise for the longest time. I've been hinting to DF to take me for my graduation hehe

All the food looks delicious and the drinks look yummy! I feel like i'm on vacation reading through your report

I can't wait to read more!

 

[Im_A_Princess]

LOVE your report!
Thanks!!!!!

 

[rosiep]

The food pic's are fabulous! My cruise isn't until September...and I'm chomping at the bit!

I do, however, have a Disneyland trip coming up in 12 days which will include a meal at Club 33!!!!

Any advice? suggestions?

 

[librarygeek]

All the food pics do look so tasty! And it looks like you had fun during your days at the ports, the horseback riding looked cool. Was it difficult to take pictures while on the horse?

 

[Lilbunnyk]

Thank you so much for reading. The pictures aren't loading on my iphone but I can see them fine on my laptop so hopefully it's just a loading issue and not an issue with my source hosting site. Hope you can see them eventually; if not you can see all my trip photos on my flickr site.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindyjoy/sets/

Have fun in Alaska and please do a TR! I hope to do that itinerary someday.[/QUOTE

I can see the pictures now, everything looks awesome! I have never done a TR but I think I will do one for Alaska especially since I am on one of the first trips out. I can't wait!

 

[Bickimook2]

Absolutely loving this TR! I totally have to do one of these cruises now it looks like you both had so much fun. I can't wait to read about more of your trip

 

[Susiesark]

Enjoying your TR. We returned from the 10 nt. MR yesterday. I think it was leaving the day you returned. I don't think I could do shorter than 10 nights now. I only got a fraction of the pics I should have but there was so much to do (and eat) that I didn't think about the camera. Thanks for helping me remember.

 

[Diannah]

Just got caught up and am LOVING the food porn! We're sailing on the May 24th cruise to Alaska, so hoping most of those wonderful CMs are still there!

 

[Mindyjoy]

Absolutely loving this TR! I totally have to do one of these cruises now it looks like you both had so much fun. I can't wait to read about more of your trip

Hey girl, thanks for joining! I can't believe your wedding is almost here. You would love a Disney cruise, I'm sure!

Enjoying your TR. We returned from the 10 nt. MR yesterday. I think it was leaving the day you returned. I don't think I could do shorter than 10 nights now. I only got a fraction of the pics I should have but there was so much to do (and eat) that I didn't think about the camera. Thanks for helping me remember.

Hi! I hope you'll consider doing a trip report even if you don't have many pictures. I am really curious about what extra activities they had on the 10 night. I'm so jealous you got to spend 10 nights on the boat!!!!!

Just got caught up and am LOVING the food porn! We're sailing on the May 24th cruise to Alaska, so hoping most of those wonderful CMs are still there!

Thanks! You are going to love the Wonder! I can't wait to hear all about Alaska.



I know I'm a little slow on my report, work has been crazy and we are going out of town this weekend so trying to get some general errands done, plus I fell and hurt my knee so moving a little slower this week. I hope to get another installment done tonight.