So we left Sunday, Feb. 5 and got back on the 12th, so it was a week. This was kind of our raincheck honeymoon cruise, because we had planned to go right after we got married but it fell through. So now, 2 1/2 years later, we got to go! Thanks Mom and Dad Chambers!
We flew to Los Angeles where Lizzi picked us up from the airport and took us the cruise ship in Long Beach--the Carnival Splendor. We boarded and had to wait a couple hours for our room to be ready, but while waiting, I took in the general splendor. I got really excited when we got on because the big lounge/bar area we entered into was all pink and glitzy with colored LED lights every square inch on the walls. I thought it was an awesome theme room! Well, little did I know that that... was just the whole theme of the ship. Everything was pink and purple and gaudy! It was almost nauseating! But cool :) Oh except our room. Our room was coral and seafoam. So, much more classy. :) Anyway, Sunday we just kinda wandered around. There were 12 decks and about 4000 people on board (including 1200 crew!).Monday we were at sea all day. We went to a meet the captain seminar where they also told us about the highlights of the cruise and detailed all the different excursion possibilities. That evening was a formal dinner so we got all snazzy and had wonderful food at our dining room: the Black Pearl Restaurant. Joe read a lot and I got caught up on some stuff for work that I needed to get out of the way.
Tuesday was my birthday and we arrived at Cabo san Lucas. It was GORGEOUS! We saw Los Arcos as we were approaching the shore and it reminded me of the movie, The Count of Monte Cristo. We went ashore using "tender" transport boats and wandered around the shops a bit. We then hired a local to take us to Lover's Beach so we could do a bit of swimming and snorkeling. It was my first time snorkeling, so I was a bit anxious and wimpy at first, but after some patience from Joe, I finally got the hang of it. It was so cool! There was vibrant violet seaweed and neon yellow and black fish. The water was so salty though and I got pretty exhausted after a bit. I definitely had a good nap on the beach. We headed back to the boat in the late afternoon. That night after dinner, we went to a comedy show and it was lots of fun.
Wednesday we were in Cabo again, but the weather was really stormy and chilly and they didn't let a lot of people go to shore because it was so choppy for the tender boats to travel in. Joe and I stayed on shore and relaxed. I finally got a chance to read The Book Thief. Joe had gotten it for me for Christmas last year and it had been on my "to read" list forever. It was not at all what I was expecting, but I liked it a lot! I also discovered the onboard gym and the plethora of ellipticals within. We checked out and spent some time at the pool and the hot tub. That night, we went to the five star onboard restaurant--Pinnacle Steakhouse. We decided to splurge one night as a break from the normal dining room and to celebrate my birthday. It was FANTASTIC. I had this amazing creamed spinach, filet mignon and lobster that was truly the most amazing thing I think I have ever eaten. Joe had a delicious steak. He had cheesecake and I had this incredible chocolate dessert. We were very glad we had splurged. We had brought a couple DVDs with us and watched on on Joe's laptop in our room, though I fell asleep like half and hour in.
Thursday landed us in Puerto Vallarta. We had decided beforehand that we were going to go on an all day long excursion called the Sea Safari. There were about 20 of us and our tour guide took us on a motor boat to a little town called Quimixto that was only accessible by boat. We walked around and then went on horseback to reach a little secluded waterfall. Joe jumped off a mini cliff into the pool at the bottom and swam a bit. I was not brave enough. I did eat some chips a salsa from the little restaurant at the waterfall while I watched Joe be brave. We headed back to the boat where we rode for a bit and then stopped at a little inlet to snorkel. Again, I was amazed at the amazingly varied and bright colored fish. We got on the boat again for about 20 minutes until we reached a private beach where they had a spread of food including the yummiest beans and rice we have ever had. There were hammocks and we just hung out and lounged there for a couple hours. We then got back on the motor boat and saw some dolphins and humpback whales on our way back to the cruise ship! It was so cool--there were like 20 dolphins in a group that we got to see.
Friday we were back at sea to head back. The water was pretty rough all day and I got a bit seasick. It was another formal dinner night and then afterward we went to another comedy show.
Saturday was another rocky day at sea. There was a couples show that we went to, kind of like the newlywed game, but for all couples. That was funny to watch.
Sunday we woke up and got packed and headed off, though we were actually some of the last ones off the boat because Lizzi couldn't pick us up till a bit later. She then drove us back to the airport and we were on our way home again.
All in all, it was super fun and very relaxing. We ate, slept, read, and relaxed a lot and it was fun to spend so much time together.
