Sunday, June 6, 2010
2010 Ninth Anniversary Cruise
10:31 PM | 
Posted by
Derek
We just got back from our Nine-Year Anniversary Cruise to the Mexican Riviera! It was a fabulous 7-day cruise out of Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Rebekah and I had such a fantastic time, we were sad to have it end earlier today. Here's a little summary:
We left the kids behind with Grandma and Grandpa Rose. Thanks a million to them for holding down the fort and keeping their house from burning down. Not only did they watch over the kids, but Grandpa had an entire week of activities planned out for them; things like a Memorial Day Fair, beach trips, trips to the park, petting zoo... they even made Rebekah and I an anniversary plate. The boys were in good hands, and we didn't have to worry. Thanks!!! We love you guys.
Like every cruise we've been on (I'm pretty sure of this), Uncle Mike took us to the port on time and picked us up as well. Thanks for taking the time, Mike!
Our first port was the beautiful Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The rusty Spanish from both Rebekah and I kicked in and came very much in handy. We did everything and more for less than half the price everyone else on the boat did. We walked all the way around the Cabo San Lucas bay, took a boat taxi to Lover's Cove and spent the rest of the afternoon snorkeling in the warm sun. We then had the best authentic Mexican lunch (Paul would be so proud) complete with Pina Coladas (virgin of course) before heading back to the ship late in the afternoon.
Our next port was Mazatlan, Mexico. We started out on a 4-5 mile walk from the port to the Lighthouse. If any of you know that hike, you know how steep it is. It's a 515 foot vertical climb across switchbacks that lead to one of the highest lighthouses in the area. We were blessed with a spectacular panoramic view of the entire city of Mazatlan and very proud of our hiking achievement. After that, we ventured out to the Zona Dorada for some shopping and lunch.
Our last port was Puerto Vallarta, Mexico... by far our favorite of all the ports we visited. It reminded us of Hawaii. The mountains were right up against the coast and were a lush, deep green color. The beaches were a sandy white. And some of those houses on the coast were huge. We hopped on a 30-passenger Zodiac boat (the same kind the Navy Seals use) and flew (literally) across the ocean down the southern coast. We stopped off in a small fishing village that was only accessible by boat. From there, we hopped on these old Mercedes safari trucks and drove up into the jungle-covered mountains, seeing tons of coconut and mango trees along the way. Arriving at our destination, we hopped off the trucks, strapped on our rapelling harnesses and rode donkeys further up the ridge to the top of the mountain range. It was there that we began our adventure by strapping ourselves to eight zip lines over the jungle canyons, rapelling twice down waterfalls into pools of water. By the end of the six hour journey we were drenched, tired, sweaty and wanting to do it all over again. Senora Ana greeted us with freshly made quesadillas and salsa. The best way I can describe that trip was that it was an absolute blast. Can't say much more than that.
The rest of our evening was spent in the beachside shopping district of Puerto Vallarta. We picked up some beautifully hand-crafted plates from a local artist. Each plate is different. We can't wait to use them! If you look closely in a couple of the pictures I linked below, you'll notice a guy we could not believe. Yes, those are extremely heavy rocks picked up right off the beach, and yes he is balancing them by hand. The hand-carved sand sculptures were fantastic.
Nine years has flown by. Three kids, a couple cars and a mortgage later, and I'm more in love with Rebekah now than when we first stepped on the boat for our honeymoon cruise. So I've linked our pictures below to share with all of you and hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we enjoyed taking them.
We left the kids behind with Grandma and Grandpa Rose. Thanks a million to them for holding down the fort and keeping their house from burning down. Not only did they watch over the kids, but Grandpa had an entire week of activities planned out for them; things like a Memorial Day Fair, beach trips, trips to the park, petting zoo... they even made Rebekah and I an anniversary plate. The boys were in good hands, and we didn't have to worry. Thanks!!! We love you guys.
Like every cruise we've been on (I'm pretty sure of this), Uncle Mike took us to the port on time and picked us up as well. Thanks for taking the time, Mike!
Our first port was the beautiful Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The rusty Spanish from both Rebekah and I kicked in and came very much in handy. We did everything and more for less than half the price everyone else on the boat did. We walked all the way around the Cabo San Lucas bay, took a boat taxi to Lover's Cove and spent the rest of the afternoon snorkeling in the warm sun. We then had the best authentic Mexican lunch (Paul would be so proud) complete with Pina Coladas (virgin of course) before heading back to the ship late in the afternoon.
Our next port was Mazatlan, Mexico. We started out on a 4-5 mile walk from the port to the Lighthouse. If any of you know that hike, you know how steep it is. It's a 515 foot vertical climb across switchbacks that lead to one of the highest lighthouses in the area. We were blessed with a spectacular panoramic view of the entire city of Mazatlan and very proud of our hiking achievement. After that, we ventured out to the Zona Dorada for some shopping and lunch.
Our last port was Puerto Vallarta, Mexico... by far our favorite of all the ports we visited. It reminded us of Hawaii. The mountains were right up against the coast and were a lush, deep green color. The beaches were a sandy white. And some of those houses on the coast were huge. We hopped on a 30-passenger Zodiac boat (the same kind the Navy Seals use) and flew (literally) across the ocean down the southern coast. We stopped off in a small fishing village that was only accessible by boat. From there, we hopped on these old Mercedes safari trucks and drove up into the jungle-covered mountains, seeing tons of coconut and mango trees along the way. Arriving at our destination, we hopped off the trucks, strapped on our rapelling harnesses and rode donkeys further up the ridge to the top of the mountain range. It was there that we began our adventure by strapping ourselves to eight zip lines over the jungle canyons, rapelling twice down waterfalls into pools of water. By the end of the six hour journey we were drenched, tired, sweaty and wanting to do it all over again. Senora Ana greeted us with freshly made quesadillas and salsa. The best way I can describe that trip was that it was an absolute blast. Can't say much more than that.
The rest of our evening was spent in the beachside shopping district of Puerto Vallarta. We picked up some beautifully hand-crafted plates from a local artist. Each plate is different. We can't wait to use them! If you look closely in a couple of the pictures I linked below, you'll notice a guy we could not believe. Yes, those are extremely heavy rocks picked up right off the beach, and yes he is balancing them by hand. The hand-carved sand sculptures were fantastic.
Nine years has flown by. Three kids, a couple cars and a mortgage later, and I'm more in love with Rebekah now than when we first stepped on the boat for our honeymoon cruise. So I've linked our pictures below to share with all of you and hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we enjoyed taking them.
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