Cruisin' the Mexican Riviera

We finally went on our first cruise! It was a blast and now I'm hooked. We took Emily and Sam. Ben stayed with my mom (thanks a million!). It was a great way to travel with kids. No stress about when/where to eat, what to do, how to get there, etc.

We went over Spring Break and with our friends Steve, Tobie and their kids. We traveled out of Long Beach, CA and visited Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. But first we visited Brad's Aunt Elinor and Uncle Steve in Huntington Beach and spent the day at Knott's Berry Farm with Brad's cousin John and his wife, Carolyn. It was busy but a fun day. For the first time ever, I actually got sick on a ride. I think my stomach was too empty because I'm not letting that happen again.In Puerto Vallarta we spent time on the beach in the morning and later that afternoon we walked around the old downtown beach front area. My favorite experience on the whole cruise was para-sailing! It was amazing. Here comes Brad in for a landing. Now It's my turn.The kids loved the beach. Sam especially loved the sand. Isn't he cute? Later we took a taxi to a different part of the city. Here's Brad and the kids looking at some amazing sand sculptures.Emily insisted on taking our picture on the beach. The next day we visited Mazatlan. We hired a driver for the day. Here we are in front of the "poo poo rocks". We just watched a diver dive right into the water among jagged rocks. Amazing!A group shot. (Back L-R: Brad, Jenni, Tobie, Steve, Whitney, Kevin; Front: Sean, Sam, Mikey, and Emily)In Cabo San Lucas we had to tender to the port. Here we are ready to head to our most beautiful port of call.We took a glass bottom water taxi for a tour of the gorgeous rocks and a glimpse of the sea life. The kids were fascinated with the fish we saw and there were sea lions everywhere.The beach was fabulous! The water was warm, crystal clear, and tranquil. Unfortunately, it was also a short day and we had to be back on the boat by 2:30. It wasn't long enough.

Emily let the boys bury her in the sand. Life on the boat was great for me! No meals to prepare! No cleaning! No carpooling! Nothing but just focusing on spending time with my family and having a great time. Oh I really miss having breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining room!

Brad suffered from sea sickness despite patches and pills etc. but he was a good sport. Here is one last shot of our family. It was a wonderful vacation. We missed Ben but it was truly more enjoyable without him. We are already looking into booking another cruise. Want to come?