Mexican Riviera (2008)

Prolog

As January 2008 rolled along, we already knew that this year would be a significant one for two of our children: Emly would complete her undergraduate studies in Psychology and Gary would receive his Rabbi Degree around June 2008.

Around the middle of January 2008, we (Tova and I) decided that instead of buying gifts to our two graduates, we should all be together on a cruise, or some resort. I contacted Odie and asked him if it was possible for him & Joy to take a vacation around July 2008 and he confirmed.

Initially we thought that we could get on a Hawaiian cruise but later on found out that there are no cruises that leave to Hawaii during July. We then settled on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera from the Port of Los Angeles.

After consulting with the kids we all decided that June 29th would be an ideal date.

Around February Odie & Joy decided to get married and since they were going to be in Orange County for the cruise, they opted to have the ceremony and reception in Southern California. We were extremely happy, as now the year would be significant to all of our children.

Joy’s parents contacted us and expressed their wishes to join us for the cruise.

I made the reservations for all of us and we started to plan and count the days to Odie & Joy’s wedding and the cruise.

In the middle of April we found out that Joy’s dad was diagnosed with cancer and for obvious reasons Ed & Glenda opted out of the trip but assured us that they will be here for the wedding.

The wedding ceremony was set for June 28th.

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Saturday, June 28th, 2008

Odie & Joy's Wedding

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Sunday, June 29th, 2008

We left the house around 10:30 in the morning and after making few stops for final errands we made it to San Pedro and to the awaiting Vision of the Sea ship.

We said our goodbyes to Glenda, Ed and Dani and boarded the luxury vessel. Tova and I had a cabin on the eighth deck and the kids had three cabins adjacent to each other on the fourth deck.


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We had a huge lunch on the ninth deck restaurant called The Windjammer Cafe' followed by a short self-tour of exploring this magnificent ship. We discovered the many facilities and attractions, which would make our cruise enjoyable, including 2 swimming pools, Jacuzzi, the Luxury Theater, the Rock Climbing Wall, Disco-Bar, the elegant dining room, the many bars and lounges located throughout the ship, Casino, Library, Card Room, Gym, Spa, a pretty good size shopping mall and more.

After unpacking we participated in the mandatory safety drill and then met on the upper deck for the Bon Voyage Party.

We found our table (#218) in the dining room where we met our waitress (Mylene from the Philippines) and her assistant (Gabriela from Mexico); They both will wait on our table for the duration of the trip. We also met with Ryan, the Head Waiter, who was very personalized with all of the guests and seemed as a very nice fellow. We enjoyed a delicious dinner, which followed by the “Welcome aboard Show” taken place in the magnificent Masquerade Theater where about 2,500 passengers assembled to hear John Blair, the cruise director, describing all the activities available on the ship, followed by a funny comedian, Darrel Joyce.

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Monday, June 30th, 2008

I woke up around 6:30 AM to witness, from our balcony, a beautiful sunrise with shining rays on the calm ocean. We then climbed to the upper deck and walked around the ship. A sign at the beginning of the “trail” declared that three and a half rounds makes one mile. We walked for 7 rounds (2 miles) and then sat down for breakfast.

Today was what is called in the Cruise Compass Letter a “Day At Sea”. There were many activities for all ages.

Yaara & Sole signed up to the Kids Club as Élan & Orion joined the other tots to play in the Fisher-Price Aqua Babies & Aqua Tots.

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We met at the poolside relaxing and sunbathing.

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Emly signed up for the rock climbing as we watched her climbing the tough rock. She was really exciting to watch.

We retired to our rooms exhausted and took an afternoon nap.

Today’s dress-code for dinner was “Formal”. I had already discovered yesterday that I forgot to pack my suit and settled for pants, shirt and a tie. We stood in line to take family portraits and then sat down for a delicious French dinner. Mylene and Gabriela greeted us as they already memorized of all our names.


Note: Dinner was the best part of the day for me as we were together around the same table, enjoying each other. It usually lasted for two whole hours and we were, most of the time, the last people to leave the dining room. Yaara & Sole had a strong bond already and seem to enjoy each other a lot. Elan & Orion were a joy to watch as well.

Tonight’s entertainment featured the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers in the Broadway Rhythm & Rhyme show, which was very entertaining.

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Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

I woke up again at 6:30 AM and walked for two miles on the upper deck. We then all met in the Windjammer Café for breakfast.

The ship arrived at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (popularly known as just 'Cabo') at around 9:30 and we climbed into one of the tenders, which took us to shore, at around 11:00.

Cabo, the small city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, is quickly becoming a high-end holiday destination with a number of resorts and timeshare clubs appearing along the coast. We had visited the town few years ago and noticed the booming constructions in the city since.

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We found a van that could fit all of us and asked the driver to take us to Playa Santa Maria, well-known as one of the best beaches near Cabo for underwater wildlife.

We arrived at the beach, rented a beach umbrella and snorkeling equipment. Odie and Emly were the first to snorkel around while the rest of us dipped into the warm water and looked around for clams and shells.

When Odie and Emly returned they told me to be aware of the jelly fish around the center reef and I opted to snorkel around the rocks on the south side.

Few minutes after I entered the water, a huge wave swept me right into the rocks. As soon as I was able to recover I noticed that blood was coming out from different areas of my body: My chin, chest, both arms and right leg. To my luck, the rock was above water and I was able to stand up on my feet, get rid of the snorkeling equipment and walked to the beach via the rocks area. A guy in a kayak, who witnessed what had happened approached the beach and told me to rub my open wounds with sand: “It will stop the bleeding” he declared. He was absolutely right as I stopped bleeding a few minutes later.

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All this occurred away from my family and as I was rubbing sands into my wounds, Sharone & Gary came to where I was and by the look on their faces I realized how bad I looked. I joined the rest of the family and the guy from the kayak came by, warning me that the rocks are full of bacteria and that I should do something about it and the sooner the better. He actually recommended to rub my own urine into the open wounds. I settled on pouring beer instead.

To my luck, our driver was waiting in the parking lot. He drove us to a pharmacy where I purchased Hydrogen Peroxide and some cotton balls. I applied the solution, which burned tremendously.

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I decided to continue the day despite the injury and asked our driver to take us the popular “Office” restaurant, which was packed with vacationers and locals and were told that there is a 45 minutes wait-time just to be seated. We settled in a nearby café’ overlooking the ocean and enjoyed a delicious lunch accompanied by beer and margarita.

 

We then walked for about two miles and arrived back to the tender, which took us back to the ship.

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I showered and then went to visit the ship’s doctor, who urged me not to take any chances and treat the injuries with caution: She washed the bruises with Hydrogen Peroxide solution along with Iodine (it burned like hell) and then gave me an antibiotic shot through an IV (straight into my veins) and another shot to relieve the pain. I left the doctor’s office an hour later accompanied by antibiotic pills and antibiotic crème.

At 6:00 pm we met in the dining room minus Odie, Joy and Orion who went to bed early.

Tonight’s dinner theme was Italian and after the delicious dinner we were treated to a show by the waiters, who assembled on top of the staircase and sang “O Sole Mio”

Right after the two-hour dinner we were invited, among other guests, to the Welcome Back Party, hosted by John Blair and many of the ship’s officers, including the Captain.

Tonight show was great and very entertaining as Etta May starred in The Southern Fried Chicks Comedy routine and was tremendously funny!

We turned our watches 1 hour forward as we retired to our cabins.

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Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

Once again I woke up to watch the magnificent sunrise.

We arrived to Mazatlan, Mexico at around 8:00 and after breakfast we all met and started our tour in the city, located on Mexico's Gold Coast, and the closest Mexican resort to the United States. Its nickname is the "Pearl of the Pacific."

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Temperatures and the humidity were already high as we strolled along the streets towards the historic Viejo Mazatlan. We arrived to the Plaza de la Revolucion with a gazebo at its center. The small landscaped park was surrounded by merchant stalls offering food, clothes, soaps, jewelry, leather goods, and other handicrafts. There were also plenty of shoe shiners. We sat on a bench and watched the pigeons bathe in two large fountains.

Facing the Plaza is Mazatlan’s beautiful Cathedral de la Purisma Concepcion (Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception). Constructions to this beautiful church began in 1856 and completed in 1899. We entered the Moorish-style building and discovered that it has a magnificent twin blue and gold spires and a gilded ornate triple altar.

We left the plaza and arrived, just a few blocks away to the Plazuela Machado. This small park is also built around a gazebo. Beautiful flora set off the surrounding colonial buildings which are now home to many flavorful cafes.

Just to the south of the plaza, we found the famous Teatro Angela Peralta, named after a famous opera singer; who came from Europe to share her talents with Mazatlan in 1883. Carried to her hotel by her Mexican fans, she sang from her balcony to a large crowd. She succumbed to yellow fever and died before the performance. The theater itself was completed around 1890, but a 1975 hurricane almost entirely destroyed its inside. Workers recovered most decorations and re-created the original design. It appears today almost exactly as it did in the 19th century. The theater continues to operate, hosting folkloric dance, opera, and symphonic performances.

We concluded our Old City tour in the bustling Mercado Central. This indoor/outdoor marketplace is one square block of stalls offering clothing, jewelry, produce, meats, and more.

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We shopped for some cloths and souvenirs and then found two "no doors" white cabs, which took us to a local favorite restaurant, where we enjoyed the mariachi band playing and singing as we munched and drank away.

The cabs then took us to the Zona Dorada (Golden Zone), a strip containing everything the sun-seeking tourist could want. We walked around the many stalls and then walked to the white sand beach, where the kids had fun running around getting wet by the warm water of the ocean.

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We returned to the ship at around 5:00 and then met in the dining room for dinner.

Tonight’s entertainment was highlighted by Kyle Knight and Mistie, which dazzled us with magic tricks.

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Thursday, July 3rd, 2008

We arrived to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico at around 7:00 and after a delicious breakfast at the dining room we all met and started our beautiful day in this beautiful city.

Our first stop was at the local Wal-Mart as I needed to refill one of the medications. I was truly impressed by how clean and neat the store was and how gentle and kind the workers were.

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We found a van and arranged for a five hour tour in and around the city. The driver name was Carlos.

We stopped at the top of a hill in a beautiful street overlooking the ocean. Carlos told us that the average price of a home there is over the million dollar mark and there were some homes worth about 5 million dollar each. The view from the street was breathtaking.

We continue our trip driving south and arrived at Mismaloya where we saw the cove, seen in "The Night of the Iguana" movie. The van stopped next to a vendor who sold Mango. We bought few bags from him and enjoyed the delicious taste of this sweet and delicious tropical fruit. We then arrived at a local Tequila Factory and met a guide named Eva, who was a very attractive woman. Eva explained to us in perfect English how they make Tequila. We learned about the process of manufacturing the alcohol drink, its history and participated in tasting the product.

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We climbed back to our vans and drove to Chico’s Paradise restaurant up in the mountains on a river that has spectacular waterfalls. Chico's was pretty quiet when we arrived. There were about 20 tables with people eating lunch. The place looks like it could easily handle 60 or 70 tables. It is a very beautiful Palapa Style restaurant, emphasizes a sensual blending of local colors, textures, and materials in a manner that renders the structure an integral part of its environmental surroundings. The dining room was completely open on two sides giving open views of the falls.

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We found a table at one of the sides, ordered lunch and started taking some pictures. At one point a young man stood on a large rock walked up to the farther end of the rock and ran directly towards the end overlooking the falls. He launched himself into space, did a somersault and dove directly into the water at the base of the falls. He then climbed back up the rock and repeated his performance a couple of times (once with his eyes covered).

Our lunch arrived and we all dove into it, so to speak. The food was good, the prices were higher than average, but still reasonable. A local singer/guitarist played a couple of great Mexican tunes which were being enjoyed by everyone. As it turned out, he was Jewish and even spoke a few words in Hebrew.

The diver showed up later with a parrot on his shoulder. We took some pictures with the colorful bird and tipped him for his service and performance.

With our stomach full we climbed back to the van and drove back to town. Carlos stopped the van in the middle of the busy downtown street and we arranged with him to show up 40 minutes later, so we could have a taste of the downtown attractions.

We visited The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The creation of the structure began in 1929 and took 12 years to finish. The interior holds hand-carved columns, decorative moldings and other rich detailing.

I walked on the Beachfront Promenade and admired the many sculptures. The site is a preferred spot for strollers and the location of three symbolic statues: Caballito de Mar (Seahorse), La Fuente de los Delfines (Fountain of the dolphins) and Neptune and Serena (Neptune and the mermaid).

 

Carlos showed up on time and drove us back to the port. We arrived to our cabins at around 5:30 and quickly showered and showed up in the dining room on time. Tova did not feel good and left to the cabin in the middle of dinner. As it turned out she was a bit dehydrated.

During dinner Emly mentioned that there is a bingo game at 8:15 and that she will be the winner. “I have this feeling”, she said.

Right after dinner Emly, Sharone, Gary and I went to the Masquerade Theater to participate in the bingo game where the first prize was a cruise for 2 in the Caribbean’s. The price for one playing board was a whopping $45. Emly and Gary did not want to spend this amount so I bought 3 tickets and they both said that they will play for me. There were about 500 people in the theater all “hungry” to win the cruise. At one point of the game, Emly who sat next to me whispered: “I am two numbers away. I need B5 and O62”. The next number was a B5. Emly stood up anticipating the next number. The lady called the next number: O62!!!!! We all jumped out of our seats screaming “BINGO, BINGO, BINGO”. Emly won the cruise!!!!!!!!!! “Didn’t I say I would win it?” she asked smiling and added “It is yours, dad!”

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Tonight show at the Masquerade Theater was performed by the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers and featured Boogie Wonderland: a variety of songs from the 70’s. Elan started at one point to clap his hands and danced. He actually danced on the aisle of the theater. We, and some of the people sitting next to us, enjoyed his performance tremendously.

“Dancing under the Stars” party was held on the 9th deck and followed by the famous “Midnight Buffet”. Since Tova was still ailing, I joined the party myself and returned to the cabin with three plates full of snacks, fruits, and deserts. Tova, who got her appetite back, enjoyed the late snack.

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Friday, July 4th, 2008
Happy 4th!!

I woke rather late today (7:00 am) and after walking around the ship on the 10th deck for 2 miles I joined Gary, Sharone, and Elan for breakfast and then to a dancing class, where they taught us some moves in dancing the Tango.

I met with the “Future Cruises Consultant”, regarding Emly’s winning last night and it looks like Tova & I are going to take a cruise on December 11th, 2008 out of Galveston, Texas to visit the Western Caribbean’s.

Emly and I met in the Some Enchanted Evening Lounge to play Bingo. We were very close at winning again, but “no cigars” this time.

Tova, who felt much better today, enjoyed a massage and then we met for a 4th of July lunch on the 9th deck, which featured BBQ burgers, hot dogs, chicken and ribs, corn on the cob, potatoes with all the trimmings and more. Odie participated in the belly splash contest in the pool and came in 3rd place.
We returned to our cabin at around 2:00 and napped till 4:30.

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At 5:00 we all met at the Some Enchanted Evening Lounge, among other Jews on the ship, to welcome Shabbat. Gary conducted the ceremony and was excellent. I really enjoy his style and simplicity when he performs “religious” ceremonies.

Dinner today featured lobsters and prime ribs, among other delicious dishes. After the meal, the entire dining room team gave us a special treatment, when they all assembled on the large staircase and sang to honor America on its Birthday.

Tonight’s entertainment was special as well, as we were treated to one hour of songs by the Rhythm and Blues vocal group The Coasters. We enjoyed listening to some of the group’s legendary hits (from the 50’s and 60’s) like “Charlie Brown”, "Searchin" and "Young Blood". At one point the group invited the crowd to join them on stage and many of us (including Elan) climbed up the stage and participated in dancing to one of their songs.

At 11:00 we sat in the Masquerade Theater to watch John Blair hosting the “Love & Marriage” game show, where couples said the darndest (and embarrassing) things. It was pretty enjoyable though.

We stayed at the Theater to watch the Late Night Adult Comedy routine by Darrel Joyce, which ended around 1:00 am.




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Saturday, July 5th, 2008

I woke up at around 8:00 and met with Gary, Elan & Sharone for breakfast. Later, Emly met me at the Some Enchantment Evening Lounge for a Bingo game and then we joined Sole & Yaara to watch the International Parade of Flags where many of the ship’s crew showed up with their own country’s flag. The event featured over 50 different flags and we all cheered each and every country when it was announced. Yaara & Sole were selected to be the “Ambassadors of Peace” and were holding flags as well.

Tova & I took an afternoon nap and then joined Emly & Sharone to participate in the Team Trivia game. It was a lot of fun.

We were invited to yet another party. This one was hosted by the ship’s Hotel Manager and right afterward we joined everyone to our last dinner on the ship as tomorrow we will arrive to Los Angeles.

Ryan, the Head Waiter came to our table and announced the celebrations of Odie & Joy (Honeymoon), Gary (graduation), Emly (Graduation) and of course Sole (Will attend 1st grade in a couple of months).

We thanked the team of waiters, which served us for the last week and took some pictures with them.

We joined the rest of the passengers in the Masquerade Theater for the Farewell Showtime, featuring John Blair and his team, the comedy of Bruce Gold, and the Royal Caribbean Singer & Dancers.

Right after the show we returned to our cabin and packed our belongings. We then returned to the Theater for the Headliner Finale for an encore, featuring the routine of Knight Magic and the comedy of Bruce Gold.

The show ended at around midnight.

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Sunday, July 6th, 2008

I woke up at around 6:00 and sat at our balcony watching the ship slowly arriving at the Port of Los Angeles.

After breakfast we all sat in the upper deck dining area, waiting for our turn to leave the ship.

We met with Ed, Glenda, and Danny and made our way home.

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