Happy 10th Anniversary!

Jeremy and I went on a cruise for our 10th anniversary. We went on a cruise for our honeymoon and we loved it! It was so relaxing and fun! Jeremy promised me that we would go on another cruise for our 10th anniversary, so we had been looking forward to it for the last 10 years. For our honeymoon we went to the Bahamas. This time, we decided to try the Mexican Riviera.

We left on Sunday the 12th. We flew to Los Angeles and then took a shuttle from the airport to our ship, The Mariner of the Seas (Royal Caribbean). It was a huge ship and we spent that whole first day exploring. It had 14 floors and tons to do. On board the ship we could exercise in the gym, go to the spa, eat in several dining rooms or restaraunts, play miniature golf, go inline skating, ice skating, climb the rock wall, basketball/volleyball/soccer, shuffle board, ping pong, hit a variety of shows, watch movies, pools, hot tubs, lounge chairs, etc. It was amazing all the things they had available for us to do. I really enjoyed just standing out on the deck watching us leave the port. It was incredible to think that this giant ship could manuver out of the dock.

Monday, was our first full day and was just spent at sea. I told myself that I was going to eat whatever I wanted, but I also wanted to keep up with my running so I made Jeremy come with me to the gym. I think, in reality, we only worked out 3 of the 7 days but I guess some is better than nothing. Then we played all day. We tried out the miniature golf course and the rock climbing wall. Actually, only Jeremy did the rock climbing. It was a little windy but fun. I found myself thinking about how much the kids would have enjoyed being with us. Although I missed them, I thoroughly enjoyed not have them with us! Monday was also our first formal night. I love getting dressed up and having somewhere nice to go.Tuesday we stopped in Cabo San Lucas. It was not lush as I was expecting but dry. Still beautiful regardless. Cabo doesn't have room for the large cruise ships to dock so they have to stop further out and then smaller ships tender the passengers to land. Once we got to the dock we were bombarded by people wanting to take us places and sell us things. It was a little overwhelming. Sarah had told us that we needed to take a water taxi to Lover's Beach so when someone came offering a glass bottom boat tour that ended at Lover's Beach we decided to do it. Lover's Beach is a small beach that can only be reached by boat. On one side of the beach is the Sea of Cortez where the water is calm. On the other side is the Pacific Ocean where the waves were 10-15 feet tall. On the way there we got to see a lot of fish, birds, and sea lions. There was a small break in the rocks where the water could flow through which our guide called The Window to the Pacific. It was really amazing to see. We spent several hours on the Pacific Ocean side of the beach. Most people stayed on the Sea of Cortez side so we had a lot of privacy which was great! Later in the afternoon we wandered through a little flea market area a little further in-land. It was fun to barter and it made me feel like I was getting a better deal although I'm sure they were still making a ton of money off me.


Wednesday was our day in Mazatlan. When we got to the dock, we figured we would need to find a taxi to take us somewhere to shop or a beach so when someone offered us a free taxi ride to their resort and use of their ammenities for the day if we listened to a little presentation, we thought it was great. What we didn't realize was their "little presentation" was an hour long time share type presentation. They were trying to get us to buy a share of their vacation package. We have gotten suckered into one of those in the past and I swore that I would never do it again, and in Mazatlan I remembered why. They are all nice and friendly, right up until you tell them that you are not interested in their proposal. They can't understand why you wouldn't drop everything to snatch up the $50,000 vacation package. They weren't very happy with us, but we did get to lay out on their beach chairs and enjoy the ocean for the afternoon. As we were heading out to the beach we noticed a sign that asked patrons not to buy from beach vendors. It was amazing how many people wandered up and down the beach asking us to buy things, from towels, to jewelry, to tattoos. We got very good at saying no thanks in Mazatlan.

Thursday we docked in Puerto Vallarta. We looked off the side of the boat at the dock and we were right next to a very busy road with a Wal-Mart and a Sam's Club right across the street. Our plan was to do some shopping first, come back to the ship for lunch, and then hit the beach. We first just walked down the street to explore. We ended up finding a great beach that we figured we would come back to later. Then we took a taxi to "Old Town" which was apparently the best place to shop. We had a few things we wanted to get for the kids and we wanted to find some internet access. We were able to get both done. Old Town was a very tourist friendly area and included the "boardwalk". We walked one way down by the shops and then crossed the street and walked along the boardwalk. Along the boardwalk people had made incredible sand sculptures. I was so impressed! I really enjoyed walking through Puerto Vallarta and getting a feel of the place. We headed back to the ship for lunch and then we gathered our books and towels and went to the beach we had found earlier and spent the afternoon laying on the beach reading until the sun started to go down and it got colder.
Friday and Saturday were days at sea. We spent more time playing around the ship. We played shuffle board for the first time, went miniature golfing again, and even went ice skating. We saw a couple of shows. My favorites were the ice show and the ventriliquist. On Saturday BYU was playing in it's bowl game and we got to watch it on the ship.

Disembarking and spending the day at the LAX airport on Sunday were a little tedious but we got home without any incidents and with all our luggage (which is a good thing for us). We were hoping to see the kids but our plane was delayed so they were asleep before we got home. It was a great vacation but boy, it was nice to be back in our own home.

We had a fabulous time! It was so fun to be together and not have to worry about the kids. I definitely think we will do it again sometime. I'm just hoping we won't have to wait another 10 years for it.