Awesome Trip to Cabo aboard Spirit! 3/25/12

[dadof2boys]

Well, I had gone back and forth about writing this review, but we had such a great time I thought I’d share. So here goes, on this trip was myself (31), DW (31), DS (4), DS (2). We were on the Spirit 3/25/2012 for a 5 night, 2 stop at Cabo trip.

 

Embarkation:

We live in Temecula, which is about an hour from the San Diego Port so we drove down the morning of. Boarding was to begin at noon and last year (did the same cruise) we arrived around 10:30 am, a little too early. So this year I didn’t want to deal with that mess. The San Diego Port is not big at all and there is not a whole lot of room that is covered. We knew that it was to rain this day so we didn’t want to be stuck outside with the kids.

We arrived right around noon and it all worked out perfectly as we just drove up to the terminal, dropped all luggage with porter, including our case of water. I hear differing opinions about this, but we tip well and have two little ones in tow. It works out much easier, plus we tip accordingly. Once everything was dropped off we went to park n go (where we had a $1 off per day coupon for a total of $9 per day). We took the shuttle and were back at the port around 12:30. There was a bit of a wait, luckily they had some indoor seating for us. Once we were allowed to get in line things ran quickly.

1:00, on board. We noticed the doors were open to the rooms so we headed there to drop off carry-on’s and check out our 8th floor extended balcony cabin. We now get a balcony if we are with the kids. It provides a place for a nightcap in the evening after the little guys go to bed. We then headed to the lido for lunch. I ordered DW a Kiss on the Lips and a Miami Vice for myself. We also got the kids a non-alcoholic Kiss on the Lips and the bartender graciously split the drink into two glasses complete with umbrellas and garnish!

More to come

[hannahsmomtoo]

Hooray ! Can see the pics now! Looking forward to reading this.. heading to Cabo in September !

[4hunters]

Awesome. Love a good Mexican Riviera review! :D

[lovestheH20]

Nice.....can't wait for more :)

[LarAndShar]

Great start :)

This just adds to the excitement as we will be getting married on board her just before we set sail to Hawaii. :D

 

~L

[dadof2boys]

Here we go:

 

I feel like I need to take a moment to give a little background. I absolutely love cruising, DW not so much. Now I had learned the day before that my Nana was not doing well and was not likely to make it much longer. I asked my mom if the family was all meeting to see her and if I should cancel the trip and head up to the bay area instead. She insisted I still go as that was what my Nana would want. It still left me with a heavy heart as she played a major roll in raising me; all that to say, I was not really in the best mood for this trip. Surprisingly, my wife rallied us up for a great trip. (Again this was a surprise as she is usually ho-hum about going on a cruise.)

I have read here on CC a lot about your attitude making the trip and I realized that it was up to me to make this enjoyable for my family and myself. So I decided that God is bigger than all of the problems and that it will all work out according to His will. Having a good attitude really made this trip.

Now back to the cruise. After lunch we went back to the room and looked over the Fun Times and checked out a little of the kid’s movie of the day. We then headed out to check out the new kids splash park aboard. It is super cool and the little guys (well, myself included) were very excited about it. After roaming around we headed back to the room. The luggage had arrived, I had a bright idea of taking the kids so that my wife could stay and unpack. All was working out well until the muster drill was announced. I figured I would just meet DW there and headed to where I was directed. Only I was directed to the WRONG muster station. So there I am, alone with two crazy little boys who both wanted to be held on the freezing cold deck where the muster was taking place. So after holding two kids for 20 minutes I was told that my boys had the wrong muster bracelets and realized my wife was on the opposite side of the ship. Again, this is where having a good attitude comes in.

 

 

Once that was complete we headed to the Camp Carnival registration. The little guys got the correct bracelets and we looked over the week’s activities. This was going to be the first of four cruises with the kids where both could participate in Camp activities. I was very excited as I thought this would help to begin to change DW’s view of cruising.

We then headed to the dining room, where we sat with two little guys who had not had a nap, but a very busy day. We waited for 20 minutes and still had not received bread. We gave up and headed to the lido for dinner (something I loathe). Again, attitude, attitude. We then headed back to the cabin to freshen up. We looked over the Fun Times and saw that there was a family dance at the Disco. We headed over to check things out. At this point, the kids were just exhausted. I ended up taking our two year old back to the cabin to get ready for bed, while DW stayed with four-year-old DS. They ended up heading back shortly too. We all retired early in anticipation of our first day at sea. As an aside, we ordered the kids the Ocean Pals through Bon Voyage. We had told them a “special prize” was awaiting them in the cabin. It never came. My older DS kept asking about it.

[dadof2boys]

Day 2 – Fun Day at Sea

This morning started out rough. Our two year old woke up at 5:45 am, so…did the rest of us. We took showers and got dressed and were out of the cabin by 7:15. (Ladies, why do you insist on hair and make up, when you know that we will be swimming throughout the day) I say that because an hour of the hour and half was my wife curling, blow-drying, etc. She does look hot, so I guess I shouldn’t complain. Anyhow we headed to the main dining room, CLOSED! Doesn’t open until 8:00 am. Well we didn’t want to wait 45 minutes so we went to…The LIDO. I alluded earlier about my feelings of the buffet. Essentially, I don’t like it. I don’t want to run around and hunt out food for my kids, then have the other parent go find their food, while leaving another to stay with the kids, then switch off. Basically the kids are done before the parents have food and the chance to eat it. Well that’s what happened. Plus, they were just running around not into the food. I got frustrated and so did my wife so we all left. If you were there this particular morning, I apologize. Anyhow, we got back to the cabin and my wife and I actually laughed about how worked up we got. We reminded ourselves that we set the tone for the trip. At this point we decided to pull it together and venture back out. Oh and still no Ocean Pals from Bon Voyage, but I did get a phone call explaining that they essentially forgot to put them on the ship and that they would refund the money. I explained that this would not do as I don’t want the money back, I want the gifts I ordered. The lady on the phone said we would be in port with the Splendor the next day and she would see if they had them. So we wait.

 

After the call, we walked over to guest services to inquire about the opening time of the water slides, 10 am. We had some time to kill, so we walked deck 3. It’s the one that goes all the way around the ship. First time out of 7 cruises we have ever done this. Absolutely great! The kids enjoyed it, we enjoyed it, have no idea why we never did it before. I had actually read about the deck on CC, thanks again guys! Anyhow at this point it was 10:00 am and I cautiously suggested Camp Carnival. I was a little unsure as my 2 year old can sometimes disagree with the idea of being dropped off at places like this, think Sunday School at Church. Anyhow we went up there and checked them in. He seemed fine. Well wouldn’t you know they stayed all the way until lunch time. It was amazing! My wife and I went to the Casino and played 10 bucks each. I lost, she was up $10, so we evened out at no loss, no gain, but played for a half hour It was great. We then checked out the shops. (DW could spend the entire cruise there. I think she goes back because she thinks they are going to switch out the items or something) We headed to the dining room for lunch around 11:30 (when they opened). We were seated with two women and one gentleman who were all traveling with others, but were dining alone. We had great conversation and they all gave us tips with our boys as they raised boys who are now closer to our age. After lunch we picked up the kids and headed back to the cabin for naptime. Once the kids were asleep we went on the balcony and I had a clove cigarette. Now I wouldn’t say I am a smoker, however I enjoy these things and will usually have one on a weekend at home. However we were on vacation so it became something I did each afternoon while the kids napped. I know they are not good for me.

Once the kids were up we hit the water park. It was warm, but very windy and the water was not heated. The kids being kids didn’t mind the temp. of the water and played anyway. I saw there was no line for The Green Thunder Waterslide, so I decided I would give it a go. After I went, I convinced my DW she needed to go throw on her swim suit and give it a try. Thoughts on the slide: SO FREAKEN SCARY! I mean I now feel bad for making DW go on it. I mean it was the most terrifying thing I have ridden. Worse than any roller coaster. But, you gotta try it.

 

After our afternoon in the water we ended up in the main pool on the Lido, by the stage. Honestly, usually I am very intimidated by this atmosphere. This was a spring break cruise and the vibe expressed it. So I was a little self-conscious heading into this pool. 10 years ago, I would have been one of those young kids drinking and having a blast, but 10 years and 30 pounds later was feeling a little out of my element. Again, decided to have a good attitude. We ended up having a blast. We met another couple who happen to live in our home town and have three boys, two of which are our sons’ ages. We had a bucket of beer and the kids swam their hearts out. Around 4:30 we decided we needed to head back to get ready for early dining.

This was formal night and my 4 year old picked out his clothes, he was very excited about getting fancy, although he ditched the tie.

Dinner was nice, the kids were tired. We tried to check them into Camp, but they were not having it. We headed to the shops and let them pick out some candy and decided to do a movie night in our cabin. After the kids went to bed we headed out to the balcony.

Now, this may be T.M.I., if easily offended please skip this section, but I had talked my wife into joining the “balcony club” and thought maybe this would be our night. But our neighbors left their light on all night, every night, with their balcony door open. So I knew this was not going to be. There was a thread on here that had gotten removed, I guess it became too much. Anyhow, I had read a comment about the bathroom sink club, at this point I was throwing out suggestions left and right. So we visited the restroom. She will probably kill me for putting this in here. But hey, with one room and two kids, you got to get creative.

[dadof2boys]

I was very excited about this day because I had booked a tour with Benjy Sanchez (whats the rule, can I post that? If not, tell me and I will remove his name) Anyhow, I had read about him on CC in the ports of call section. We had booked a while back, but my wife and I became nervous as a few weeks prior the incident in Puerto Vallarta had occurred on a Carnival sponsored excursion. So we had been going back and forth, especially because we had the little guys too. In the end, I was like, this is our third cruise to Cabo and I am tired of the Marina and Medano beach. So we stuck with it, and boy are we glad we did!

We met him at the pier at 9:30 am. He explained that another family from the ship would be joining us. We walked with him over to his office and met the other family. The husband did not speak English (spoke Spanish), but the wife did. They had two kids a boy and girl whom our boys had a blast with.

 

 

Oh yeah, that was my son with no seat belt, let alone car seat. I guess when in Mexico?!?

 

We started out by visiting a glass blowing factory. I was a little unsure as I was just picturing my boys tearing that place up, leaving me with a large bill. I was wrong. They were great! All the kids sat and watched. The guys put on an amazing show. Then myself and the other dad gave it a try. I don’t think we have a future in this line of work.

 

My son was going to try, but got scared.

 

In the shop

 

After the glass blowing demo we toured the shop and headed out towards San Jose del Cabo. We stopped off for some snacks, he provided beer and water. He then took us to a Native American site with recreations of the ceremonial grounds. He also explained a lot of the history there. Then we headed into San Jose. Man this place is beautiful. So different than Cabo. It has an old world feel and is just great. We saw the old church and got the kids gelato. Before we knew it, it was time to load up.

 

[boaterette]

Nice review so far other than the TMI.:D I love the spirit. Great ship.

[dadof2boys]

Before I move on I found a picture of my great glass making skills

 

 

On the way back we stopped at Chileno Bay. This is a spot that most snorkel company’s will take you to. The beach was great and the kids played for about 20 minutes before it was time to go. During our time here we talked with the other family about hiring him for the second day to take us back here just for a beach day. He was okay with it, so that was the plan for day 2.

 

 

 

So those are tattoos my son insisted on having put on his back? The water was awesome and warm and calm and can I go back now?

 

We told him to drop us off at Pueblo Bonito Rose so that we could swim at their pool and have lunch. I don’t know if this is allowed, but we have done it three times. We just walk in as if we are staying there. We swam and ate and then took a water taxi back to the marina. It was truly an incredible day. Benjy was great and has an awesome personality. I would highly recommend him.

 

 

 

[dadof2boys]

Once we got back on the ship the kids took a nap, for 3 hours. I woke my DW and family up around 6 pm. Dinner time. We decided to Lido it for dinner, really, again? Anyhow we did and then headed to the dining room to see if we could just have dessert. They were okay with it. The Maître D had asked to speak with me when I arrived. So I walked back over, he explained that they were unable to get the items from the other ship and that they could refund the money to my account. I explained that was not what I was wanting because my boys and I were looking forward to the gifts that we ordered and that they simply forgot. He said he understood and asked what he could do. So I suggested letting the boys each do a Build a Bear at the Beary Cuddly Camp Carnival event. He said he would check into this and get back to me. I then went back to eat my dessert (a little miffed) After dessert we went to check in our little guys to the “Pirate Party”, well younger DS was still not having it, but our 4 year old wanted to go.

 

Here he is with his face painted

 

 

We had planned on doing the martini tasting this night, but now had the little guy with us. Well, I was like, lets roll with it. We went to the bar near the dining room that is open to the walkway and has great seating by the windows. DS played at the window and was really great while we tried out the drinks. (We split one tasting, four mini drinks are included for $17) They were so so, not great. They will not switch out the vodka for better stuff. Its sponsored by Finlandia and that is what they must use.

 

 

 

After the tasting we headed to 60 seconds or less, which is minute to win it. Now, my DW had put on John Heald’s FB that she felt bad for me because on our previous 6 cruises I would do trivia or other contests to try and win a ship on a stick, but to no avail and that she felt bad for me and if possible could he send me one. Well on our first sea day he did, plus chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of champagne. Very nice of him, however, I wanted to win my own! Right when we got there older DS (still at camp) had asked to get picked up so our phone rang and I ran to get him. I ran back and was able to enter the keep the 3 balloons afloat challenge (much more difficult than it looks). My boys also insisted on following me up on the floor. The ladies were very kind and blew up a balloon for each of them. Anyhow, I won! Woo Hoo. My

first true ship on a stick! We called it a night after this.

 

This is of 2 year old DS, he didn't go to camp tonight, but his older brother brought him a pirate tattoo. This is his pirate face.

 

 

 

[dadof2boys]

So this morning we took a tender to the marina and met the other family whom we spent the day with yesterday. We met up with Benjy and asked if he would mind if we stopped at Walmart for beer, chips, sandwiches, etc. He obliged. Now I hadn’t mentioned this earlier, but my co-worker was on this cruise celebrating her 50th birthday. They were originally going to join us on the tour yesterday, but were too nervous because, “It’s Mexico”. Anyhow, we had run into them last night and explained what an awesome time we had. They asked if it would be possible for them to do the tour today. I explained that he was dropping us off at the beach for a few hours, but I’m sure it would be fine.

 

So when we met Benjy I explained about the ladies and he said that would work out. Now, they are some crazy ladies! I should have known they would make him late to pick us up from the beach! Anyhow, we had a great day at Chileno Bay. We swam, built castles, and even talked a guy into letting us rent an ocean kayak. It was a blast.

 

 

 

 

 

Today was a shorter day in Cabo and we had to be back on the ship by 2:00 pm. Once back on the kids and DW napped for a few hours while I roamed the ship. I ran into our neighbors on the other side of us (not the light on folks). They were on their honeymoon. Earlier in the week I had a bottle of wine sent over because I knew being next to two little boys could not be the best for romance. We chatted and then I headed back up to the room. We went to dinner in the main dining room. The Maître D met me to let me know that they would allow the boys to make a bear each and choose an outfit as well as refund what we spent on the Ocean Pals. It took four days, but we were finally happy with the outcome. Dinner was good. Afterwards we went to the cabin and me and the boys just passed out from the busy day ashore. I think DW watched tv.

[dadof2boys]

Sorry for the giant pictures. This is my first time doing a review with pictures like this and man it takes a lot of work. I have been resizing, but only one (Pirate Paint Picture) resized properly. Anyhow, I apologize.

 

-Joe

[vivavegas]

Great review! Pictures are great and your kids are adorable. Looks like everyone was having a good time:).

[dadof2boys]

I have one more day to write about. I will finish up by this weekend.

[dadof2boys]

Alright on our way back from Vegas and my wife is driving. I wish I could upload pics from my iPhone so I could finish, we had such a great last day at sea.

[silvercrikhix]

Wow! Fabulous pictures and a beautiful family!

I am loving this review!

[dadof2boys]

Alright, here we go. Our last day. I honestly have to say that although I originally hadn't planned on writing a review and did not take pictures with writing one in mind, it has been so much fun reliving our vacation. This was by far the best cruise out of 7 and I think I may have even converted my wife. She asked about when our next cruise is. That never happens, unless she asking with a condescending tone.

 

We were awakened by our 2 year old at 6:00 am. He was ready to go. We looked outside and saw the gloomy weather. The thing about the West Coast cruises; the way back is always cold and bumpy. We knew that the boys had to do the Beary Cuddly today and they were offering one at 9:00 am, so we took advantage of it. The boys ended up playing in the Camp while DW and I made the bears (well Penguins). They did seem pleased with them.

 

 

Afterwards we had to book it to the towel folding class DS (4 year old) had been talking about it for the past few months. We had a lot of fun, I can honestly say that if you were to be a guest in our home, I could give you a nightly towel animal for at least 2 nights, possibly 3.

 

When we were finished there we decided to give Camp another try. We ended up dropping both boys off and heading to the Casino. I played $3 left over from a roll of quarters from laundry and won $26. Cashed out and left. We walked into CD Stu’s Q and A. I don’t know why, but I didn’t care for him much, and this Q and A just further proved my feelings.

 

We left because I was determined to win another ship on a stick! The digital scavenger hunt was starting and my DW thought I had officially lost it. She was like, really? My thinking was, third time on this ship. We know it like the back of our hands. WE GOT THIS! Well, we had this. We got every single item on the list (only ones to do so). However for the group hug photo we only had a group of 5. Our competitors, who won had 16. You got two points for each person. They didn’t have half the stuff on the list. However, great strategy. They went to the hot tubs (which are always waaaay crowded) and asked them all to hug, snapped his photo, then skipped off to victory. We had a blast though. DW admitted how much fun it was when all was done.

 

Here are a couple of photos from the hunt:

 

My wife "proposing" to a staff member

 

 

The SPA staff was very nice and fulfilled our request for them to recreate a famous saying

 

 

This one was easy, us in an elevator.

 

 

Thats all for now. See ya soon!

[dadof2boys]

Afterwards, we ran into a couple that we met earlier in the week that lives in our hometown. We talked with them for a bit, found out they go to our old church and owned the local pumpkin patch we visit each year. Such a small world! We went to pick up the kids and headed to the dining room for lunch. I love eating all my meals in the dining room because having a waiter grab everything for you makes life a lot easier. Also, the lunch menu was awesome! I had ribs; they were awesome! DW had fish and chips, equally as good. Then went back for naps.

 

After naps we got dressed for dinner and stopped off at the Camp Carnival Talent show. It was great, the kids danced and we had a lot of fun. We did however, miss the Farewell Fun Party.

 

This is just a video of my son dancing with Freddy at the Talent Show. Apparently the only picture I took was of our friend's son.

 

 

At this point, DS (4) wanted to have dinner with his friends? So we took him to the Lido buffet to drop him off and DS (2) repeats everything older DS says. So he kept saying, “eat with friends”. So we thought we’d try it. I was hesitant, but they assured us they would call if there were a problem. We ended up running into my co-worker and her sisters on the way to dinner. They had anytime dining and we tried to crash their table, but we were told we couldn’t because we didn’t have anytime dining. I ran down stairs to the Maître D to ask what he could do. He got us a table for 6! I slipped him a $20 and told him thanks!

It was so nice to have our last dinner with great friends and not have to look after our little guys. It was our first dinner without them and it was a nice way to end the trip.

 

 

After dinner we went up to grab the kids and the counselor encouraged us to go out at continue to have a nice evening. We ended up taking this time to pack up, which was nice to not have to have the kids in the room for this. We then checked out a little of the show and visited karaoke. Around 10:00 we grabbed the little guys and went to bed.

 

 

Debarkation

We took our time and went to breakfast in the dining room. We then walked around a little and then headed back to the room to clean up and the kids watched a movie. At around 9:30, our steward came by to ask if we could leave so that she could clean. We then headed downstairs to wait. We sat with the couple from Temecula and chatted until it was time to get off the ship. We were home by 1:00. We truly had a great trip.

[cardqb]

Great review! Thank you for sharing!

[kazbar]

Thanks for a great review. You are a lovely family. Your wife is gorgeous and you should not feel self conscious at all getting in the pool around the spring-breakers cause you are a fine looking man ;)

[CurlyCali8]

Great review, neighbor! ;) (We also live in Temecula.) We'll be visiting Cabo in July for our first cruise, so reading this with great interest. Life is hard with little ones that age, no matter what! Good for you & your wife for keeping positive with all those early mornings and running around after them. Hope it was still relaxing in the long run.

[dadof2boys]

Thanks for a great review. You are a lovely family. Your wife is gorgeous and you should not feel self conscious at all getting in the pool around the spring-breakers cause you are a fine looking man ;)

 

You are too funny, but thank you for the compliment. I too think my wife is gorgeous, I am one lucky guy.

 

Great review, neighbor! ;) (We also live in Temecula.) We'll be visiting Cabo in July for our first cruise, so reading this with great interest. Life is hard with little ones that age, no matter what! Good for you & your wife for keeping positive with all those early mornings and running around after them. Hope it was still relaxing in the long run.

 

Funny that you live in Temecula. I think our city is a lot bigger than I give it credit for. Unless I am just having amazing luck running into fellow Temeculans. As for your first cruise, be careful as it is habit forming. We are planning our first carribean cruise for December and are a little nervous taking the kiddos on that long of a flight. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Have a good time!

[DDMiller]

Thank you for your great review. I just heard back from Benjy about having him show us around in May, and are very excited about seeing the area. One question. did he have any snorkeling gear, when you went to the beach, or would we need to bring our own? Thanks again.

[dadof2boys]

Thank you for your great review. I just heard back from Benjy about having him show us around in May, and are very excited about seeing the area. One question. did he have any snorkeling gear, when you went to the beach, or would we need to bring our own? Thanks again.

 

He did not, but we didn't ask either. If you are planning to go to Chileno Bay with him as part of your tour I would definitely recommend snorkeling. There is a roped off section right off the beach where you can swim out easily to the rocky coral sections.

 

My guess is that if you emailed him and asked for snorkeling gear, he would get it or figure it out for you. He was extremely flexible with us.