Cruising is not our usual mode of transportation, but we decided to go on a Carnival Cruise. We last cruised five years ago. This time we set sail on the Carnival Panorama for a seven-day cruise. The ship left from Long Beach, California. Our cruise ship made three stops in Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.
We cruised with our friends that we met in Ecuador earlier this year, the Lesmeisters and the McIntyres. We saw them in Kentucky and took a trip with them up to Michigan to see our friends, the Hansens, who we also met worldschooling in Ecuador.
The Panorama is a relatively new Carnival ship that holds over 4,000 cruisers. It has 15 decks, several restaurants and bars, a theater, a comedy club, waterslides, a Sky Zone, a ropes course, mini golf, foosball, ping pong, and a sky bike track. The entertainment was phenomenal. We saw three different comedians, and several musical shows.
We booked a room with a window, and we were across the hall from our friends. it had a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower, another bathroom with a bathtub and sink, a bed, a couch that converts to a bed, and a bunk bed that comes down from the ceiling. As far as cruise ship rooms go, it felt spacious.
Lucas and Henry had a great time hanging out with their friends and made new friends in the kids’ clubs. Henry and Lucas were in different kids’ clubs based on their ages. We barely saw them the entire cruise.
They are old enough to check themselves in and out of the cruise clubs. Lucas often came back to the cabin after we were asleep.
I celebrated my birthday on the cruise ship. It was a sea day, and I spent it reading a book, coloring, napping, and having a nice dinner with my family. It was formal night, and we took the rare opportunity to be fancy. The molten chocolate cake that is served every night in the dining room was a perfect birthday dessert for me.
Our first stop on the cruise was in Cabo San Lucas. We opted not to do a cruise ship excursion. We walked around the port and went to a beach where the adults got massages while the kids hung out drinking strawberry daiquiris. An hour-long massage in Cabo costs about $35.
Our second stop was in Mazatlan. Again, we did not do a cruise excursion. We walked from the cruise ship to the El Faro Lighthouse. Carnival offers the excursion for $45/$35 for adults and kids, but it is only a 20-minute walk from the cruise ship and the hike to the top is free. We did pay $1.50 per person to walk out onto a glass bridge overlooking the ocean.
Our final stop was in Puerto Vallarta. The kids decided to stay on the ship for the day. Michael and I left the ship and found a 4-hour city tour for $30 per person. The tour was via bus, and it took us to downtown Puerto Vallarta. Our guide Rosio told us interesting history of the city, pointing out our historical buildings, including the house where Elizabeth Taylor used to live.
Our first stop was the Church of Our Lady of Guadelupe. Construction on the church started in 1903 and completed in 1952. We had 30 minutes to see the church and walk around the area. We got a smoothie and walked along the Malecon. The city was putting up decorations for Dia de los Muertos. Next, we went to a beach club and spent an hour walking along the beach. Our final stop was to a Tequila tasting. I tried one too many tequilas and went to bed early that night.
We enjoy adventure traveling more than cruising, but it was a fun experience to throw into our travels. We especially enjoyed having our friends with us.
