This past Christmas, my in-laws took us on a family cruise through Mexico! It was my first time on a cruise and I photographed the entire trip. It was so much fun and I’m very grateful to my parents-in-law for having us!
Day at Disney
We arrived at the cruise port in Los Angeles a day early in case of any delays. Having a buffer proved to be wise advice since this was around the same time that Southwest cancelled thousands of flights.
We spent our extra day at Disneyland! I brought my film & polaroid cameras along for the day. I had never been to Disneyland before either! My favorite rides were definitely Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, The Incredicoaster, and of course, Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land!! If you know me, you know I can quote the ENTIRE cars movie, so being in Cars Land was really the highlight.
All Aboard
Cruise ships are so wild when you think about it, they’re these giant floating hotels that can hang out in the middle of the ocean. Once aboard, we completed our muster (safety) drill and headed to a dining area for lunch. I love how cruise ships have just enough emergency paraphernalia around to keep the Titanic disaster floating (or should I say sinking) in the back of your mind. Just me?
My jaw literally dropped when I was handed the lunch menu. I knew the food was going to be good, but I didn’t realize it would be THIS good!? Being able to order whatever I wanted, and however much I wanted?? It was going to be a good week. Plus food just tastes better when there’s no bill to pay.
We stood on the upper deck and watched as the ship pulled away from the port and set sail into the sunset (wow that sounded cheesy).
Cabo San Lucas
We arrived in Cabo San Lucas on Christmas morning. We opened stockings and exchanged Secret Santa gifts while waiting to tender.
Tendering, I learned, happens when a cruise ship is unable to dock at a port. This is always the case in Cabo San Lucas because the cape lacks a port big enough to accommodate major cruise ships. Tenders are little boats that will take you from your anchored cruise ship to the shore.
There were a couple other cruise ships in Cabo that day, so it took us a while to tender. Thankfully, our excursion was waiting for us.
Christmas is also the birthday of my husband, Christian! So our private boat tour around the cape was his birthday celebration. Our tour provided a yummy lunch of arroz con pollo (chicken & rice), chips & guac, drinks, and even a cheesecake for Christian. Music blasted as we sailed around El Arco, the iconic Cabo Arch, and Playa del Amor (Lovers Beach) where we jumped in for a swim.
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta was my favorite cruise stop. We walked around the charming Old Town and ate lunch at the cutest restaurant, Rivercafe where I had some amazing fish tacos. The path along the river was lined with little souvenir shops. Pictures are my keepsake, but I do love admiring the colors and craftsmanship of all the little trinkets.
We took a scavenger hunt around Puerto Vallarta through Urban Adventure Quest. It was a fun and inexpensive way to get to know the city. It took us to incredible sculptures, a chocolate museum, beautiful murals and the stunning Church of Our Lady Guadalupe. Along the shore, we watched the Voladores de Papantla perform the Dance of the Flyers and watched the sun set over the ocean before returning to our ship.
Mazatlan
The Norwegian Joy arrived early in the morning for a short stop at Mazatlan. Christian and I had planned to hike to El Faro (the lighthouse), but by the time we got there, they were limiting the number of people who could go up and a long line had formed at the trailhead. We waited in line for a while and talked with a chatty Mexican lady who was visiting family from California. Watching the clock, we realized we wouldn’t have enough time to complete the hike and make it back to the ship, so Christian and I took a pulmonía* into town where we walked around and took pictures. That’s my favorite way to explore a new place anyway.
*Pulmonías are the main mode of transportation around Mazatlan. They’re open air taxis that are kind of like golf carts.
At Sea
Heading north, we had an entire day at sea to enjoy everything the Norwegian Joy had to offer. Throughout the week we saw every show on board, from comedy to Footloose. We played mini golf, tried out the water slides, and even went Go Kart racing on the Joy Speedway. My favorite things to do were reading and playing games on the observation deck, taking pictures of the ocean, and eating dinner with our family.
Ensenada
We really made the most of our final day in Mexico. Once off the ship, we met our driver who took us to our first stop, the PaiPai Ecotourism Park. It’s a cute little preserve where you can interact with lots of animals.
We purchased the feline package, which meant we got to pet a baby lion and jaguar. The lion was a little scared of us and the jaguar wasn’t too keen on being pet either. It was still pretty wild to sit a few feet away from a jaguar. It even licked Christian’s leg for a good minute. We left the park with mixed feelings about the experience and I’m still wondering how humane that whole situation was.
Our next stop was La Bufadora, Ensenada’s famous natural blowhole. It’s a popular spot, and the path to the blowhole is lined with lots of little shops. Our driver showed us where we could buy the best churros (and I ate sooo many churros). Before heading back to the boat, we stopped by Lidia’s Taco Grill which we decided were the best tacos of our entire trip.
Los Angeles
It was a gloomy morning when we disembarked in Los Angeles. The sky was also sad that our cruise was coming to an end. We ate an amazing breakfast at Schooner or Later, then made our way to the Santa Monica Pier where we explored for a few hours. We shared our final meal of the trip together at our favorite restaurant, True Food Kitchen, then left for the airpot to return home.
Thank you so much for reading this post! I’d love to know in the comments what you wish I had more pictures of, and how I can improve my blog writing!
Thanks again to my in-laws for such a wonderful trip.
All photos (with the exception of the Polaroid) were taken either on 35mm film or with a Canon R5 + 50mm lens by Alyssa Dahneke. All Rights Reserved.
These are all stunning!! You really bring everything to life!