Over Christmas Break, I went on my first cruise and first trip to Mexico.  I was a little worried but excited about this trip all at the same time.  I was afraid the trip would be ruined by seasickness or food-borne illness.  But I was also excited to be taking a warm vacation and to see a little part of Mexico.

On Friday afternoon, we boarded the ship after getting a water bottle filled with vodka through security.  Heh heh.  We were also allowed one bottle of wine per passenger, which we honored.  It was just enough for the weekend.

The sunset was beautiful over Long Beach and the Queen Mary.

On our first night, we had dinner and then explored the ship as Kumquat slept in the stroller.  We found the library and played a mean game of Memory.  I think we could all use a game or two once in a while.  We all struggled with that game – especially Jason.

The next morning, we woke up in Ensenada, Mexico.  It was kind of cloudy in the morning but we went out for a walk anyway.  There were kids and other vendors right outside of the port and there were more throughout our walk through town. I felt so bad for all the kids selling Chiclets and cute little wooden turtles.

I also noticed A LOT of pharmacies selling Viagra.  I thought this was a funny sign.  This sticker over the “Happy Meals” is the funniest part.For lunch, we headed back to the ship.

Kumquat thoroughly enjoyed corn-on-the-cob for the first time.  Hilarious.

While Kumquat napped on the ship with the grandparents supervising, we went back into town for a few cocktails.  Actually, I ended up throwing back 3 margaritas at Papas & Beer and also bought a hat for 8 dollars.  The sun came out and we got a table with a fantastic view of the street and the craziness at the bar.  Aaaah…it was a good afternoon in Mexico.

In the evening, we went to dinner and it was formal night.  It was also the perfect opportunity for a family portrait.

The next day was called a Day at Sea.  I was up early because the motion of the boat had woken me up.  Jes and Kumquat were sound asleep at 6 am so I got dressed and went to the gym at the top of the boat.  The gym was really clean and the treadmills had a gorgeous view from the front of the ship.

I also went up to the running track and caught the sunrise.

Kumquat woke up next so we had a Mommy & Me breakfast on the deck.

The rest of the day was spent out by the pool reading while the grandparents hung out with Kumquat on some other part of the ship.  The sun was out but it was windier than I was hoping for.

One of the quintessential things about cruises is the towel animal that appears on your bed each evening.  This one was my favorite, of course.By the last night, I was feeling pretty confident I was in the clear of any illnesses.  This was one of the things I appreciated the most on this ship.  Of course there were Purell stations everywhere but I was pleasantly surprised to see these in the public restrooms since there were no paper towels to dry your hands.On our final morning on the ship, I woke up super early.  So, I went down to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee and to get some internet access since we had docked in Long Beach already.  I actually found Jason there working down there too.  As the sun was coming up, I got a picture of Long Beach from the deck.

We had a great trip and spent some good family time together.  I think it was a good beginner’s cruise for us all and I’m proud to say that I didn’t need to tap into the Dramamine and no one got a stomach bug.  I guess we are now warmed up for another cruise one day.  The food was decent, our room was clean, and I learned that cruises are good for families with small kids.