Carnival Splendor ... March 14-21 2010

Preamble: This year's cruise will take us to the Mexican Riviera with stops in PuertoVallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. As usual, we will be on a Carnival Fun Ship,and couldn't be more excited to board one of Carnival's newest, the Splendor. My wife, Sharon and I will be joined by daughter Brittany, she is 22 and on her 6th cruise, and our son Matthew who is just 5yrs old and on his 4th cruise!! The rest of the family had to stay home for this one....oh well, their loss, right? We are particularly excited to be meeting with a very nice family we first met on the Valor a few years back. We have tried to coordinate a cruise together since then, and have finally made it happen. I am pleased to announce we are leaving out of Los Angeles so there will be no flying, just a 5 hour drive which is a lot cheaper and much easier to pull off. We did our usual research on Cruise Critic and mingled with other cruisers on the Roll Call..even exchanged numbers with another Arizona couple that was driving so we could text along the ride and keep an eye out for each other. After month's of anticipation, March 14 arrived and it was time for yet another, Spring Break Cruise!!! Day 1: We left AZ around 7 am and got to Long Beach at about 12:30.We texted our driving buddies a few times and were in a friendly race the whole time. Parking was a breeze (cost about 115.00 for the week) and we only waited in line to register and get sail and sign cards for 30 minutes. We saw our friends, but they were a few groups ahead , so we spoke for a bit and then decided to meet again after boarding. We got back in line and Sharon texted our driving buddies. Turned out they were right in front of us in our groups line( we hadn't met before) and they had brought 2 friends with them. The crazy part is that I knew the guy they brought because we had played little league together over 25 yrs ago...literally on the same team back in New Jersey where we grew up!! I was blown away!! After chatting a bit, our group was called to board and after a short walk through the terminal, and over a pretty long gangway, we were onboard and ready to party!! Since it was about 2pm when we boarded, we went to check out our cabin... deck 7, room 7427 aft and were surprised to see 3 of our 4 bags were already there and the 4th was soon to follow!! I am convinced it was the $10 dollar bill I gave the porter for a tip! Sharon did a quick unpack and we headed for the lido deck and our first buffet lunch and to see our friends. We enjoyed drinks, a shot, and getting re-acquainted with our friends from years ago. The muster drill was easy, no more lifevests, and a while later (around sail away time) we headed for dinner in the mid-ships Black Pearl Dining Room. We were level 1, table 158, early seating, with Elmer as our Head Waiter. We planned ahead for a table for 9 and we had our friends at our table with us which was great. That's how we originally met, at our dinner table on the Valor 4 years ago. We hit it off with our friends as if we hung out all the time! Edward (E.J.) and Martha (Marti) are 40 and they have 3 lovely daughters...Samantha (16) and the twins, Sarah and Sidney (12). They remind us of ourselves with 3 daughters (we only brought one but have 2 more at home) and all the usual chaos that comes with a large family. After a great meal, E.J. and I enjoyed a few more drinks and we all went to the nightly show in the Spectacular Lounge. Afterwards everyone was pretty exhausted so we hit the sack (although I might have wandered by the casino for a bit) and got ready for 2 days at sea before hitting the ports. Day 2: All about relaxation....we were excited to receive our usual room service wake up call...coffee, juice, fruit, muffins and for Jamie, lox and bagels!! It has been a cruising tradition and was as good as we remembered it to be. We started every morning this way!! This was the warm up, as we usually ended up hitting the breakfast buffet each morning as well. We saw our friends up by the lido pool, but got there a bit late so no good seats were left, so we wandered around a bit before heading to the onboard art show. We go for the free champagne, free print they give away and the chance to win free art...ok, we may have bought a piece or 2 throughout the years. Little Matthew was not on his best behavior, so I took him for a walk as Sharon and Brittany stayed for the art. We got some ice cream, which is something you can indulge on night and day, and headed back to the cabin. We ended up going down for naptime for awhile, yes naptime for both of us, until Sharon got back from the artshow and yelled at me for my laziness!! Shortly after, we started to get ready for the first of two formal nights. All the girls at the table looked lovely and really seemed to enjoy dressing up for dinner...meanwhile, E.J and myself could not wait to get back into drinking attire and get comfortable.. We got to know the bar waitress that night and started a new tradition of Crown Royal and cokes that is sure to be continued the next time we all cruise together. After dinner we all went to the show in the lounge..you know...singing, dancing with fancy costumes...that kind of show and although I wouldn't be caught dead at a show like that back home, somehow when you are on a cruise ship ,it becomes enjoyable. Maybe I am just impressed with the dancers not falling down when the ship moves. Afterwards, I hit the casino as usual and headed off to the cabin to get ready for the next sea day.

Day 3: Now I am ready....I surprised everyone, especially Marti and EJ by getting down to the lido deck pool just before 8am and saving a few prime time deck chairs!! Take it easy people, I observed the 40 minute rule..(chairs saved for over 40 minutes without being used will be cleared and made available to others) by making sure most of our crew made it for a rotating breakfast buffet schedule where each chair was used for at least a few minutes. By about 9:30..that place was packed without an extra chair to be found. We laid out all day...we ate..we drank..we swam and wrapped it up with the Hairy Chest Contest!! EJ was a previous winner, but decided to sit this one out and I am not one for public displays of humiliation so I sat out as well. By about 4 we were exhausted, yes exhausted from doing nothing all day, and headed back to get ready for dinner. I am pretty sure a few of us met for pre dinner sushi and a drink..or was it a few drinks...anyway, dinner was great as usual and I think it was comedy show night if I am not mistaken. Afterwards, the usual casino and bedtime and I may have snuck in a late night piece of pizza. Day 4..Puerto Vallarta By now you realize that we pretty much spent all of our time with our friends Marti and EJ and their girls, on the ship and off. We had all planned a day at the Dreams all inclusive resort but at the last minute we decided to simplify, and went to plan B. We all got off the ship and headed to the Krystal Resort right near the ship. After a somewhat short but confusing walk through what looked like a construction zone, we came out to the beach and after a 5 minute walk we were right on the sand between the Krystal and the ocean. We spoke with a man that got us a bunch of chairs and we started to get comfortable. The water was rough and cold so not many ventured into the ocean and after awhile we moved from the beach to the pool area, which was awesome!! We found some lounge chairs that ere half in and half out of the pool and relaxed. A guy came over and got us some margaritas and we ordered nachos and chips and salsa. Everything was awesome..even Sharon loved the frozen strawberry margarita and she is hard to please. After a few hours we wanted to shop a little so we headed "downtown". We were going to get 2 taxis (there are 9 of us total) but the lady at the resort said we can take the bus for 50 cents u.s. dollars each. We said "let's try it". We felt there was safety in numbers so we hopped on the bus and headed out. The Puerto Vallarta buses were cheap, and for good reason. Let's just say the lack of shock absorbers and the cobblestone streets made for quite a kidney dance!! Once downtown, we hit Senor Frogs for a great lunch and drinks and then did a bit of shopping. After the bus ride back to the ship, I was ready to get back onboard and settle in. Much of the same that night..a great dinner followed by some ship exploration and then a decent sleep ready for the next port of call!! Read more