The Lowdown

Before I go into today's vacation highlights, was that a freakin' awesome episode of "Lost" last night or what??! I can't believe we have to wait until February for more! Steve and I are planning to re-watch seasons one and two over the summer, since we have the DVDs. Hopefully we'll gain some more insights and get closer to solving the mysteries!

Today's vacation highlights will be short and sweet. First up: shopping. The shopping was good, especially for jewelry. Other things were not priced quite as inexpensively as I imagined. I bargained a pretty excellent price on a mystic topaz ring, but changed my mind at the last minute. I ended up buying a Mexican fire opal ring and Mexican fire opal earrings. I also got some very unique beaded earrings that are sort of shaped like a lady wearing a dress. I guess photos might be useful here, but I don't have any right now. Maybe I'll take one when I wear them next.

The accommodations: We got upgraded to a really nice room with a balcony. That was enjoyable, except that our neighbors were out on their balcony most of the time smoking. Having a window really makes all the difference, as I have previously cruised without one and felt like I was in a cave.

The food: It was good. However, I would say that the quantity was more impressive than the quality. The buffet area featured very diverse and plentiful offerings. The dining room food was good too. We were seated at a booth with another couple our age from Las Vegas who were celebrating their honeymoon. They were lots of fun! Here's a picture of the fancy midnight buffet on one of the formal nights:

The ports: My favorite was Puerto Vallarta. We were docked there the longest, and were able to do the most activities there.

Mazatlan was fun as well. I think they probably had the best jewelry shopping in their "Golden Zone." We spent a few hours at Senor Frogs there, and that was obviously a good time.

We only had a few hours in Cabo, and I think that was a good thing. We both found it to be very boring. Not a lot to do other than get plastered in the sweltering heat. Cabo had the most beggars on the streets. You could not walk five feet without someone asking you to buy a whistle or a silver bracelet or even drugs!! Yes, we were propositioned twice there! I think we should have done an excursion through the cruise in Cabo, cause we really were not impressed with what we saw. I should also add that every single person we've talked to who's been there absolutely loved it, so perhaps we just caught it on an off day?! Just so Cabo doesn't get mad at me for this poor review, here is a picture of Steve with some festive lizards there:

The weather: It was extremely windy and a bit chilly when we boarded in Long Beach. The next day at sea was overcast and the waters were choppy. It was the same on our last sea day on the way home. Other than that, it was sunny and about 90 degrees.

All in all, I found the cruise to be a great value, and I would definitely vacation with Carnival again. I'm sure everyone's probably totally bored of my vacation talk, so I think this will do it unless I think of some other fascinating point I left out.