Our “Wonder”ous Adventure To The Mexican Riviera About This Page:

[chezp]

The glass blowing factory looks like a lot of fun - and those creations are just

[CAT4WDW]

Just finished reading about your adventures to the Mexican Riviera. My BFF & I will be going on the same cruise October 2, 2011 and it was great to get info, opinions & pics. So looking forward to our cruise, just us girls taking some time out for ourselves. Thank you for taking the time to share!!!!

[scrappyjae]

Now, that is something I would love to see, glassblowing! I can't imagine being able to create all of that, I can't even do it with playdough! I do not have that artistic gene. Sigh.

Yeah, I think he was crushing on Kaitlyn!

[lauriep]

The glass-blowing tour looks great. Something to remember for a possible future trip to Cabo. Probably wouldn't cost much to take a cab there so you could stay and shop longer.

[B.M.]

Sounds like a great time in Cabo!

[cubfancolleen]

I LOVE glass, so that tour looked perfect! Not sure I could have decided on just a few things to buy, though (although the weight of all of it might have slowed me down a bit!). I got a great sangria pitcher & glasses when we were in Costa Maya on one of our Disney Cruises - actually traded a DCL pin for them (plus a few bucks). I thought I got a great deal, and the guy who sold them was so excited to have the DCL pin for his daughter.
Thanks for sharing so many of the pictures!
Looking forward to hearing what you do next!

[PrincessSharon]

Love the tour of the glass factory! That looks fantastic. It actually is making me excited for my upcoming Italy trip! Hurry back with more, please!

[ilovedisney0_0]

Originally Posted by chezp

The glass blowing factory looks like a lot of fun - and those creations are just

They were really beautiful. I wish we could've spent more time there!

Originally Posted by CAT4WDW

Just finished reading about your adventures to the Mexican Riviera. My BFF & I will be going on the same cruise October 2, 2011 and it was great to get info, opinions & pics.

Glad it's helping you plan. There hadn't been a ton of TR's for the MR when we went, and I am such a plan-a-holic, that I was purposely taking a lot of pictures for my fellow PPers.

Originally Posted by scrappyjae

Now, that is something I would love to see, glassblowing! I can't imagine being able to create all of that, I can't even do it with playdough! I do not have that artistic gene. Sigh.

Bahaha! Me either.

Originally Posted by lauriep

Probably wouldn't cost much to take a cab there so you could stay and shop longer.

I thought that afterward, too. Although we really enjoyed the rest of the tour, if we go again I would just find a way to the glass factory and spend the afternoon there.

Originally Posted by cubfancolleen

I got a great sangria pitcher & glasses when we were in Costa Maya on one of our Disney Cruises - actually traded a DCL pin for them (plus a few bucks). I thought I got a great deal, and the guy who sold them was so excited to have the DCL pin for his daughter.

Wow, how cool!!! I think you got a great deal, too!

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon

Love the tour of the glass factory! That looks fantastic. It actually is making me excited for my upcoming Italy trip! Hurry back with more, please!

Listen, missy... I can't believe you are going to Italy and I am SOOOO jealous! I can't WAIT to read all about the fun stuff you are going to do there! Did they take Greece off of the itineraries for ABD? Because I was looking this weekend, and didn't see it listed anymore...

[pamcarey]

The glassblowing factory looks great! I agree, I think I would have wanted more time to shop!

[mcc0313]

Just got to catch up on your last few posts. What a wonderful day in PV and Jessy sounds like the perfect tour guide. Your dinner at Palo looked delicious, and what a great way to celebrate your birthday, Dolphins in the morning, a wonderful dinner and the Pirate Party. The blown glass tour sounds great, I have been thinking of doing our first cruise next year and its strange as the Western Caribbean / Mexican Rivera just never appealed to me, Mexico just have never really hit the top of my list but after reading your TR is suddenly sounds much more appealing. Can't wait to hear more.

[smcnaught]

The glass blowing looked amazing! I think I'd take this cruise just for the chance to do this shore excursion!! That and the dolphins!

[DawnDenise]

Wow...getting caught up here! the pictures from thedolphin swim. Mom and I are so doing this on our next cruise. Will have to remember to budget the cost of those photos as well.

Palo..Palo...Palo...I am determined to get a ressie for the brunch or dinner (or both) on the next cruise. The food loooks scrumptious!!!

Cabo: I love glass blowing and would have been so enthralled watching them! From what you said you bought, I think you did pretty good cost wise.

Looking forward to more Amy!!

[ariel14]

Loved the glass factory pics!!!!! More pls!!!!!!!!!!

[ilovedisney0_0]

Our next stop on the Coastal Highlights Tour was a beautiful little outdoor restaurant called Cabo Bello. We were provided with light refreshments (a soda or water), and we were allowed to stretch out, wander around, and take in the fabulous view.




See the Wonder to the right of Kaity's hat?






Marco told us that this spot was one of the best in all of Cabo to take pictures with the rock arch in the background. I happened to think our view sailing into port on the Wonder was better...

We were here for maybe 20 minutes, and then it was back on the bus. Our next stop was a little bit of a drive away. Marco told us some great information about how Cabo had started out as a small fishing village, but it had grown substantially after being recognized as one of the best fishing sites in the world. Apparently they hold fishing contests in Cabo, and the winner takes home THOUSANDS of dollars and a new boat! We passed a small group of houses overlooking the ocean, and Marco pointed to one and told us that Julia Roberts lives in that one. Then further along the road (we were driving along a strip of road that had land on the right, facing the ocean, so of COURSE all of these houses had amazing ocean views!), he pointed to another group of houses. He told us one of them belonged to Sammy Hagar, one of them belonged to some famous football quarterback (I don't remember who! ), and the third had belonged to OJ Simpson -- but was now owned by Bruce Willis!

We arrived at our destination, San Jose del Cabo. This little town was founded as a mission back in the 1700's, and is a typical little Mexican village. We were deposited in the town square.









We had the option of going on a walking tour of the city, getting some lunch on our own, or wandering around to do some shopping on our own. Kaitlyn and I chose to wander in some of the shops. We had about 90 minutes to explore. It was such a picturesque little town, but it was also clear to me that this place makes their living by tourists that are brought in from the cruise ships. Everything was priced in American dollars, and nothing was cheap. No bargains here! In one of the shops we stopped at, there was an iguana crawling around on the wall... so cool!




There was a tree where our bus met, called a Lily Tree. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I had never seen anything like it!




This little town was a place I have never been to, so I am glad we took the opportunity to go and explore. We definitely had a nice time!

The last stop on the tour was at a cactus farm, called Cacti Mundo.



Their claim to fame is that they have 15,000 cacti, representing 750 species from around the world. We didn't even get out of the bus. This part of the tour did not interest us AT ALL... we live in Phoenix, and I literally have a saguaro and several kinds of cacti in my front yard. I knew going into the tour though that I wouldn't want to take part in this little bit, and that was fine with Marco. Several of us were tired after our busy afternoon of sightseeing , so we just stayed on the bus and relaxed. The rest of the group was only gone about 10-15 minutes, and I am glad it was a short stop.

When everyone came back on the bus, we headed back to port. This was a fairly long drive. And you know what?? Marco actually did give us a 'test'! He started asking questions about some of the stuff he had told us in the beginning. I was shouting answers out that were completely wrong , and I was really trying! Kaitlyn, on the other hand, got everything right. Little miss smarty pants. After the 'test' Marco led the group in some Mexican songs to pass the time. It was a little hokey, but fun nonetheless. All in all, it was a really fun tour. I was suprised how much I enjoyed it, especially thinking I was only going to like the glass blowing factory. It was a great way to spend the morning! We were back on the ship by 1:00pm, and we were able to enjoy lunch at Tritons.

[ilovedisney0_0]

Lunch at Triton's today was fabulous. I the interior of this restaurant. Every picture I have ever seen cannot do the tiling on the back wall justice. It is breathtaking! I didn't even try. Here is Kaitlyn outside of Triton's...




As we were looking at the menu, we looked up and saw Goofy and Max just casually walking by! I really loved that about the cruise... you would just see characters walking around everywhere!



For appetizers, we ordered the vegetable quesadillas to share.



They were sooo good! Kaitlyn ordered pasta without mushrooms for her entree,



and I got the meatloaf with mashed potatoes - YUM!!!



I think meatloaf is one of my all-time favorite things, and I have a hard time finding it at restaurants. My mom made the best ever in the world. Now that she is gone , I don't get to eat it that much. And most of the time, when you do find it, it's covered with some sweet tomato-based topping, which I do not like. This one at Tritons was delicious!! Dessert was some chocolate delicious wonder, but I forgot to write down the name. I know we ate it all though!



We also ordered smoothies, which I don't normally have. But honestly, one sip of Kaitlyn's strawberry-banana concoction, and I had to get one too. This was the best smoothie I have ever had! Definitely a successful lunch!



After lunch, we went over to the Promenade Lounge. We spent a fun little bit of time playing Cruisin' For Trivia. Of course we didn't win, but I really like that lounge! It has some huge portholes, and I love to just sit and watch the ocean go by.

Kaitlyn had NOT been able to get Vista Spa out of her head. She had been trying to convince and cajole me into letting her go get something, ANYTHING, done. She just wanted to go back and be pampered! We walked up to the Spa, and just inquired if they had any availability. They were able to take her in right away, for anything she wanted! We looked at the offerings, and she decided on a hair and scalp treatment. I left her to it, and went back to the cabin to spend some quality time with my Nook and my verandah.

Our door decorations for the day;



When Kaitlyn came back for me, she was completely relaxed. She didn't notice much difference in the look of her hair after her treatment. But she said they did a neck and scalp massage, so she felt very relaxed. And her hair FELT much softer. Her words ---> "The massage was AMAZING."

We had the munchies, so we went to deck 9 to grab some snacks. We noticed as we sailed toward California that it was getting much colder and windy. It was time for BINGO, and since we obviously had a BINGO addiction, it was time to play again! We lost again, but it is oh-so-much-fun! Jen, our BINGO Sheila for the entire cruise, told us that she has a degree in musical theater, as well as a teaching degree - and yet she is calling BINGO! We loved Jen. She was fantastic!

After BINGO, Kaitlyn wanted to shop. As we were heading to the stores, we bumped into Cinderella! She was walking along by herself, and there was NOBODY around her! Of course we had to get a picture.



We did some souvenir shopping in Treasure Ketch and Mickey's Mates, picking up the last of the presents for everyone at home... and for us! We headed back to the cabin again to stow our purchases, and found that Anthony, our statesroom host, had left TWO towel animals! A dinosaur and a rose!!







He knew how much Kaitlyn was loving her towel animals, and this was so thoughtful of him to do! Can I just say now, I really wanted to bring Anthony home! He was a Disney CM personified. He was hard-working, busting him hump constantly to make sure we and everyone else were happy. He was extremely friendly, making the effort to seek us out at least once each day just to say hi. I LOVED him. I actually wrote a letter to Disney when we got home, just to say what a treasure he is. Tonight, we gave him his tip envelope. I already had all of my cash for everything budgeted out, but I gave him more. He was definitely, DEFINITELY worth it. And as a note for our next cruise, I plan to budget a seperate pile of cash just for instances like this, so we are able to reward the excellent service we received from people like Anthony.






We used up the remainder of our internet time, and then Kaitlyn was itching to call her boyfriend again. $$$$$$$$$$$ .... next time, I am just bringing the boy with us! (by the way - when we came home, we drove back to Phoenix. That boyfriend of hers was waiting at our house an HOUR before we got there, just because he missed her so much. Ahhh, young love. Remember when it was so easy, stress-free, and fun? :They really are adorable together. ) After the phone call, we went to Wavebands to catch the 10:30pm show for Levent. This one was supposed to be an adult only show. I thought it would be a little more... risque? funny? I don't know what I thought, but it was just alright. He is good. He just isn't Disney. That's ok, though, we enjoyed it. We hadn't eaten dinner because we had eaten those late afternoon snacks, and hadn't been hungry. But now, we were ravenous. We ordered WAY too much food from room service, and spent the rest of the evening pigging out in bed and watching MegaMinds on TV.