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The Good, The Bad, & the F'Ugly
I got back last night from my most recent Atlantis Events cruise to the Mexican Riviera, and it was, to say the least a unique and wonderful experience. Parts of it were good, parts of it were bad, and parts of it were (you guessed it) F'UGLY.
Lets start with the good. The ship this year was the Mariner of the Seas, one of the largest ships in the Royal Caribbean International cruise line's entire fleet. This year, the embarkation went like a dream, though I did end up getting to the pier in San Pedro way to early.
Anyway, once I got on the ship, I found out that we couldn't go to our rooms just yet because they were all being cleaned and made ready for us after the previous cruise customers had left that day, so we were invited to go to one of the ships restaurants and/or buffets. Now, some might tell you that the food in the Windjammer Cafe' wasn't that great, but don't listen to them, listen to me. I thought it was very good food. The variety was astounding, was artistically presented and displayed, and the taste (of those things I ate) was such that I wished I could just keep eating forever.
Once we could go to our rooms, I went down to my cabin on deck 2 (one floor above the waterline, ha ha) to freshen up and change into more vacation appropriate clothing. My luggage hadn't arrived yet, but I had a pair of my shorts in my carry-on bag, along with a comfortable and colorful t-shirt. After changing, I went up to the pool deck to get a drink and start mingling with the other passengers that were on board.
Oh, there were so many wonderful people I met that night, both on the main pool deck, and later that night at the singles cocktail mixer at a venue referred to as the Lotus Lounge (very gorgeous, Chinese decor), including the former mayor of Tempe, Arizona, Mr. Neil Giuliano (who is even better looking in person than he is on TV).
The entertainment on the ship was also incredible. The production shows put on by the Royal Caribbean Singers & Dancers (sorry, I couldn't find a link on Wikipedia) were fantastic, and never let any setback stop them from giving us a fantastic show. I mention this because during one performance, one of the male singers fell from a piece of the stage set, but just got right back up and kept on singing and dancing. He later poked fun at his pratfall by pretending to be extra careful coming down some stairs during the same show, grabbing the handrail with both hands and making a funny face toward the audience.
I would also like to say I cannot say anything to wonderful about the comedians that performed on board during the cruise. Louie Anderson, Jim David, and Shawn Pelofsky were my favorites. I was even honored to share lunch with Ms. Pelofsky one afternoon while we were docked in Puerto Vallarta.
I also met many wonderful men on this cruise, one of whom I think is very special. We didn't meet as often as I would have liked, it's a huge ship after all with over 3,500 passengers on board, but I was happy every time I saw him. I was even lucky enough to meet him in the terminal at LAX. We were able to talk for awhile before he had to board his plane, and before he left we gave each other a tight, tight hug. It was a little painful for me because of a mild sunburn I picked up in Cabo San Lucas, but, boys and girls, it was oh so worth it. We exchanged cards and I'm hoping I can see him again one day. Who knows what might happen.
Now the bad. In Puerto Vallarta, I took a hiking tour up the Sierra Madre Mountains through the jungle canopy. At first everything was going great, but then a light drizzle started to fall. To begin, it was no big deal. Like I said, the drizzle was light and we were largely sheltered by the trees and were by and large dry enough, but then the rain started to get heavier, and the tree cover started getting lighter. I had placed my camera in one of my cargo shorts pockets to keep it dry, but I realized I was getting soaked through to the skin, so I gave it to our tour guide to keep in his waterproof bag for safekeeping. I was too late making the transfer though, and my camera was totally ruined, which is also why I have no pictures from my vacation to share with you. I'm going to see if I can find a camera repair shop, but I think I may just have to buy a new camera.
And now, the F'UGLY. I can give it to you in two words, Hurricane Rick (is their a gayer name for a hurricane?). It totally changed our itinerary. Instead of going to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta (in that order), we spent the first two days at sea going around the hurricane and made Puerto Vallart our first port of call. Then, we had to stay an extra day in PV because Mazatlan was closed to ship traffic due to the rough weather. Fortunately, it cleared up by the time we made it to Cabo, and this year my shore excursion didn't get canceled due to lack of participation (though I think it might be because the people who went just wanted off the ship at that point). The weather was so violent, and the seas so rough at one point, I came up with what I thought was a funny joke. "How do you tell who's drunk and who's sober on board? The drunks are the only people who can walk in a straight line."
In spite of Rick though, I still had a great time and have already pre-booked my cruise to the Mexican Riviera for 2010. Some of my friends will undoubtedly say to me (as they have said in the past) "Why do you do the same thing every year? Doesn't it get boring going to the same places all the time?" Well, I came up with the perfect metaphor to answer them:
"My cruise to the Mexican Riviera is like a snow globe. The little house inside is always the same, but every time you shake it up, the little snowflakes fall in a different pattern."
So the answer is no, I don't get bored during my vacation.
PS: I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the new people I met on this cruise who exchanged cards with me. I have added you to my friends category in my e-mail address book.
PPS: Only 356 days till my next cruise!
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