My first cruise: what I learned and why I loved it!

Being in our twenties and out of college there is nothing that my boyfriend Tyrell and I wanted more than to explore the world outside of the education system. We decided the best way to explore a few new places at the same time would be to take a cruise. So we book a Norwegian Cruise to the Mexican Riviera! We took a 7 day cruise that stopped in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and our favorite place in the world, Cabo San Lucas.

 

What was the ship like?

Our cruise left out of the Los Angeles port aboard the Norwegian Jewel. Before boarding we had to check in and get our personalized room keys which had our names printed on them and they were attached to a credit card because everything aboard the ship could only be paid for using the room key.

Once on board the ship we found our room, our luggage was delivered to us, and we then had to make our way to a specified section of the ship for a mandatory safety lesson. After that it was time to explore and the first thing we looked for was food.

Aboard ship were four complimentary sit down restaurants as well as the buffet and poolside grill that were complimentary as well. It also had five additional restaurants that must be paid á la carte but could be accessed by anyone who wanted to pay the fees. Once we knew where we were going to eat we decided to buy a drink package to help save some money. We purchased the soda package rather than the all-inclusive alcohol package simply because it was our first cruise and we were already slightly concerned about my boyfriend getting sea sick since he has very bad motion sickness in cars and on roller-coaster. Next time we will definitely get the all-inclusive and we recommend anyone who goes on a cruise to get the drink package so you never have to worry about racking up the dollars.

Next we found the entertainment. There was a full theater at one end of this ship as well as 6 bars/clubs which hosted events each day. There was a pool, hot tubs, and a water slide in the swimming area. There was also a basketball court, mini driving ranges, giant chess and checkers, shuffle board, and many other outdoor sports activities to participate in. And when you returned to your room at night there was a town animal waiting for you! Now that we had a feel for the ship it was time to start our vacation!

Day 1

The first day was our docking day. So we got aboard the ship and set sail around 5 pm. That evening we went to the welcome show in the theater and made our way to the buffet for dinner. We spent some time by the pool listening to the live DJ and we even went to the space bar to watch some karaoke. We decided not to sing karaoke until we had more alcohol in us but we did enjoy some great music and met some new friends. We called it an early night that first night and save our energy for the next two full days at sea.

Day 2

The second day was a full day at sea and we started the day off with breakfast on the balcony and then made it to the top of the ship to sunbathe for hours before finally deciding to participate in some activities. When picking a place to sunbathe on the ship you have two main options, a quiet zone or a party zone. We spent time in both areas but in the quiet zones I was more relaxed than I had been in years. After lounging around we went up to the pub for lunch and then showered and got ready for a night of adventures.

That first night we decided to dabble in some dance lessons so we went up to the bar at the aft of the ship (learn ship lingo before your cruise!) and we had a very fun Latin man teach us a very fun Latin dance that I could never pronounce the name of. After the dance class we hung around in the bar for a while until they began to film a live game show! This first night we just watched but it was crazy fun. After the game show we had a late night dinner and spent some time relaxing outside in the warm nighttime air before heading to bed.

Day 3

This third day at sea we decided we would start the day in the party zone so we headed to the upper deck above the pool and were just in time for the live DJ. As we sunbathed we watched everyone down below dance the day away in the hot sun by the pool. Soon enough they started doing poolside competitions and I just had to get involved! I ran down and joined a relay team and we had so much fun! Of course my team won and we got to take home some awesome Norwegian Cruise Line Swag! After this we decided to get dressed up and try one of the fancy sit down restaurants aboard the ship. It was delicious!

That night we decided to go to a salsa dance class which was very sexy. Next we went to a comedy show at the theater. It was all about family and relationships and it was hilarious! Something I totally recommend for a young couple to watch. After playing around on the ship for a while longer we headed back to our room to get ready for our first dock day tomorrow! We couldn’t be more excited!

Day 4

Our first stop on this cruise was Puerto Vallarta! We docked at 9 AM and Tyrell and I were ready to get off the ship and explore land for the day. We had 9 hours before having to be back on the ship and we wanted to make the most of it. As soon as we got off the ship we were greeted by girls in Mexican dresses taking pictures with us and there were vendors set up selling souvenirs and the party had started. We took a taxi into the city and immediately began to explore.

After walking part way down the beach we stopped at a little restaurant to have mimosas. The thing that I loved about Puerto Vallarta was the boardwalk they had set up so that you could walk from one end of the beach to the other and it was so clean! The entire city was filled with statues and history and art! I could never have enough time to take in all the beautiful sights. Eventually we had to make it back to our ship but we will definitely be back to Puerto Vallarta to visit again.
Back on the ship that night we were exhausted from our day so we laid by the pool for a while before making it up to our little bar to watch another game show! This time it was boys vs girls and of course we participated. There was a lot of running around and yelling and shouting but everyone is there to have a good time and that’s exactly what we did! It was a blast!

Day 5

On day 5 we arrived in the beautiful and historic Mazatlán! We arrived at 8 in the morning so we got in a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the best local restaurant for breakfast. He drove us straight to this little place in Old Mazatlán that had a balcony overlooking the beach called Pancho’s. He dropped us off and recommended the tequila (because yes they drink tequila with breakfast in Mexico!) So we went on in and got some breakfast and started planning our day. And before we left? The owner brought over free tequila shots! Yay! It’s 5 O’clock somewhere, right?

We then walked along the beach. There were so many beautiful shells along this beach that we couldn’t help but start collecting them. A little ways down the beach we saw some people parasailing and we stopped to watch them for a while. It was so amazing being in Mexico watching people glide through the sky. After walking around we went back to Pancho’s and had some lunch. Best part about this place? More free alcohol!

Before we knew it we only had an hour before having to head back to the ship and we hadn’t even seen the New Mazatlán! So we ran out to catch a taxi and we made sure to find a Pulmonia which are native to Mazatlán so that we could get a tour on our way! We hopped on in and asked for a tour of New Mazatlán within an hour and he was happy to do so! He even made sure we had time to stop and get out to walk around the cathedral in the middle of the city.

Back on the ship we took another dance class. This one I was very excited about. It was a Greek Hand Dance class and since I’m Greek I just had to learn this dance and it was so much fun! After our dance class we had a plan, tonight would be the night that we watched the sunset. And let me just say that it was well worth the wait.

Day 6

Our last port day was spent in the most beautiful place ever, Cabo San Lucas! We had already vacationed here together after Tyrell graduated high school in 2013 and we fell in love. So since we already knew our favorite spot on the beach we walked straight there without exploring at all and we spent all day laying on beach chairs outside of the Mango Deck!

We drank and ate and swam in the ocean and had the best day together. Cabo has the cleanest beaches and the nicest water of almost any place we have visited. It has an amazing night life and everywhere you go is like a party. And if you want something adventurous we HIGHLY recommend deep sea fishing in Cabo. You can get a guarantee of catching the in season fish and it is a blast! And if you stay there for a week, we loved the all-inclusive resort The RIU!

Once we were back on the ship that night we sat outside watching another sunset, we ate some good food, and even watched a magic show!

Day 7

This was our last sea day on our way back to LA and the weather kind of sucked to be honest. It was windy so all the pools were shut down and the ship was rocking like crazy. So after breakfast we decided that there was nothing wrong with spending the whole day in our cabin watching movies. And trust me, there is NOTHING wrong with spending a whole day in bed with someone you love. (;

Day 8

Our last day on ship was only half a day so we woke up, ate breakfast, and waited for the cue that we were docked and ready to get off the ship. And so after one last breakfast overlooking the ocean we had to make our way back home. But we will definitely be going on another cruise soon! If any of you are seasoned cruisers please let me know what you do to make your time on the ship special! I would  love some tips for the next time we set sail!