Yep, it happened again...we were back on a cruise ship but this time with Carnival for Spring Break. WHEW! 

We haven't sailed with Carnival since 2018, but this would be our 7th cruise with Carnival and (I believe) our 24th cruise since we've been cruising regularly with our daughter Sakari.

After our NCL Encore cruise in December I made the executive decision that I WAS GOING SOMEWHERE NEW!!! I didn't care where, as long as it was some place different! We have been cruising the Caribbean (and land vacationing there) since 2010. The ports are "worn out" with us. We love them...don't get me wrong...and wouldn't hesitate to land vacation there, but deep in my soul I needed a change. I've had a bucket list for awhile that hasn't quite materialized into much over the years other than mostly jibber jab about "I'mma go here one day" and it was left at that. I get high anxiety of the "unknown" and have always felt more at ease with returning to familiar places but just doing something different each time. NO MORE I TELL YA! I'm spreading my wings and hopefully they were strong enough to endure the wind I was about to fly in....THE MEXICAN RIVIERA! 

Those that have followed my family for years on here and my travel website know that we 1) love the water 2) love the beach 3) love to snorkel 4) love to scuba 5) love the water 6) love the heat 7) love the beauty of the clear aqua sea and did I mention we love the water? Why have I held back for so long on visiting the Mexican Riviera...just plain scared...of...the water!  I read the stories, not crystal clear water, not the beautiful aqua turquoise color, not warm water (well unless you peed in it and we'll get to that at a later time...just saying), windy and the ship be rockin!  Ok, I got this! Cheers to new experiences.

We booked the Panorama from March 30 to April 7th. An 8 day glorious cruise to: Cabo, La Paz, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Woo Hoo!

And so it begins...

I have to say that once we booked, planning was a grizzly bear in every essence. The only thing I knew about any of these ports are WHALES! I had read so much about people going to the Riviera to see the whales and I knew that was on the bucket list. I did know that the date that we would be going was toward the VERY end of whale season and I was holding out all hope that we would be able to catch a few stragglers left behind still...(for those that know my family, think of it as a Kendra whale...always late for everything). But, I knew there was a possibility that they might be gone and I might have a pouting party, but I was going to book a whale watching tour anyhow. 

Then of course we always have to scuba dive in one port. The other 2 ports I had never heard of would end up being quite the challenge for me...up until the week before the cruise. I was flying by the seat of my pants this cruise, for the most part at least.

Now let's talk air flights! Or should I call them fights because I was really fighting to pull the trigger on getting back home. They were so expensive!! They should cut me a break for having to endure such a long flight and the time change involved in this trip. Don't all you east coast people agree? If I was going to have an extra long day of flights, I'm going to at least make it worth it...on the way home, we're going to Vegas for a lay over and gamble our sorrows away!  Ok, air flights purchased. 

The only thing left was to pack. I usually start packing weeks, if not a month, ahead of time. I'm an over achiever in everything I do. I'm always afraid I'll forget something. I'm a planner that has everything booked, reservations made way in advance, arrive to the airport 3 hours early and has a carry on bag full anything you might need during a flight...just in case...including Aleve because I felt this trip I was gonna need it. Then you have the hubby and daughter who just throws everything into the suitcase the night before all while not thinking they'll need underwear or socks for this vacation. I don't know who trained them but it sure wasn't me!  

Our flight left at 6:10am which means that we were up by 3:15am and out the door on our way to the airport by 4am. I was not sure what it would be like there since it was Spring Break.

After parking the car, it was time to catch the shuttle over to the airport. I always take a picture of us waiting for the shuttle with our luggage. We met a strange-r and decided to include him in the picture as we waited. 

We have a small airport, which never seems to be too crowded, but this would be the exception. There was an extremely long line in security winding around the inside of the airport. Once we made it up closer we would see they had an area blocked off with the drug sniffing dog. They had us walk in the area, two at a time, and then get in line where you normally would. This is a first for us. They've never done that at our airport before. Once we made it up to check in, they also had face recognition. Another new feature AND we didn't have to remove our shoes or coat.

Time to board the plane and begin this adventure....

So....I guess it's time to introduce you to our "other" family member that will be joining us this cruise...the "strange-r" in the picture above. Actually he is no stranger but basically a part of the family. He's like another son to us...I think somewhere along the line we have adopted him and didn't realize it. He is work boy...at least that's what we've called him for the last year and a half. He is Sakari's boyfriend she has had a major crush on (and vice versa) for such a long time and the stars finally aligned for them after her major breakup awhile back from a 3 year relationship she was in that was no good for her. He's such a nice boy with great values, great goals in life, goes to a Christian school and has a good head on his shoulders. He's smart, kind, funny and treats her (and us) so well. We love him to death. But most of all, he says we are the best cooks and make the best meals he's ever tasted...but tells us not to tell his mom that. Shhhh. You just can't help but love him right? He's also 6'2" and can reach things for me I can't. He's like a built in ladder when you need it!  lol

He hasn't experienced a lot in life going places and trying new things and he was so excited about this trip...and I was so worried about this trip for that reason (knowing it wasn't going to be like the other places we've been and he might not get the full experience that he's used to seeing us on in the Caribbean). But, we're doing this!

So this is "Karl" and no this is not his real name, but yes this is what we call him. I'll explain...my sons girlfriend started calling him Karl at family events and holidays awhile back. We wasn't sure why. We found it funny and the name stuck. A long time went by before she found out his name wasn't even Karl. By that time, he had grown accustomed to the name because that's what we call him all the time and yes, he answers to it. So, we will continue to call him Karl. lol

Boarding the plane, Sakari has always touched the plane before entering for "good luck" and this time we would have extra good luck this time around. This momma was gonna need it!

This plane was pretty full and we were headed to Phoenix on the way there. It was a 4 hour and 25 minute flight and would be the first time I didn't have to fight Sakari for the window seat. Since Southwest only has 3 row seats, we would be split up this time with the kids sitting in front of us and a stranger beside us. Cheers to new adventures. 

Our new friend that sat with us was interesting...he catches hawks for a living and relocates them. Say what????  I didn't realize this was a thing and how does one decide one day to apply for this job? It was interesting for sure.

I have to say, I love traveling when it's dark out and watching the sun come up when you're way up in the sky. It is always so pretty!

Once we got closer to Phoenix, we started to see the mountains. It was so beautiful. 

Somehow I missed the snack cart earlier so they actually gave me a full can of pop and loaded me up with goodies for this long trip. I'm throwing my hands up and surrendering this cruise and going off my keto diet for once and the once begins now.

More of the beautiful mountains below. You see the last time (and only time) I have ever traveled west, we went to Vegas and we arrived late at night so I didn't get to see all of this coming in and it was so exciting this time around.

Welcome to Phoenix! We were rushing to the other side of the terminal...it's quite a long walk...well at least for the 3 of us. Karl has long legs and is a track and cross country runner and he was able to walk faster than us on the floor than us walking on the people mover if that tells you anything.

We arrive to Gate C6 as instructed on our tickets only to find out that the gate had been changed to Gate D8...which just so happens to be right back on the other side of the terminal where we got off the plane! Seriously? It was another fast paced walk back to our starting point and I managed to grab a quick salad to take with me on the plane. I had worked up an appetite along the way.

That sign should read "WELCOME BACK TO GATE D8"...just saying.

Time to board the plane for our next flight to LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA!!!

Do you realize they sell salad kits that come with no forks? Yea, I didn't either. I was forced to eat with my hands. Let this be a lesson...carry a fork with you if you plan on getting a salad at the airport.

And we were off again...

More beautiful snow covered mountains in the distance.

It was a short flight to Long Beach and the excitement grew as we started to see water and what looked like a beach. 

Wait, is that a ship I see? It looked like Carnival. Did I get my days mixed up? Does the Panorama come in the day before and spend the night? I had no clue what was going on.

Wait what is this? We are getting off the plane outside? It felt like we were in the Caribbean because this is the only place we've ever done something like this. 

This airport was so pretty. It was all open in the middle with palm trees. It honestly felt like we were in the Caribbean at an airport. I loved it!

Even the baggage claim was open aired. Pretty neat!

I just love small airports. I would pick to fly in to here any day!!

We had booked the Hyatt Regency Long Beach using....drum roll...AARP! My newly discovered friend that I signed up for after reading on these boards that you could purchase Carnival gift cards to pay for things at a discounted price. I never knew all the things you could save money on and like most people, I thought it was for older retired people and I refuse to admit that I'm the age I am and have always ignored all the junk mail I get from them. But saving is saving and now I'm a part of the AARP group. 

We summoned an Uber XL, because there's no way we are all fitting in a car with luggage, and it would cost us $39.70 to get to our hotel. Check in wasn't supposed to be until 4pm but they had our room ready for us when we arrived a little after 10am. 

The hotel is super nice, great location and just beautiful. It's also within walking distance to a lot of places to kill your time while there. We just loved it here and wouldn't hesitate to stay here again if we do this cruise.

This was our view from our window:

You see all the little boats down there on the water? They are swan boats and I was excited to ride in them! During check in they gave us a card and told us to scan it and we could ride for free!

The hotel is extremely large and also has a restaurant on site for all meals, a large hot tub and pool.

The kids wanted to head to the pool, but it was closed for some reason. I personally didn't think it was warm enough for swimming. The brisk cold air had me already second guessing if I had brought enough warm clothes. 

So, we decided to take a walk and check out the area. There was a long bridge/walkway attached to the hotel area that we went out and it goes up and over the swan lake and roadway and to the other side. So...why not?

They had a lot of fencing up on the bridge and along the roads. I would later find out that they were having a Grand Prix race April 19-21. I'm so glad we missed this event. I can only imagine the traffic and delays during this time!

There's our hotel!

So you see this ferris wheel and what looked like a roller coaster off in the distance? It was at the local mall that was right next door to our hotel. It was one of the reasons I actually booked this particular hotel. I figured it would give the kids something to do while we were there. However, it wasn't open during our stay. I'm not sure why. 

They thought they were cute dressing alike. 

We walked up and over to the marina side. It was real pretty over there. We did see a lot of people going to the lighthouse as well. 

There are plenty of places to shop at and also eat.

They have a lock wall and you could even buy a lock from a vendor along the waterfront to leave your mark there with the others.

There's one thing you will learn about Karl during this review and that is that he's a human garbage disposal. Despite his thin physique he eats...non-stop and everything in site and doesn't think twice about asking "Are you gonna eat that?"  Well of course, he's hungry. My small finger salad didn't tie me over for very long and I agreed...it was time to have some lunch.

We picked a nice little pizza place on the waterfront and elected to sit outside by the water.

The pizza here was really good! We all enjoyed it and the views from our table. 

After lunch Karl inquired "Wait, that was lunch right? It wasn't dinner right? We are going to eat dinner still right?" Ahhh, dear Karl, I'm not going to starve you to death. No worries (although my bank account had me questioning that statement).

There's one thing I promised Karl's mother and that was not to let him out of my site when we were in any port off the ship. I'm not sure if you would call this a port but I stopped to take a picture of this cute little sea horse bench and turned around and there was no Karl. 

Now remember, we had just had lunch...and this is where I found him.

Yep, he was eating again but this time ice cream. He just never stops eating. Thank goodness we would be on the ship tomorrow with all the food his little heart desires.

I had to have him stop for a picture of prof of him still eating. At this point, Sakari decided to tie his hair back (she loves his long hair and calls him her skater boy despite the boy can't skate worth a darn even though he bought a skate board just to roll around with Sakari and fit the profile lol) so that he could eat his ice cream in a controlled environment of wind blown hair.

The Queen Mary was off in the distance. I had considered staying here because it seems to be "the" thing to do but now I'm glad I didn't. I started reading about it being haunted and I would have freaked out had anything weird happened...just saying.

We headed on down toward the water. They had places you could rent the little bicycle/cab like contraptions that we could all roll around in but not thinking about this walk, I decided we were just going to hoof it around and explore. I would later regret this.

We walked along the waterfront and would find multiple birds hanging out where people were fishing. They waited patiently just wanting a handout. It was cute. It was a long walk. They were still there on our way back. They must know this is the bird diner when people arrive. 

We walked and walked and would discover at the end of this trail, it was a dead end and we would have to turn around and head back in the same direction. Oops. Yep, I was really wishing we had rented that bike now! My leg was hurting and swelling at this point but I kept going on...just a little slower than before.

When we got close to the hotel again, I decided to go back to the room and grab our rolling luggage. I wanted to walk to the store near by to get pop for the ship. One thing I love about Carnival is that they still allow you to bring a case of pop (12 pack) for each person. This time, I would get to load up with 4 cases. Woo Hoo! Score!

The closest grocery store was a place called VONS. It was several blocks down and over but we easily found it using our maps on the phone. We walked in and it was just like a Kroger (where Karl and Sakari work). Their deals seemed to be the same and I think the hubby said something about Vons actually being owned by Kroger so that explained it. However, we had to sign up for their app to get the deals: Buy 2 get 3 free. Wait, what were we going to do with an extra case of pop? It looked like we were going to be caffeined up tonight! They made announcements codes over the loud speaker and of course Sakari and Karl felt right at home and knew exactly what that code meant. 

So we get to the register, check out, and then the card reader goes down and won't work. Karl, being a person who works in customer service at Kroger, knows all the codes to enter and does so.  Well, he effectively broke it and we had to move over to another register to pay for it. Talk about upset people in line behind us oops. But I was armed with my caffeine and that's all that mattered. 

Back to the hotel to rest for awhile because I knew I wanted to still do the swan boats. My foot/leg was killing me at this point.

There goes the Radiance...not the Panorama. 😄 

We could see the little shops that we walked to from our room. Man that was a long walk.

Anyone interested in just how far we walked...well let me show you (AND, I might add, my phone and watch died during this process and needed to be charged so it didn't capture the entire walk).

The kids decided they were going to go swimming. I thought they were nuts but from our window we could see others in the pool. It was now open. The front desk did make a comment that they keep the water 80 degrees at all times. But what about the air? Can you up the temperature on that as well please?

I knew there was no way I was getting in that water no matter how warm it was. It was still cold outside and in the 60's. No way! You get out of the water and freeze to death. 

The hubby and I played several games of corn hole while the kids enjoyed the pool and hot tub. It was SO WINDY that it made the game quite interesting to say the least. You never knew where the bean bags would end up at.

We also tried a game of life sized Jenga...the wind kept blowing it over as well. I elected to sit by the fire because I was freezing!

The life guard watching over everyone in the pool:

When the kids started to freeze over, it was time to leave and head to the room for hot showers to warm up. The hotel did have a large vending type machine that you scan your card, open the door, then you could grab heated towels. That was a plus. 

After warming up, Karl was hungry. Well Karl...you are going to have to work for it. We are going to the swan boats and you kids are going to chauffeur us around in it while doing all the work. Such disappointed looks in their eyes. HA!

But I told them "It's for the review. I gotta have what fun it was for the review I'll be doing. Look like you're both having fun I said!"

It was a lot of fun...at least for us. But it was FREEZING!

They did have an aquarium next to our hotel. I had thought about going there but it got too late.

The sun was setting and Karl's belly was growling very loudly at me and we headed back. I liked that we went during the evening because they had the lights on the swan all lit up and it was so pretty. 

Ok Karl, we can eat now. After such a long day, I really didn't feel like walking any further than the hotel and we decided we would just eat at the hotel. 

Karl didn't waste any time.

They also had a mini store there.

And if you forgot any supplies, CVS was there to help with a vending machine.

The hubby and I got a Chicken Teriyaki bowl, which was good but only came with about 5 pieces of chicken in it. Sakari got a Poke bowl and liked it. Karl got a cheeseburger and fries and it only came with 6 fries. The food was good but a disappointment that they were so stingy with the food. We had a $10 off coupon that was given to us at the front desk. They only allow you to use this IF you charge the meal to your room. So, just an FYI. 

After dinner we headed to the room to watch a movie (RoboCop, which was really good) and I would take pictures of the night lights outside our window.

We were all tired after the movie and headed to bed around 10pm. ZzzzZzz