Mexico Cruising - Let's Muster

(Saturday, August 5th, 2023)

We woke up well rested at the cabin and it was great that no one had to drive the whole night. That is always doable but less fun for the people Tyler who usually is full of energy drink and still super tired through the day. 

We had a less than 2 hour drive to get to the port so we stopped by a Wal-Mart to grab soda and other odds and ends we needed. (I grabbed extra power C, since staying healthy on the cruise is important.)

We decided to park at the port this time. It is the first time we have done that. You pay for it, for sure. It is around $23 a day. But it is the easiest transition we have done yet. Park car. Drop off luggage. Walk to the port.  Get in line. Easy.

The line wasn’t long to get through security and check in, but we were a bit early for our boarding time. So we chilled in the huge, domed building waiting for our turn. Did you know that women in Florida only have one leg?

When it was our turn to board, there was still a long line to get through. But everyone was excited and it wasn’t bad. We lined our soda up on the hand rail and made a little soda train. (p.s. We did not drink all that soda. We probably only needed three packs, if that.)

And then we were on the boat. Gotta take a picture as you walk across the bridge. It’s really happening!!

We broke into two groups right away. Our cabins were on different floors. Tyler, Ivory, Daisy and Pearl were up on 8, and June, Beau, and I were down on 2. That meant different Muster stations, so we went to get that taken care of right away. Even so, the other group got distracted by the art. Ivory took this picture for me since Beau had just showed us a horror short a day or two before. Thanks for the reminder, Ives. 

How did these two find ice cream so fast?

Lunch was a bit of a hustle. I’ve never gone with a group this large before. It’s a little trickier to find a table that fits everyone, especially during the boarding. But we found a spot and settled in. In fact, I saved the table while people grabbed food and I got a couple shots of the harbor. We were just in that building.

The afternoon was exploring, getting into the cabins, unpacking, and more exploring. 

We stopped to watch the boat depart from port when it was time. Hope everyone has their sea legs. From here on out, it will be a bit sloshy.

This is when I took the most epic picture of the cruise. Beau had shown me how to use the .5 setting to get those long legged pictures in the last post. I thought it would be fun to try it out. So I held the camera out to the side and took a picture.

Yikes. I turned into a blimp. It was actually really funny. Tyler said we should send the picture to Jonny and say this is what I looked like after a week of eating cruise food. Two of the girls immediately sent this picture to themselves, most likely to use as blackmail later. I’m just saying…it isn’t the best picture of me. 🙂

The rest of the afternoon was pretty chill. We scouted around some more. We made sure to figure out where the library was and play a game or two. Lots of selfies as the sun went down. Guys!! We’re on a cruise!

Then it was time for one of the most important things…dinner. It isn’t just that eating is important. It is an experience. You figure out which table is going to be yours for the rest of the week. You meet your waitstaff who you will talk to every night. You figure out how to use the menu. It is an important step.

Ivory decided early on that she was going to try the weird food every night. It is called 'Rare Finds' and they have interesting things that you may have never tried before. The first evening it was Cured Salmon. We had several takers. (I'm very proud of everyone who tried something new or out of their comfort zone on the trip, which was everyone at some point.) Ivory was up first, followed by Beau and June.

It was a resounding NO from all of them, with a firm HECK NO from June. There were varying levels of disgust on their faces. It was actually pretty fun to watch. But Cured Salmon did not make the cut. 

After dinner, we went to watch a movie. They were showing Dungeons & Dragons on the big screen. June, of course, hadn't seen it, but neither had Beau or Ivory. It was super fun to curl up and watch a movie...on a cruise!

It was a great way to end the first day. I could tell that everyone was already having a great time and I was in heaven just to be with all my family and taking a break from the regular. :)

Next up...a day at sea.

Mexico Cruising - The Stuff on the Way

(Friday, August 4th, 2023)

We did it! We went on a family cruise. I've been wanting to do one for a long time. Well, probably not as long as the kids have wanted it. But it seemed like a great way to celebrate June comeing back from her mission. We left just a few weeks after she returned and just before school was starting again; we squished it in there.

I want to remember every minute, so I'm going to put a boatload of pictures on here. (Pun intended) I'll break the posts down by day because that seems easiest. Let's get this show on the road. We chose a cruise to Mexico, mainly because it leaves from California, which we can drive to, which saves us a pretty penny on airfare. Trust me, once you buy tickets for 7 people and then consider excursions...well, you don't want to buy plane tickets as well. 

We left Friday morning and had a nice leisurely drive. Tyler made the activity books for the kids. They really love them. I think those will be one of those fond memories they have when they are grown.

I think most drivers got a chance to drive at some point. Some were rather silly. Tyler and Ivory would put their hands on the ceiling while passing cars. Everyone needs a little extra attention sometimes.

We spent time playing games, listening to music, and imprinting ourselves with Beau's pendant.

We stopped at DQ for lunch. This place was made for Daisy. A spoon for a handle is just her thing.

Since we are Cazier's, it is mandatory that we stop to see weird/interesting things along the way. We found quite a few on our drive to CA. First up was the freaky big spider made out of license plates. We were worried it would follow us if we didn't offer up a sacrifice, so we gave it Pearl. Risk of being the youngest...

Next up was the world's largest thermometer in Baker, CA. It is 134 feet tall to commemorate the hottest recorded temperature of 134° in nearby Death Valley. When we arrived, it said it was 102°. Definitely hot, but I wonder how accurate it was because down the road, a different thermometer said 104°, so who knows?

Inside their little souvenir store, there was a little ring that you could swing onto a hook. It was harder than it looked. No one could manage it, except for me. I got it on my second try. Skilz.

Just across the street was the Mad Greek Cafe, which was a little weird. The food didn't look bad, but we had already eaten.

And then, just down the street from there, was an alien jerky place. We didn't partake of the alien jerky either (thank goodness) but it was a good photo op.

You'd think after four stops, we would be satisfied with our strange location allotment, but we weren't done. Next up was Eddie World. That place is pretty epic. It is like a convenience store on crack. There were so many snacks, and knick-knacks, and whatnot. It's a feast for the eyes.

Just next door to Eddie World is the Liberty Sculpture Park. You can see it from the freeway. We found the back entrance and laughed at the sign that says NO COMMUNISTS ALLOWED. 

But it was not a joke. The whole sculpture park was about the destruction, enslavement, torture, cover-up, scandal, repression, censorship, and totalitarianism of the communist party, specifically in China. It was a very serious sculpture park, where we actually learned a lot and appreciated our country all the more. 

I'm not putting all the sculptures on here, but you can see the Chained Woman, who represents over 48,000 women who were abducted and sold into slavery during a 20 year period in one area alone. The numbers throughout China would probably be astounding. 

The big 64 you can see from the freeway is part of a sculpture that talks about the Tiananmen Square Massacre. (Which happened on June 4th, 6/4. Took me forever to figure out why there was a big 64)

The other one we thought was fascinating was about Covid and the coverup of the new virus. A large sculpture was put up and then burned down by the CCP. Whoa. The rubble from the first sculpture was left alongside the new one. It was pretty cool. But for sure, that sign at the entrance was not a joke.

The sun set on our day of adventures and we found our way to dinner. There were a few palm trees outside. I didn't realize the girls loved palm trees so much. Maybe it's just that they represent a land of warmth.

Our final destination that evening was a cute cabin in the woods. Oddly, there were practically no trees and then we suddenly were in a forest. Seems odd for those to sneak up on you. It was dark at the time though, so maybe that helped in their stealthy ways. The cabin was great. Some people went hot-tubbing, we enjoyed banana muffins for breakfast. It was a great stop on the way. (Pictures were taken in the morning, when it was light.)

We got a good rest, which was excellent since the next day was boarding. Time to get on a cruise ship. Booyah.