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.