Kelish Family Mexican Riviera Cruise

The blog has been quiet lately, but the same cannot be said for the goings-on of the Kelish Family!

Considering that this is the first post covering events of 2017, I have some catching up to do... but not today.  We recently returned from a fantastic 7-day Mexican Rivera cruise and I am so eager to blog about it that the first two months of 2017 will just have to wait!

Though this was our fourth cruise as a family, it was still full of "firsts", beginning with the fact that it was our longest cruise at 7 days. It was also our first time on the Carnival Miracle, a ship significantly larger than the Inspiration and Imagination, the other Long Beach-based ships we have sailed on previously. The longer itinerary took us farther south to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta, which were new ports for the kids (though we only actually got off the ship in Mazatlán). The most significant "first", however, was that this was our first time ever cruising with Shaun's dad and stepmom--Grandpa Steve and Grandma Cindy!

Our adventure began with the drive to L.A. on Friday, March 3, a day before the cruise departed. (We have now made this drive so often that it feels quite short, and are considering just driving down the morning of the cruise next time!). After a visit and dinner with Grandma Bette and Shaun's aunt and uncle in West Covina, we continued over to Long Beach and checked into our trusty Super 8 motel for the night. We enjoyed a leisurely morning and made it to the cruise terminal in perfect time for our scheduled check-in at 1pm. It was the latest we've ever arrived to board a ship (due to Carnival's newly-implemented timed check-in procedures), but it was also probably the smoothest and fastest check-in and boarding we've ever experienced. Our trip was off to a great start and it only got better from there!

After checking out our staterooms, our first stop was the Lido deck for our first meal of the cruise

Eloise kicking off the cruise right with the first of many ice cream cones

Avalon posing with another one of the girls' favorite cruise treats

Day 2 of the cruise, a sea day, started off with some coloring and Play Doh

Eddie presenting me with a picture he drew :)

Meanwhile, Avalon checked out the limited TV program selection. This ended up being the only time we watched TV all week, aside from an hour or so of news later in the cruise.

After breakfast Shaun and I explored the ship with Avalon (who refused to join Ellie and Eddie in the kid's club)

The Kelish men at dinner on Day 2, the first of two "Elegant Nights"

Lovely Kelish ladies

Our waiter, Dio, presenting Ellie with a paper crane he made for her

Dio went on to create many origami creatures for the girls over the course of the week

Breakfast pool-side on Day 3, which was a port day in Cabo San Lucas

After breakfast I took a few shots of Cabo from the Lido deck

Cabo sure has changed over the last couple decades! I don't remember any of these condos existing on my first visit to Cabo in 1998, and there sure are a lot more than on my last visit in 2009.

A shot of "Land's End", home to Cabo's famous arch, which is the southernmost point of Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

I was outnumbered in my desire to get off the ship and hit the beach, so we stayed onboard and enjoyed the empty ship, pools and miniature golf course (and naturally, some cocktails).

A shot of the girls and I with Lands End in the background

After some time in the pool we tried to play a game of mini-golf, but soon after I took this pic Ellie threw a tantrum of epic proportions. Back to the room we went for some quiet time.

After a little solitary chill-out time on our [AMAZING] extended, premium balcony, it was time to nap and re-charge for the second half of the day. We managed to get the kids to take a good nap every afternoon of the cruise!

Ellie was all smiles again later at dinner, when this fellow named Vivek did a couple magic tricks for us. Vivek entertained us with magic a few times throughout the cruise, which was another cruise "first". In all my cruises, this was the first time I've ever experienced a wandering magician in the dining room. Very cool!

Morning snuggles on Day 4, a port day in Mazatlán. We woke up early to get ready for our only scheduled excursion of the cruise--horseback riding on the beach! (Eddie stayed behind on the ship with Grandpa and Grandma)

A shot of Shaun and Ellie on the water taxi over to Stone Island in Mazatlan

Excited for our horseback riding adventure!

A shot of a passing water taxi that was identical to the one we were on

A shot of our ship as we passed by on the water taxi in route to Stone Island

Love this pic of the four of us on our horses! We had such a great time on this tour, which we booked independently through a wonderful family-owned business called Maria's Happy Horses.

The girls were secured to their saddles with a special harness used for small riders, and their very gentle horses were led by a guide the entire time.

Enjoying a glass of fresh mango juice at a beachfront restaurant after the ride. (Actually she didn't enjoy it very much, so Ellie and I ended up polishing it off together.)

In this photo you can also see the giant coconut we ordered--this was the first time I've ever drank from a fresh coconut! Soooooo good!

Once back on board we met up with Grandma and Grandpa and Eddie, ate lunch, and headed back to our stateroom for nap time... where Eddie posed with this little critter who snuck into our room while we were out and about.

I took this pic from our balcony as we sailed away from Mazatlán. I think Mazatlán is my favorite port on this Mexican Riviera itinerary, which I've sailed many times. It is "real" Mexico and always a memorable experience.

Kicking off Day 5 with some funny face pics after breakfast. We were docked in Puerto Vallarta and joined by a Norweigan Cruise Line ship (in the background).

This is what happens when I request a "nice picture"

The boys chillin' in the pool! I was outnumbered again in my desire to get off the ship so we enjoyed yet another day of having the ship almost entirely to ourselves!

We FINALLY got Eddie to get in the water, and once we did, he couldn't get enough!

A time out from swimming for our daily "ice cream break"

Oh my goodness, how sweet is this little face?! This boy was like a real celebrity on board! The staff and crew were obsessed with him! One of his many admirers even told us that they were talking about him down on the crew decks--"Have you seen the little boy with the curly blonde hair???" No joke... the level of attention actually started to wear on us by the end of the cruise!

Father and Son at Sea Day Brunch on Day 6. This was the first time we've done the Sea Day brunch with the kids (and we loved it so much we dragged Grandma and Grandpa along for it again the next day!).

I'm not sure I've ever seen Ellie smile as big as she did when her chocolate chip pancakes--coated in chocolate sauce--were placed in front of her. :)

Our sensible first-born opted for plain pancakes

Daddy wanted me to take a picture of him with his food, also. :-P

Eddie making a "mustache" with his bacon. We later ran into a couple in the elevator who said they saw him do this at breakfast (though they thought he was making a "smile") and that is was the cutest thing ever. Celebrity Eddie attracting attention yet again! 

After brunch we hung out poolside with Grandpa and Grandma, where Grandpa entertained the "E's" with his infamous storytelling while Avalon swam. Avalon clocked floatie-free hours upon hours in the pools this cruise and has become a bonafide swimmer as a result!

Another shot of the Miracle's MPC (Most Popular Cruiser)

I couldn't help snapping these pics of my sleeping beauties later that afternoon :)

Rested and ready for dinner, the second "Elegant Night" of the cruise.

Grandpa and Grandma at dinner. We all ate together in the dining room every night of the cruise but one (when Shaun and I ate at Nick and Nora's, the AMAZING specialty steak house on board).

Eddie wasn't too impressed by the waiters' song-and-dance routine

...but he enjoyed waving his napkin around to the music!

Grandpa surprised Grandma with an early birthday cake and "Happy Birthday" serendade from our waiters! (Her birthday was actually 3 days later).

Story time back in our cabin after dinner

Kelish Kids having fun at Sea Day Brunch on the final day of our cruise

Love this pic of my blue-eyed blondies

How perfect is this? The girls had fun with the Dr. Seuss cutouts placed outside the dining room on the last day of our cruise. There is a special "Green Eggs and Ham" breakfast offered on the final sea day for an additional fee, which we didn't take advantage of (hey, gotta save something new for the next cruise!).

I took this random shot of the boys climbing the stairs in the atrium from the photo gallery. After looking through all the photos taken during the cruise and finally deciding on one, we headed back to the pool for a few hours and enjoyed a relaxing final day at sea.

A scan of the photo we purchased, a family portrait from the first Elegant Night.

A shot of us watching a show in the theater on the last night. We went to a total of three shows throughout the cruise.

Eddie getting a hug from one of his girlfriends at dinner on the last night

A pic of the kids with our assistant waiter

The last pic I took during the cruise... at breakfast on debarkation day. I returned from the buffet with my plate of food to find my son with a lipstick print on his cheek. One of his many admirers had stopped by our table to give him a good-bye kiss in the short time I was gone!

Whoops, no, this was the last pic I took on our cruise. A shot of Eddie's scrambled eggs, which were so light and fluffy he was able to eat them with his bare hands. I took this pic for the benefit of my mom, who deemed her only Carnival cruise unsatisfactory because of the poor quality of the scrambled eggs alone. :-P My parents and brother are cruising with us next time (a lonnnnng 11 months away) so I'm hoping the eggs are of this same quality the next time we sail! ;)

It was another fantastic cruise and it kills me a little bit that I have to wait until February for the next one! Luckily we have plenty of other fun adventures planned between now and then... but for the Kelish Family, there's just nothing like a cruise. It's the perfect family vacation for this season of life and there's nothing we'd rather do than be at sea, playing and relaxing and dining while en route to another fantastic destination. Good thing time flies, because we can't wait to be back on board!