First Stop - Puerto Vallarta Mexico

After being at sea for three days, we arrived in Puerto Vallarta Mexico at 8:00am. Stepped out onto the balcony and found a cloudy, very humid day. As the day went on the clouds disappeared and the sun was shining.

Some of the activities to do at shore; shopping, Jeep Safari, Canopy Adventure, Tours, Scuba Diving, Dolphin Tours, Sailing, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Snorkeling Tours, Golf. You sign up for the activities with Carnival's Fun Ashore. Additional cost for this. Price range $25-$200 per person. You can still go ashore without signing up for the Fun Ashore, but your on your own. The boat won't wait for you, so make sure you have plenty of time to get back to the ship.

The port area looked clean with nice a nice grassy area, and just beyond the grass a tall fence.

Walmart is just on the other side of the fence. I looked at my husband and said, Walmart seems to be everywhere. We couldn't help but notice that this Walmart has some covered parking, and a Sam's Club right next to it.

Our Stay at Disney's Grand California Hotel & Spa

When vacationing in California, we always find ourselves staying at the Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. We recently visited to find that they added another pool, whirlpool and a wing of rooms. This wonderful hotel full of natural textures and was the first to be immediately adjacent to the Disney Theme Park.

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, has four pools; Fountain Pool, Children’s Pool, Redwood Pool and the Mariposa Pool. The Redwood Pool has a big waterslide and a very small waterslide for the infants and toddlers.

Pinocchio’s Workshop is a great service for those with small children. For a fee, you can leave your children and enjoy a quiet meal or whatever with the kids. For the older kids Grizzly Game Arcade a great addition to the hotel.

Disney’s Grand California has an entrance to the Downtown Disney and to The California Adventure Park. It’s a short walk or Monorail ride to Disneyland.

This time my family stayed in the new wing. We had a balcony view of California Adventure. I thought the rollercoaster outside my balcony would be really noisy. To our amazement the sliding glass window had really good windows. Great view without the noise.

Traveling On Carnival Cruise

With our spring feeling more like fall, here in the Pacific Northwest. Carnival Cruise was offering a special for a: 7 day Mexican Riviera Cruise

We decided to splurge a bit. Our Spa Balcony stateroom was wonderful. All of us enjoyed the spacious rooms that could sleep four people comfortably. Better yet, some staterooms have connecting doors. Which allows kis to have there own room giving your family even more room.

Returning to our stateroom after dinner, we found towel animals on the bed.

Each stateroom has it's own bathroom with shower. The shower gel, shampoo dispenser and the detachable shower unit, was a nice touch.

Several pools, one with a waterslide, several whirlpools. Some are adult only.

The casino usually was open one hour after leaving port and is closed when at port. Along with the other shops on the ship.

The Carnival Splendor also; has a Spa, Fitness Center, Basketball, Volleyball, Mini Golf, Formal Nights, Trivia Sessions, Bingo Sessions, Lotto, Dancing, Lounge Shows, Comedy acts, Karaoke Party, Single Party's, Restaurants, Buffet Dining and watch movies on the big screen by the pool.

One night at the buffet, they had a "Chocolate Extravaganza". The line was 10-15 minutes long; we thought we were back at Disneyland. But it was worth the wait.

Keep in mind that some activities on and off the ship may cost extra. On the cruise your paper money is only good in the casino. Otherwise, all of your purchases go on your Sail & Sign card. BE WARNED Your account can add up quickly, so visit the guest services to check your account. The arcade takes cash and the Sail & Sign card.

The cruise has several supervised children activities. It's a great way for them to make some new friends and be without mom or dad.

Camp Carnival for 2 to 11 year olds

Circle O for 12 to 14 year olds

ClubO2 for 15 to 17 year olds

You just need to sign them up. They can do some activities or all.