Cabo San Lucas

Los Arcos

     The iconic Los Arcos greets cruisers when they arrive at Cabo San Lucas. If it is the last port of call then it is directly across from the bow of the ship with the beautiful morning light playing on the rock face. If it is the first stop then climb on deck and view the Baja coast as the ship cruises around Land's End before droping anchor. Either way it is an extrordinary site.

     The first time I visited Cabo was in 1997. Then it was still a sleepy resort community. The timeshare boom had not begun and the first shopping consisted of a dusty flea market before you arrived at downtown. Now it has a modern cruise port where ship's tenders drop off passengers and then the shopping begins.

     A stroll through the shopping and restuarants along the harbor will bring you to the downtown area and from there you can keep walking to Medano Beach or just hang out aroung the harbor. There will be plenty of vendors trying to vie for yor business. The most prominent are the water taxis that will take you to Medano Beach or out to Lovers Beach. The round trip is about $7 per person.

Lovers Beach

      Lovers Beach is definetyl worth the the taxi fare. There are no facilities at the beach so bring your own water (or other beverage of choice) and a towel and be prepared to enjoy a few hours in the sun at this natural wonder.  Lovers Beach is located on the Sea of Cortez side of the Baja Penisula. Through the gap in the rocks you can walk over to Divorce Beach which faces the Pacific Ocean. Why the different names you might ask? At Lovers Beach it is possible to swim and snorkle in the relative calm of the Sea of Cortez waters. Divorce Beach is another matter. Here the water of the Pacific crash against a beach that has a steep drop off. The rip tides that are created are extremely dangerous and swimming is out of the question. Hence if you are looking to "dump" a significan other just push them into the Pacific.

     The weather in Cabo is wonderful in January with high temperature usually in the low to mid 80's and the lows in the mid to high 60's. In the morning the Sea of Cortez is typically smooth as glass and the sport fishing boats are headed out to open ocean. In Cabo fishing for marlin is a way of life. Also, from November to April the humpback whales are present in these warm waters feeding and calving. From the cruise ship you can watch for whale spouts.

Frigate Bird

      Overhead you will find Frigate Birds circling. There are the everpresent sea gulls and some of the most beautiful Pelicans. Seals line the rocks heading out to Los Arcos and they have been known to follow the water taxis. You will also spot dolphins.

downtown Cabo

      So what do you do with your time. Cabo has plenty of duty free shops were you can buy anything from t-shirts to fine jewelry. Here you can find some wonderful Mexican Vanilla but I would suggest waiting to purchase tequila until you visit Puerto Vallarta.



shopping plaza



      If you get thirsty there are plenty of places to purchase reasonably priced libations. You can usually find a Pacifico for $1.50 a bottle. Typically meals are also vary affordable. The people in Cabo are friendly and willing to help point you in the right direction. I am looking forward to spending 2 days in this port. My wife and high have a snorkle excursion planned to Chileno Bay and Santa Maria Bay. Next up Pueto Vallarta.            

Cabo Restuarant

Final Video



     So here is the final video from my 2006 cruise to the Western Caribbean.  The final 2 ports that are on this video are Belize and Costa Maya. I must say it is hard to believe that it was 6 years ago that I was on the Carnival Miracle. The Miracle is a Spirit Class ship whose sisters include the Carnival Spirit, Carnival Pride and Carnival Legend.

    I am very excited because the Miracle is repositioning to the West Coast to replace the Splendor on the Mexican Riviera itinerary. I look forward to being aboard her again. Well enjoy. 



Ports of Call

Costa Maya Mexico

          Where would you like to visit? How long would you like to cruise? These are a couple of  questions that cruisers have to ask themselves. From the warmth of the Caribbean to the spectacular scenery of Alaska; the ancient ruins of Greece to the canals of Venice. Of course there are always those who don't care where the cruise because the ship is the destination. Three days, seven days, ten days, fourteen days or how about a 103 day cruise around the world.  There is a cruise length and itinerary for everyone.

Belize

     In January I am headed to one of my favorite destinations the Mexican Riviera. Though it has been much maligned in the news it is still a very safe and beautiful destination. Since I live on the west coast in beautiful Oceanside California it is easy to drive to Long Beach, San Pedro or San Diego to embark on a 7 day cruise. Just load up the luggage and head for the cruise terminal without the extra stress associated with flying.  

San Diego

   

     I like to research the port stops and decide what I would like to do while there. With limited time it pays to have a game plan. Since I have been to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta several times I usually play it be ear and just kind of hang out. However this year my wife and I have booked a snorkle shore excursion in Cabo. We are going to Santa Maria and Chilean bay. My wife is an avid diver and I enjoy snorkling so we are looking forward to visiting this marine sanctuary in the Sea of Cortez.

     In latter posts I will go in to greater detail about my up coming ports of call. In the meantime enjoy my next installment of our cruise to the Western Caribbean.