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

Cruising on Carnival

   So what is a Carnial Cruise like. Well it depends on who you ask. So let me share with you my experience of Cruising with Carnival. My very first cruise was on the Carnival Jubilee in 1997. By today's standards she was a very small ship. Since then I have cruised on the Carnival Miracle and the Carnival Spirit and in January I will be aboard the Carnival Splendor.
  The days and nights are filled with a plethera of activities from the staid to the zany and everthing in between. You can participate in a trivia game, go and watch the men's hairy chest competion or take a ballroom or line dancing class. Do as much or as little as you like.Rest and lounge by the pool or try you luck at the casino. After you have built up an appetite head for the buffet for lunch and make sure to go to the dining room for dinner and enjoy a 5 course meal finished with chocolate melting cake.
  I thoroughly enjoy Carnival. The staterooms are some of the largest at sea and range from inside cabins of appoximately 165 sqft. to ocean view cabins that  are 200 sqft. The balconies add another 40 sqft of balcony and the suites are spacious.
  Lyndelle and I really enjoy lounging by the pool especially the aft pool with a view of the wake. There are usually less kids and it is a tamer spot. We always try and find the ping pong tables so we can continue are marital rivalry. The hot tubs are great and with the breathtaking views it is an experience to be savored. After all that I have to climb to the top of the waterslide and enjoy the 300 ft trip down.
 The buffet aboard a Carnival ship has great traffic flow and several specialty food stations. There is a New York Style deli that serves the best hot pastrami sandwiches. Also, the self serve drink stations are wonderful serving coffee, iced or hot tea, and a variety of juices. Plus there is the free soft serve ice cream.
 So after all that calorie intake I need to mention the large gym. The Splendor has a 2 deck 40,000 sqft spa. The work out equipment is top notch from treadmills to stairmasters to elipticals to stationary bikes. There are yoga and spinning classes.
  Once the sun goes down it is time to head to the dining room and be served great delicacies. We love the night that escargo is served. After dinner it is time to head to the theater for a great show followed by karoake or dancing.
 So check out the video below. It is from our 2006 cruise aboard the Carnival Miracle where we visited Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Costa Maya. The first part is an overview of the ship and the various public spaces. The Miracle is smaller than the Splendor. This will give you an idea of what a Carnival Ship looks like with the 14 deck atrium that is standard aboard all Carnival ships. The second half is the sailaway out of Tampa, Ice Carving, a Fun Day at Sea.and the always popular Hairy Chest Competion. In coming posts I will share other events from that cruise as well as re-introduce everyone to the much maligned but beautiful Mexican Riviera.

Lyndelle Stonicks 2013 Art Cruise Workshop

     In six months we sail again along the Mexican Riviera for seven days aboard the Carnival Splendor. It is the Splendor's farewell cruise from Long Beach prior to repositioning in the Caribbean for 2013. We are headed back to the Mexican Riviera by popular demand. No flights if you live in Southern California and all you have to do is unpack once to enjoy our ports of call in Cabo San Lucas for 2 nights and the lovely Puerto Vallerta located on the Bay of Banderas.
   The pricing for this cruise is only $589 per person double occupancy for an unobstructed ocean view stateroom. Balconies are $889 per person double occupancy. For artists who would like to participate in the workshop "Capturing Elusive Light" the cost is and additional $200 per artitst. For more info on the workshop visit www.lyndelle.com.

I will be posting more shortly. Here is a taste of the fun times that Carnival offers onboard. If you would like more information please contact me.