we spent the first full day on the ship at sea. making our way down the baja coast. in the morning we walked the track around the 11th deck. the weather was a little cool, but the sky was clear and the sun was out.
the lovely scenery
breakfast was a hoot. bryan was in shock of all the food that was out. they get you with the food. its always there. and trust me we both felt the effects of it afterward. =) just as a side note we did do a pre cruise weigh in and a post cruise weigh in. those numbers we will not be sharing publicly.
YUM.
our friend ken hosting the sexy legs contest poolside
later that day we hit up the savoy theater to play 2 for 1 bingo. let me tell you that bingo has come a LONG way. we bought a package of punch cards. well... there was also the option of purchasing a personal bingo machine. its electronic and plays some 18 cards at a time. all you have to do it look at the screen. it records all the numbers pulled on all the cards at one time. it alerts you when you are one away from a BINGO. it doesn't seem as fun.
this was beave's first bingo game. we came close a few times. bry was a stander (you stand when you are one number away from the BINGO so they know to listen for BINGO. "I have BO." as in the B column and the O column filled up. i came close to the snowball BINGO. but... we were not victorious in the BINGO winnings.
MONDAY
after some more sun and cleaning up it was time for dinner! formal night. pictured below is a man that was wearing more make up than i was. there were a few "characters" on the ship.
the ship also hosted a honeymooners night.
didn't have any cake... so can't tell you about it.
our friend Ken
our room attendant left us a little something to celebrate. one of my favorite moments happened next... j: "what is is b?" b: "it's an octopus." j: "...those are two swans...." b: "oh, and what's this (pointing to the heart in the foreground filled with rose petals)?" j: "...uh that's a heart bry." b: "oh."
bryan and i spent one night at the mission inn in riverside, california. we stayed in the presidential suite over looking the main courtyard. thank you to braden, blake, and brooke for checking us in and the yummy treats. we really appreciate it.
the view from one of the balconies.
us on the balcony before leaving
our "room" was more like a small house on top of the building. we had a complete living quarter that was huge! we ate breakfast in the room in the morning. we pulled a table in front of the doors to one of our balconies and ate while taking in the view of the hotel court yard, etc.
outside making a stop for better lighting
we went by my parents house to say thank you to everyone again. and visit before taking off.
bryan running back from the car
when we gathered up our things i packed my cell phone in my main suit case. this would create a problem when we got to the pier and i couldn't find my phone. we desperately tried calling the hotel, the house, the target we had to make a stop at on the way out, every where, and every one we could think of before setting sail. bryan even ran from the ship back to the car after going through security just to double check that i didn't drop it along the way or in the car. stupid me packed it away and found it later that night after our luggage was delivered to our room. idiot.
our ship left out of san pedro california. we were going on a cruise the mexican riviera. i'd never done that before. however, i had been on our ship before. i had taken this ship, the mariner of the seas, from royal caribbean a few summers ago with my family on one of our cruises through the caribbean. that was neat that bryan had planned a trip for us that i had never been on, but the ship was still familiar. what are the odds? i liked that our destinations were new, but the hotel on waves was new in a different way with bryan. this was bryan's first cruise and my fifth. so excited.
our room was on the 10th floor and had a balcony. that was good for bryan and being a first time cruiser. he wouldn't have to worry about the teeny tiny rooms, just the tiny room. we both get motion sickness so the openness of our room helped out.
we toured the ship and went to the opening show that night. there was a comedian (as always) and a juggler/comedian (www.chuckisfunny.com). bryan's mouth was open almost the entire show in amazement. it was great to watch him just fall in love with the experience.
we had late night dinner seating on this cruise. we ate in one of the three dining rooms. our floor was called rhapsody in blue. our table included us, and 3 guys from canada. one of which was the cruise ship's activities manager. he had all the tips for the cruise.
we told them we were celebrate our honeymoon. they offered us a bottle of champagne to get the party started. we politely declined. that would become the topic of conversation for the remainder of the night. they vowed that they would have us drinking by the end of the cruise. on the contrary it was other way around... shirley temples all around!
waiting for the opening night show to start
we can't forget the detail of the days of the week being in laid into the carpet each day. i think its to help all of those that are intoxicated to remember what day it is. but it really does serve a good purpose when you are out to sea it really does help you keep some track of reality. anywho, we made it into a daily photo shoot. model for the job: bryan bluth.
next day... day at sea
next port of call... cabo san lucas
most of you know that our honeymoon was a secret to me the entire time we were engaged. bryan made it his mission to make sure that i had no idea where we were going, how we would get there, etc. i was completely clueless. i tired relentlessly to get it out of him. to no avail i came up empty handed with no answer.
i started to get really stressed out about it about a month and a half before the big day. i am an A-type personality. so i love to make a list of things that i pack and things that i need to pick up, etc. i am pretty anal and i usually make a list of each outfit and the different outfit combinations i can make for the trip with the clothes in the suitcase.
not to mention the fact that i didn't know if i should pack for a cold environment or a warm beachy environment. i was going crazy. packing for a cruise for example is different than packing for a resort stay. packing for the mountains is different than the city. sigh. you can see my predicament.
so fast forward day of the wedding. still had no idea where i was going on my first vacation as a wife. we made it all the way until the wedding reception. occasionally a guest here or there would ask where we were going. i covered my ears and sang to myself while bryan shared the destination. i was being good about it.
tess. courtney. annie.
we had found sometime between waves of guest to walk around and chat with some friends. bryan's wonderful friends from utah came all the way down to help celebrate. annie, tess, and courtney. we chatted and exchanged short stories. annie then asked me if i was excited for our honey moon. i said yes. and she replied "cruises are so much fun."
i didn't really know what to say. i had a few things running through my head all at once: "are we going on a cruise? where are we going on a cruise? i wonder if i've cruised there before? do i have the right clothes for a cruise? oh my i don't think i have..." i guess my face gave away all the questions going through my head.
tess,"i don't think she knew." court..."i don't think you were supposed to tell her." oops. it was great =). that was followed by bryan "oh yeah did i mention we're going on a crusie?" we all just laughed. it was great. annie felt bad, but didn't need to. no big deal. i was bound to find out soon enough... he only had a 12 hour time frame by then.
thanks girls for coming down... and easing my anxiety (i repacked my suitcase at my parent's house that night before we left).
according to annie... "cruises are so much fun." and you know what- she is right.
