Christmas Cruise Mexican Riviera

With HOWE (footnote 1) parked in the garage at Fancy Storage Unit aka homebase aka new house, we headed west taking I-10. The day was high clouds and very nice to travel. Along the way we saw what looked like a very steep road up the side of a mountain. Then saw a small building. Oh, I remembered learning about this – it is where the Colorado River comes out of the pipes through the mountains from Parker, AZ. Sure enough, long tubes coming out of the mountain and down to a river near town of Essex, California. Traffic wasn’t bad going into the Los Angeles area. We thought holiday traffic would be worse since this is Saturday before Christmas. 

We were too early to check in to the hotel. Kevin had found “Crafted at the Port of LA” and we went there. https://www.craftedportla.com/ It is a old warehouse from the 1940s. We like seeing old buildings repurposed. There are hundreds, according to their website, of local artisans set up in booths. We didn’t buy anything but it was fun to walk around and see the talent of so many people. Good variety, too. Someone there recommended 22nd St Landing Seafood Grill & Bar.  The food was just okay. I had fish tacos but they were too crispy and no dressing or sauce. Very dry. However, the view was very nice; we were right on the harbor. Fun to see the boats come in and out plus in the distance see container ships going out of San Pedro docks. 

Point Fermin Park & Lighthouse, San Pedro, CA 12/25

We still had time so we drove around San Pedro and stopped at Point Fermin Park and Point Fermin Lighthouse. The park has huge trees that have thick branches and spread out for many feet. Reminded us of the old oak trees in South Carolina. The website says it is famous for the iconic, massive Moreton Bay Fig Tree. Also there are Coastal Live Oaks. Yep! The land drops of dramatically straight down to the ocean. In fact, at the end of the road is a heavy steel wall. On the other side is where a huge slide in 1929 happened and is called “sunken city.” We saw people swing around the edge of the wall and walk along the edge.

Then it was off to Hilton Long Beach. We have stayed here before for past cruises. It was just after check in time at 4:00 p.m. and the line was super long. Must have been a bus tour that stopped or something. No worries, always fun to people watch. We would have used the app to check in and go right to the room but I wanted to make sure I got the room for deaf and hard of hearing. I got the normal text from the manager asking how everything is. I texted back, “So far so good! Thank you for checking. I am deaf so if my hearing husband is out of the room, please make sure to come get me with any emergencies!!!” She texted back they would and thanked me for letting them know. 

President Charla Telling Off Advisor Kevin, President Nixon Library & Birthplace, Yorba Linda, CA 12/25

The next day was cold, cloudy and hazy so we decided not to do outdoor things. We went to Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda. It was about 40 minutes from the hotel. We had visited this place years ago before a cruise. At that time, most of the building was under reconstruction so we saw very little of it. But this time, it was fully open. President Nixon did a lot and several of them: ended the draft and he was the first to go to China after the war, some 20+ years. We didn’t remember he started the EPA. We liked how this foundation presented the pros and cons of Richard Nixon. They didn’t hide. The opening wall states the questions did he bring peace, bring the country together, or make it worse. The answers are far from simple and that is true. 

The replica Oval Office was a place you can sit in the replica chair behind the desk. Got some fun pictures there. Outside we saw where President Nixon and Patricia are buried. Her headstone has these words: “Even when people can’t speak your language, they can tell if you have love in your heart.” True! He died 10 months after Patricia. People who knew him said he wouldn’t last long without her. 

Back at the hotel we were walking to the elevator from parking and what do we see? My brother’s car and his wife plus our parents pulling in. That was great timing. HA We helped get them checked in and settled in their rooms. They took about 1/2 hour nap. I had found some diner-type places of dinner. With the parking so full we were a bit afraid to leave. So we looked at the menu in the hotel restaurant and thought it was fine. It wasn’t open until later and everyone was hungry so we ate at the hotel bar. Very delicious food. 

Embarkment Day – Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Sea

We met in Mom & Dad’s room. She had baked and brought breakfast from home – 3 kinds of cookies. Yum! We drove to World Cruise Center around 11:00 a.m. and parked our cars, $22.00 per day. The Royal Caribbean app is good and we were able to do the health questionnaire. Then it said we had express pass to get on the ship. Kevin and and my brother dropped all of us and luggage at the curb and then parked the 2 cars. While they were parking, the rest of us waited for them, until, we followed dad. Down a ways dad talked to a worker and then we put our luggage on the porter’s cart. Nice we didn’t have to stand in the long luggage check in line! We weren’t scheduled to check in until 12:30 p.m. but we walked over and the workers said we could go in. Walked right in and through security. It is tough being deaf and I don’t know what the security people are saying. Kevin is usually with me and tells them I am deaf. As I said, the app is great because you scan your passport, your photo, enter your credit card info, etc ahead of time. So now at the desks, you don’t have to take the time at add all that. We were able to walk over, a lady looked at our passports and us and then opened the gate. Wahoo so fast! Then on to the ship! 

Muster drills have changed, too. You watch a video on your phone before and then you walk to where your muster station is, they scan you in and mark you as done. Our sea passes were in envelopes at the door. Soon our cabins were ready. Our luggage didn’t come until way later in the evening. We weren’t stressed about it, we knew they were somewhere. The steward, Juan, was very good about asking about it. Everyone was hungry so we went to the Windjammer, the buffet. We were impressed with the variety of foods offered. Then Kevin and I went to guest services to ask for my ASL interpreter. As we were asking, there came a lady and she signed to me. She was my interpreter. Next to her was a man. Turns out he was my interpreter, too. 

Deaf: I had requested an interpreter right after we booked the cruise. I was able to let the interpreters know what I wanted to do as far as shows, games shows, excursions, meetings, and such and then they set it up with the stage managers. Awesome. I was in heaven! The shows, the tours, communicating, all in ASL was full access for me, which is normally denied. I have utmost thankfulness.

Small Print: the welcome paper from the interpreters company said they don’t interpret between guests. I totally understand and get why not. So, when one of my family would talk to an interpreter, the interpreter wouldn’t sign what the family person was saying. 

Here Comes The Pilot Boat! Christmas Cruise, San Pedro, CA 12/25

As we pulled out of San Pedro (Los Angeles) port, Mom & Dad came to our balcony to watch. We all like watching the pilot boat, the other boats, and everything we see. Our dining time was 5:00 p.m. Kevin and I always check out our table before dinner the first night. But we didn’t this time; should have. So, at 5:00 p.m. we go to our table and it is set only for 2 people. We quickly walked to the front and the lady looked at the computer. She said our three reservations weren’t linked. I could see on our paperwork that yes, our reservations were linked. Not sure what the problem was with dining. Anyway, she worked and got a table of 6 for us, right where the table of 2 had been. Very nice.

Dining: Kevin and I usually always skip the buffet and go to the dining room for all meals. But with family, they like the buffet and that was just fine with us. We were happy to see the Windjammer had a great variety of foods. Dinners were in the dining room. The food didn’t taste as great as all the other cruises we have been on. We all commented on how it was just average and a tiny bit disappointing.

Cabin: it was nice and clean. Bed was comfortable. We really like having the balcony and use it often. Sometimes even in the middle of the day. The first day, when we met our steward, he asked when we would like the room cleaned. It was either 8:00 a.m. or 5:00 p.m. We picked after 5:00 p.m. since we have dinner then. The hard of hearing/deaf kit was set up for us later the first evening. We use the door knocker which flashes big bright lights in the room and not the TTY. It came in good use several times for me. The second day morning, Kevin noticed the carpet was wet outside the bathroom. It didn’t smell. Kevin told the steward and since we live in an RV full-time, we are watchful of water. Kevin asked if the carpet had just been shampooed but no, it hadn’t. Steward had someone come and look at it. Sure enough, there was a leak. Fixed and no more problems. Steward said his boss wanted to talk with us. Later the boss came to the room. He apologized a bunch and we said we were happy it was fixed and not a problem. He offered us a bottle of wine and Kevin politely told him we don’t drink. Hum, I wonder why they don’t just deduct that wine amount from our total bill. Right? HAHA

Sea Day – Happy Anniversary to us! 37 years.

I got a text from my friend Bridget this morning. She said, “Just in case you pick up any texts, I’m doing better little by little {she just had surgery}. I’m home, I’m eating I’m moving. If you can, send a picture of fun there on the cruise. Love you!” So I started to reply and I quickly get this response, “I see dots!!!!!!!! Incoming!!!!!!” Oh, that made me laugh out loud!!!

Anniversary At Chops, Christmas Cruise, Navigator Of The Seas 12/25

This was a sea day. For lunch Kevin and I used our voucher at Chops. The waiter asked if we wanted to use it for dinner since there is more on the menu. Kevin told him we have dinners with family. We both had filet mignon and it was very good. Mashed potatoes and a side of asparagus. Dessert I had key lime pie and he had molted chocolate cake. Very nice time. The waiter brought out a plate that had gel writing Happy Anniversary and some hearts. The afternoon was full of bingo. Mom loves bingo and she is so cute to watch. We always play bingo with her on cruises. We didn’t win; we weren’t even close. Dinner that night was formal.

Cabo San Lucas

Dolphins Love Ship’s Wake! Christmas Cruise, Cabo San Lucas, MX, 12/25

We don’t arrive in Cabo San Lucas until around 12:30 p.m. We were watching along the pool deck and we saw several whales and a bunch of dolphins. The dolphins love to play in the ship’s wake. Oh, I got some great pictures!!! The harbor here is too shallow for cruise ships so you have to use a tender. Then to Coastal Tour. It was so wonderful to have my interpreters on the bus and be able to learn the history and stories. 

Our first stop was at The Glass Factory. I always enjoy watching glass blowing and this place gave a very good demonstration. The guy made a turtle! Seriously cool. A worker would bring over hot liquid glass and the other worker would put it for the legs and feet. Then, of course, they added a Mexican sombrero. A section of the building is made out of glass. We bought a star glass ornament for our tree. 

Next stop was Jazz on the Rocks at Sunset Point where we got a coupon for a drink (water, soda, beer) and then some time looking over the bay. The views were spectacular from this restaurant and Kevin and I both said we want to come back and stay here. The tour guide said there are a lot of Americans who come and have a place here. Oh, the driving! It was funny to watch Kevin scrunch up and move over when we got extremely close to a tree or pole on the bus. I laughed and said, “Are you okay?” That is what he says to me when I do it when he drives close to something. Hee Hee

Window, San Jose del Cabo Mission, Christmas Cruise, Cabo San Lucas, MX, 12/25

The last stop was at Plaza Mijares. This is a large shopping area decorated fun for Christmas. Mission San Jose del Cabo church. The first one was destroyed by a hurricane and was rebuilt in the 1940s. I thought the windows were so unique in the way they turned. We looked through shops. 

Tender Too High To Catch Ship, Even Tried Lowering The Ship! Christmas Cruise, Cabo San Lucas, MX, 12/25

The sun was setting as we got back on the tender. Problem: our tender wouldn’t hook on to the ship. Soon there were lots of people in white shirts looking and talking on their radios. Interpreter told me they actually tried to lower the cruise ship in the water so it would hook on but that didn’t work. So then we moved to front part of the ship. Then, they tied up the tender and had two workers help the cruisers jump between the ship and the boat! It was confusing being deaf and interpreters were ahead and way behind me. The workers were talking excitedly to me but I couldn’t tell what they were saying. Finally I saw the ship and boat get closer and I jumped. Thankfully I made it! LOL The show that night was a Christmas program with dancing and singing.

Mazatlan – Christmas Day

After I took a nice hot shower this morning, Kevin was brushing his teeth and no water. He thought perhaps everyone was using water. Turns out there was no water to the ship. Kevin and I gave a chuckle that it was good the ship had “full hook ups” at the dock! LOL Turns out it was a broken pipe and was fixed quickly during the day.

Lunch Time Inside The Tank! Mazatlan Grand Aquarium, Christmas Cruise, Mazatlan, MX, 12/25/25

When setting up shore excursions, dad said he wanted to go to the aquarium here. This was Mantarayas Aquarium. This aquarium tour we really liked. The highlight was a diver that went into a very large tank of all sorts of fish, a shark, and a sting ray. Funny thing – the guy doing the talk spoke to all the people (public here) in Spanish, of course. Well, none of the tour people could understand. However, lucky me, one of my interpreters knows enough Spanish that she was able to translate it into American Sign Language for me. I learned so much that the hearing people didn’t! What a flip!!! HAHA The talk was about the diver and his equipment. Then it was feeding time. The diver went over to the side and the fish lined up and followed. It was so funny to watch. Then the diver came back with a bag of feed and the fish still followed. Diver would toss out the food for the fish. Several times he even held it up to the mouth of a fish and to the sting ray. That was cool to see! 

View From Our Balcony, Mazatlan Cruise Vessel Terminal, Christmas Cruise, Mazatlan, MX, 12/25/25

We got a behind the scenes tour of the water tanks used here. Kevin said the machines were very loud and the girl giving the talk in English didn’t speak loudly. Then we had a break and turned in our coupon for huge water bottles. At 2:00 p.m. was an outdoor sea lion show. Again, open to the public so all in Spanish. Fun to watch the sea lion do some tricks. We learned on the bus ride that Mazatlan means deer. The port here is all industrial even has train tracks. This place gets 3400 cars a day! There isn’t shopping or anything right off the ship. A tram takes the cruisers back to the ship. At dinner we all exchanging Christmas gifts. The evening show was a magician and he was so funny. In fact, Mom & Dad were laughing harder than I have seen them before. They said that was the most fun and so funny they have had. The guy was older; he had some kids come on stage and did funny things with them. It was hilarious and we really liked it.

Puerto Vallarta 

Las Caletas! Christmas Cruise, Puerto Vallarta, MX, 12/25

Las Caletas. A 45 minute catamaran boat ride across the bay and was a blast. This is a most favorite place to us (just like CoCoCay) and we have been here several times, including a Christmas Day. Upon arrive to the beach paradise, you can have fresh tacos. You actually see the shells being made. Delicious; much better than on the ship. Kevin and I found two beach chairs and set up there. He and I both got into the water, as did my brother & sister-in-law down a ways. I got in up to the top of my legs. It was chilly but oblivious warm since I got in. Kevin went clear in. The waves were pretty powerful to me and I got dizzy several times. Free drinks and food here. Kevin did a kayak and really enjoyed it. 

At noon there was a cooking demonstration. The other times we were here the place was packed to watch the cooking but this time it was only the 5 of us, not dad. Plus interpreters. The food made was like a pizza with a huge tortilla, guacamole, fish and a few other things. Then we got to eat it. 🙂 At 1:30 p.m. was buffet lunch. So delicious.

Sea Day

One of the game shows we watch was Royal Friend Feud. It was fun to watch. In the afternoon, Mom & Dad and Kevin & I went to Playmakers Sports Bar and watched a bit of football but mostly sat and played the game on the table, Uno. They also had chess and checkers. Saturday dinner was the famous lobster dinner, a choice. I usually always picked the highlight menu. Anyway, this was the first cruise where the waiter didn’t take the lobster out of the shell in grand style. Dad asked the waiter to take it out and the waiter said it was his first time to do it. The Baked Alaska, though, was outstandingly delicious! The evening show was Las Vegas Tenors and wow! 3 guys singing with the ship’s orchestra. Watching the interpreters sign the songs was so beautiful. For the song, you lift me up, I had tears in my eyes and the lady interpreter said she had tears watching my tears. Just beautiful! 

Sea Day

View From Our Cabin; Pacific Ocean w/ Clouds, Christmas Cruise, Navigator Of The Seas, MX, 12/25

The family and I spent some time in the library and game room playing Qwixx that mom brought along. We were lucky to find a table because this room is full of people playing games and puzzles every time we pass. Later we went to the Star Lounge for a game where a guy would play a tune on a bagpipe and people would answer. Very unique! HA

Disembarkment Day

Port Of Los Angeles, Christmas Cruise, Navigator Of The Seas, San Pedro, CA, 12/25

The line getting off the ship moved very quickly. We didn’t even have to show our passports since they are using facial recognition. If you didn’t want your face used, you had to stand in a line and show ID. Do they know that everyone was filmed?  Got Mom & Dad loaded up. My brother’s trunk wouldn’t close because of all of their baggage but finally did. Off we went to get our car. Someone next to us had a dead battery and ask if we had jumpers. We usually do but not this time. The drive out was easy. Paid $154.00 for the parking and were on our way. Only a few slow downs (when a car was off to the side of the road) throughout the entire Los Angeles metro area but not bad at all. We wanted to go to Fonda Don Chon, a delicious Mexican restaurant in Rancho Chimichanga. (Giggle!) Cucamonga. You see, years ago when staying at a hotel in Cucamonga before a cruise, Kevin and I asked the front desk for their favorite restaurant. She recommended this place and we stop there every single time we are in the LA area! However, I could never remember the name of the city so I started calling the city Chimichanga! HAHA Well, today, we didn’t know there are several of this restaurant so I clicked in maps and off we went. We quickly knew this wasn’t the place we had been to before, as it was a stand alone. This was in a strip mall. But we went in and had the buffet. Delicious! And at 10:30 a.m. it was packed. I looked closer to my info on my iPhone and yeah, we were 37 minutes away from the one we have been to several times. Oops. Didn’t matter, the food was excellent. Then drove the rest of the way back to Fancy Storage Unit aka homebase aka new house. We all had a wonderful time together! Grateful.

*The blog posts are taken from my daily travel journal. Would you believe – it takes me a 1/2 day every week to whittle down a week’s worth of journal so it won’t be too long for the post each week. HAHA Thank you for reading!

1. “HOWE” is what we named our Alliance Avenue 36-ft 5th wheel. See: Home On WhEels and we pronounce it Howie. We live and travel in it full-time around the country.