Skip to main content

Throw Back Thursday: Let's Go Sailing

Carnival Cruise - Ensenada, Mexico


Around this time last year, I went on my first cruise. And now I'm obsessed! I've always loved vacations, to the point that I spent most (if not all) of my free time helping anyone I could have the vacation of their dreams. This time around, I was taking the vacation. 

My Beautiful Mom and our comp breakfast

I was SO busy living it up on the ship that I totally forgot to take pictures of all the super amazing things going on. There was ALWAYS something going on. We didn't have a single bored moment, or even any downtime if we didn't want it. We took complete and total advantage of all the free food. I was pregnant at the time, so I was ALWAYS hungry lol. The ship had me covered. There was a burger bar, a buffet-style arrangement, pizza, and every night there was a fancy dinner setup.


There were live shows, like 2 different nightclubs, there was a karaoke night, live music all over the place. It was just amazing! We saw a show called "Divas" and it was legit Vegas level entertainment at NO extra cost. There was a Casino, Bars all over the place, even a Kids Zone. It was just flat out amazing. The only things you had to pay extra for were Soda, bottles of water, specialty food, and booze. 

My Mom and I with the cast of Divas

While straight kicking it on the ship while sailing through the ocean was dope enough, we cruised over to Baja California's  Ensenada, Mexico. We opted to go on a guided tour instead of exploring the city ourselves or staying on the ship. We went to visit the city's historical cultural center and then the Buffadora (blowhole) and shopping strip. To say everything I saw was beautiful is a wild understatement. I was in complete awe of everything, and wanted to buy EVERYTHING! Most items we saw for sale were handcrafted and the artistry was mind-blowing. 


Here are some shots of the Cultural Center we visited. It was SO dope hearing about how the city came to be and getting a chance to explore the center. Full heart eye emoji.





Everything about this building is just SO beautiful. I felt like I was walking through one of those old movies my grandpa watches.

 

This is just a wee bit of the items that were for sale (shout out to the Las Vegas Raiders). I wanted to buy EVERYTHING, and everything was reasonably priced. Everyone who was there selling items was SUPER nice too. Everyone was happy to have a conversation and share a story. I loved it so much.

Possibly the birthplace of the Margarita


 

We went right around the day of the dead "Dia de Los Muertos" and they had a beautiful alter setup. I never fully understood this tradition, but now that I get it a little more I think it's one that I'm going to start adapting into our families lives now. It makes so much sense to honor our families and friends that we have "lost" and to welcome them back into our lives on this special day.

Our next stop was the Buffadora! The view from here was lovely, and shopping was a full-on experience! There were so many shops, and all of them wanted your attention. We ended up walking away with a bunch of stuff!! If you ever make it here, feel free to haggle on the price. It's like a swap meet out here.






Somewhere along the way, we found a spot where you could kick it with some cubs. I DIED!! They had two different sections where you could kick it with REALLY small baby cats, or this one where you could play a little more with some that were a bit older. This was a rescue center where they take in the younger cats until they get too big for the center, they then get transferred over to a wildlife habitat.






I was completely head over heels with this black jaguar they had. I am allergic to cats and spend most of my time ducking and dodging them at every opportunity but I couldn't be happier getting to cuddle with this little guy...even though he could have taken my face off at any moment. 

We went back to the ship after this and headed back home. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done and I can NOT wait to go back! My only issue was I had a mixture of morning sickness and motion sickness. I took some Dramamine that left me a bit drowsy but able to pull through. 

Have you ever been on a cruise? What is your best cruise tip?! Share it in the comments below!

Comment - Share - Subscribe

<3 - Nikki

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you so much for your comment. I really appreciate you taking the time to interact with me. I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Popular posts from this blog

Las Vegas After Lockdown June 2020

Ring the alarm, Las Vegas is back open for business! It is a very different Vegas than February 2020, but I'm happy to take her any way she comes. When visiting, please be sure to maintain a safe social distance of 6 feet from strangers when possible and wear a mask when in public. And wash your hands after every interaction, hourly, and before touching your face or eating. If you are sick, please do not travel. If you are traveling to Las Vegas, or having a staycation please consider using my new travel company to book your stay! Please contact me directly for specialized packages and rates. Live running list of open Hotels Resorts and Casinos: THE STRIP: The Strat (Formerly The Stratosphere): Golden Commitment includes testing all employees for COVID-19, limiting to max capacity of 50% their usual, enhanced sanitization, safe distancing guidelines and markers and more. Pool open. Sahara (Formerly SLS...and Sahara):  Sahara Cares initiatives include added room sanitization, ha...
Post a Comment
Read»

A Funeral for 2018

I LOVE New Years. Not just because I live in Las Vegas, and it's absolutely amazing to celebrate here, but because I love the energy. So many people take the New Year as their shot to better themselves. To strive for goals they thought were too big earlier in the year. Nothing is too big, no dream too far, no car too expensive. Lots of us take our goals, our dreams, and hopes and send them out to the universe and anyone who will listen with so much love, excitement, appreciation, and gratitude for the life that could be and that puts us all in a place to take leaps and bounds towards it. Energetically, this is a beautiful time to be aware of all the possibilities for everyone! USUALLY, I'm right there with the life changers. Talking about a New Year and a New Me. Ready to make resolutions to eat healthily, stop smoking, get more fit, make more money. You know, whatever my focus is at the time. But this time, I have a new plan for myself. First off-it's to reflect . ...
Post a Comment
Read»

Vegas Bound: March 2020

**UPDATE: Per Governor Sisolak the State of Nevada has closed all non-essential businesses to include all of the below-mentioned venues and events. See my post here for details.** It's POOL SEASON! Spring has sprung all over our lovely valley and our favorite pools are in session. Along with double the entertainment & relaxation options with our pools open, St. Patricks day is coming in HOT! This is one of my favorite times to be in Vegas for 2020 so I can not wait to get the festivities started. Let's get started with the weather. This month is a bit up in the air, we started with perfect 70 degree days, and have started wavering into a much colder rainy 50's and 60's (that's cold to me). Weather data pulled from Accuweather.com . Here's what's happening in Las Vegas this March: Concert Events (not nightclub) : Post Malone - Runaway Tour: 14March Aventura - Inmortal: 22March Family Fun : Kids Community Day : 14March Sat, March ...
Post a Comment
Read»

Mask Monday: Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask

It is that wonderful time again where my skin is acting all the way out of control. This time it could be my horrible quarantine diet, stress, hormones, my 2-year-old touching God knows what then rubbing my face...the list of possibilities is endless. To combat that I'm going in the Mix, Mask & Hydrate 6 piece kit from Peter Thomas Roth that we got at an incredible value price. Today, I am tapping into the Cucumber Gel Mask. It is an Extreme Detoxifying Hydration mask that is instantly refreshing (I keep mine in the refrigerator), cooling, and a moisturizing calming gel that helps soothe dry irritated skin. I've used this mask before, and know that it works wonders on my sometimes overly sensitive skin combination skin. I feel like my skin issues are coming from clogged pores and stress, so the detoxifying bit will really help me get to the smooth skin I just know exists underneath all this drama. So, to start off I like to use a gentle cleanser to get any make...
Post a Comment
Read»

Throw Back: That one time I competed in a pageant

Once upon a time, what seems like a long time ago I decided I wanted to be a beauty queen. It was definitely an experience I will never forget and I finally have the chance to tell you all about it! I've always known that I wanted to help people in some way, and one day it dawned on me if I had a crown that would definitely give me a much louder voice to speak on issues I thought were important. So, I went searching for what I thought was the best pageant for me and I landed on Miss Nevada USA 2016. The only thing I knew about pageants at this point was from the Miss Congeniality movie and what I heard about from my cousin's social media pages. So from that, I thought it was going to be a breeze...PSYCH! It was probably the most grueling process of self-discovery I've ever put myself through. My first step was figuring out how much all of this was going to cost. For me, it was a ridiculous amount that I just wasn't going to be able to make at my day job in...
23 comments
Read»

Fan Girl: Vegas Golden Knights

My New Favorite Kind of Blade (Sorry Wesley) OMG It's almost Knight Time! I have never been as into a sport as I am hockey right now! The Vegas Golden Knights came along and shattered expectations and goals in their inaugural season and I feel like I can reach out and touch hockey season right now since it is so close to upon us. I won't do a full play by play of the season (even though that's all we want to talk about now in the Valley) but I will direct you to my Twitter where I live tweet EVERY EMOTION, 0 filter while I'm having them. And yes, it is me mostly praising Fleury, the goal post, praying to the hockey Gods and appreciating...well everyone. LOL I have become WILDLY superstitious since starting to watch VGK. I now HAVE GOT to have on a pair of pink flamingo socks! For those of you who don't know, we have a lovely Victory Flamingo that gets thrown onto the ice to get the energy right for some good gameplay and to celebrate a win. I'm ...
Post a Comment
Read»

Why Vacations Are So Important

Lots of us have vision boards of our ideal vacations, follow lifestyle travelers on social media or look up flights to our perfect destination only to never actually go for it...then never take a vacation at all! We might even look at those "professional vacationers" and think that could never be us...Well it can, and for so many reasons, it SHOULD be us. One of those reasons is stress. I am a stress magnet. Something goes wrong and I am instantly stressed TF out! Deadlines are approaching - I tense up, or I have to work with someone I don't vibe with and my whole situation is just wrong for the rest of the project. You know what one thing we can all do to decrease the amount of stress we have? Vacation - Stay-cation, whatever you can do, just get away and breath some new air! Stress is just one of many reasons to take vacations. If you have a job that requires creativity, taking a vacation will remove the "crunch time - deadline" stress, and allow your ...
Post a Comment
Read»

A Call for Safety: Closures and Cancellations associated with COVID19

Unfortunately, due to the current state of the industry, I am no longer able to continue running travel services at this time. Refunds have been issued to all of my travel clients through May at their request. If you have any bookings that you have questions on, please feel free to reach out to me at any time via email, phone or contact form. All contact details are available on my contact page . Closures are being updated regularly, so check back here and social media to stay up to date. The most important thing right now is that everyone stays safe and healthy. If you are able to, please check on your neighbors, friends and those in your social circle that may be at risk such as the elderly. Lots of us are isolating ourselves, and while that may keep us safe from the virus, it also puts a lot of our emotional and mental health at risk. Call your friends and family daily to share love and conversation. If you or anyone you know is having a hard time emotionally, feeling anxiety ...
Post a Comment
Read»

Vegas Bound: Halloween Week 2019

I love every reason to let my inner spook out, so the ENTIRE month of October is an all-out celebration for me! If you're here, you must be getting ready to spend your Halloween in Las Vegas and I could NOT be more excited for you. Whether you are a Las Vegas Local, or here for the weekend, Las Vegas is one of the most amazing places in the world for entertainment, and to take a nice relaxing (or turnt) vacation. As much as Vegas has the reputation to be an Adults only trip, we have tons of spooktacular events for the whole family to enjoy. If you are heading to Las Vegas to celebrate Halloween, check out the hotel rooms available from my team. We can get rates up to 30% lower than nationally advertised rates all year round, even on national holidays. And when you book with me, you get the option of having me personally help you plan out your vacation specifics and help to manage any last-minute emergencies. A few tips if you are coming through for the costume contests. V...
Post a Comment
Read»

Vegas Vacation: June Travel Essentials *Pool Season Guide Men*

Suns out, guns out! Summer in Vegas is JUST as much for all the fellas out there as it is for the women. Here's my list of travel essentials that I keep on hand and that my travel clients have been requesting so that you can have a smoother trip (or stay if you're a local). When you are packing your pool bag for any occasion here is what you need to keep the day on a high note. Pool Day Essentials: A day out in the sun is one of the best ways to spend your Vegas Vacation! Whether that's at the pool club, your hotel pool, or your own backyard, here are my favorite must have's for every pool day. 🌟One thing I know about you guys is you do NOT want to carry a bag at all. Even though it is SO fashionable for you to have a messenger bag or even a backpack. 👀 Whatever, I'm not judging you, but I do want you to be able to keep track of all your things while still being able to hop in the pool and live your best life. The best solution is a MOSTLY waterproof ...
Post a Comment
Read»