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

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»

Cruising Through the Pacific - Let's Go Sailing Part II

We've decided to make this a yearly thing! And, if I have it my way, we'll be doing it twice a year soon! I am SO IN LOVE with the ease of taking a cruise! You can buy everything ahead of time and just enjoy the cruise and everything you picked and not have to stress over cost, scheduling or anything while you're enjoying it. This time, we took a cruise out of LA to Catalina Island and Ensenada! Here's how it went. Carnival is amazing when it comes to getting you on board quickly. They give you every opportunity imaginable to get these memorable moments professionally shot. Walking into the building to check-in, going from check in to the line to get on the ship, walking from the dock to the ship, and once you get on the ship. I'm not exaggerating, there is actually that many photo ops set up and that's just before you get on! My first stop, the bar for a cocktail then straight to the deck to watch us sail away! I used to DRINK, DRINK but since I...
Post a Comment
Read»

NoV Ep2: Step into Meditation, Greener Travel and Free Things to do in Vegas! SHOWNOTES

This week's episode was all about things that are GOOD for you like meditation, greener thinking, and FREEBIES! Here are all the mentioned details from this week's podcast: Guided Meditations I like from The Honest Guys:   https://www.youtube.com/user/TheHonestGuys/videos Las Vegas In Person meditations by my mom can be found here:  https://www.facebook.com/FrancesUrtazaAltHealing/events YAY Novelty - YAYBag that I use for shopping and when I am traveling that I was gifted from the Travel Goods Show '19 Use code: Nikkionvegas20 for 20% off all YAYBags https://yaynovelty.com/yaybag/ Angelic Healing - Seraphim Blueprint Level 1: Pre-registration required https://www.facebook.com/events/849888465343859/ Listen and subscribe to the Nikki On Vegas podcast on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/nikkionvegas Or any one of the following podcast streaming services: Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/nikki-on-vegas-podcast Google Podcasts: https://www.google....
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»

MTV Movie Awards 2019: Vegas Faves and Looks I Love

Any MTV Awards show has such a huge place in my heart! I just remember being young and thinking how exciting it was to watch all my favorite celebrities getting trophies. All the performances and then getting to talk to my friends about it at school the next day! Well, now we have Twitter to instantly connect to everyone, see behind the scenes, all the processes and relive every moment we loved whenever we want! It's a whole new world now, and I'm carving out my little slice with my first live event coverage blog! I loved the low key theme of this year's show was to love yourself, dream big and be kind to people! Jada MOVED me so much when she spoke about those internal trails, and The Rock is always such a beautiful source of inspiration. While all of that was amazing and beautiful, what I'm here to talk about today is Red Carpet Love! Here's a quick list of the looks I loved, and who we love to see here in Vegas. Jada took this year's trail blazer with t...
Post a Comment
Read»

Nikki On Vegas Podcast: Episode 1

Discounted Hotel Rates Available Here:  https://www.nikkionvegas.com/p/hotels.html Make a Reservation at the Sugar Factory Here:  https://www.opentable.com/restref/client/?rid=270769&restref=270769&r3uid=SXegHFwscr&corrid=af28bc4c-2214-4af3-b465-24205bb5831e Check out who is headlining at Encore Beach Club:  http://www.encorebeachclub.com/ Check out who's headlining at Drai's:  https://draisgroup.com/las-vegas/calendar-view/ Travel Essentials:
Post a Comment
Read»

Let's Go Sailing: Cruising With a Toddler

Cruising with Carnival has become a yearly thing for my mom and I, and this year we extended the tradition a generation by bringing my 1-year-old with us. We went for a 4 day, Halloween cruise from Long Beach with 2 stops - Catalina Island and Ensenada, Baja California. Here's a rundown on going on a cruise with a toddler! First off, we drove from Las Vegas all the way to the Long Beach Terminal so the first leg of our trip was a 4+ hour car ride. I made sure we were fully stocked for the ride over so we wouldn't have to make too many stops and make the ride any longer. Turns out we didn't need anything I packed for the ride because he slept for about 3 1/2 hours and was completely content with his tablet, a juice box, and some cheez-its when he woke up. 🤦🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️ We decided to check our bags instead of dragging them through the ship because we just knew we wanted to grab some food and explore before going back to the room. That means we had to have everythi...
Post a Comment
Read»

Top 7 Mistakes Las Vegas Tourists Make

Las Vegas, where the world comes to play. The rich and famous blend into the background and everyone can become anyone they want. It's an exciting place, bound to give you some of the best memories of your life... but before you start planning your trip, check out this list of Top 7 Mistakes Las Vegas Tourists Make: Micromanagement: 8am spa package, 10:30 brunch, 11:15-3pm walk the strip, 3pm-4pm get ready for dinner, 4pm-6pm gamble, 6pm-7:30 dinner and cocktails…..you get my drift. The absolute worst thing you can do for yourself and your vacation crew is micromanaging every minute and hour of the day. Vegas is the home of spontaneity. You are missing out on the best of the city if you’re planning like this. Plan the big stuff, your upscale dinner reservations, shows, and guest lists or bottles but let everything else come as it will…because it WILL come. All you are doing is stressing yourself out when it takes you 5 extra minutes to get your hair done, or your party wa...
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»

Locals I Love: Angelic Frequency With Frances Urtaza

Welcome to my first edition of Locals I Love! This is going to be a weekly series I run where I will feature local people, businesses and services that are amazing, aiding our community and I think we should all know more about. To start this all off, I couldn't think of anyone whose commitment to the community I admire more than my very own mother, Frances Urtaza ! Frances is a local Reiki Master, Seraphim Blueprint instructor, facilitator, divine channel, crystal enthusiast, and the worlds most amazing mother (and a cool Mom at that) just to name a few things she does. She has aided hundreds in our local area through meditations, energetic shares, teaching classes on the different modalities she uses and by being a sympathetic and understanding shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen. Once a month, she gifts to anyone available a free phone in guided meditation and energetic share where everyone can call in and have a moment to unwind, relax and tune in to a higher fr...
Post a Comment
Read»