Christmas Cruizzzing

  We never cruised over Christmas - it's usually 3x the normal rate because it's over a holiday when more people can go - supply vs demand.  This year, both Meghan and Marissa were spending Christmas with their in-laws/family so we had Jacob and Hannah.

I saw an unbelievable cruise rate over Christmas that I thought was a typo - it was the entire cruise for what normally would have been one day.  Well, it was not a typo and how could we not have taken advantage of that and we ended up booking it.

It only went to one place - Cabo and actually spent 2 days there.  It was very different spending Christmas not only where it was 80 degrees, but on a cruise ship also.

Grandma and Grandpa Bingham also booked with us, saying nothing was keeping them from staying home for Christmas.  We didn't tell Jacob and Hannah we were going - just that we were going somewhere over Christmas.  One fine day, Jacob and Hannah were visiting Gma and Gpa and Gma said something like "are you guys excited for the cruise we are going on with you?"  OOOOPPSSSS

Well, we didn't keep it a secret too long.  ha ha.

We went on the Carnival Miracle - which we hadn't been on before. It's a smaller ship and older, but it was immaculate and in very good condition.  There were about 2000 passengers there with us.

This ship had like an Egyptian theme in the lobbies and elevators.  Different for sure.

Our first stop after boarding was Guy's Burgers.  So. Very. Good!

Then it was on to exploring the ship as we normally do.  In the front we found this corridor that went all the way around the front - looked like a wedding place. Nobody was ever in this area at all

We then usually check out our table for dinner.  This dining room was very purple - grapes was the theme for this room

We found the disco/night club....it was themed with Frankenstein.....interesting!

VIDEO:

There were Christmas decorations everywhere...it was nice to see all of it

Hannah was very excited to try slot machines since she can on the ship now

As on other ships, the Red Frog Pub has this small shuffleboard game to play

We tried the water slides but the yellow one didn't have enough water!  Everyone, even little kids, had to sit up and scoot themselves down.....Just plain silly....a whole ocean full of water and they couldn't pump enough water into the slide

Leaving Los Angeles we passed so many ships just sitting in the water waiting for their turn to unload their cargo

This stairway was glass bottom and went out over about 7 stories high looking straight down

As is customary, Jacob and Hannah take all the pics from the photographers making funny poses...then we go find them in the photo shop.  Nobody was taking pics on this ship. Every time we walked by all the photographers were just standing there begging anyone to come

Our room had a connecting room - it was very nice to have that!  The pricing was weird..normally the 3rd and 4th people in a room are much less but not on this sailing.....it was so much cheaper to get 2 rooms..so we got a balcony for us and then a connecting room was an inside. It worked great!

Not sure what's going on here with Jacob. I think he ate too much

Waiting for one of the nightly shows to start

VIDEO: Dancing

Even Gma got in on the dancing

Day 2 was a day at sea as we made our way down to Cabo and warmer weather

This was our balcony - because of the location - very front of the ship - it was much bigger and wider than other balconies we noticed

Jacob and Hannah's room with the door going into our cabin

Jacob is trying to see how soft the bed is if you walk on it




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One of the days the waves were pretty big and the ship was rocking.  This was a smaller ship so it was more susceptible to movement so we felt it.  At night, Jacob and Hannah heard noises and creaking....turns out it was the closet door moving to the waves.  You can see it in this video

 

Many people decorate their doors (we do too) but this one even decorated the wall next to their cabin - even had lights!  



VIDEO: Hannah in the hall

Breakfast in the dining room

I got the french toast.  It was like 1/2 a loaf of bread

Hannah and I went out to the pool area to read and relax

One of the lounge venues had a mad-hatter theme...Not really sure how it matched Egypt and Frankenstein - still trying to figure that out

Evening pre-show

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VIDEO:  Jacob and Hannah doing what they do best - entertaining us.  I think this is the best part of our vacations....kids being kids..having fun...creating memories

We had a great waiter - Jerico from the Philippines 

Jacob got a new necklace he wore to dinner and wanted to pose with it

VIDEOS - Dining Room Dancing:

     

We arrived in Cabo the next day.  We did go on the green water slide here that drops straight down.  It did have plenty of water and was fun

Shelley looking up at Jacob/Hannah

This is the best part of a cruise - not feeling bad about doing nothing!

Hannah and I were reading

VIDEO: Hannah pretending to be the Cruise Director:

I was thinking the ship would stay in port overnight but that is not so.  We actually left Cabo at like 5pm and then arrived again the next morning at 7.  At the Cruise Director Q&A, someone asked our Cruise Director, Savanah (who was pretty good) why we didn't just stay overnight?  She said two reasons - Covid requirements would require each person spending the night "out of the country" to test negative to get back on the ship the next day and secondly, MONEY.  They can't open the casino and shops unless we are out to sea.  

This was Christmas Eve day now, and our 2nd day in Cabo.

We always hit up this little mall place in the port when we go to Cabo.  They have the best prices at this one.  There are about 79 stalls and they all have the same thing

Of course Jacob and Hannah had to get their jumping pics in. We found the perfect spot!

Look at the guy walking in the background......

Now look at the guy - he jumped too!!!!  ha ha

Waiting for our tour to start

We went on a whale watching tour

We had to wear our masks until we were out of the marina...silly...Jacob was cheating

A ways out, we spotted spouts from whales

This turtle was very far out...and all on his own

This is how far we were from land. It was a good 20 min ride at full speed, and our little boat was pretty fast

This is what our boat looked like - but ours only had about 12 people on it

VIDEO TIME:  Make some popcorn  - got a few videos here for you:

Our boat was fast

No acting here....this was all real

This is the same boat we were in, but ours had much less people

    

Whales

More Whales - this one is slapping his side fin....the guides say they were playing and/or he was trying to impress a lady

        

             

                                

Christmas Eve dinner was "fancy night"

Gma took lots of pics

Baked Alaska was the dessert of choice tonight

Savanah led us in a Deal or No Deal Game show - we played along but did not win

The moon was very bright this Christmas Eve

Christmas Day!

Savanah put together a religious devotional using many of the performers, bands and singers on the ship.  She read the story of Christmas.  It was really really good.  It was a little strange to have Christmas on a cruise ship, and this devotional brought it all back - the real meaning of Christmas and wherever you are, whoever you are with, you can still remember Christmas and what it means.  It really brought the Spirit of Christmas back into the day

Christmas was another sea day so we spent time playing games, reading, relaxing and of course eating.

Hannah was trying to be like Jacob saying, "Mom...look!  What would happen if I fell out?"

We did get towel animals each night on our beds

There was another Christmas show - this one was not religious - but just a Christmas show in general after lunch

They did a good job with the show

Needs some more light here

The afternoon chocolate/dessert 

Christmas Dinner Menu

Our fantastic water Jerico

The last night's show had some 3D effects

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Jacob spent $5 on the quarter machine where it looks like you will win, no matter what, guaranteed!!!  Well, not even one quarter dropped

We did a scavenger hunt and Hannah won!  Chocolate covered strawberries were delivered to the room and she got the famous ship on a stick below!

So the very last day, the very last breakfast, we were returning to our rooms to get our luggage and leave the ship. Jacob and Hannah were racing down the stairs - nothing new there.....BUT Jacob missed the very last step and tripped and fell on the floor and twisted his ankle.....BAD.....

Seconds after, we were walking in the hall to our rooms....you can hear Jacob say in the video below, "Hannah, I really hurt my leg"

Well, within 30 minutes his ankle looked like this as we were getting off the ship:

He kept his foot elevated the entire ride home and iced most of the time too.  It started to really hurt.

The next two weeks it looked like this all the time:

2 weeks after of it still hurting and looking like this, he went to the Dr for a 2nd time....he got a walking boot and a knee scooter.  No breaks, just a very bad sprain.  Dr said it would have been better if he had broken it - it would heal faster.  Said it will take 12 weeks before it starts to feel better.  Just this week he was able to walk on it with the boot

Other than the foot mishap, it was a great Christmas and we had a great time and lots of new memories made!