Kemp Kuties: Puerta Villarta, Cont...

This was our view from our stateroom window as we pulled into Puerta Villarta @ 7am...Walmart & Sam's Club. You cannot believe how excited our girls were to see the "Kite Store!" in Mexico.

Our Pirate Boat excursion was @ 8:15am, so we hustled to breakfast (I needed my 4 cartons on milk, despite what my clothes were telling me) and we quickly exited the ship. As soon we left the security detail, we were bombarded by booths and vendors, which were booths lined up on either side of the exit, and they tried anything to get you to buy their shiz. We declined everything, and while we waited for our Pirate Boat wrist-bands, Becca & Mary-Gail petted this little donkey. The owner suggested we get a picture with them, which we did of course, and it was then that I learned he wanted $5.00 per picture. No. I'll pay $1.00 per picture, thank you very much. (Truth be told, I would have paid more, especially since I absolutely adore Mary-Gail's picture - she is definitely an animal lover - but I don't like being taken).

The owner said the $ would go towards the donkey shelter he ran...whatev

Lovey & the girls @ 8:30 am w/the Pirate ship and "the big boat" in the background

We boarded the Pirate Ship, then headed downstairs to the hold to have breakfast. The girls topped off with a Mexican-brand/style of Coco Krispies cereal. The milk label read "no refrigeration required" (I deciphered that from the limited amount of Spanish I retained from high school) so of course I had to taste the milk. I was evaporated milk! P.S. I l o v e evaporated milk. It was delish!

Aboard the Pirate Ship - just after they fed us breakfast

Loving Mary-Gail's furrowed brow. This is her "seriously?" look

And I love Mary-Gail's profile. This is her "I'm too sexy for your picture" look-away-look

(Puerta Villarta skyline as we sail to the beach)

OK, I guess I do have more than one complete family photos of us...

Mary-Gail loves to pretend she's dead. Tongue out and everything - awesome

Becca was laughing too much to actually be dead

Two pickers: Becca picking the skin on her top lip,

and Mary-Gail picking the sore under her nose

"But, Dad - I need to get in there! Pleeeeze!"

The Pirate Ship

The Pirate Ship dropped us off at the beach for a couple hours of play time. We body-surfed, explored, kayaked, and dug for buried treasure. Then we loaded back up on the speed boats and boarded the pirate ship for our return voyage home.

Poor Daddy is stuck in the stocks

and so are Mary-Gail & Becca

Mary-Gail gave up the ghost...

...literally

The Pirate cast did one final song & dance

We finally got back to the dock (the excursion was like 6 hours long!). We headed back to our room, had a little siesta, and then I decided we should go visit the Walmart. Becca & Mary-Gail weren't interested (they wanted to go swimming), but when we bribed them with gum, they quickly agreed. Becca became the line-leader and marched us through security and off the big boat. I loved this tree, so I begged Becca & Mary-Gail to "pretty-please stand in front of it so I can get a picture..."

speed limit sign on our walk to Walmart

hah - decipher this if you can

Cactus plant. I seriously wanted to buy a bag, or even just one leaf, but the big boat has silly rules about what you can bring back onto the ship. I didn't want it to be confiscated...

I love license plates. So just like any other vacation we go on, I have to snap a picture of a few.

Looking at the big boat from the Walmart parking lot

Thursday night we decided we'd go to the sit down dinning again. The previous nights we had just eaten at the buffet, but Wednesday we wanted a change and had a great experience @ the sit down dinning, that we opted for it again Thursday night. Our waiter, Mr. Edwin, was in love with the girls. He said he was a twin also -identical - and that in late October he will be transferring ships to work on the same ship as his twin brother. Mr. Edwin was really excited because he would also be able to be with his wife. Their contracts got mixed up and Edwin was assigned to this ship, while his wife and brother were assigned to a different ship. I asked Mr. Edwin what his wife did on the other ship, and he said she was a cabin attendant. Oy, vey - I understood that job very well from my days in Alaska as house keeping. We once cleaned a small, very small cruise ship and I hated it! (I didn't share any of that with Mr. Edwin, though).