Acapulco Bound

Gary and Joan Best (front row, left) are joined by friends and family who helped celebrate their surprise wedding.

Approximately 400 passengers recently joined Card Player Cruises on a poker trip to the fabulous ports of Acapulco, Manzanillo, and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo aboard Carnival Cruise Lines' Spirit. I really had been looking forward to this cruise, for several reasons. First of all, it was an eight-day trip instead of our usual weeklong cruises, and second, I had been to Mexico on about 25 cruises, but had never been on this itinerary or been to any of these ports.



We cruised out of San Diego, and immediately after dinner on the first night, 18 of our 20 tables were going strong, with limits ranging from $2-$4 up to $20-$40. We had several no-limit hold'em games going, as well. As the week progressed, we had four tournaments, mostly no-limit hold'em, with buy-ins ranging from $125 to $335. We also had free lessons for beginners and several poker seminars.



Our first port stop was in Acapulco, where we experienced perfect weather. Some cruisers elected to go to the beach, snorkel, white-water raft, or kayak, but we took the relaxing option of renting a van and a driver for the day and were treated to a lovely drive, plus a tour of the incredible Princess Hotel. Lots of vistas along the way provided outlooks for beautiful scenery. When you are in Acapulco, you must go see the famous cliff divers. We actually had dinner overlooking the cliffs and got to watch eight daredevils of all ages climb the cliffs, then dive 110 feet down into the Pacific Ocean. They timed their dives and all made it safely, though several of them sported bandages, probably from some prior close calls.



By the time we pulled into Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo the next day, I was ready for a massage and trip to the beach. Luckily, our cab driver knew of a massage service with tables in a gazebo directly on the sand at the beach. I highly recommend this experience the next time you find yourself in a beach resort town; nothing is quite as relaxing as getting a massage while listening to the sounds of the waves rolling in to shore. After the massage, we went to the old city of Zihuatanejo and had a leisurely lunch on the beach under palapas and pineapple trees. The margaritas and chips and guacamole only added to the pleasure! Some of our passengers opted to scuba dive, take the city tour, swim with the dolphins, or go horseback riding. I had to cut the day a bit short in order to return to the ship to prepare for a poker seminar that was attended by about 80 players.



Manzanillo was our last stop. We again rented a van and driver and got to visit many of the beautiful area resorts. We also stopped for some great shopping opportunities at local flea markets while some of our staff members took the ATV trip. Manzanillo turned out to be quite beautiful once we left the port area. We stopped for lunch at a local barbeque/rotisserie pit and gobbled up lots of chicken and tortillas. The three ports of this trip all turned out to be great places to visit, and I really enjoyed each one.

A cliff diver taking the 110-foot dive into the ocean.

One of the highlights of the week involved a surprise proposal and wedding. Gary and Joan Best had been dating for 17 years and had planned to take this cruise with a few family members. Unbeknownst to Joan, Gary had schemed to propose to Joan on the airplane trip enroute to the cruise, and involved the flight crew in his plan. About one hour out of San Diego, Gary read his poem/proposal to Joan, and the flight attendant came on the PA system and asked her to stand in the aisle and give her answer. "Yes!" she replied, and the passengers cheered. They stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, and the following morning, there was a knock on the door – supposedly room service – and in walked Gary's brother and sister-in-law with champagne and orange juice. Other family members and friends soon showed up to surprise Joan and to attend their wedding later that morning in the garden at the San Diego Registry building. Later that day, 14 family members and friends boarded the Spirit for eight days of fun, laughter, and many memories.



Congratulations, Gary and Joan, and we look forward to seeing you for your one-year anniversary cruise next year.



Now, let's play poker.

Linda is available to host corporate events, poker events, and seminars. You can contact her through her websites at http://www.cardplayercruises.com/ or http://www.lindapoker.com/.