Cruising through break: Traveling Mexico via cruise ship

Sipping mojitos on a sunny deck while watching a pod of dolphins swim by sounds like quite the life.

It definitely outshines sweating in a stuffy lecture hall while trying not to look at your neighbor’s answers during a two-hour final.

MTV scenes of drunken college students dancing on bars in Cancun have made the week coming upon us infamous. Typically referred to as spring break, it can also be a time to relax, get tan (or burnt, in my case), enjoy some good food, appreciate the company of close friends and family, and explore a few different cities.

All of these wonders come bundled in the package that is a cruise vacation — except for the dolphins. Those aren’t a guarantee.

For me, spring break has always been about relaxing and recharging my personal battery. And a cruise is the ultimate way to do that.

It’s set up so you leave your port city and are taken to a various number of cities to visit via cruise ship. You get to unpack, relax and be taken to some beautiful beaches.

In my case, I was gone for seven days; I visited Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta and spent a few days at sea.

It really is like a few mini-vacations in one. You will have your time in each port city as well as your time at sea.

Days at sea are typically good for eating and lounging — just not always outside by the pool. Giant cruise ships don’t look like it, but they can really book it across the ocean.

When the ship is traveling from city to city, it’s so windy sitting on top of the deck that it’s almost unbearable to try to get a tan. Keep this in mind and do the majority of your tanning on the beaches at port cities.

Also, don’t discount bringing some warmer clothes. If you’re outside at night after dinner, it can get chilly.

The food on a cruise is mind-blowing in itself. It’s everywhere all the time and always displayed beautifully and elaborately.

I’ve always heard you need to be mindful of what you eat in order to not come back looking chubby and bloated, as opposed to radiant and glowing. For me, that wasn’t the case. I ate whatever I wanted (all of the food is included in the price of the trip) and I didn’t gain a pound. There were healthy options readily available, such as fish, fruit and vegetables. The cruise wasn’t a free-flowing chocolate fountain and soft serve extravaganza unless you wanted it to be.

I was also able to try several new foods on the ship, like escargot and lobster. I don’t know if I would ever want to actually pay money to eat snails, but the thought of them being there and “free” made me more apt to slurp them down.

Not having to worry about food, as well as other factors included in a vacation, makes a cruise worry-free. Not only are meals provided on the ship, but all transportation to and from port cities is also included.

If you want to put a little more effort into the vacation, you can plan excursions for your time in the different cities.

There was a deep-sea fishing trip in Cabo San Lucas, and we also attended a type of Mexican trapeze act in Mazatlan, which I would personally recommend. Usually your cruise line or travel agent will have information on where and how to book these excursions.

Oftentimes, people are frustrated with the fact that they can only spend a certain number of hours in each city, which makes it difficult to become truly immersed in the culture. For me, each visit was a precursor to another possible vacation. Now I know if I were to travel back to Mexico, I would be happy spending a full seven days in Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta, but not in Cabo, as it was my least favorite stop.

A few helpful tips I learned while cruising included remembering to keep my safety in mind. A large ship can feel like a small community very quickly, but you’re still surrounded by hundreds or thousands of people you don’t know. There were instances of people having personal belongings stolen and children getting lost. Be sure not to form a false sense of security.

Also, for those of us who have a tendency to burn, the sun is much more intense in places cruise ships go during spring break. Sunblock is always a must. While on the ship, you should factor in the reflecting rays from the water, which can be quite strong. I got one of the worst sunburns of my life while on that vacation.

I used SPF 45, at least. Don’t forget your face. Raccoon eyes are easy to acquire if sunbathing for seven days straight.

With any vacation, there are positives and negatives, but I would say there are no major complaints about a cruise vacation.

Enjoy your cruise this upcoming break. Have some escargot and tell the trapeze artists in Mazatlan “Hi” for me.