So this was our totally spur of the moment “gotta couple of days off while out of town family is here”… Let’s do the 4 day cruise on Carnival Imagination out of our home port in Long Beach. This is the cruise I mentioned in https://theverandalife.com/2019/06/ . We tried to get the entire family, but failed.
That’s also the post where I mentioned I was really looking forward to Guy’s Burger Joint. It did not disappoint. Considering Guy’s Burgers are part of the fare, and not extra, excellent! Have I had better? Yes. Did I pay a premium for that better burger? Yes. So… Was it the best burger I’ve ever had? No. Was it the best burger I’ve had on a cruise ship? Yes. Am I going to ask, then answer another of my own questions? Absolutely!
The 6 of us drove two cars to the port and parked at the terminal. $17.00 per day, so not bad for the convenience. We got there about 10:30 but were right at the front of the line. After a half hour and the Faster To The Fun passengers were checking in, our turn.
Totally different check in process than Princess. Firstly, the Long Beach terminal dome is where Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose used to be before transforming it into the Carnival check in area. Beautiful.
We are used to a terminal where one whole side of the room is filled with what seems like 300 check in agents. At Carnival, you are directed to one of the many separate round tables. It’s just you and the rep. Another difference is, they don’t give you your Sail and Sign card. Those are waiting for you at your stateroom.
We were both on the Main Deck, Deck 5 Port side. There were three of us in each room. We had the older nephew with us.
Being an older ship, there weren’t many balcony staterooms so we did an outside cabin. Although we did like the larger shower than we are used to on Princess, we prefer the Princess Stateroom layout. (And not counting the extra bed that made it necessary for this old guy to climb over his wife…)
It really did not take too long to learn where everything was on the ship, especially where food was involved. Oh, and we found where all the bars were, too…
We only went to the Dining Room once, on the first night. We were hoping for a table for 6, but it was for 12. It was fine, we just went to the buffet the other nights. The rest of the family either joined us or did their own thing.
Beautiful day for Catalina. We relaxed and didn’t head out to the Tenders until 10:30 or so. Walked down the main drag and stopped in a bunch of shops. After a couple hours, we headed back to the ship.
Next day was Ensenada. Suzi and I walked into town while the other 4 opted for the shuttle. We all met up by the shuttles drop off point and did some walking and shopping. Sis and both nephews decided to head back to the ship while Suzi and the brother continued on. We ended up going to Papa’s & Beer for a Pina Colada and some guacamole made table side. NICE.
On the way back, we stopped by a liquor store. If you’ve read my past blogs, you know my passion for Damiana. A bottle here in the States at a big box beverage store is about $32. Last time we were in Ensenada, I picked up a couple bottles at the Port for $20 each. In town? $15.
We all three walked back to the ship. They built a really nice footbridge that takes you from the port right to the Malecon. Great addition!
The next day was a “Fun Day at Sea”. Ship was just circling around, doing about 8 knots. We saw the Hairy Chest Contest and the Marriage Game. All fun.
So if you are on a Carnival Ship and like to dabble in a little alcohol, you gotta go to the Alchemy Bar. The staff there are all “mixologists”. Really good at what they do. They have specialized drinks only available there. They will also create something new once they get to know your tastes. I got hooked on “The Remedy”. Can’t tell you what all was in it, but similar in taste as Pina Colada but on the rocks. All Top Shelf here.
All in all, a fun little getaway. Would we trade Princess for Carnival? No way but it’s always good to check out other cruise lines even if they are under the same parent company.
55 Days to 10 Day Sea Of Cortez. Our first on Royal Princess. Can’t wait!
Although we would like to go on different itineraries, until I retire, we’re limited by three letters P.T.O. (Paid Time Off). We do repeat itineraries and will continue to do so for a few more years. Maybe we’ll venture back to the Caribbean or better yet, Europe, Asia or Australia / New Zealand. Maybe even see the fall colors along Canada’s Eastern Seaboard. Until then, we’re back to Mexico and the Sea Of Cortez on Ruby Princess in April, 2018
Muster Drill. No longer have to schlep life jackets. YEAH! OK. Repeat ship, repeat itinerary, so how can we mix things up? Not only did we book a different cabin, it’s the first cruise ever that our stateroom was on the starboard side of the ship. Talk about changing it up. Lido 251.
First port was San Diego. When we get off the ship in San Diego, we always go to the right. Maybe because we are staying on the opposite side of the ship, we turned left and walked all the way to the other side of the harbor across the street from the airport. The Ruby Princess looks pretty small from here.
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The next day was a sea day. If you recall, when we did this itinerary in 2016, the first sea day after leaving San Diego, we did our burial at sea for Cousin Jerry. So at 12:00, Suzi and I stood on Deck 7 Aft and had a moment of silence as we knew were were pretty close to where his urn was interred. As mentioned, we take Cuz with us on every cruise.
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Next day was Cabo San Lucas. On the Tender in, we was this hitchhiker.
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No excursion, we just went walking to the Puerto Paraiso Mall. then back through town to Cabo Wabo. My goal, this trip, was to have at least one Damiana Margarita in every port. The Caborita was the first.
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Next Stop La Paz, We knew from the last trip, there is not a lot at the port, so we took the shuttle into town. So we walked up and down the Malecon’.
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Next Stop was Loreto. Our favorite port of this itinerary. We went to the central square to have two, count em, two Damiana Margaritas. We peered into this really unobtrusive looking building and saw this hotel lobby. Beautiful!
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After a sea day, Puerto Vallarta. We booked The 10 Best of Puerto Vallarta excursion along with a couple we met the first day. This drove us around many of the highlights we’ve been to but then took us to a tequila factory for sampling. Of course they hand you a small plastic cap. The guide said we could ask for grande or poquito. The girls said poquito, us guys? GRANDE! (times 8).
On board, we had the sweetest Assistant Waiter, Gisella. She was from Columbia. Towards the end of the cruise we asked her how she came to work on the Ruby. She started to tell us, then got very emotional and had to stop. We felt bad. She stepped away, then came back to the table more composed. She told us about growing up poor on a farm but had heard about going to college and found a sponsor. After college, the sponsor recommended cruising. She applied to Princess and said the day Princess accepted her was the greatest day of her life. I think we were all teary-eyed. Next time on Ruby, we hope to see her.
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Back to Los Angeles and Counting down to Alaska in September.
Back to Back Cruises. Leg One was California Coastal in late October, 2017. Identical to our last cruise in April of this year except that instead of Santa Barbara, we’d stop in Monterey. Leg two is Mexican Riviera. What’s cool is that we will be in Mexico for Halloween and, more importantly, Dia Del Los Muertos, the Day Of The Dead.
We invited our friendsMark and Ann to Bon Voyage Experience. They have been on several cruises but not on Princess. They were really impressed by Ruby, especially the Gelato Bar… Fortunately, our favorite Lido 214 was available for both Legs.
After our relaxing day at sea, San Francisco. The City by the bay where summer and fall are unseasonably chilly. WRONG!!!! 93 freaking degrees. We booked the Hop On Hop Off tour through the ship. Why? Cause it’s free (Cruise Points!) Our only “hop off” was Haight Ashbury. Was it to see the birthplace of the hippie generation? The home of The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin? No… At our age, we needed to find a bathroom.
The next day was Montery and Carmel. These cities are also known for cooler climates. NOT! 102 degrees. We booked an excursion for the 17 Mile Drive with free time in Carmel.
The 17 mile drive is on of the most picturesque sections of the California coastline and where the famous Pebble Beach Golf Course is. Also the famous Lone Cypress Tree.
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Now, 2 1/2 hours of free time in 70 degree weather is great. 2 1/2 hours in 100 degree weather is about 2 1/2 hours too long, especially since there aren’t many stores that have air conditioning… They usually don’t need it. We found two stores with A/C. A chocolate shop and an ice cream store.
We did get a little walking in and found our favorite place, the Tuck Box.
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The next port was San Diego. Been there, done that. Did our usual walk to the downtown area. Didn’t even take the camera. At least it cooled down a little but still above average.
Next day was Ensenada, where we raided the town for Suzi’s favorite gum that’s only available south of the border.
The next day was completely different. We had a nice leisurely breakfast at Horizon Court and said goodbye to some of the new friends we met. We didn’t need to congregate at the Wheelhouse Bar until 10:00 AM with the other “In-Transit” guests. I think there were 40 of us. We all disembarked, were escorted through the terminal, down through US Customs, back upstairs and into the “holding area” until the ship was cleared, maybe a half hour. As soon as it was cleared, back to the ship for Leg Two.
A perk for In-Transit guests is… It’s recommended that you attend Muster drill but not required, so we opted to sit at our favorite spot on the ship, Deck 15 Aft outside of Adagio and SHARE.
Not only did we get the same Stateroom, we also get to keep our table in the Main Dining Room and, more importantly Jimmy, our Waiter. We also built a good relationship with our Head Waiter, Carlos. When you ask Carlos how long he’s been on the ship, his response is “For about 80 pounds”. Both Carlos and Jimmy provided excellent service.
Since the cruise coincided with Day Of The Dead and Halloween, we decked out our cabin Door.
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The next two days were at sea. Our routine is… Go to Horizon Court around 9:00 AM and look for a large 6 + person booth, and ask to join, unless we are lucky enough to find an empty one. Although we like to have dinner by ourselves, breakfast and lunch is our time to meet and make friends. On more than one occasion, we’ve sat down for breakfast with another couple, start talking and next thing you know, it’s lunch time. I think our record was… Breakfast at 9:00 they turned into lunch then at about 3:30, it’s nap time for yours truly.
On this first sea day, we sat down with with a lady, Nhu (pronounced New), who said she was with a group of 15. Then another gentleman, Bud, sat and joined us. We never saw the group of 15 so began joking with Nhu that she was making the whole thing up. We were all cracking up over it.
Day two, we headed to Horizon Court for breakfast and who was sitting at the same table? Alone? Nhu. About the time we got our plates and sat down, here comes Bud. The laughs continued as now we were certain Nhu’s friends and family had to be imaginary. We called ourselves “The Breakfast Club”.
Our first port on this Leg was Puerto Vallarta. The date? 10/31. Halloween. Since we had recently been to PV, we did what every tourist should do. We went to Wal-Mart. We picked up Halloween Candy to add to what we had brought with us, then we walked around the big Liverpool mall, both right across from the ship.
That night, we passed out candy to the crew and all the kids we saw on board. Later we went to the Halloween Party in Club Fusion. Lot’s of great costumes!
The next port was Mazatlan. We hadn’t been there since 1993 on our Honeymoon, so booked the Mazatlan City Highlight excursion. Guess who was on the same tour? Nhu and some of her group, proving she wasn’t completely crazy.
Our last stop on the tour was to watch some cliff divers.
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Next Stop, Cabo San Lucas. We booked the Cabo City Highlights excursion. Our first stop before heading out of town towards San Jose del Cabo, we stopped by a glass factory to see a glassblowing demonstration.
Afterwards, we hopped on the bus for our ride to the old town. Our guide mentioned that if we got thirsty, there were several places in town that served a special margarita. This piqued my interest as, if you recall on a previous cruise, I had the best margarita of my life but didn’t know what made it so special. So the tour guide mentions “Damiana Liquior”. So I wondered if this was the answer. After arriving in town and seeing a few sites, we stopped by one of the bars the guide mentioned and I ordered a Damiana Margarita. YES!!!! This was it! Daniana is an herb grown in Mexico. It’s supposed to have several health benefits and act as a an aphrodisiac. Upon seeing the bottle, it looks like it’s shaped like a Buddha, but research says it’s an Incan Goddess. Either way, I found it!
On our last sea day, Suzi and I went on the Ultimate Ships Tour: This was a highlight as there were only ten of us plus Assistant Cruise Director, Jase.
Mooring Station – Officer-In-Charge gave us a detailed overview of machinery used to drop anchor or tether the ship to the dock.
Back Stage Area – Met with the Stage Manager who gave us an overview of everything that happens before, during and after a performance. Then we went into the Dressing Room and had a discussion with the Talent lead as to how the productions are rehearsed and executed.
Galley and Food Production Areas – Met with an Executive Chef about inner workings of the ship’s kitchen areas while enjoying a glass fruit punch and chocolate covered strawberries. Got a peek into some of the ship’s food storage and production areas.
Engine Control Room – At the center of the vessel’s mechanical and electrical systems, the engine control room and met the chief technical officer who will explained the numerous functions overseen by the control room, including the vast amount of power generated to operate the ship.
Incinerator Room – The ship’s environmental officer showed us just what happens to the waste discarded during the cruise.
Print Shop – Saw where the Princess Patter, among other things, are produced.
Photo Laboratory – Princess operates a full photo lab with the latest in digital printing equipment. Saw how they manage the thousands of pictures taken and printed each day.
Medical Center – One of the nurses showed us the state-of-the-art medical facilities, including treatment rooms, laboratory facilities, critical care unit, and x-ray room.
Main Laundry – The ship’s onboard laundries operate 24 hours a day to wash tons of guest and crew linens, towels, and clothing – including more than 20,000 towels a day alone. Here we meet the laundry master and will saw this impressive operation in action.
Bridge – The tour concluded at the ship’s command center, where we met the captain and his bridge team to learn about the state-of-the-art navigational equipment and safety systems on board.
After the tour, we all went up to the Adagio Bar where we had Champaign and more chocolate covered strawberries. Jase opened the floor for any “off the record” questions.
When we returned to our stateroom after dinner, we were met with:
Princess Robe
Princess Apron
Photos taken by a ship’s photographer
Picture Frame
Princess notepad
Time to say goodbye to our new friends, real or imagined…
The Veranda Life 