Cruise #21 – Catalina Ensenada (Again)

As you might recall, Cruise #19 took us to the same ports but that was on the Carnival Imagination. This was on Royal Princess.

I’m not knocking Carnival, by any means, but #19 was with our brother, sister and two teen boys, so they would have been bored on Princess with no water slide. Us, we like the relaxation of cruising.

So why so soon? Easy answer? We are cruise addicts. That’s what we do. We conjure up reasons to cruise. Now the rationalization behind booking this cruise is…

As of this moment in time, we have three 7 day Princess cruises booked for 2020. That’s 21 sea days. We need 18 sea days to reach Elite. If you do the math, it means that we will reach Elite during our third cruise for the year. As you know, loyalty upgrades don’t happen until you have completed the cruise. So… by taking this 4 day jaunt, we will reach Elite when we get off our second 7 day cruise and will board the third cruise as Elite.

Honestly, Suzi and I aren’t into the whole status thing. No… Want free laundry and a bar setup. We aren’t interested in getting any preferential treatment or think we’re “owed” anything… Just want my damn free laundry. HA HA! I know, I know… It would cost a lot less to pay for laundry than paying for this cruise but… Gotta have an excuse for the addiction.

So while we were enjoying Cruise #20 on the Royal and realized we could become Elite 1 cruise sooner, we booked this 4 day. Generally, we feel that 10 Days is the minimum cruise length, so were glad to get away but thought the time would just fly by. It really didn’t. We had visions of walking into our cabin and seeing disembarkation instructions… We did not.

This was our first ever Forward facing cabin, Lido 103 Starboard. It’s an extended balcony stateroom with obstructed view. It was a very large balcony, but the glass under the railing was nice thick steel. Superman would have had difficulty looking through this. But, all in all, excellent cabin and we’d do it again.

Embarkation using Ocean Medallion was a breeze. We boarded at 11 and our Cabin was ready. Since we had just gotten off the ship in Oct, we knew the layout. Since we booked so close to sailing we got Anytime Dining and were #54 on the wait list for Late Traditional Dining. Since we prefer building a relationship with our waitstaff, we just opted to eat all meals at Horizon Court, which was fine cause I didn’t have to bring long pants and dress shoes…

We recognized quite a few of the staff and several of them recognized us. Matt O was our CD the first cruise. This time it was Marcus. Two totally different personalities but both were present and on top of things. We had seen all production shows but did go to see our favorite comedian, AJ Jamal. Just as funny the second time.

One of the guest lecturers, Leo Rossi, went on tour with several bands including Fleetwood Mac. He had lots of great stories to tell. Really glad we went to those talks in the Princess LIVE! theater.

Woke up the morning of Day 2, walked out on the Veranda and saw…

We booked an excursion to the Wrigley Gardens through Princess for later in the day, so we had a leisurely breakfast before heading to the tender. By now, it was starting to get a bit cloudy and cold. As we started to group together, we found out there were mechanical issues with the tour bus, so it was cancelled. Oh well… We ended up walking all the way from the tender dock to the Casino and back. While we were in line for the tender, it started to sprinkle. By the time we got back to our cabin, it was raining.

The next day was a day at sea. There was something magical about this day. Since Catalina and Ensenada are in close proximity, the ship was doing 2 or 3 knots. Add to that, being over the front of the ship, it was eerily quiet. No wake, no wind.

The last day was Ensenada. Was quite cool stormy-looking but we walked all the way into town and back. I know this is really nothing more than a Jones Act requirement, but I kinda like Ensenada. It’s laid back but it’s comfortable.

And… During the cruise, we got an email from the Upgrade Gods. We found out that for our second cruise of 2020, we are getting upgraded from a standard balcony to a Mini Suite. SWEET! This is Leg Two of a Back To Back, so I called Princess and we were able to upgrade Leg One to a Mini Suite, just not the same one… I’ll check back after any deposits got returned and see if we can book the same room for both legs.

And… We’re home. Come on April!

Cruise #19 – Catalina and Ensenada

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!

Timing Is Everything

The older the young ones get, the harder it is the schedule a family cruise.

Case in point. Suzi has two brothers. One moved from California to Florida, married with two boys between 12 and 16. The other brother is out here in California, married with two boys about the same ages.

The Florida gang (or simply “Florida” as we call them) is coming out for three weeks in July. Every time they are here, they talk about going to Catalina Island. Catalina is one of the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California with daily boat trips, on the Catalina Express, from several ports in the area. It’s a beautiful island with really just one city, Avalon. Avalon is a quaint, sleepy, little town and boasts an iconic Art Deco Casino at the end of the harbor.

Florida thinks about making the trip, but when they do the math, it can be an expensive day, so they usually opt for something else. Now, going to Catalina has just been a running joke. “Hey, what should we do when we visit California? I know, let’s go to Catalina!!! Ha Ha Ha Ha”

Well… The Catalina Express isn’t the only ship that goes there, so does Carnival…
(Here is Suzi looking at the Carnival Imagination from Avalon Harbor on our last jaunt over for the day.)

So… When we were talking to Florida, they joked, “Let’s go to Catalina!” That’s when we mentioned the 4 Night Carnival cruise from Log Beach. After Avalon, it also goes to Ensenada, Mexico followed by a day at sea.

If you’ve followed the blog (you have been, haven’t you?), you know Suzi and I both work. All of my time off for the year has been accounted for. We did our Hawaiian Cruise in April and Sea Of Cortez coming up in October. Well, as luck would have it, I got three Comp days for working at a customers site.

Based on coworkers vacations, I was assigned specific days off. It landed after a weekend (Sunday / Monday), so I was able to string the 5 days together. It was also the last week that Florida would be here, so we found a Sunday through Thursday itinerary and jumped on it. It was the most spontaneous booking we’ve ever made!

Truth be told, although I am really looking forward to the cruise to spend time with family, the real reason I’m looking forward? Three words… Guy’s Burger Joint. I know, I know, it seems a bit selfish but… it’s Guy freaking Fieri and his burgers. Ever since I heard of his partnership with Carnival, I’ve been trying to find an excuse to take a Carnival cruise. I even tried last year. Suggested the 3 or 4 day itinerary for Suzi’s birthday. Sure we’d celebrate her birthday, I’d just celebrate it over a Straight Up or Chilius Maximus… (Note to Mr. Fieri… My expectations are sky high… This better be good!)

Now time to tell the California brother and family. It would be awesome to have us all together, so I sent the invite.

Oh S#!t. The oldest CA nephew is taking an accelerated Chemistry class over the summer. Accelerated meaning “you-cannot-under-any-circumstance-miss-a-class”. Period! The younger nephew will be volunteering at a marine aquarium, so they both have conflicting commitments.

It’ll be very bittersweet. When the six of us are available, the other four aren’t. When the four of them are available, we aren’t. Guess we’ll need to book another one.

Cruise #18 – Hawaiian Islands

Our third Princess Cruise to Hawaii. This time on Ruby, one of our favorite ships. This is the first time we have done this itinerary in the Spring. Our two other sailings were in the Fall. A nice, relaxing 15 days sailing round trip from San Pedro.

No Bon Voyage Experience this trip. We used someone that was recommended through the NextDoor app to take us to the port, then back home. We got to the port about 10:30 AM (for a 4:00 PM sailing). Waited maybe 10 minutes until check-in started. We were in boarding group A.

Sailed right through security and after 1/2 hour, we were on the ship. The staterooms weren’t ready until after 1:00, so we just hung out in Horizon Court. When we got to our room, Lido 302, or luggage was already there. By the time Muster Drill started at 3:30, we were all unpacked. Sail away was at 4:15.

For the first 2 1/2 days, we were rockin and rollin. They had the pools closed but still full of water, well what was left.

Days 3 and 4 were calmer and the weather became more tropical.

Since this was the 3rd time to the Islands, we’ve already taken excursions on every island except Maui where we always just taken a walking tour of Lahaina. This time, we decided to rent cars. I did a bit of research and booked through Costco. We booked a car for the Big Island and Kauai. We were going to book Oahu but it was a Sunday and the rates were really expensive. Not only did we book a car, we booked convertibles!

First port. Hilo. Pouring rain. We got off the ship and waited about 20 minutes for the shuttle to take us to the airport to pickup our car, advertised as a “Mustang or similar”. I have owned several Mustangs but never a convertible. Too bad the rain is coming down in buckets.

We get to the airport. I check in and was told they would bring the car in a couple of minutes. Being a bit of a car buff, I heard a really throaty sounding car, more specifically, a Ford V-8. Then I saw it. A Mustang GT Convertible… Could it be? YES!!!!! It made knowing we might never be able to put the top down a little more palatable… A little.

We get in a I fire it up. I only wish it were a stick shift but… next best thing. Paddle shifters. So we headed North on Hwy 19 and looked for any road that said “Scenic”, so we hugged the coast as much as possible. We had done an excursion to the Tropical Botanical Gardens last trip but being on a bus, really didn’t know where it was. We ended up driving right past it.

When we got near the town of Pepeekeo, the rain stopped and the clouds moved away. I pulled the car over and… TOP DOWN! I let the GT’s V-8 have a little fun and wanted to make sure the paddle shifters worked properly. They did.

We drove up to Ninole before turning back. We stopped at a scenic turnout to grab a couple photos. We felt a couple of raindrops, so put the top back up. Good thing because once we started back to Hilo, more torrential rain.

Before dropping the car off, we did what every tourist must do when visiting Hawaii. Go to Wal-Mart! We got 90% of our souvenirs there… Hey, gotta do what ya gotta do.

I really didn’t want to give the car back. I was just hoping that all Mustang Convertibles through Budget on all Islands would be GT’s. Hmmm.

Next port, Honolulu. Pearl Harbor? Check. Drive around Diamond Head? Check. Drive into the crater of Diamond Head? Nope. So we booked the excursion that took us into the Crater, itself, then towards North Shore up to a Sea Life Park for a dish of Ice Cream. Nice sunny day.

Speaking of Diamond Head… When I was growing up, every time I saw an advertisement or a TV show that mentioned Hawaii, it had a photo of Diamond Head. So when we took our first cruise to Hawaii, I couldn’t wait to get a photo of the long extinct volcano. On the two previous cruises, the ship Docked at Pier 11. Great view of downtown, but no view of Diamond Head. Our first cruise excursion went to Pearl Harbor, so went away from said volcano. Cruise number two, we went around Diamond Head but we were on the wrong side of the bus… This time, we were docked at Pier 2 that had a great view. FINALLY!

Next port, Nawiliwili on our favorite island, Kauai. Off to the airport to pick up our car. Beautiful sunny day! The good news? Another Mustang convertible. The bad news, a 6 banger. Oh well. Top went down before we left the parking lot. Set Google Maps to Spouting Horn.

Although we had been to Spouting Horn before, that was on a bus. Being in an open convertible was just incredible.

We got to Spouting Horn and was not disappointed.

We thought we’d have enough time to drive all the way to the Na’Pali Lookout, so we headed that way. As soon as you pass the town of Hanapepe, the lush foliage ends and you are in the dry side. Kinda boring. I renamed the town Hana stopped pepe’ing… No water.

We ended up heading towards Wiamea Canyon. We decided to stop at one of the lookouts before actually getting to the Canyon. It was quite scenic.

We decided to head back to the wet, or dare I say “pepe” side of the island… Along the highway, we saw a turnout for an alternate way back to Lihue, so we went for it. So glad we did. Here is a little snippet of the drive. (Thanks to camera operator Suzi.)

At the end of the route? Our ship! It took us right along the road hugging the harbor.

Before heading back to the airport to drop off the car, we decided to go see Opaekaa Falls.

The last island was Maui. As mentioned, on the two previous trips we just walked around Lahaina. This time, we booked a tour that went to the Valley of the Kings. As soon as we got there. the sky let loose. Our guide said this area got between 200 to 400 inches of rain per year. I think we got 100 inches in about 10 minutes. I tried to walk to the lookout but the further I got, the heavier the rain. Had to turn back to the bus… Excuse to go back.

On the way back we stopped at the Maui Plantation. Glad we did it but not something we’d do again. It’s a small plantation where they grow quite a few different plants and fruits. Sugar cane, pineapples, mangos, papayas, bananas. They take you on a tram through the property. Part way through, the tram drivers stopped and did a coconut husking demonstration. That was fun to watch.

Back to Lahaina and a walk through the waterfront before getting back on the ship. Lahaina is a tender port so the line was incredibly long but kept moving.

As we set sail, it started to rain a bit. I captured a very subtle rainbow from our balcony.

After another 5 wonderful days at sea, we are at the pinnacle of the journey… Yes, the ultimate Jones Act port of Ensenada!!!

I’m sure if you are an avid cruiser, you’ve probably heard of the Jones Act. If not, maybe you’ve always wondered why you have to stop in a foreign country whenever you sail from and to a US Port. It’s the Jones Act. More specifically, it’s the Merchant Marine Act of 1920. In order for a ship that is NOT registered in the US it can’t leave, say Los Angeles, visit US ports, say Hawaii, then return to it’s final US Port, even if it’s a different US port, like Seattle or San Francisco, without stopping in a foreign port. It’s nuts, it’s crazy but it’s the law.

I digress. As we are pulling into Ensenada, I look across the bay and I see… Diamond Head? Did I pay all that money to go to Hawaii when I coulda just gone to Ensenada? Don’t believe me? Hmmmm.

We normally take the shuttle into town. Very touristy with lots of vendors and kids selling trinkets. This time, we decided to take a tour to La Bufadora, or the blowhole, through a local tour company. It was a great tour! Ensenada is huge! Wal-Mart, Costco, it’s all there. This was our first time to see the blowhole. It is worth seeing at least once.

And, we’re home. Counting down to October on the Royal Princess!!!!

Cruise #13 – California Coastal 2017

7 day California Coastal, Round trip Los Angeles. April, 2017 on Ruby Princess. What? Only 7 days? It’s OK. We’re doing two cruises this year. Actually, three. We are doing our first Back To Back, or B2B, cruise in late October.

Time for another Bon Voyage Experience. This time, we invited Suzi’s California brother, wife and two sons.

Our beloved Stateroom, Lido 214, was already booked, so I went with an Aft Balcony, Baja 752. As the six of us walked down the hall, we noticed our youngest nephew, who is very inquisitive and scientific by nature and probably knows more about electronics than most adults, was waving his hand horizontally under every light above every stateroom door. He stopped and one door and had us look. When he waved his hand, it looked like he was waving in slow motion. He told us that the light must be pulsating. To prove his hypothesis, he asked his dad to video the light in slow motion. He did and yes… the slow motion playback showed that, indeed, it was flashing like a strobe light. Amazing!

So we made our way aft to our stateroom. Our older nephew immediately began searching for a place to stowaway. This cabin did have a somewhat obstructed view but was the only aft balcony available when I booked.

We all made our way up to Horizon Court, then gave our family a tour of the ship until it was time for them to disembark.

Suzi likes to attend sail away parties, where I like to be on the veranda. Until now, we have always booked on the Port side of every ship, so it was a bit different being at the stern of the ship with a 180 degree view of both sides.

After a sea day, San Francisco. Cousin Jerry lived in the Bay Area, so we visited San Francisco regularly. One of the places neither of us had never been was Alcatraz. Thanks to our Shareholders Benefit and Princess Visa cruise points, we booked a tour of Alcatraz and Sausalito, a beautiful little town on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was a spectacular day. Temp in the mid 70’s and sunny. Our tour guide walked us to the Alcatraz landing and got our tickets. After boarding, we noticed the guide sitting by herself, so we invited her to sit with us. Always good to be friendly with the tour staff.

Alcatraz is amazing with so many photo ops.

And the view of the city from our balcony.

After a sea day, we tendered off of Santa Barbara. I’ve driven through Santa Barbara many times but only stopped once on business. Suzi has been there a few times but has been awhile. We booked the Santa Barbara Trolley Tour excursion.

The next port was San Diego. This is another city Suzi and I had been to many times but it just seems so much better when you pull in on a cruise ship instead of fighting traffic on the freeway. The last time we cruised here, it was 105 degrees. This was a much more comfortable mid 70’s. We took a walk towards Seaport Village then onto the Gaslamp District. Here is a shot of downtown from our balcony as we set sail.

Thanks to The Jones Act, Ensenada. Suzi loves to chew gum and is always looking for new flavors of sugarless gum. She found one in Ensenada, so she bought a few packs only to find out it’s not available in the States. Our new mission when visiting Mexico? Gum.

Here is a panorama of Ensenada from our favorite sitting area on Ruby

And, we’re back home.