Ensenada Cruise Experience, Mexico Cruise Review
From Travel Information and Popular Attractions: TravelName.com
This an unbiased review of of a real traveler about his recent cruise ship experience to Ensenada Mexico. This was my first cruise ship experience and one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Food was great, lot of variety, it was easy to gain a few pounds in these 3-5 days. I will start with the complete step by step process that I followed right from planning, booking, actual cruise experience and things I did in Ensenada Mexico in year 2007.
Contents |
Planning and Booking
I am a practical budget traveler and planning a trip in a way to get the most for my money was my motive. I had to do some research to find best Mexico Cruise Deals.
EIGHT Important things to consider are:
1. How soon should I book:
You can get some great last minute bargains (3 to 7 days before departure), if the cruise ship you want to go is not full, at the same time if the ships are about full then the cost go quite high. But I like to plan things in advance therefore for shorter duration cruise trips (3-5 days), I figured that booking about 2-3 months in advance is a good enough option.
( IMPORTANT - Passport Rule: There have been recent changes, American tourists now require a valid passport to visit Mexico. Go to the official government site to verify this http://travel.state.gov/passport/ . Also call a toll free number of an online travel agency, tell them that you are planning a cruise trip and ask them about passport requirements. The official government site and travel agencies can give you an estimate time it takes to get a passport. If they say that it takes 3 months to get it, give yourself at least that time, plus an additional 1 month in case there is more delay after you file your application. Start this process early.
I think U.S. permanent residents/Green card holders need to carry both the passport of their country of origin and green card. They do not need a visa, but call your closest Mexican consulate to verify this.)
2. Where to book:
I personally liked these websites for Mexico cruise deals - Travelzoo.com, Expedia.com and Cruise.com. Especially keep checking Travelzoo.com as they check different cruise sites and give you the best deals at one place. I paid $425 per ticket for an ocean view window room ( don't confuse it with less expensive ocean view pinhole or more expensive balcony), our room/cabin was close to the main deck. In my observation the price keeps fluctuating, 2 days after I booked my tickets, the price jumped to $475 another 3 days later it became $450, so I suggest keep watching. Most cruises have a small cancellation fee (sometimes none) if you cancel within certain number of days in advance. Many cruises typically add small mandatory tips and service fee.
3. What type of room:
I prefer ocean view over interior. Other than the premium rooms, all the rooms are small, all luggage goes inside the closet, there is a safety deposit box, TV and few other basic amenities. Other than sleeping we spent 75% of the time outside the room for activities, eating, drinking etc .. so do not stress much on the type of room.
• Book your room away from elevators and other busy spots, as these things and people using them can add considerable noise to your room.
• While making the reservation, the ship deck and cabin arrangement diagram must be in front of you. Some people claim that booking at a much lower level or towards the back of the ship could mean higher engine noise. Keeping this in mind I had booked the cabin in the middle of the ship.
• Call your credit card company and inform them about your cruise to Mexico so that they don't block your credit card for suspicious activity.
• Make sure you have enough cash too for your shopping in Mexico. Also make sure that you have enough smaller bills.
• Make sure you are carrying basic medicines, if any prescription medicines are needed then take your prescription to be safe. Keep your medical records if possible. Carry medicines like Dramamine or Sea Bands to protect you from motion or sea sickness.
• Carry enough digital media like camera roll, or large memory stick and batteries.
• Carry sunglasses, hat and sunscreen.
• Plan ahead if you will need services like child care and pet care.
• Call the cruise company and inquire about their luggage limit. 5. Weather:
The last thing you want to happen during your cruise trip is rain, therefore check the weather forecast and plan accordingly. Also avoid peak summer months otherwise you will not be able to enjoy outdoor activities like swimming pool, Jacuzzi, outdoor games, outdoor events, sitting in the sun and watching the ocean etc...
6. Holidays:
Tickets can be expensive during public holidays.
7. Clothing
• You can keep casual clothes and comfort wear for most of the time.
• Keep your swimwear, towels are available on the ship.
• You will need at least 1 or 2 formal dresses for 'captains night party' and 'formal night' dinners.
8. Carrying Alcohol
Carrying alcohol is mostly not permitted. Some ships allow limited quantities of mild alcohols like wine, but might charge you for doing so.
Mexico cruise deals are should be researched thoroughly on the internet and you can often your favorite travel agent to beat the lowest price you found, which they will often do.
Day of Departure - Arrival, Car Parking and Boarding Cruise Ship
Well the day has arrived, make sure you carry documents (passport/green card/other ID's), tickets and your fun pass (very importnt). Try to reach 2-3 hours before the departure time, consider the traffic you may encounter in busy Los Angeles roads.
CAR PARKING
Long Beach Cruise Terminal is located at:
231 Windsor Way, Long Beach, California 90802., Phone: 562-901-3232
• $12.00 per day (rates subject to change by the Port Authority).
• Five-story, 1,450-space parking garage.
• Full payment due upon exiting the parking garage.
• Accepted forms of payment: U.S. dollars, major credit cards.
• No advance reservations required.
• Oversized vehicles will be charged per parking space.
( Source: http://www.sanpedro.com/spcom/crusshp2.htm , visit here for driving directions too)
AFTER CAR PARKING AND ENTERING THE SHIP TO OUR ROOM/CABIN
The car parking at Long beach is located right next to cruise station, we did not see any carts and everyone was carrying their own luggage and suits. For people with bigger luggage, you should consider leaving your big luggage with the porters in the lot, this was a quick cheap way of lightening your load. You will see a line which takes you to a hall which has many counters. Here they will check your documents, issue you a Cruise ID card which will also be connected to your credit card. All your purchases and other payments inside the ship will now be done with this card, keep this card safely since this will be your primary form of ID and payment in the cruise ship. It took us about 50 minute to reach our room from the parking garage, but people who came late had to wait longer since the line inside the hall had become longer. As mentioned earlier, you can get your luggage delivered to your room, but we did not do that. Someone who had been on a cruise earlier told us that it was better to carry our own luggage since it could even take an hour for the luggage to be delivered to the room. Since we did not have much luggage we just carried it with us.
The room had a 3 feet by 4 feet window with a good ocean view. We kept documents like passport inside the locker (except the cruise ID cards). Soon after a quick fresh up, we came out and went to the top most deck of the ship. Once on board we had freedom to go anywhere and found the Paris Restaurant open. It seemed like there were crew members everywhere, and all were friendly and spoke good English. The view was great and close to the swimming pool the refreshments and coffee was already being served. Some people had already bought margaritas and beers and were already enjoying their drinks. Our cruise party from Long beach to Ensenada had just started to heat up !!
About the Carnival Paradise Ship
Guest Capacity: 2,052
Total Staff: 920
Length: 855 feet
Decks - 10
( check more details here http://www.carnival.com/Ship_Detail.aspx?shipCode=PA )
Inside Carnival Cruise Ship and Events
We really enjoyed our cruise ship experience and most of the people we spoke to had a similar experience. The schedule of events for the next day was delivered to our room every night. The room was clean and bottled water was available for a $3 fee (1 liter). The name of our steward was 'Jose' and he always had a smile on his face. Our room was cleaned and arranged twice a day and each time a fancy arrangement of hand towels was made on our beds along with chocolates. The staterooms of Carnival cruise ship, Paradise, are 50% larger than those found on other cruise lines and we mostly used it only for sleeping, shower and changing. Sometimes I sat on the small platform on the window and enjoyed the beautiful views of the majestic ocean which was glittering in the moonlight. The ship was overall clean and it was fun to use the glass elevators in the atrium. I think those elevators were a bit small as compared to the number of people who wanted to use it. An interesting side-note is that Paradise was built and launched as the first completely "smoke-free" ship.
The floors are carpeted and the rooms are comfortable with spacious closets and drawers. Each room has a private shower, bathroom, a telephone, and a colored television. The suites additionally have a whirlpool bath, dressing table, balcony, refrigerator and a separate sitting area.
CARNIVAL CRUISE AMENITIES AND ACTIVITIES
Pool / Water Recreation Area:
But there are lot of guests who use it and it tends to be a bit crowded. Carnival Paradise has several smaller pools and whirlpools. The bigger one has a water slide.
Miniature Golf:
Its good for amateurs like me, and a good half hour to 1 hour recreation.
Ping Pong:
You could play ping pong, they even had a contest among the guests (first 16 guests only).
Nothing like Vegas but very descent. They have Slot machines, card games and more. There was a slot machine competition of the first 10 guests, the rest of the people were encouraging the players.
Atrium Plaza/Shopping center at Carnival Cruise Ship:
Lot of souvenirs, cards, clothes, cigarettes, alcohol and jewellery shopping. They have an alcohol tasting session where many beverages not available in US are offered. I really liked Sheridan which had 2 containers in a single bottle, one white vanilla section and another coffee which mixed when pored. It was the best drink I had.
Video Games Alley at Carnival Cruise:
Perfect place for youngsters/teenagers while you are at the Casino or want to spend time away.
They have several games and shows here including games like Bingo, Deal or no Deal and the Couples Questionnaire.
Do not miss the Captains night party which is also held here, they serve good snacks and FREE alcoholic beverages of many different variety. This is the perfect place for you to try things that you have never had before. All of the cocktails were very good but 'Whisky sour' was one of my favorits.
Other amenities included in our Carnival Cruise Ship
- Paradise Bar United States and American Bar:
- Cafe de France
- Elation Resturant
- Queen Mary Lounge
- Galleria
- Conference Room
- Rex Dance Club features a sophisticated African jungle motif.
- Leonardo's Dance Club has brass barstools and neon-rimmed mirrors and ceiling panels.
- The Destiny Dining Room has an elegant ambiance.
- Carnival Paradise's Spa Carnival is one of the many places but its a bit expensive. It offers both fitness equipment and spa treatments, sauna, steam room, whirlpool, massages and manicures.
Even though there was an option for formal dinner on all of the days, my favorite place on the ship was the buffet style Paris restaurant which had combination of many cuisines like Italian, Japanese and many more, the pastries were awesome. The food was always hot and fresh during breakfast, lunch and dinner. We even skipped a formal night dinner for this place.
Excursions
Before the ship boards in Ensenada (Mexico) you can book the various tours to the city from ship itself, like guided trip to the blowhole or a combination of Pacific Rivera Casino, wine tour and Ensenada shopping. There is an extra charge for these tours. If you want to go to Ensenada shopping area without taking a tour, you could do that by taking a shuttle, it costs around $3 per person and is easily available outside the shopping area of the cruise terminal. We had a great shopping experience in Ensenada, Mexico.
Ensenada City Experience
Once the ship docks in Ensenada most of the people want to get out and see how the life in Mexico looks like. Ensenada is an attractive town on a lovely bay, surrounded by sheltering mountains. It is 84 miles south of San Diego and 68 miles South of Tijuana. It is important to plan your Ensenada stopover nicely because you have just 9 hours in the city. Most of the financial, commercial and tourist capital of Ensenada is located near its coastlines because of the tourist cruises. Ensenada Cruise terminal gets about 4-5 ships every week.
If you want to go to Ensenada shopping area without taking a tour, you could do that by taking a shuttle/taxi, it costs around $3 per person and is easily available outside the small shopping area of the cruise terminal.
TOURS IN ENSENADA
There were several excursions offered on our ship for an extra charge, some of which are listed here. Visit this site http://www.carnival.com/ShoreExcursionsSearchResults.aspx?portname=Ensenada%2C+Mexico&portcode=ENS®ion=MB. All the tours listed here were not offered at a given time. We had an option of 4-5 tours.
The ones we liked were
1. A Taste of Mexico
2. Blow Hole Tour
3. Baja Bandidos Horseback Trail
These are mostly 3 hours tours and start either in the morning or in the afternoon. If you decide to take a tour, I recommend taking the morning one so that you have time left for other things. These tours are expensive ($45+) and many people suggest that they are not worth it, I somewhat agree with them. But we still decided to take the "Taste of Mexico" tour because we definitely wanted to do something other than just shopping in Mexico. So on the Day 1 evening itself we went to the information desk of Cruise and booked our seats.
Before the tour started we went to the Paris restaurant in the ship and had a filling breakfast. We also carried a small back pack with water, it was also helpful while shopping in Ensenada.
Our Ensenada Cruise excursion was planned this way.
Just outside the small shopping area of the cruise terminal the buses came and picked us up. The guide was quite energetic and had a good sense of humor. After a brief introduction we were taken to the downtown Ensenada, also the residential area. The bus stopped at Riviera Del Pacifico, once upon a time it was a resort and casino. Now a days there is no activity here, the only thing that seemed to happen in this old building were the tours. We were offered a small complimentary margarita and given some time to see the souvenirs, jewellery and local goods sold in the small shops inside the complex.
Our next step was the winery of Bodega Santo Tomas, founded by the Dominicans in 1888, this is a non-working winery now, the guide told us about the history of the place, how the wines were made and took us to those chambers were wine use to be made. In the end we were taken to the wine tasting room where you can taste 7-8 types of wines with bread and cheese.
In the last part of the tour we were left in the main shopping district for one hour but if you choose to stay in the downtown for longer, you may do so but you have to be responsible for your own transportation back to the ship. Like most of the other tourists, we too decided to stay as 1 hour was very less to see this place. Going back to ship is easy, you can take a 20 minutes walk or preferably pay $3 per person for a cab to take you back, It is not a big area and there are many tourists from your cruise ship itself so you are not left out anyway. Our overall experience of the tour was quite average, nothing very exciting.
Shopping In Ensenada
I would say this is the main attraction of the area. Shopping in Ensenada is made very easy and is geared towards the tourist. The stores vary from the souvenir and beach wear shops to Mexican handicrafts. You will find good stuff for gifts and traditional Mexican crafts in the city's tourist zone along Boulevard Lopez Mateos and it's side streets. Lopez Mateo spans across eight blocks and lined with shops, stores, galleries, boutiques, stands, stalls, bazaars, carts and even roadside vendors selling all sorts of items. Here, you'll also find leather and jewelry shops as well as duty-free stores.
There are also restaurants and food stalls where shoppers can have lunch or dinner. Shoppers can feel free to haggle with vendors and shop keepers. Credit card and US dollars are also accepted in most stores, however, the peso-dollar exchange rate might vary in each store. Ensenada Cruise trips is a very popular tourist destination amongst US teenagers since the legal drinking age is only 18 years.
CLIMATE:
Similar to San Diego, Esenada has a Mediterranean climate. Temperatures rarely go above 85 degrees F., or below 50 degrees F., all year round. The cool pacific waters moderates temperatures here, but go inland a few miles and temperatures can climb quite high in the Summers. Ensenada Cruise Experience is a great way to visit Mexico.
