Carnival Cruise to Ensenada, Mexico

I am very much interested into exploring new things. I like to travel, explore new places, try different cuisines etc. But one thing I never tried was cruising on the ship. I had multiple opportunities to sail, but my wife told me that she will feel the sea sickness if she is on the ship for more than 2 days. Its all in her mind as she never sailed and someone had told her. Finally the day had come, she changed her mind and we all set to go. (Because sailing alone on the ship will be boring.. either go with your best buddies or your girl friend or wife). My friend Arul’s family decided to sail on the Carnival Cruises, we had joined them. It’s a 3 night cruise from Long Beach to Ensenada, Mexico. It was all fun, the moment we boarded to the moment we got down from the ship.

We drove up to Long Beach to board the ship. The departure time was 5:30 PM on Friday evening and unfortunately I forgot where I kept my car key after loading all the luggage into the car. It was a tensed 10-15 minutes and we thought we were going to miss the ship. Somehow, my wife found the key and we started driving. We reached the Long beach cruise port at 5 PM and it was empty as almost all the passengers got into the ship already. They checked our passport, visa etc and finally handed over the room keys and allowed us to get into the ship. The room keys are very important as this is used for all the purchases inside the ship. I think we were the last couple of passengers. Anyhow, after get into the ship, we were greeted by the crew members and we had a security briefing for 20-25 minutes. Then the real fun begin. The ship started sailing exactly at 5:45 PM.

(You DON’T need a Mexican visa to go to Ensenada. All they check is whether you have the Visa/EAD/Greencard to come back to the USA – I am highlighting this point because there are different opinions on the internet, some saying Visa is OK but not EAD, some saying it is not required to get the Mexican visa and some saying it is better to get the Mexican visa)

Carnival Stateroom: On a Carnival cruise, your stateroom is your home base. When the day is done, once you have had your fill of fun, you will head back to your stateroom and settle in for the night. No matter which kind of room you choose you will find yours a well-appointed way to wind down the day. And whether it’s day or night, all staterooms have a ‘room steward’ on duty, an attendant you can call for complimentary room service, and more sweet perks inside. We booked the Ocean-viewing rooms on Deck-7 Empress. Some of the features on this desk is Art Gallery and Grand Atrium Plaza.

We explored the ship a little bit and took some pictures before heading to the dinner. We booked early dining at 6 PM to avoid the crowd. There is a 8 PM dining too. The 24 hours Dining room is different where you can go and grab the food, ice-cream, pizza at any time of the day.

Dining Room: They set the table for you. They also bring to the table a full three courses in an experience that’s filling, but never stuffy. Dessert’s included (along with the rest of your meal, by the way) in your fare. The main course is the main attraction – drop in daily and enjoy a rotating menu of delectable favorites like steak, roasted duck, scallops and prime rib (They also have lots of option for the vegetarians). When you book, choose Early Dining or Late Dining for reserved seating nightly.

After the delicious dinner, we had some fun time at the Casino, Dance room, went to the top of the ship for the stargazing.

Ensenada: The ship arrived in Ensenada port exactly at 7 AM the next day (Saturday Morning). Breakfast will be delivered to your room if you had already informed your room steward the previous night. We had our breakfast in the room itself and exit the ship for the Ensenada sight seeing. Here, they won’t check if you have a Mexican visa or not. They will just check if the passengers leaving the ship has a room key or not (Each passenger will have the room key irrespective of the age).

Take this chance to tour one of the major attractions in Ensenada.  We took a rental car and embark on a 25-mile trip along the Baja California countryside before reaching La Bufadora. La Bufadora, from the Spanish word “bufar” which means “snort,” is a must for any Ensenada itinerary.

You can easily spend hours here enjoying a variety of activities. The drive itself is enough to attract visitors, a paved, winding road revealing panoramic cliff-top vistas of Ensenada Bay and Todos Santos Island. 

The blow hole is a natural sea spout that shoots sea spray approximately 60 to 100 feet into the air. Visited La Bufadora for sightseeing and shopping at the open air market.

The waterspout is a marine geyser created when ocean waves and air are sucked into an cave located at the bottom of the cliff. When the water recedes, the trapped air forces the water to expel upwards with a roaring surge, sometimes reaching as high as 100 feet above sea level, and frequently onto the observation ledge. The sprays are intermittent and of diverse intensity – sometimes as frequent as 2 times within 30 seconds, other times a few minutes apart.

When entering or leaving the site, you will certainly have to pass through an enormous gathering of vendors. If you are looking for local crafts, souvenirs, or the best bargains in Ensenada, this is the place for it. They always overprice the items – So go for the negotiation!

A visit to the blowhole is just one of many fun activities to do and see in Ensenada. Other possibilities include visits to the Mercada de Mariscos fish market on the malécon, historic Bodegas de Santo Tomas winery, famous Hussong’s Cantina – the oldest bar in Baja, whale watching, fishing and surfing.

Next we headed into downtown hoping for a good lunch – tasted an authentic Mexican food.

Then we drove to the Ensenada beach called “Playa Hermosa”. This beach is quite beautiful, punctuated by guys selling hats, kites, and fresh fruit. There’s even a horseback-riding-on-the-beach excursion. Ensenada is famous for being the only deep-water port in the state of Baja California.

After spending around an hour on the beach, we headed back to the ship before 5 PM to attend the Cruise Elegant Evening.

Cruise Elegant Evening: Next we got ready for elegant night. I wore a jean with formal shirt and on top of that I wore a blazer. There are some 5-6 places with different backgrounds where the professional photographers take fantastic pictures of you and your family. Only negative point was, the price of the single portrait photocopy was $22 and there is no soft copy. I think, if you buy 10 photos, then they will give you a soft copy of all those 10 photos. That was too much.

Sea Day: The next day (last day) was a designated Sea Day – meaning you are supposed to just relax, enjoy the ship and do some fun activities like sky riding, gambling, water sports etc. Did you know that there is a professional jogging track that you can run on, above the lido deck? It is spectacular – 360 views of the ocean that are worth even just a stroll around it and then there is a golf course.

There are also big, flashy Vegas-style shows you can watch every night in the Dynasty Lounge. The pool/hot tub combo was a bit of an experience.

The ship returned to Long Beach port on Monday at 5 AM. After the breakfast at 6:30, we left the ship with great memories.