Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Taking a Cruise But Didn't Care To Ask, Part 2

 With no coffee in my body yet, I somehow feel inspired to talk about the next part of our 20 years together cruise.

To recap, with so much going on the day we embarked on the Carnival Firenze, Vickie and I just came back to our stateroom and slept after dinner, with me probably sleeping a bit more since I'd been up most of the previous day in excited anticipation of this adventure we'd been waiting for.

And then I awakened, feeling quite refreshed and ready for what our adventure had to offer. I got up, looked outside and got this sight!

Indeed, we were getting ready to dock at Santa Catalina Island! Now, I must confess, this is what I was most excited about in terms of excursions. I had heard of the island but never set sight on it other than photos. I got Vickie up, and we got dressed and went to the dining room for breakfast. 

Then we began our day's adventure with...ANOTHER LONG LINE!! Yes, as I said previously, The Love Boat's 9 seasons never delved into the hell of lines...just like game shows never talk about the taxes on cash and prizes. Luckily, this line moved fast. The ship does not actually dock at the island, but rather sits offshore and uses a local ferry company to take the ship's passengers to and from the island.

Also, anyone who knows me knows that I get just a little disoriented in a new place, particularly when I am not sure where north is. I was also slightly mistaken about where the island was. I had assumed that it lay just south of Santa Barbara when it actually lies about 30 miles south of Long Beach where we had embarked from, so we had not traveled far. 

The area we ferried to was called Avalon, on the northeastern part of Catalina, and wow, is it ever set up for cruise folk! All sorts of souvenir and clothing shops with fairly elevated prices awaited us. Of course, we had one huge advantage: we did not have much to spend for anything. Just paying for this cruise alone took a lot. However, we were not that poor and had enough for a gift for Natalie plus a nice fried seafood lunch along the pier. A sea pigeon absconded with one of my tartar sauce cups quite aggressively, just to keep the sense of adventure alive!

Afterward, we hit one or two more shops and then headed back to the Firenze. A little rest was needed before we got dressed up and attended the photo shoot we were scheduled to have. Now, I kind of knew where this was headed: a pricy sales pitch. We've been through them before when we used to do either family or just Natalie shoots at a Henderson studio for years. I will say the photographer was quite friendly and knew the poses she wanted us to do both inside and outside. 

Soon after, we headed to the dining room for a "formal dress" dinner. Not everyone was dressed in swank, but most were. Vickie opted for a glass of wine. Unlike the rum punches that were foisted on us the first day, this was decided upon by her so I had no objections. My dinner choice was salmon with a delicious asparagus cream sauce. We were even treated to a beautiful sunset over Catalina Island!

Afterward, it was back to the room for rest, it had been quite an exciting day...and I must say this was the best day of the whole trip. 

Of course, with any great day there sometimes follows the antithesis to that greatness, and in this case it was a day docked in Ensenada. Perhaps it was foreshadowed by the less than stellar sight outside our room that morning:

Yeah, shipping docks are not exactly a sight to behold, that is unless you ship things regularly and are excited to see a port.

Unlike the Catalina excursion, the Firenze docked right at the island, so we were able to just get off.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is the Sail and Ship cards we were given when our rooms were ready. These cards were our survival to access our rooms, purchase items on board, and get on and off the ship.

Okay...Ensenada, Mexico. If you have any knowledge of Mexico itself when it comes to American tourists, you know that there are NUMEROUS shops and citizens on the streets trying to peddle what they have to offer. I do remember in early 1997 when my dad was getting remarried, my the-borther in law and my dad's 2 brothers and I went to Tijuana and had a bachelor party without the bachelor in attendance. Back then, too, there were a lot of people selling candy on the streeets, Chiclets in particular. 

Helpful tip #5: Saying No or No, gracias is appropriate. Saying No, motherfucker! might get the point across stronger but could also get the hell beaten out of you.

Another thing is that Ensenada, like other Mexican tourist spots, has American businesses there. We saw Carl's Jr, McDonald's, and Starbucks. We stopped in Starbucks for a restroom visit and a chance to tap into some free wifi for a few.

Plus, Mexico is known to be cheaper for a lot of things that are expensive in America, particularly meds, no prescription needed. I've also heard dental work is cheaper.

I think we bought one magnet for my classroom, but that was it. We grabbed the bus back to our ship and got right on. Days later, I do wonder if any people who ate and drank in Ensenada had any issues.

After some lunch on the Lido deck, we just chilled for a while before heading to the top and getting in a round of miniature golf. It was only 9 holes, but still pretty fun. No scorecards. Above us was a ropes course, below was a basketball court, plus an arcade and set of waterslides. Fun for everybody, really!

Later on, we were subjected to the photo session's sales pitch. Most packages were over a thousand, but we decided on one photo of us for about $80. I felt bad for spending so little for all that hard work, but then again, I did not create the prices.

Overall, I think Ensenada day was not the best in terms of experience. Taking photos from the ship made it look much prettier by comparison, and for sure there are a lot of gorgeous parts of Mexico, lots of mountains and beaches near the coast. If you're in Sonora just south of Arizona, well, desert is desert. I know people often associate Mexico with drug cartels and human trafficking...and to just make a small political note that has no business being in this article...no more or less crime than in this country, I am sure.

Up next, part 3: day at sea and debarkation.