imapris

Hi everyone - I'm just back from a 3 day to Ensenada Aug. 8-11.

Here are my thoughts on Ensenada. We used the shuttle from the cruise ship to town and then bought the $15 tour that takes you to the blow hole and drops you in downtown.

DO not go to the restaurant recommended by the tour company at the flea market. The food was nasty. The tacos by the little restaurant by the bathrooms in the parking lot looked delish and tons of people ate them. Eat those first! the churros at the stand on the edge of the parking lot were best.

Learn to negotiate pricing with vendors and be willing to walk to the next shop to get a better price. Each vendor owns like 20 stalls so you can get deals if you stand your ground!

Definitely go to downtown. We margarita hopped as is our nature wherever we go LOL Husson's is the best. small margaritas, but 2 for $3. It's an old place on the side street by Papas & Beer (which is party central). Bestie and I totally loved the old world feel of hussons. Having been in the Navy, we've seen our fair share of party ports so can do without those types of shenanigans LOL

I highly recommend the hand made leather flip flop sandals at the flea market. I got 5 pairs for $60. They are soooo comfy!!

Hi Everyone,

I just used FTTF for the first time on my 3 day out of long beach to ensenada Aug. 8 - 11. Let me tell you - I LOVED it.

Arrived to the terminal 10:30 a.m. Went through priority line, had S&S card and checked in by 10:40 a.m. Boarded at 11:30 a.m. immediately following the wedding party. Had room on the empress deck (which was amazing since it was right by embark/debark location) so we dropped off bags immediately. Room was ready. My luggage arrived by 12:30, friend's luggage arrived by 1 p.m.

We are early risers, so didn't need the fttf to debark at 830 am in Ensendada. The FTTF came in handy the 2 times I used guest services - once to get decks of cards/hole punched in S&S and again to ask a question about the customs form when travelling with only a birth certificate.

Debark was super easy. Were able to get off the ship at 9 a.m. sharp even with checked luggage. Luggage was in category 1. It was perfect and more than worth the $50 total.

part of the reason people think it's a waste of time is the misconception that you have to buy one per person.

For the person who started this thread, only 2 FTTF are needed for 6 people (2 cabins). Thus the total cost is only $100.

I sail Friday on a 3 day to Mexico for my bday and purchased FTTF. It was a last minute decision to sail, so I just booked the cruise the last week of June and learned about FTTF the next week and purchased it right away. Out of curiosity I looked yesterday and there are still 16 available for this cruise. Guess it depends when/where and from where you're going how full the platinums are.

I can't wait to get to my room by noon, drop off my bottle of birthday champagne for the steward to put on ice and then go grab lunch and my first drink of the day.

the short cruises to Baja from LA tend to be party cruises... or as I call them booze cruises. I know because I leave Friday for my bday on a 3 day to Ensenada. However, the four day cruise that hits Catalina Island and Ensenada is less party-ish, and periodically there are 5-7 day cruises that hit Mazatlan and/or Cabo, Puerto Vallarta. One of those might be better for the fam.

Inspiration and Imagination are smaller ships yet to be renovated, but as I first time cruiser (prior US Navy though) I had a blast and thought there was tons of stuff to do. You should definitely have your son at least look into the activities geared toward him. He may like it.

One thing to note - since you have to fly anyway, you might want to go with a cruise out of Florida. The cruise fares tend to be least expensive there because I'm guessing the port fees are less expensive. YOu can find 5-7 day cruises hitting 4-5 ports for the same price as my 3 day to Ensenada out of LA lol

Whatever you decide... just do it. Pick a cruise based on the parameters most important to your family (there really is a cruise for everyone), book it and get to planning. There's a wealth of information for every question you can imagine on these boards.

Good luck and welcome!!

When we booked our cruise I researched things to do in Ensenada. We decided on a winery tour but wasn't to hip on a big bus tour thru the cruise line. We booked a private tour with Mariana from toursbylocals. It was awesome. Our guide was very knowledgable and knew the vintners personally. We ended up visiting 4 wineries (had to pay for only one) plus had an amazing lunch. We bought 20 bottles of wine ( yes we had to check it but customs was a breeze). The wine country was very nice and this was one of the best excursions we have ever done.

Hi Firestorm1... question - how was customs a breeze? I thought the limit was 2 bottles per person. Did you have to pay a fee to bring all that wine back in? did you declare it all on the form? I sail next week and plan on going to the wineries. As I'm a wineclub member in Temecula, I know I will want to buy everything that I like, so I was concerned with how the customs stuff works if you're over the limit.

thanks much!!!:confused:

I love all the old photos of pedro, especially the ones hanging in the mom and pop type restaurants throughout town. I live in Pedro and absolutely love its quirkiness.

This kind of defeats the point of bringing your own tumbler if you have to spend time standing there and refilling from the smaller cups over an over. Has anyone else heard this?

 

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That sounds like a germophobe statement, not policy. I always refill straight into my cup.

The two cruises I've booked thus far have been through USAA. (Mega military travel/insurance/banking/financial company) I like the security of booking through them; If I choose to use travel insurance, theirs is always cheapest with the best coverage, and I get points for reduced prices toward future travel.

I'm starting to learn more though and am interested in how to get bookings that come with OBC. I've yet to get that.

One question - what is PVP?????

I always take a sippy cup of some sort - lidded with a straw and insulated, usually from the dollar store. I use it to mix drinks in my room or to pour drinks into that I get elsewhere. I also like to take the juice from breakfast to the room - the tropical stuff. sooooo good!!!

I also take some sort of bottle I can fill with water to carry around as well.

Hi Shmoo here - I've been reading that you don't actually need your passport for mexico... that you can use gov't ID plus birth certificate or some form of proof of citizenship. Do you know if that's true? I'm wondering if I need to go through the hassle of getting an expedited passport card (because it's cheaper than the book and my current passport book has expired). I'd rather not spend the money on an expedite if I don't actually need it and can use my military ID plus birth certificate at customs.

Thanks for any input!!

haha - that's awesome. I've also cruised courtesy of the US Navy - nine countries in less than a year. Not too shabby! :-) USS Rushmore!