Ensenada for the day

[twinklen01]

everyone says dont drink the water. What about the ice in drinks and the margaritas???

[jer_l]

We did the Wine Country tour when we were in Ensenada on Splendor in March. You take a bus ride up to the hillside, visit two wineries, and they give you a bottle of wine to take with you. When you come back, they'll drop you in town if you want, or take you back to the ship. We felt it was well worth the price.

Will the ship let you take the bottle of wine to the MDR for dinner that night or do you have to check it when you get back on board and have it delivered to your cabin later?

[lollylew]

Spiney lobster does sound good. My quest for activities have all seemed to rave about the local seafood, and of course the fish tacos. I was just a bit hesitant ,uncertain about the possible digestive side effects. I know to avoid drinking the water, and skipping the ice,other than that had some doubts about the local food. If anyone has a fav spot to sample the local flavor I am very interested! I feel the best way to experience a new culture is through their food.

Just got back from the Elation 5 day to Cabo and Ensenada. My mom and I chose to do the Taste of Mexico excursion that allowed us to prepare our own salsa/guacamole, a tamal, and a tostada. It was done at the Mango Mango restaurant and was VERY tasty! We had about 1 1/2 to shop after wards but we could have stayed longer and then taken a taxi ride back to the ship. A great way to try some "authentic" food! :D

[deepnite10]

the first time we went to ensenada we took a ship tour to the blowhole..then to a theatre where we saw a show..in the end we had the option to be drop d off in town to shop or return to the ship..

 

the second time we just took a walk along the malecon towards the pirate ship..at the end is a flee market where there were numerous shop s and

food stands..

 

it seem d very safe..mexican police and military all over the malecon and

pier areas..or did they expect some kinda trouble? :confused:

[potterphreak]

Our first cruise to Ensenada the ladies and guys split up. Boys did who knows what and us ladies went and had massages. Our second cruise, the whole lot of us took the bus to La Bufadora. Was really nice!! Saw the blowhole (took about 5 minutes...) and then did the "flea market". Was a lot of fun!! Also, ate at some teeny taco place and it was literally, the most delicious thing ever. I have one regret on that cruise-only eating one taco!!!

 

We are taking our first cruise to Catalina/Ensenada (other 2 were just Ensenada) in 33 days; what have you found to do in Catalina? We will have our 2 daughters with us and would love to see some sights, maybe go to the beach if that is possible?

[harlekuin]

You can drink water and have ice in drinks in the restaurants. This is purified water. These places survive on tourism and would not still be in business if everyone that came there got sick. We have been to Mexico many times on both cruises and land vacations have had many a margarita, pina coloda, etc and never had a problem.

[Curt Jerome Wild]

I've been there so many times, that now I just mosey off the ship...

Stop at Hussong's, then check out shops and markets for any cool clothing items.

I don't know why, I always seem to find the best cheap sunglasses there, that I can't even find on Venice Beach in LA.:cool:

Maybe stop at Mango Mango as well.

 

But there is one thing that no one has mentioned that is great if you are a big movie fan is the Fox Studios Tour.

It's a separate working film studio that they use when they need a lot of water effects or water filming.

They did a lot of Titanic there, so there are lots of things to see from that.

Also, Pearl Harbor, Planet of the Apes, Master & Commander - basically all movies where water/ocean are a major part of the film.

 

Just another cool option for fans of those particular films, or movies in general.;)

[Martini Mom]

We had a great time on the winery tour (we bought it through Carnival). It was well worth it. On our last trip there we walked several blocks to an "in-town" winery, "Bodega de Santo Tomas." I wouldn't really recommend that one. If you do go, take a cab, don't walk like we did. We felt a little unsafe in certain areas. Then we shopped, ate, and got back on the ship early to enjoy the slide and pool almost by ourselves.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about the bars being out of control and too "frat" style. Most of them are pretty mellow during the day. I was very unimpressed with Hussongs. It was a dive. Most of the bars and restaurants have employees on the street trying to lure you in with "specials". We listened to their offers as we shopped up and down the street. By the time we were done, we knew who had the best offer/prices.

[Curt Jerome Wild]

We are taking our first cruise to Catalina/Ensenada (other 2 were just Ensenada) in 33 days; what have you found to do in Catalina? We will have our 2 daughters with us and would love to see some sights, maybe go to the beach if that is possible?

Catalina is easy, and a great little port stop.

Take a golf cart ride around the island.

(Go left from the main pier, there are two golf cart rental places)

 

For my personal favorite lunch location, head right from the pier to

The Landing. Great views, great food, less crowds.

 

Then for the best beach, head further past The Landing, then walk around past the Casino Building. Down a walkway you will find Descano Beach.

Much much better than the main little crowded beach by the pier.

And it has a great little place for drinks and such.

(click the thumbnail pic above to get a full sized picture)

Enjoy!

 

 

[Jen1000]

Do you know were i can get the information for atv and horse back ridding?

 

We saw it thru Carnival but we did not do either one.

 

Jen in SoCal

[Jen1000]

we are on the fence about going to the blowhole. So the tour 4 1/2, how long is the drive to the blow hole? I'm trying to figure out how much time is actually at the blow hole and flea market.

 

$15 per person for the tour would mean $45 for dh, dd10 and I.

Are there shuttle that go to the blow hole and drop you off for a cheaper rate?

 

I have not heard of any cheaper than $15. Thru Carnival our tour was around $30. The $15 is the shuttle that drops you off, it is not the same as the tour thru Carnival.

 

Drive was around 45 min each way.

 

Jen in SoCal

[Jen1000]

Renting a golf cart and doing your own tour is a lot of fun. They give you a map. It may not be warm enough for the beach when you are there. Water is pretty cold. There are also quite a few tours both on and off the water.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

We are taking our first cruise to Catalina/Ensenada (other 2 were just Ensenada) in 33 days; what have you found to do in Catalina? We will have our 2 daughters with us and would love to see some sights, maybe go to the beach if that is possible?

[Drew B]

I enjoyed the Carnival-sponsered horseback excursion in Ensenada. The ranch is owned by an American expatriate, and the horses are happy and healthy (a HUGE consideration, for me at least).

[aricczona]

While researching Catalina(Avalon) I found an interesting segway tour offered through Carnival,as well as a tandem parasailing excursion. I visited the tourism office for the Island's website and was able to download a pretty good guide book with the numbers of the local tour companies too. Check it out its got some great info.

[aricczona]

Finally only a week away, looking forward to visiting the city of Ensenada. Hopefully the weather wont be too cold, packing all different layers just in case

[vanislandcruisers]

We did Catalina (Golf Cart) and Ensenada (Horseback Riding through Carnival and then Hussongs and downtown on our own)....you can look at the Journal in our signature to see how much we enjoyed both stops

 

Have a great Cruise

[Wavesprite]

We're going on the 3 day, Elation, on the 15th of January, and I was just wondering (we are non-drinkers), what kinds of shopping we would find downtown? We don't want to go to the blow hole, but is there shopping downtown as well for tourists?

[cruisinJenF]

Did this cruise in August with all my kids.

 

Catalina was so fun- we did the glass bottom boat tour through Carnival which the kids liked. We then rented a golf cart for an hour and drove all over the Island (It was $40 for an hour from the golf cart place to the right of the pier when looking at the Island). Their favorite though was snorkeling. If you go left when looking at Island all the way down you will see places that give you wetsuits and take you out. There are TONS of fish and the kids loved it.

 

In Ensenada we did Papas and Beer- it was really a lot of fun. There was only two other families with us and we had the whole place to our self. We laid in the sun and the kids played in the sand. The "Vendors" stayed outside the roped off perimeter and didnt bother us. When we went out to the water they would ask but were not pushy at all. We had a great day there and really enjoyed it.

[aricczona]

I was wondering if the golf carts were worth renting, different posts make it seem that the island is so small it can pretty much be seen on foot. How much area can you cover with an hour rental?

[vanislandcruisers]

With our rental it was pay for 2 hours and get one hour free..we used the cart for the full 3 hours but did make a few stops

[cruisinJenF]

I was wondering if the golf carts were worth renting, different posts make it seem that the island is so small it can pretty much be seen on foot. How much area can you cover with an hour rental?

 

 

They are worth renting- there are a lot of hills and you can take the carts all the way up to the top of the hill- the view is GORGEOUS from up there!

 

Here is a couple pics attached- never done this before so I hope it works:

[vanislandcruisers]

They are worth renting- there are a lot of hills and you can take the carts all the way up to the top of the hill- the view is GORGEOUS from up there!

 

Here is a couple pics attached- never done this before so I hope it works:

 

We must have stopped pretty close to where you did judging by our picture

[aricczona]

Wow the view is AWESOME up there. I will definitely check that out, thank you

[san diego spartan]

First time cruiser here counting down to what i hope to be the first of many.I will be cruising with my family on a short 4 day trip on the Elation in January. The itinerary includes stops at Catalina Island and Ensenada Mexico. I have been researching these ports and have had good luck finding ways to occupy our time in Avalon(Catalina), however see very little to do beside the typical tourist trap venues while in Mexico. The ship will be there for a long time on this day and wondered is it even worth getting off the ship? While I do enjoy good Mexican food, there is an added expense to doing that while the ship ofers their fine selections for free. Papas and beer sounds a bit too frat party for my age, although my 20 yr old son would enjoy. Just wondering if there are any hidden treasures worth exploring.

 

Just returned from the Elation over Christmas, so many tours were not offered in Ensenada, as that was the day we were there. My folks tour (city tour) was canceled. Some family members went on the buggy tour/adventure and said it was a blast. Lasted about 3 hours and they had a great time.

 

Check out the wine tours if you can - some of the wineries are not too bad in that area.

 

In terms of walking around, you can easily walk to the downtown area for some shopping and eating. There is a shuttle bus too for $2 pp. Hussongs is fine and will be more of a "local" atmosphere versus Papas and Beer or Havanna Cabana (or whatever the name is - though it had a good deal $20 all you can eat and drink - very party like atmosphere).

 

Visit the local fish market if you have a chance and have never been to one - pretty cool to walk around.

 

We ate at El Charro and had some great chicken mole. The chicken was very moist and roasted on a spit. Tortillas made fresh to order. We also had fish tacos at Tequilas, a small sports bar, which showed the Chargers game for us.

 

another tour I've read about that was recommended was the one that takes you to Mangos (downtown) and gives you a cooking class and then you have lunch.

[san diego spartan]

We're going on the 3 day, Elation, on the 15th of January, and I was just wondering (we are non-drinkers), what kinds of shopping we would find downtown? We don't want to go to the blow hole, but is there shopping downtown as well for tourists?

 

There is all kinds of shopping downtown. Depends on what you want, but you can find jewelry (silver), blankets, hats, ponchos, tiles, ceramics, leather goods and other typical Mexican items to buy. Is there anything specific you are looking for?

 

The shopping areas are all over and you might want to start just by walking from the ship/pier versus taking the shuttle bus, as you will walk by some smaller shops and a flea market type alley way before getting into downtown. Also downtown are the "official" company stores for Hussong's, Papas & Beer, etc for their items (tshirts, etc).