Before you retire in Mexico, read this humorous, practical e-book.
Welcome to Mexico Vistas
Mexico Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Mexico. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Ecstasy At Sea – Carnival Cruise to Ensenada, Mexico
from: Carolyn ProctorEcstasy At Sea – Carnival Cruise to Ensenada, Mexico
Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com
http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cruise02/carnival/ectasy/ectasy.html
"Carnival has the fun" reads the exterior banner stretching across the side of Carnival's cruise ship Ecstasy. It's the first week-end in December, when one would think most folks are home preparing for the holidays, but this half-a-cruise down the Mexican Riviera from Long Beach, California to Ensenada, Mexico, is sold out.
At the Queen Mary pier in Long Beach, we board the ship on a crisp, foggy Friday afternoon. Carnival handles all the formalities of boarding inside the huge dome previously housing the Spruce Goose. On a colorful Mexican set we pause for boarding souvenir photos. Soon settled into a cabin on the Riviera deck, we check out the activity sheet for things to do.
For the first-time cruiser, Carnival's Ecstasy provides a full-scale introduction to the cruise vacation lifestyle so popular with travelers. From quizzes, game shows, bingo, casino gambling, musical dance shows, art auctions, ship tours, slot tournaments, spa services, fitness classes, disco dancing, karaoke, pub crawl and other events, there's non-stop entertainment. I decide I want a massage on Sunday, our day at sea. Good thing I checked it out before the ship sailed; Sunday massage time is nearly sold out, so I book for 8 a.m. Sunday morning.
Ecstasy sails promptly at 5:30 p.m., after which all passengers gather in blocky orange life vests at our respective "muster stations" for mandatory life boat drill. This is a serious, U.S. Coast Guard-managed event, at the conclusion of which Cruise Director Dana Hodson announces, "You are now officially on vacation."
Midship two glass elevators carry guests from the Empress deck skyward, where this beautiful open area is capped by an enormous glass dome. (Opening photo.) Exploring the deck levels, we check out the spa and gymnasium, so we'll know where to go to when we're ready to work out. Meanwhile we miss the shore excursion talk but not to worry—it's broadcast later in our cabin on ship TV. Our shore excursion choices are horseback riding, a visit to La Bufadora (one of three blow-holes in the world), or a visit to Mexico's oldest winery, founded by the Dominicans in 1888.
At our late seating in the Wind Star Dining Room, we meet our tablemates, a combination of couples and singles from Southern California. After dinner we check out Casino Royale, where there is plenty of action at slot machines, video poker machines, and live table games.
The last thing we do Friday night is put out the menu hang-tag on our cabin door with our selections for room-service breakfast. Saturday morning, not wanting to be among the first crowd surging to get into Ensenada, we sleep until 8 a.m. Our in-cabin breakfast, including a pot of coffee arrives. Around ten we head into Ensenada for a day of exploring and shopping. Two men in what appears to be Mayan Indian garb are available at the foot of the gangway on the waterfront promenade for souvenir photo ops.
A shuttle bus operates every five minutes between the Ecstasy and Ensenada's fashionable shops and busy restaurants of Avenida Primera. Besides the driver, a young guitar player boards, does two songs, collects a few tips and departs. A guide boards, and uses the short travel time to sell us his company's tour to La Bufadora. We discover his tour includes an hour to shop the flea market there and a free lunch and is fifteen dollars cheaper than the one officially offered aboard Ecstasy, so we sign up.
The air-conditioned bus ride to the blowhole takes about forty-five minutes, through barren Baja countryside. The stalls at La Bufadora offer silver jewelry, clothing, leather goods, rubber snakes and bugs, pottery, hats, fish tacos, and churros, the long, deep-fried Mexican version of the doughnut. There are also plenty of opportunities to buy Coronas with lime. We don't recommend churros and Coronas together. . .
Ensenada in winter is not balmy and hot. Though the sun is out, the official high for the day is 65 degrees Fahrenheit. We are comfortable in tee shirts and shorts, but not the locals. On our way back to the ship we stop for an espresso and the pretty girl operating the machine wears a down jacket and, entwined around her neck, a wool scarf.
We're too tired from shopping to stay in Ensenada until the ship sails, so we're on the shuttle back to the waterfront promenade where there's yet one more colorful Mexican shopping opportunity. Good thing our little cabin has ample storage for our luggage and our shopping purchases, too.
At dinner we hear from our tablemates all about what we missed. Seems a lot of young people gathered at Tapas and Beer, the restaurant/bar that's replaced Husong's Cantina (still the same as it was in the sixties) as the most popular watering hole in Ensenada. One thing led to another, and later in the afternoon there were girls dancing on tables in various stages of drunkenness and undress. Making cruise memories?
To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link:
http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cruise02/carnival/ectasy/ectasy.html
Carolyn Proctor, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com
About the Author
Carolyn Proctor, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Leave your email next to the logo for FREE e travel newsletter.
 |
 |
Other Mexico related Articles
Mariachi Music - Origins
Vicente Fernandez
Do you want to contribute to our site : submit your articles HERE
Warning: file(http://www.searchfeed.com/rd/feed/TextFeed.jsp?trackID=P2127485710&pID=54656&cat=Mexico&nl=5&page=1&excID=) [function.file]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
in /home/titanad/public_html/mexicovistas/datas/searchfeed.php on line 8
Mexico Specific links
Mexico News
Mexico party taps 1st woman for presidential run - CBS News
 Christian Science Monitor | Mexico party taps 1st woman for presidential run CBS News Mexican presidential candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota celebrates her victory with her counterparts Santiago Creel, left, and Ernesto Cordero from the National Action Party during a press conference in Mexico City Feb. 5, 2012. (AFP/Getty Images) MEXICO ... Mexico Ruling Party Picks First Woman Presidential Candidate Woman to head major party ticket in Mexico Mexico's ruling party picks woman as presidential candidate |
Mexico rescues 6 Cubans from drifting boat - Fox News
Mexico rescues 6 Cubans from drifting boat Fox News MEXICO CITY -- The Mexican Navy says it has rescued six Cubans from a makeshift boat adrift off the Caribbean island of Isla Mujeres. The Navy says a recreational boat reported the drifting craft. Photos provided by the Navy showed what appeared to be ... |
Hurricane Season 2012: System 90L (Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico) - NASA
 NASA | Hurricane Season 2012: System 90L (Atlantic Ocean/Gulf of Mexico) NASA NOAA's GOES-13 satellite captured a visible image of System 90L in the eastern Gulf of Mexico as it brings rains to southern Florida on Monday, February 6, 2012. System 90L appears as the somewhat rounded area of clouds over Florida's southern ... South Florida sees rain from system in Gulf of Mexico Tropics Trying to Come Alive in the Gulf of Mexico First-ever Super Bowl Sunday tropical disturbance forms in Gulf of Mexico |
Source: Gun Walking To Mexico Known Outside Of ATF - Fronteras: The Changing America Desk
 Opposing Views | Source: Gun Walking To Mexico Known Outside Of ATF Fronteras: The Changing America Desk By Michel Marizco TUCSON — Newly released documents show that allowing guns to walk into Mexico was widely known outside of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), the agency accused of allowing the weapons to head south across the border. Lax US gun laws enable killing in Mexico Dems: Fast & Furious just 1 of 4 misguided probes |
Focus Identifies Bulk Tonnage Silver-Gold Targets at Santa Cruz, Mexico ... - Sacramento Bee
Focus Identifies Bulk Tonnage Silver-Gold Targets at Santa Cruz, Mexico ... Sacramento Bee 6, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ - Focus Ventures Ltd. (TSX-V: FCV) is pleased to announce encouraging results from its first-phase exploration program at its 13050 hectare Santa Cruz property in Durango, Mexico. The recent work has significantly upgraded the ... |
