October 15, 2022: my last post fir this trip! We purchased transfers to the airport from Celebrity. It was probably a good choice, because when we exited the cruise terminal, there was a huge line waiting for taxi’s and Ubers. We were up early, off the ship, on the bus and arrived at LAX by 9:30AM. Our flight is at 12:05PM, but LAX is a big airport and lots of people told us it can take a long time to check your bag and get through security. Fortunately for us, we got through pretty quick and we’re at our gate by 10:00AM.
I must be a magnet for toddlers. Dave and I had aisle seats across from each other. On first leg of flight, a toddler sat with his parents in the middle and window seats. He was very active for the first half hour or so, but settled down and slept. Whew! On the second leg, A toddler was right behind me and proceeded to kick the back of my seat for the first half hour. I think the mom saw me tell Dave I was concerned about spending 2 more hours with the child kicking my seat. Dave said she turned the child around, and fortunately, the rest of the flight was fine.
We got to Tampa about 9:45 pm, but there was some kind of an issue with the luggage as we were told it was going to be on carousel #2, and we waited. Then they changed it to carousel #4 and we waited. Then a message came on carousel #4 saying all the bags were on the belt, when not even one bag came. Then we got a PA announcement that the bags were on carousel #2. Fortunately, this time the luggage did come out on the belt and we got our bag about 10:30pm. We made it home at the stroke of midnight.
October 14, 2022: Today we are in Ensenada, Mexico. We have a private tour going to two winery’s. While we did not see downtown Ensenada, I will say we had a very enjoyable day, and the best tour of the cruise. Based see on what we saw today, I would not mind coming back and spending more time in Ensenada.
We heard from the sommelier at our wine tasting that Ensenada was up and coming in the wine industry. How many Mexican wines have you tasted? We’ll, Dave and I have tasted several after our shore excursion today.
We got off the ship a little before 9:00 and had to walk about 1/4 mile to the meeting point. We were a few minutes early, and our guide Fernando said there were 14 people. Our driver was Pancho. On our ride, Fernando talked about the area and pointed out various landmarks. It was about 45 minutes to the first winery, Cetto. At the winery, everything was clean and well landscaped. They had been in the business since 1928, and it is still in the same family. Our guide at the winery was Adrian and he showed us the wine making process. We actually saw the grape skins coming down the conveyor.
Adrian said they were Cabernet Sauvignon grape skins. The first pressing had taken place and these skins were on their way to a second pressing to extract more juice. Adrian took us to their storage room where wine is kept in barrels and the building is kept at 58 to 64 degrees. There were 3 sizes of barrels – big barrels for young wine , medium size barrels and then smaller barrels for the reserve wine.
After our tour we were taken into their sales room to taste wine. We had 4 wine samples, 2 whites and 2 reds. Our guide also gave us bread, cheese, and olives to sample with the wines. All the wines were very good, but we could not buy any because they do not ship and we could not carry them back on the plane.
Leaving the Cetto winery, we drove a short distance to a second winery, La Casa de Dona Lupe. This grape grower used to produce and sell grapes to Cetto, the first winery we stopped at. But then Cetto was able to grow enough grapes to meet their production quotas and stopped buying grapes from La Casa de Dona Lupe. So La Casa de Dona Lupe started producing their own wines.
In order to have a different product, they also sell food, hot sauces, jams, etc. We got to pick 4 wines from their offerings. Their wine was not as good, but again we were provided with bread, oil, olives…and sauces and flavored olive oils to try. As we were tasting the wines, someone from a different tour saw Dave’s Buc’s hat and gave him their ticket for 4 wines because he wasn’t a wine drinker. So Dave got to try 8 different wines. Unfortunately, La Casa de Dona Lupe’s wines were just not as good as Cetto’s. After we left La Casa de Dona Lupe, our driver mentioned an authentic taco place and asked if we were interested. Of course we were! I think this is one of Poncho’s favorite places. In case you are in Ensenada, the name of the place is El Trailero. This place had taco preparers set up at different stations and each prepared tacos with a different meat.
We tried the fish tacos, but Dave thinks we got shrimp tacos…anyway, they were very good.
I also tried a bottle of water with chia seeds. It was surprisingly sweet.
Stopping at the taco place was a nice bonus. As we got close to the ship, Fernando offered to drop us off downtown or at a bar where Margaritas were invented, “Bar Andaluz”.
Of course I opted to go to the Margarita bar. I had a frozen mango margarita and Dave had a Cadillac Margarita on the rocks.
I have to admit, Daves margaritas at home taste better as they have more flavor. After the margaritas, we walked back to the ship. But it was a fun day and I really enjoyed it.
After returning to the ship, we packed and gathered our stuff in preparation for disembarking tomorrow.
We went to the theater to see a magician perform. Of course it’s not really magic, but slight of hand and trickery. Dave does not enjoy magicians, but I found hum entertaining. I think his name was Andrew Kim. After the show, we went to dinner and then to bed as we have to get up early tomorrow. We will be off the ship by 8:00AM.
October 13, 2022: Today is a sea day, so our last chance at relaxing. After breakfast, we went to the internet lounge. Dave was trying to send an email, and for some reason it would not go through. I have an upgraded internet package where Dave just has the basic. Even using my login, the email wouldn’t go through. The internet lounge guy thought the problem was an attachment on the original email. So we deleted the attachment and finally got his response sent.
Late morning we had a complimentary wine tasting because of our loyalty with Celebrity. Dave really does not like these, because he knows what wines he likes. But, I talked him into going because it was something to do on a sea day.
We lounged for awhile in the stateroom, had a late lunch, and went to a matinee with Kristina Wells. She was the vocalist we heard last night in the theater. This afternoon she was singing 70’s music by “Diva’s”. It was a good show. She has a lot of energy and makes the show entertaining.
We spent some time relaxing in our stateroom. I have daily assignments from my Bible study class which includes reading each day and Dave has a book and watches some TV….like ‘Da Bears!
We finished our day by going to the theater before dinner. The show was Broadway Cabaret. The six onboard vocalists sang song from hit plays like Cats. We were a little disappointed because we only recognized a few of the songs and wished they would have sang more familiar pieces from these plays. But, it was entertaining and after the show we went to dinner. Lots more people in our restaurant and they were LOUD ☹️
October 12, 2022: We have a port call in Cabo San Lucas today, and we have booked a shore excursion “Cabo Sightseeing Tour”. We were in Cabo San Lucas in 2009, but I don’t remember any of it. Of course, in 13 years I’m sure a lot changed anyway.
To get to our meeting point we have to take a ships tender. The ship is not able to dock, because Cabo San Lucas does not hove docking facilities. So they use the lifeboats to bring people from the ship to the shore. We have done this many times, but today is the first time we had a lady tender driver! She did a great job!
Arriving on land we joined our tour. Lots of people taking this tour – two big buses full! So first we drive to the center of Cabo San Lucas and pause at the main square. Cabo San Lucas was founded in 1541. There is a marker at this city square for KM O, which is supposedly the start of the highway that heads north into California, but it should actually be a mile or so away on the beach. The government put it here for tourism purposes.
The guide pointed out the church in Cabo San Lucas and told us the difference between a church and a mission is that the mission may be used for many purposes. This is the church in Cabo San Lucas.
As we drive, the guide points to an area in the hills and said this is veered very wealthy people live as just the lot without a building on it costs over $2 million USdollars. Supposedly Michael Jordan and John Travolta are two of the wealthy people with homes here, and they may not visit them even once a year. We drive along the water and we are heading to the neighboring town of San Jose del Cabo. Our guide tells us about the humpback whales that are in these waters as well as various species of shark. He tells us about the different color of flags that fly on the beaches. Green flag means it is ok to swim, yellow flag means be careful as there may be hazards, a red flag means don’t think about swimming here, a black flag means somebody didn’t pay attention to the flags and passed away, a white flag indicates jelly fish and a blue flag means there are services.
As we pass one beach area, the guide pointed out a surfing beach used by experts, mediocre surfers, and rookies – each in their own area.
The guide also talked about the US invasion of Mexico in 1846 to 1848. The war ended with a treaty giving the U.S. undisputed control of Texas, established the U.S.-Mexican border along the Rio Grande, and ceded to the United States the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado, and parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Wyoming. in return, Mexico got some money. General Grant was involved in this war and some think this war was the precursor to the civil war. As our guide previously told us, a mission has multiple uses where a church only has one purpose. The mission in San Jose del Cabo was used as a shelter, an elementary school and even a post office for awhile. We are going to visit the mission in San Jose del Cabo, and our bus ride is taking us to San Jose del Cabo.
We arrived in San Jose del Cabo in front of the city hall.
It is close to the town square and the mission building is at one end of the square. But first we go and taste some chocolate and tequila, always a fun activity. After the tastings an a chocolate purchase….Dave and I left and wandered around the square a little bit. There are lots of stores, but the only people here seem to be the ones from the two tour buses. Dave and I bought a scoop of ice cream, and wandered over to the mission.
The mission was originally founded in 1730 and originally built in some swampy land close to the water, but was destroyed and moved to this location. Missions customarily were built using natural materials.
This mission was not without drama as there were disagreements with the indigenous people. In 1734, the natives drug the priest out of the church and brutally murdered him. In remembrance of the event, there is are tiles depicting the event on the front of the church.
Fortunately, things were very peaceful today.
We met our guide at the appointed time and got back on the bus. Our guide noticed he was missing 2 people…20 minutes late the missing people boarded the bus. Very frustrating when people can’t follow instructions.
On the ride away from San Jose del Cabo, our guide spoke of Mary Leonora Carrington, originally born in England. She was an artist that recognized the potential of San Jose del Cabo and fought her ideals of feminism and equality to the region. A piece of her work is located at the intersection of two highways near San Jose del Cabo. Not a very good picture as it was through the bus window.
We were a little disappointed in this tour, as it wasn’t what we expected. I think we thought we would be getting more of a tour of Cabo San Lucas. But our guide was very knowledgeable and gave us all sorts of information.
We saw a huge pelican while waiting for our ride back to the ship.
Back on the ship, we went to get something to eat, and then to our room to rest up before going to dinner this evening.
Dave got a picture of the Cabo San Lucas arch from our balcony as the ship was leaving Cabo San Lucas. This spot is a popular gathering area for sea lions and is frequented by tourists.
We went to the theater tonight and the performer was a vocalist from Las Vegas, Kristina Wells. She sang many favorites that we knew, including songs from Celine Dion, Four Seasons, Frank Sinatra and Adele…so a wide variety! We have been going to the early show and eating dinner a little later. It seems there are fewer people in the early show, but we heard from Guest Services there are only about 1400 people onboard, so that’s 50% capacity….no lines, no waiting!
October 11, 2022: Today we had a port of call in Puerto Vallarta , Mexico. It is a city that Dave and I have wanted to visit. We did a ship excursion, because it is a good way to get a feel of the city and not get into trouble. Our ship was backed into the dock, and our stateroom on the back of the ship, so we had a good view….but it was of the newer part of the city. I think we were docked in Nuevo Vallarta. There was a Walmart and shopping mall across the street from where we docked – not what we were hoping to see.
Unfortunately, the picture got blurry when I posted it, but it is clear on my phone ☹️.
We left on our excursion on a bus, and drove quite a distance to the older part of the city. First we went to the Malecon, which is a walk along the waterfront. There are many statues or pieces of art.
We were entertained by two “Aztec” men who danced for us.
Then we walked to The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, built between 1930 and 1940. The steeple is crowned with angles and is unusual because of the open design.
The interior was beautiful, but not extravagant like many of the churches in Europe. The church is based on a parish priests ideas and the rustic townscape of the past.
The guide pointed out houses higher up on a hill. This area is called Gringo Gulch. Part of the reason it is called that is because our guide said this is where Liz Taylor and Richard Burton stayed while filming “ The Night of the Iguana”.
We reboarded the bus for a short drive to the Romantic Zone. In the Romantic Zone, we visited a park with mosaic tile artwork. Artists have covered what used to be bare cement with mosaic tiles. The benches are covered with mosaics, all different designs.
We enjoyed walking through this park. The park is just up the street from a beach called “skeleton beach” or “deadman’s beach”. It is so named for the bones of indigenous people found buried in the sand after legendary pirate raids on a nearby village.
The park also had a cute statue of a stubborn mule.
We reboarded our bus and drove to another park. To reach the park we had to walk across a suspension bridge.
Then we were on Cuale Island or Childrens island. Our guide told us that as a child he played in the river we just crossed and the ladies would be washing their laundry in the river. From there we walked to a shopping area and stopped at a shop where the owner was making candied nuts. We were offered several samples and also samples of tequila. This was our last stop and we were given about 45 minutes to wander in this area. It was touristy, but not overwhelmed with tourists.
Back at the ship, we had lunch, and then rested for awhile. We were invited to go to the helipad on the front of the ship for the sail away.
This invite is issued “as a reward” to those who have sailed a lot with celebrity, and also to people staying in suites. It’s kinda fun – they serve Champaign and mimosas. We thought it was going to be hot, but we actually had a nice breeze.
After the sail away, we went back to our stateroom and showered as it had been a very warm day. We went to the evening show, which was a modern take on music from Mozart to the present. The best part was the aerialists and acrobats took part. They are really fun to watch. After the show, we went to dinner and then to bed. We set our clocks back an hour tonight, so we get an extra hour of sleep!
October 10, 2022: Today was another sea day and we did not do much! We can really get into this relaxing thing…. After breakfast we got the daily sudoku and crossword puzzles. Dave went to the library and I went to the internet cafe to try to post yesterdays blog. I thought there would be a stronger signal there …. Nope! So posting my blog is a bit of an effort. After finally getting it uploaded, I met Dave in the library where we solved the sudoku and crossword puzzle. I admit, we used Google a little on some of the weird clues. This afternoon we relaxed on our balcony until the sun became too hot. I forgot to mention that yesterday we saw a large pod (?), school (?), of dolphins. I would guess 50 but Dave would probably guess 20. They were all racing towards the ship, I assume to play in the wake. It was an bunch of dolphins anyway. We had a great dinner tonight – at least I did. It was a vegetarian lasagne with a chicken breast on top for the non-vegetarian, me. After dinner, we watched a “whisper” game show. It was kind of like charades. We went to the casino for awhile. We have quite a bit of on board credit, and if we don’t use it, we lose it. So the way to take it out of our account, is to get a voucher from the casino which they charge to your account, play a slot machine a little, then cash out and turn in your cashed out ticket for real US$. Dave was lucky and is actually up about $12. We still have over $100 to cash out this way. We are not sure why we ended up with so much on board credit, but we are not going to complain! Tomorrow we are in Puerto Vallarta, so we have ordered room service for breakfast. That save us having to get up early just to go to breakfast!
October 9, 2022: Hard to do my update due to poor internet connectivity. Today is a sea day, so while there are many activities going on on the ship, Dave and I are taking the opportunity to relax. We spent a lot of time on our balcony, watching the wake, sometimes through our closed eyelids (!).
The time changes are tough. We gained 3 hours flying to LA, and we lost 1 hour today. We will lose 1 more hour tomorrow. On the way back to LA, we will regain those two hours, but then we’ll lose 3 hours on the flight to Tampa. Tonight was the first of two “dress up” nights.
After dinner, we went to the production show, Rock. We were disappointed in that we did not recognize many of the songs, but all in all it was very entertaining and I enjoyed it. The show incorporated 3 acrobats, which was probably my favorite part of the show. After the show we stopped by the martini bar for a nightcap, then back to our stateroom, setting our clocks forward one hour, and then to bed.
October 8, 2022: Our flight to LA was uneventful. We caught the shuttle to ”H Hotel by Hilton, Curio collection”. We had a nice room with double sinks (!), and had dinner in the hotels restaurant. Since we have a 3 hour time change, our internal clocks are a little screwed up. We went to bed early and got up early.The hotel has a coffee shop with Krispy Kreme donuts, so that was our breakfast this morning.
I guess our big excitement was using Uber for the first time. I had the Uber app on my phone because we tried to use Uber when we spent 16 days in London earlier this year, but the London Uber would not accept me because the phone number associated with my sim card was already in their system with another user. So I was trying to schedule an Uber for our trip from the hotel to the port and was having trouble. I would enter all the info but was not getting a confirmation. Finally I looked at my account and realized the phone number was from the London sim card and not my mobile phone. Once I got that fixed, I got the Uber reserved and received the confirmation. So we go outside to look for the Uber, and the driver texts us that he was here, but his car was nowhere in sight. Finally I figured out he was on the wrong side of the building where there is a Subway restaurant, but not the entrance to the hotel. It was a 21.5 mile ride and the charge was $38. The driver was obviously not familiar with the cruise port. There were two ships loading, and we kept telling him Celebrity, but he insisted the drop off was in front of a Princess ship. Since we thought he was better informed than us, we got out at the Princess drop off and had to walk a couple of blocks to the Celebrity ship drop off.
We were on the ship by 11:00AM, dropped our bags and explored the ship. It is the same class, Solstice class, as the Equinox which we cruised on in August, 2021. So it was pretty familiar. After much discussion, we decided to upgrade from the classic beverage package to the premium package. We have shipboard credit and our excursions are already paid. We don’t think we will go to a specialty restaurant and since the remaining onboard credit is not refunable, we decided we’d use it drinking better booze. So we went to the martini bar to upgrade and I discovered I had lost my seapass card….already! We backtracked all the places we had been, but couldnt find it. We had to go to guest relations and get a new one issued.
October 6, 2022: We are getting ready to leave tomorrow, Friday, October 7, 2022 for our short 7 day West Coast cruise. We were hit with Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022. Our roof, pool cage and ceilings were damaged. But this short trip was already booked and paid for, so we are planning to go. There is so much devastation in the area, but particularly south of us, that we think it will be awhile before contractors can fix our damages. Our thinking is that being gone for a week won’t make a difference. That’s our plan and time will tell if we are wrong.
Itinerary:
*10/7/22: We fly direct Tampa to Los Angeles, CA (LAX)
*10/8/2022: Board Celebrity Solstice, Aqua class stateroom 1672
*10/9/2022: At Sea
*10/10/2022: At Sea
*10/11/2022: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – 8:00AM to 4:30 PM
*10/12/2022: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – 9:00AM to 6:00PM
*10/13/2022: At Sea
*10/14/2022: Ensenada, Mexico – 9:00AM to 6:00PM
*10/15/2022: Disembark in Los Angeles and fly to Tampa
Love these updates!