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On 11/25/2023 at 10:47 PM, Heidi13 said:

Provided the Princess ship is not a "Royal" Class, they normally sail the narrow channels between the mainland and Vancouver Island.

@Heidi13 thanks for all the great insights in your posts.  We're booked Northbound on the Royal Princess for our first Alaska cruise.  Curious as to what we should expect by comparison, or if us first-timers will even notice?

18 hours ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

Weather is hard to predict as the forecast can change from day to day.  We live just an hour north of Ensenada and also in San Antonio.  The weather forecasting reliability is about the same for both places.  Any forecast more than 3-4 days out is a total guess.  However, January in Ensenada and the Valle should be nice.  Ensenada in the AM could be foggy and overcast or it could be bright blue sky and sunny.  Going inland to the Valle will always be warmer.       

Greetings from San Antonio!  I appreciate that and completely get the reference.  We usually try to line things up well in advance, but will certainly play it a little closer to departure time on this one.  Would love to know any recommendations for Ensenada from a local. 

On 11/15/2023 at 2:02 PM, sailawaybellaluna said:

Just chiming in, as we have been to Ensenada quite a bit via ship and also driving from our home in Southern California.

 

We typically head out to Guadalupe Valley, as we love wine and the scenery is pretty and relaxing for a 30 minute drive. The buses usually give you the option to hop out downtown as well on the return journey if you want to shop. I believe most of the wine tasting excursions right now are limited to LA Cetto, Dona Lupe and sometimes Liceaga. 

 

I recently did the Marcelo Cheese Cave, and was very impressed by the tour. The scenery is beautiful and the food and drinks are great. Now a disclaimer: if you have poor weather, I really wouldn't do this tour. We went in February and it was very cold, windy and rainy. We stood out in the dairy portion to see where they milk the cows and were freezing and getting wet. The cheese caves are set on beautiful land with outdoor picnic areas but we couldn't enjoy them again, due to the weather. The owners had set up a lovely experience indoors, but it was still very cold. Even the bathrooms are semi-outdoor and we were absolutely freezing. Getting on and off the bus was a very muddy experience, and I felt so bad for the bus driver setting down towels to try and save his interior. If weather isn't an issue, I'd do the cheese cave again in a heartbeat!

 

I'm actually getting ready to go back to Ensenada and wondering if anyone has visited the El Cielo Winery? Any feedback on those excursions?

 

Thanks!

We're on an early January cruise and appreciate the weather feedback. Not sure what the best inclement weather excursions may be, given the time of year.  Definitely has me thinking on waiting a little closer to time before booking an excursion.

Did this today and prices are accurate, but the directions were phenomenal (thanks). Our return trip was at about 2:00pm and definitely more traffic.

The walk to the bus station was easy enough, but choose your shoes wisely. DD (17) went for fashion over function and took a tumble on the uneven "sidewalk." All good, no injuries, but that's how it goes when you're 17. At 46, it would have probably been traumatic.

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We are staying at airbnb this coming weekend. I have been thrilled with who I found. Jose also has a car service, so he will be picking up various parties and taking them to various apartments. We also have him schedule to pick up everyone and deliver us to the Pier.

Hi jswdlw...we are sailing out of San Juan in early March and would love to know more about the space where you stayed and Jose's car service. Currently we have reservations at the Best Western pre and post cruise, but can cancel without penalty. We enjoy the out of the way-"local" places and would love to directly support the locals directly.

Thanks in advance

We've only sailed out of San Juan on Carnival, but I think I can help with your question. I'm 99.9% certain that Royal Caribbean uses the Pan American Pier for cruises originating in San Juan (embarkation/debarkation). When RCI ships are in San Juan on port stops, then they can use the Old San Juan piers.

 

On our last cruise out of San Juan (Sept. 2015), I got this picture as we flew in. You can see both the Old San Juan piers and the Pan American piers, which I've labeled. In the picture you can see a ship, RCI's Adventure of the Seas, docked at the Pan Am pier (embarkation day, for 8PM sail away that same evening).

 

Thanks for the picture! We are flying in for an RCL on the Jewel in March. This is a great reference for me. I've looked at the google map a thousand times, but this brings it all into perspective. Thanks a ton.

We did this last week and it worked fine. He charged $4 USD for two people for one way. It will be a little cheaper if you use their money.

This is on or route for March 2018. Great information and certainly good to see an update! That's what I love about this board... Good information and good people willing to share. Thanks

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We're still booked into Cabin 9000. Are you on our same itinerary: St. Croix, St. Marteen, Dominica, Barbados, Grenada? The 1st 3 are changed for us. Now going to St. Thomas, Antigua, & Martinique.

Thanks for the update. Our route (doesn't appear to have changed): St Thomas, St Kitts, St John's, St Lucia and Bridgetown. I have a friend who's looking to book the following week after us (also on the Jewel) and he described your route. Not sure of the reason for a difference.

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Nice review. Thanks, we sail in March 2018.

Not THE weirdest thing ... but it was funny. Think it was 07/29/12 to 08/04/12 we were on NCL to Alaska. We left Seattle & it was GORGEOUS. Sunny & warm. Woke next morning to cold 60 degree weather & rain. Was like that until we got to Victoria, Canada. Friday afternoon, sunny & warm, the band was playing by the pool. DH and I were walking across the pool deck. Band started playing Sweet Home Alabama. Was just the intro and I yelled "woohoo ... turn it up!" .... Nothing. Dead silence. SO many eyes staring at me! Band kept playing but apparently no one 'got it'. So we laughed and just kept walking.

Great place for a like button! Turn it up...

Good stuff. Going back to read the other review while waiting on the next update.

Following this post. We sail in March 2018 and have a room a few doors aft. Thanks for teeing this up.

Great information, thank you for the updates. We sail in March and have been trying to keep an eye on conditions.

I'd love to see it too. We're heading out on the August 13 sailing.