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Any recommendations for Catalina Island and Ensenada?


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We are doing a four day cruise and our two ports are Catalina Island and Ensenada. I have been to Ensenada once but actually never went into town. We opted to go straight to the blow hole and back. We were interested in doing a wine tour in Mexico but I am having a hard time finding out any info on the names/locations of winerys. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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We like to rent a golf cart in Catalina.

You can reserve it online to avoid any wait times and possible sellouts in Port.

It's a great way to see almost the entire island at your own pace.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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We also did that winery tour that included 2 wineries. We enjoyed it.

On Catalina we have rented a golf cart--didn't reserve it--and have also taken the bus tour that goes around the island. That was pretty interesting.

 

Pat

 

I also did the Ensenada wine tour and it was great - and very reasonable. I had no idea that they made such good wine there. On Catalina I also took the bus tour because I was traveling solo and wanted an overview of the island without getting hopelessly lost!! Beautiful island.

 

Sue

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There only a couple of booths on the pier for tours. There aren't people hawking tours on the pier like in Mexico or the Caribbean.

 

Over by the miniature golf course there is another tour booth.

 

Look on Catalina Chamber of Commerce site for more info.

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We took the Carnival sponsored 'Wine Country Tour' back in February. It was great and not very expensive - $39.99 pp. We boarded a bus and took a 45 minute drive away from the city to LA Cetta Winery (very modern) and then to Dona Lupe Winery (much smaller and rustic). Had a great time and we each received a bottle of wine to take back to the ship.

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We took the Carnival sponsored 'Wine Country Tour' back in February. It was great and not very expensive - $39.99 pp. We boarded a bus and took a 45 minute drive away from the city to LA Cetta Winery (very modern) and then to Dona Lupe Winery (much smaller and rustic). Had a great time and we each received a bottle of wine to take back to the ship.

 

I did the same tour only on Celebrity, $39.00, very nice wineries and great wine and snacks! :)

 

Sue

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Is it easier to book your excursions on the ship or can I just get off the ship and find someone selling these tours a bit cheaper? That is what we typically do.

 

For Catalina the answer is YES YES YES! There are a lot of vendors set up on the pier and along the beach that you can book excursions directly with and save $$$. I did this with the Para-sailing last year and saved serious cash. Just Google the name of the excursion you find on the Carnival website and you will see.

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We are doing a four day cruise and our two ports are Catalina Island and Ensenada. I have been to Ensenada once but actually never went into town. We opted to go straight to the blow hole and back. We were interested in doing a wine tour in Mexico but I am having a hard time finding out any info on the names/locations of winerys. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Highly recommend walking up to the Casino and talking the Casino tour (you can purchase tickets right there)

 

Catalina Island is one of our favorite quiet, little peaceful ports !

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Highly recommend walking up to the Casino and talking the Casino tour (you can purchase tickets right there)

 

Catalina Island is one of our favorite quiet' date=' little peaceful ports ! [/color']

 

We've done the "Behind the Scenes Tour". It is longer than the regular tour and is more interesting. Go to http://www.visitcatalinaisland.com

Edited by Rosefloater
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Catalina is boring. Quaint I guess, but you get lots of overpriced food and drinks with bad service. Not exactly my idea of a good time. I prefer the overpriced drinks with free food and great service on the ship. The main town and the beaches (which are awful - imported sand which is basically like mud, rocky underwater, and freezing) are within walking distance. The ship (no matter what ship it is) is exponentially better. Can you tell I think the entire island of Catalina is an awful little tourist trap? :)

 

I agree with everyone about the wine tasting in Ensenada... $39 (on Carnival) gets you lots of bang for your buck. Plus, everything in Mexico can be bought. Give them a few bucks tip and they'll keep pouring your wine and give you some to-go to enjoy on the bus. You just gotta ask. We had some folks on our tour who didn't drink, but still enjoyed themselves (their spouses were drinking). It's still a cute little tour trying some wine from an area that is pretty unknown and pretty darn good.

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