The Imagination's a wonderful thing! FlyingCruiserNJ's Complete Photo Review 1/18/15

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Good evening cruise critic! It is the one and only Flying Cruiser of NJ and I am here with yet another fantastic and fun cruise review. Last week I embarked on a 4-day Mexico cruise on the Carnival Imagination from Long Beach, CA. I had cruised this ship just a few years ago, right before it was moved out to the west coast from Miami, and this was my first time ever cruising from California and was my first time in California outside of an overnight stay in the San Francisco airport a few years ago. I figured it was time to give a new port and itinerary a chance. I am a seasoned cruiser, and this was my 14th Carnival cruise and 16th overall.

Quickly about myself. I am 33, single, no kids, and I cruise quite often as I get special deals on cruises and flights through travel business discounts and I can make my schedule quite flexible if I so choose. I usually cruise solo or with my mom, a few times a year, but a friend of mine had said he was interested in going on a cruise this year and the timing and deal we got was too hard to pass up. My friend, I will call him “M,“ was going on his first cruise ever. He didn’t want me to talk a whole lot about him here so I won’t, but will just refer to him as M. He travels a lot to the Caribbean and to see ballgames all over the place but had never given cruising a shot. I finally talked him into going on this one, lol. My mother is also an avid cruiser and has a few trips already lined up for this winter, and I didn’t want to ask her to go on another one in the middle of all that, haha. We have quite a fabulous cruise planned for May however, more on that later.

We got an insanely reasonable offer on this sailing, so low I won’t say it here, just know we spent more onboard in drinks than either of us spent on the cruise, taxes and tips and all, LOL. Anyway, we booked separate cabins as solos, and each got the no solo supplement rate. I don’t know if this ship was even full but it wasn’t really empty from my observations either. Since we booked separate reservations, we had cabins pretty far apart but that wasn’t too big of a problem. We both booked interior guarantees and M actually got a porthole forward, believe it or not. We also chose anytime dining, as we figured this would be the best way to go and although I had never done it before, I figured trying something new out was the way to go.

Anyway with that behind us, I like to chronicle an entire cruise, pre-cruise, travel to port, cruise and post-cruise, so the reviews are lengthy and detailed with a lot of pictures, but I love to talk about the entire package as it brings the cruise to life a little more. Buckle in and prepare to experience an adventure, FlyingCruiserNJ style.

DAY 1: TRAVEL AND EMBARKATION

This cruise left on a Sunday night, at 1730, so there wasn’t a huge stress in having enough time to make it all the way out there from the east coast on embarkation day. I rarely fly in day of the cruise, but I did this time. Why not? I had to work the day before and there were direct flights to Los Angeles from Philadelphia on Sunday morning, so I was cool. Looking back, I do have to say I got lucky here as the weather really did cave in mid-morning, more on that in a second. I got to the airport in enough time to park and check-in, and I boarded my direct flight to Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX) from Philadelphia (KPHL) on time. Everything was smooth, until the rain began just before pushback and with the cold, sub-32 degree ground temperatures, that rain all froze on contact and created an icy glaze on everything. So, instead of being on our way for an early departure and even earlier arrival, we ended up having to spend a good 40 minutes at the deice pad, getting a full de-ice and anti-ice treatment so we could safely take off in icing conditions. I have a few pics to show of this when I get to embarkation day photos in a separate post.

Just know that the de-ice process during a storm is extensive, especially with big planes and can be a little unnerving if you don’t know what exactly is going on outside the window. Basically, they spray hot fluid to remove built up ice and then spray heavy anti-ice fluid on everything to prevent ice from building up on control surfaces again until we are safely airborne. Just a quick lesson on deicing, hehe. We did get off the ground eventually, and we made up quite a bit of time westbound, and still arrived a few minutes early at LAX. When people say flying out day of a cruise is a bad idea, this is why. Now I got lucky but there was quite a line behind us waiting to get sprayed and if you have a connection somewhere on a day like that to get where you are going, you could be in big trouble due to inevitable delays.

Anyway, M had traveled out to Vegas the day before to hang out with a few of our old buddies who live out there now. I would have liked to go but they understood why I wasn’t able. He flew in from LAS and we met up outside where we caught the shuttle to the port of Long Beach. We settled on Prime Time Shuttle, which picks you up right outside baggage claim at a few different points at LAX and rode to the port. The ride takes about a half hour to 45 minutes, and costs $16 per person, each way for a shared van ride. They do offer private limos and town cars and the like, but they cost way more. I have to say their service was pretty good. I looked them up online as the LAX red van shuttle before we traveled out there and kind of had an idea what to expect. I would recommend this service as parking your car at Long Beach is pretty expensive if I understand correctly.

We got to the port sometime around 1130, and boarding had not yet begun. Being the seasoned cruiser I am, I had everything printed out ahead of time like boarding pass, etc but M didn’t and so we had to wait in line to check in and he had to go through the whole process. Honestly it really didn’t take that long and the line was not that long yet for checkin or security so it wasn’t bad. Maybe someone knows the answer to this, but this being a smaller station for them, perhaps they do not have a separate classification for platinums and that is why PRIORITY is not printed on bag tags and boarding passes. When I went to get my sign and sail card from the general check in desk that M had to stop at, they didn’t have my card. They had to go find my silver card in another pile, LOL. Just a little mix-up but they made sure everything was right for me and we were on our way. As with all Carnival departures now, you are not allowed to go on the ship without filling out a health questionnaire, and after we did that, we got our security pics taken and were on our way. M is not a photo junkie, so we skipped the embarkation photo altogether and headed on to the ship, probably just a little after noon.

We crossed the little bridge they have there and entered the grand atrium on Empress deck 7. We were both starving as neither of us had any food all day, and I had quite a long journey that morning. We each just had carryon suitcases and backpacks and we headed right up to the lido deck to sign up for our drink cards and get some grub. I had told M about the Cheers program and he signed up for that as soon as we boarded so he could start drinking. He would be what you call a professional in that department, lol. I signed up for the Bottomless Bubbles unlimited soda program, as I always do. I think the Cheers cost him like $250 with gratuity for the entire sailing and the soda package cost me around $27. Soft drinks are included with the cheers package, although you are only limited to 15 drinks in a 24 hour period. He had no problem getting there though. While in a US port, they do charge tax on any alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink sold, in compliance with US law. They no longer charge tax on the entire package when you buy it, and generally you end up ahead of the game unless you drink a dozen sodas while in each US port. For cokes, it was 14 cents and I think for the cheers, it was in the neighborhood of a dollar or so, depending on the list price of the drink.

I got a burger, no cheese or fixins, a hot dog, some fries and chicken tenders and some roast beef from the rotisserie carvery. For some reason the Mongolian Wok was not yet open. Whatever. The roast beef was kind of dry but the rest of the stuff was good. The fantasy class ships have really improved their burgers in the last few years. Granted, they are not as good as the new Guy’s places but at least they are freshly made patties now and they are pretty tasty. I made a few phone calls to home and explained how cell service works while at sea to M, and we headed over to the lido bar after lunch to watch the NFC title game between Green Bay and Seattle. I would have liked to see Green Bay win and they should have, but I really don’t care about any of the teams left at this point. We sat next to a few really cute girls who were obviously Seattle fans, due to the Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson jerseys they were wearing and talked to them for a while while we watched the game. The reception on the Tvs there isn’t very good but we still hung out for a while. I would say the temperature in LA was in the low 70s and partly cloudy skies all day, which was much nicer than the cold and ice we had at home. Around 1500 local time, we headed down to check out our cabins and unpack some before sail away. I had an interior on Upper, aft but it was in an OK location although you could hear maintenance guys or something working at times during the cruise nearby. M had a nice porthole on Main, all the way at the front of the ship.

We agreed that we would meet after muster drill again, around 1800 for sail away on lido deck. After unpacking, I watched the end of the PGA golf tournament on my cabin TV and took a little nap. I got up again on my own in time for the muster drill this time, LOL, and headed up to the Punchliner club on deck 9 for the muster drill. The muster drill was quick and painless and was over just as we were getting ready to leave port at 1730, as it usually is. Sunset is also around 1700 local this time of year in Southern California, so I got to hang out upstairs on the sun deck and watch the sunset behind downtown Long Beach and get a few pics of the nearby Queen Mary, which no longer sails but is apparently used as a floating resort these days. If you thought the Imagination was old, take a look at that old beauty. Those were the real days of luxury, when the only way you could get from the US to Europe was by sea. Supposedly there was some sort of labor dispute going on at the cargo port just up the way, so a lot of freighters were just sitting out just offshore, waiting to get unloaded. I don’t know how true that story was however, maybe it was something else. I made one last phone call home before the 4G coverage on my phone gave out as we pulled away from land, and into cruise ship mode went the phone.

I met back up with M at the poolside bar around 1830, and we watched the tail end of the AFC Championship game between New England and Indianapolis. Again, I really didn’t care who won that but it was a blowout (no pun intended) in favor of New England, so we moved onto something else after that. Quick comment on deflate gate, as it is a hot topic now. Dude. Footballs lose air pressure when they get cold and wet. Both teams played under the same conditions. New England won by a lot. They scored more points in the second half, when the balls were supposedly properly inflated. As far as I am concerned it is a non issue, and now I hope they win next week, just to spite the haters. End rant.

Anyway, I usually go into the hot tub before dinner the first night, but since we had anytime dining, and I was still giving M a crash course on cruising and telling him about all the amenities, I passed tonight, instead we headed to dinner around 2000 or so. We were seated in the Pride dining room, which is Deck 8 Atlantic, midship. One drawback to ATD is that you do not sit with the same people at dinner, and you are not assigned the same wait crew. However, you can ask for the same waiters every night and we did this. The dining room was probably only a third full if that and it was a very casual setup, being the first night of the cruise and all.

This ship has the new American Table. I had heard very bad things about it and wasn’t expecting much but to be honest, it wasn’t bad. It is pretty comparable, quality wise, to the traditional dining setup. The tables do not have tablecloths, but they are a decent wood grain and each table has a pitcher of water and a decorative (although full) wine bottle on it. As usual, we got our drink orders, I got a coke with no ice, and M got a diet coke and we did get refills all throughout dinner. As for the service, we had Alfonso, who was pretty good. We requested him each night and in the classic Carnival style, he remembered our drink preferences and our names each subsequent night even though technically, he was not assigned to take care of us every night. I got Italian Wedding soup, which was OK but honestly, the stuff that Progresso has in the can at the grocery store is better. They still do bring out bread, and we got a few pieces each. With this new menu, cranberry bread is now offered. Yummy indeed. I also got a classic chilled shrimp cocktail and M got like 3 of just that. I don’t remember what he got for entrée but I got the fried shrimp and a flat iron steak, medium, with a side of Thai noodles. With the new American Table menus, you can now choose your sides to go along with your entrees. I like that, and some of the sides change each night. However, flat iron steak is not offered every night as an everyday choice anymore although it is offered on multiple evenings. The Thai noodles were really good as were the shrimp and the steak, although only about 8 ounces, was really cooked excellently. Maybe the best flat iron steak I have had on Carnival. Didn’t even have to ask for A1. One complaint is that the desserts are not quite as extensive as they are with the traditional setup, although they still do have warm chocolate melting cake every night. And I got it every night of course. *grin*

M headed back to his cabin for a short nap before the comedy club shows at 2230 and 2315, and I stayed around and chatted with Alfonso for a few minutes before leaving to walk around the ship and finish unpacking before the show. I called M on the inter-cabin phone system and of course he didn’t wake up as he had taken yet another nap. Lol. I had to go to his cabin and bang on the door for a few minutes to get him up to go to the show. I do have to say the comedians were good on this sailing. We had Smiley Joe Wiley and Chas Elstner as our entertainers. I had never seen either before. Different styles of course, as Carnival usually sets it up that way, but both were great. M tried his best to catch up to his 15 drink limit while we were here and I got myself a Punchliner drink. I do like my Punchliners. They have increased the price on this to $9.25 also, but you actually can get this drink at the casino bar and maybe a few other bars as well if you ask. I have to say we had the hottest cruise entertainment director ever on this cruise. Noelle was her name. And we did see her a few times in different places during the week onboard the ship. She introduced the comedians as they came up on stage and kind of recapped all the evening entertainment that was left after the shows. The lounge was decently full but not overcrowded, and after the shows were over, we actually hung out in the lounge and watched the late night karaoke they had afterward. It was pretty funny. A few of the participants were good, a few were terrible but at least they were brave enough to go up there and try. The ship’s house band played here and played pretty much every other night, on promenade, right outside the casino. They were really good too.

So, after the karaoke, we headed up to lido to get a late night piece of pepperoni pizza each, and to get some more drinks at the bar. About 0200 or so, we called it quits and headed back to our cabins for the night. Catalina Island was our first port of call, and we would be docking there in just 6 hours, at 0800. So, that is it for Day 1 of this cruise. Hope you enjoyed, and photos from this day are upcoming. Due to the “blizzard” we are getting here, I don’t have much else to do for the next day or so, so hopefully I will get to Day 2 sometime tomorrow. Thanks for reading, and happy cruising!

[Kobayashi]

Thanks for the review! I alternate between the Imagination and Inspiration 4 day cruises. I'm on the Imagination again in a few weeks and will be posting a review as well. Glad you enjoyed your trip!

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

The good old de-ice pad at PHL. That was us getting a couple hundred gallons of Type IV anti-ice sprayed on the wings and tail, after being sprayed by hot pink Type I to de-ice before takeoff. That takes a good half hour or so to do. Safety is pretty important though.

 

Enroute to LAX. Somewhere over the Rockies. Awesome views of our entire country when you fly coast to coast. So much variety and natural wonder to see. The flight was kind of bumpy but nothing too extreme.

 

And, we have arrived at LAX! Next stop Long Beach!

 

 

My cabin, nothing great, but sufficient for me. The safe didn't work though but I didn't want make a huge deal about it obviously. Two twin beds combined, no amenity basket in the bathroom again.

 

The Queen Mary. What a magical thing that must have been in its day. Now it is parked in Long Beach, used as a resort I think.

 

 

Downtown Long Beach at sunset as we sailed away.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

My bags. This is a pic I took on another cruise, but I traveled with the same exact bags this time. I still had a backpack full of clothes I didn't wear when I got home. I would say the majority of the people traveled very light on this cruise as well.

Some ships parked offshore, I think they were waiting for a spot at the cargo port to get offloaded. Maybe it was something else entirely, not sure. That was the story I heard.

 

The new American Table dining room setup. Anytime Dining for us on this cruise.

 

Entrees. Sweet and sour shrimp and flat iron steak with Thai noodles and a coke. Good food.

 

 

First evening turndown. Cool towel animal and next day's Funtimes.

 

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Thanks for the review! I alternate between the Imagination and Inspiration 4 day cruises. I'm on the Imagination again in a few weeks and will be posting a review as well. Glad you enjoyed your trip!

 

No problem! Thanks for following along. I know the Inspiration is out there in CA right now too. I sailed the Imagination the very week they announced the American Table, and while it was still out of Miami. It's a nice, albeit older ship. It was a good first cruise to take a newbie on and a good little relaxing escape from winter back home. We both also really liked Avalon, I will talk a lot about that when I get to my Day 2 recap. Have fun on your cruise and I can't wait to see your review!

[Jamman54]

Enjoying your review. It's been many years since we cruised from the west coast.

[TexCrsr]

Enjoying your review. We sail on Imagination 2/26 in a guarantee too. Could you tell me when your room assignment was posted? Thanks so much.

[JillySue]

We're on the 2/26 of the Imagination! Got our assignment last week :) see you there!

[boaterette]

I am enjoying your review. There is a small building to your left as you are facing the main entrance. This is where the platinum cruisers check in. I have used it numerous times. :D

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review, looking forward to more of it.

[dcandme13]

Following :)

 

Sent from my GT-P5210 using Forums mobile app

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Who was your waiter? I love ATD on the Imagination with Hugo as our waiter. He's awesome!!

 

We had Alfonso. Really good and I think he has been on that ship for a while now. I had talked to him about when I was on it a few years ago and he knew what ports it went to then. I do notice a lot of crewmembers on the smaller ships like to stay on the smaller ships instead of the larger, newer ones and I have speculated as to why in the past. Interesting phenomenon. I still prefer the scheduled dining time, but this ATD experience was definitely a good one and I wouldn't be against doing it again on a future cruise.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Enjoying your review. It's been many years since we cruised from the west coast.

 

Thanks Jamman! I do love reading your reviews as well. This is the second time I have cruised from the west coast, and my Norwegian Jewel Alaska journey will be from Seattle this coming May. It is a little different but it is surely just as much fun and I liked the new ports we visited. Seeing the same Caribbean ports time after time does get old after a while. As an aside, I see you're from North Jersey. How did you guys make out with this "blizzard of the century?" We got a total of about an inch and a half of snow. I think NYC got like 8 inches. I know Massachusetts and far eastern LI got a lot, but it is funny how the ones they hype end up being nothing and the real bad ones come seemingly out of nowhere.

Edited January 28, 2015 by FlyingCruiserNJ

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Enjoying your review. We sail on Imagination 2/26 in a guarantee too. Could you tell me when your room assignment was posted? Thanks so much.

 

I booked only about 6 days before sailing, and when I checked my reservation the Wednesday before we left, my cabin had already been assigned. Usually if they have fares that low, they assign the cabins pretty quickly because there is plenty of inventory left. At least that is my experience. I don't know if there is a set time before sailing they assign guarantee cabins though. I know I was upgraded to an OV a few years ago out of Port Canaveral about a day and a half before the sail date, so that happens too. Just keep checking every so often and I am sure you will get your cabin assignment well before sail date.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

I am enjoying your review. There is a small building to your left as you are facing the main entrance. This is where the platinum cruisers check in. I have used it numerous times. :D

 

I know the main building is that big arena-style ceiling place, and they just directed everyone to general check-in when we showed up but honestly, I didn't care too much anyway. I was just wondering if there is a dedicated line for platinums and above. My buddy needed some guidance on getting everything squared away as he was a first time cruiser, so it all worked out. The staff took care of everything I needed after he got all his stuff done, it didn't take long at all. Thanks for the heads up and thanks for reading along. I know that if I sail out of there again I will know where the platinum checkin is. I do have to say it is a pretty organized process there, although it is different than what I am used to going out of Canaveral and Miami.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Enjoying your review, looking forward to more of it.

 

Thanks for reading along! Part 2 is coming along in just a minute.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Following :)

 

Sent from my GT-P5210 using Forums mobile app

 

Thanks! :) Hope you are enjoying so far. My Catalina Island experience is coming up in just a second.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Hello once again, and thank you for following along and for your kind comments about the first day of my Imagination vacation. Up now is my recap, with pictures to follow, of Day 2, which took us to Avalon, on the island of Catalina in Southern California. I must say, this was probably one of the highlights of the cruise for both of us. Without further ado, here we go.

DAY 2: AVALON, CALIFORNIA (CATALINA ISLAND)

Today was an early port day, and it was my understanding that we docked sometime around 0800. As you would know from my other reviews, I am quite the night owl and for that matter, so is M, so neither of us even thought about being awake at that time. I did, however, tune the room tv to the closed circuit camera near the bridge to show what it looked like outside, for whenever I would wake up and want to see what was going on. I was briefly awakened by the sound of the thrusters positioning us near the place where we dropped anchor just off the coast. I have to note that since everything is pretty close together here, that we only were moving along at about 6.3 knots (like 7 mph) since we had left Long Beach. Catalina Island is only about 25 miles or so from the mainland.

Anyway, M called me at approximately 1100 to let me know he was going up to lido to get breakfast and that he would be hanging out at the pool (and drinking, what else? ) until I got up there. Although we were in the US here, my cell did not get any reception due to the placement of my cabin. No biggie, but I eventually got upstairs around 1130 for breakfast. I didn’t want to make my room steward wait around forever just to service my cabin after I finally got myself out of there so I put up the SNOOZIN tag on my door to let him know I didn’t need anything until that evening. I actually only did meet him once on this cruise, and I never really did get his name although he somehow knew who I was. Hmmmmm…..

I got the normal breakfast of a ham and bacon omelet at the late risers station (they do omelets and breakfast until 1200 on lido poolside) and didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes in line to get this. I also got some sausage and roasted potatoes. I have noted in the past that Carnival breakfast is one of the areas that they really don’t excel in. I do like good breakfast food and theirs is generally just average if not a little below. Lines like Princess definitely have them beat in that department. Anyway, we both stopped back in our cabins to get some final stuff to head off the ship (like sunscreen for M - having a shaved head does cause one to need that stuff haha) and we headed down to deck 3 to meet our tenders as this port does not have a dock and it is about a 5 minute boat ride to the shore.

For whatever reason, they had two tender exits operating, and I believe two boats going back and forth all day long to take people back and forth. We went to the aft one and a security guy yelled at us and another lady with her family alongside that we had to go to the other exit, for whatever reason. We could have just waited where we were at for another boat to show up instead of having to walk all the way to the other end of the ship to get off. Whatever. The lines were not long, although it was disorganized. The re-boarding pax and the disembarking pax lines were right alongside one another and it was confusing enough to find the right line to get off the ship. Most people were already off by then so we got right on the boat, waited a while for it to fill up, and headed to shore aboard the Catalina Duchess. Of course M gave me grief for checking out the news stories from back home, he said it’s a vacation, I don’t want to think about any everyday stuff. I’m not wired that way though, haha. I need to stay connected with home and the crappy CNN international that they have on the cabin Tvs just doesn’t cut it ya know? You listening Carnival? Give us some better in-cabin TV choices. Anyway….

About 1300 or so, we got off the boat at the Avalon port. This being a resort island, lots of private boats were parked at the harbor and marina here as well. The weather here was good, mid 60s with clear skies and we sort of just followed the group towards town. I did no research on this place beforehand, so we just winged it here today. I did check out the listed excursions but didn’t see anything that wasn’t too expensive or that both of us would be interested in doing. The only one that I even considered was the taste of Catalina tour, which sounded cool but was $75 a person. No thanks. Avalon isn’t that big a place and we ended up having more fun on our own anyway. I got a few pics of town from the marina, and we just made our way to the town.

Once in town, we just kind of walked around some and checked out the place. There is a dock that goes out to the edge of the water, with all kinds of shops and an information center and we checked that out. Some great photo ops here if you are so interested in that kind of thing. M got a great shot of me with my camera phone on the end of the dock with the ship in the background, considering the sun glare made it almost a blind pic that he took. I wanted to take one of him just chilling there but he was clear, no pics of him at all. OK…..lol. Also, if you need quick money, there is a MAC machine there that does charge a fee but less than what you would pay on the ship to get money out. M took advantage of that so he had money to spend in the restaurants and bars in town.

We headed back towards town and again, I got a few great postcard shots of the ocean and ship from the island. There is one little sandy and rocky beach here and the water is cold, but there was actually a couple from our cruise who got married on the beach right in this spot. Neat. We saw them again all over the ship and in the club every night. They and their entire wedding party were sure having fun all cruise long.

Perhaps the first thing I noticed about this place is that there is literally NO corporate influence in the place. It reminds me sort of Key West, FL culture-wise although the physical layout of the place is nothing like Key West. We did not see one fast food restaurant or chain grocery store or convenience store, etc. Everything appears to be independently owned and operated which adds to the coolness. When we were back onboard, a few people we talked to in the hot tub told us that the island is owned by the Wrigleys (those Wrigleys) and it is undeveloped, outside of the 1 square mile that the town is built on. They also said that the Cubs play some spring training games here. I don’t know how true that is, I sort of doubt it is true, but who knows? I would think it would be a huge logistical nightmare to do all that and that it wouldn’t be worth it.

We just walked around some more, down side streets and checked out some local shops and the architecture. By now it was close to 1400. Many, many homes here seem to be pretty pricey, and are literally built into the side of the mountain that sits on this island. Once you get away from the beach, it is one big mountain and I understand some of the nature excursions here are pretty good. Also, although there are cars, a bartender at one of the places we visited told us gas is about $7 a gallon and a lot of people move around with bikes, on foot, or on golf carts. We saw a lot of golf carts driving around town. They were available for rental and if you have a person traveling with you who has a hard time getting around, go for it and rent one. I don’t know how much they cost though. I stopped in a little shop and bought an Avalon shot glass and a magnet for my collections at home, for somewhere about 8 bucks and we were on our way. We were both hungry and thirsty by this time so we found a place to go to and hang out that had some drinks and some food. Our first stop ended up being the Bluewater Avalon, located on the main front street, with a great view of the Pacific Ocean.

We sat down at the bar and although the happy hour specials didn’t begin until 1500, we ordered stuff anyway. I got an Avalon Iced Tea and M got a microbrew called Ballast Point. He liked his and ordered a few more. He also ordered some seafood sliders and I got the fish and chips. Both were good, very good. And very plentiful, I barely could finish mine. The place was understaffed that day and it took us a while to get our stuff, but that didn’t bother us at all although the bartender kept apologizing to us. There was also an outside seating area, but we elected to stay inside. We got to talking about all kinds of stuff with the dude behind the bar and the conversation ended involving some folks who were seated next to us as well. Lot of fun.

Almost everybody in Avalon is a transplant from somewhere else, and this bartender was from Chicago. We talked about sports, current and even dating back to the early 80s, and he had mentioned that he had met Mike Ditka (legendary Bears coach) a few times before. He had said that the major storm that hit California last year did a number on the building, but otherwise, weather is usually really tranquil. He told us that they get a few ships a week in there and that people from the mainland also take vacations there quite often. It is very expensive to take a shuttle to get out there, it actually costs more just to get there than our whole cruise cost so we got a really good deal going there on a cruise. Anyway, at about 1500 we paid for our stuff (only about $40 for the both of us, really good) said goodbye to the staff there, and looked for our next place to hang at.

We went to El Galleon, which is a saloon-type setup just a few doors down from there, on the opposite side of the street. They advertised $7 margaritas, we are so in. LOL. They also have a little contraption that smokes wood out front and gives off a nice aroma that draws people in. We didn’t get any food here but they do offer traditional pub food on their menu. It was not crowded there but we did meet some people from Green Bay there, who were still upset about the Packers losing but we discussed the NFL and Russell Wilson and Tom Brady’s chances to become all-time greats if either wins this Superbowl. We each got a couple margaritas and were on our way, as it was 1530 and the very last tender to the ship left at 1600. We walked back, past a schoolyard where local kids were playing ball and got in line to get back on the tender.

We got on the boat at 1600, and one more boat after us left with people headed back to the Imagination. They were not kidding about the 1600 hard cutoff either. As soon as we all got back on the ship, they closed up the doors and we were on our way. We were moving before 1630. I had barely gotten back up to Lido before we were moving. I got some real nice shots of sunset behind the island, sent a few quick texts out and we were off. We were both tired from an afternoon of drinking and walking and eating and so we both took naps and agreed to meet up again sometime around 1900.

I headed up to Serenity, the aft adults-only hangout about 1900 and went into the hot tub for the first time on this cruise. The tubs were actually hot on this cruise, for once. I hung out with some folks for a while in the hot tub until M arrived shortly afterwards. It was crowded but as folks began heading out to get ready for formal night dinner, it got a little more comfortable in there. At first M didn’t want to go in, but he finally got talked into it and then he didn’t want to get out, haha. Everyone ordered drinks when the bar guy came around, but he didn’t because he didn’t want to get out of the whirlpool to get his s/s card to give to the waiter. Funny stuff. We just hung out there for an hour or so, talking to other folks about the Philly area (we were the only ones not from either CA, AZ, NV or WA that I could see, hehe) and about current events. We did not agree on a lot but it remained civil and I enjoyed the debate. Eventually at 2000, we got out and headed back downstairs to our cabins to get ready for dinner.

I told M that he didn’t have to get dressed up for formal night as nobody does on short cruises, but he did anyway. He claims that if he was the best dressed one in the club, he had a better chance at meeting girls. LOL. I don’t know how well that theory worked but whatever. I just wore a nice shirt and pants and we went to the dining room to get lobster and the like. The MDR was a little more crowded tonight, maybe half full. Everybody wants their lobstah. I would also say that I did see a few people dressed to the nines onboard, and getting their photos taken on promenade, but not that many and they were far outnumbered by people who were more casually dressed.

We asked the hostess if Alfonso was available and of course he was, so we were seated in his section of the dining room. I got minestrone soup IIRC, and prime rib, cooked medium along with a lobster tail. Both were good. The prime rib was surprisingly good. Usually the Carnival prime rib kind of sucks. I do like that the American Table menu does not offer spare ribs, prime rib and lobster all on the same night anymore. M got 3 lobster tails, LOL. I of course got my wcmc and fresh fruit plate for dessert and M got some sort of cheesecake or something and he did say it was good. I noticed the lack of the bar guy coming around to sell shots all cruise long. Not that it bothered me too much but it would bother some people. The photographers came around every night though. We politely declined each time. I figure, if you have no intention of buying pictures, why waste yours and their time getting photos taken? The staff did do a good job with the nightly singing and dancing though. Everybody raised and twirled their napkins to the song and dance done tonight. At about 2200 we left the mdr and M headed back downstairs to relax for a few minutes. I went and walked around the ship some until we elected to go to the comedian at about 2330.

I went into the casino for a little while and played about 20 bucks worth of penny slots, and of course, lost. I did have fun playing though. If you play at the casino, be sure to use your s/s card as you do get credit for anything you spend in there and if you spend enough, you can get cashback and free drinks and stuff. I didn’t come anywhere near that for the entire cruise but still, you don’t have to worry about carrying cash to the casino with you if you do the s/s option. About 2300 we met up again at the Punchliner lounge and sat down again with some drinks and watched the show of Chas Elstner. He was again funny. After that, around 0000, we made our way to the casino bar to listen to some live music from the house band, and they played all kinds of hits from all decades until after 0100.

After that, we hung out in the nightclub a little bit. Honestly, clubs aren’t my thing as I am not a great dancer, it is too loud, and whatever but I tagged along because M wanted to drink some more and dance some and there wasn’t much else to do on the ship past that point. We hung around with drinks and listened to the DJ spin music for a while (the DJ was actually pretty good), and saw the wedding party having fun on the dance floor, but truth be told, not a whole lot of people in our age ranges were up there dancing and almost no single women. So, about 0230, we headed out, back upstairs to lido to get some late night pizza and one more drink. We actually had to wait for the pizza to get made, so it was nice and hot and fresh when we got ours. We just sat around until almost 0400, talking about all kinds of stuff and old friends who we rarely see anymore, and headed back to our cabins at that time. I had actually thought the next day was our visit to Ensenada, but it was a sea day instead. Good, because neither of us would be waking up until late the next day anyway.

So, that is it. Day 2 with pics coming shortly, and Day 3 will be upcoming whenever I get a chance to write it up. I hope you have enjoyed so far and thank you so much for reading.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

After we got off the tender boat in Avalon, Catalina Island. This was taken fron the end of the pier with the ship and the ocean in the background. This was the shot that M took, where he said he couldn't see what he was snapping because of the sun glare on the camera but it turned out fine.

 

This was the town, taken from the dock. Lots of information booths and stuff here. Nice place to take a stroll down. As you can see, the town is not that large. Only one square mile allocated for building by the Wrigleys, way back when.

 

 

More of the dock.

 

 

The beach that I mentioned. To the left was where the wedding took place. Ship in the background.

 

 

Just a random street in Avalon. You can see how quickly things go upslope. A lot of vacation homes here. Most streets look like this.

 

From the front street. Very rocky landscape. Signs that warn passersby of falling rocks from the cliffs. Just past this was an old entertainment venue, called the Casino. Apparently that was where a lot of famous Hollywood entertainers visited at one time years ago. It is just a museum now.

 

[sjn911]

Loving your review..my frist getting back to a cruise after a long time was with Carnival and that Fantasy class..mine was Paradise on your itenerary and I too think small ship crews and small ships can be special...different plusses and minuses...thanks..really enjoying a trip I shall return to someday. Sarah

Edited January 28, 2015 by sjn911

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

This was like a postcard shot. A lot of people I showed this to when we got home said the same thing. One of my favorite pics from the cruise. You can see the tender boats next to the ship here.

 

 

The Bluewater Avalon restaurant that we went to. My Avalon Iced Tea. Pretty good. I also got a generous serving of fish and chips here and M got some nice sliders and a couple Ballast Point beers. Nice people and atmosphere.

 

 

Me outside the restaurant.

 

 

The El Galleon restaurant and bar that we went to. Good margaritas here.

 

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

This photo rocked too. Sunset was slightly before 1700 here and as we left right between 1630 and 1700, the sunset behind the island was breathtaking. Taken from lido deck.

 

 

This was taken from the sports deck, on the jogging track. I played a quick round of mini golf here also, will talk about the mini golf course a little more later on. Sunset at Catalina Island.

 

Prime rib and lobster. Elegant night dinner. Really good. Don't underestimate the tiger shrimp they serve with the lobster also. Really good and so was the prime rib. Best prime rib I have had on Carnival in many years.

 

 

Singing along with dancing waiters in dining room. Formal night still has tablecloths on the tables. The later you get for ATD, the less crowded it gets in the dining room and the better and more attentive service you get.

 

 

The house cover band. They played on promenade every night but one and also did the karaoke. I forget their name but they were really good and worked the audience, which was quite large at times.

 

 

Some type of towel animal. Does anyone know what this is? Funtimes next to it. I was tired and a lot buzzed from hanging out all over the ship and club so I didn't notice that the funtimes said SEA DAY for the next day's activities. LOL. I also got my Carnival platinum toiletry bag. I have a few of these and I have begun giving them to other people as gifts because they are good quality but one can only use so many of them for oneself.

 

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Loving your review..my frist getting back to a cruise after a long time was with Carnival and that Fantasy class..mine was Paradise on your itenerary and I too think small ship crews and small ships can be special...different plusses and minuses...thanks..really enjoying a trip I shall return to someday. Sarah

 

I am glad to see you are enjoying. I enjoy the Fantasy class ships. I can generally sail three or four times a year on a Fantasy class ship, for the cost of one cruise on a longer ship or on another line. Not to say that I don't like the Glory or Breeze, etc but I really like the Fantasy class also. My first cruise was also on a Fantasy class ship, almost 9 years ago, and they do just have that special vintage feeling to them. It's the kind of thing that will really be missed when it is no longer around and the only ships you can get on are the mega-ones. With age these ships gain character and history. The Paradise is incidentally one of the ships I have never been on. It is out of Tampa now if I recall. But yeah, the crews seem to enjoy working on these smaller ships a lot more. This cruise was a lot of fun and I am enjoying writing a review of it. Definitely glad I went and with the weather we are having here now, anytime I can think of cruising in warm places is a good time.

Edited January 28, 2015 by FlyingCruiserNJ

[TexCrsr]

I booked only about 6 days before sailing, and when I checked my reservation the Wednesday before we left, my cabin had already been assigned. Usually if they have fares that low, they assign the cabins pretty quickly because there is plenty of inventory left. At least that is my experience. I don't know if there is a set time before sailing they assign guarantee cabins though. I know I was upgraded to an OV a few years ago out of Port Canaveral about a day and a half before the sail date, so that happens too. Just keep checking every so often and I am sure you will get your cabin assignment well before sail date.

 

Thanks. I just booked a few days ago, but I've never booked a guarantee before. Hoping it works out well

[Kobayashi]

Also, if you need quick money, there is a MAC machine there that does charge a fee but less than what you would pay on the ship to get money out.

 

 

I ca definitely tell you're from the east coast :). I grew up on the west coast and the first time I spent an extended time on the east coast (Philadelphia) I couldn't figure out what people were talking about when they said they needed to find a MAC machine. Haha.

 

Enjoying your review. At this point I stay on the ship during the stops at Avalon and Ensenada. I may check out the restaurants you mentioned. Thanks!