Solstice B2B - April 15-29 - Mex Riviera & Pac Coastal

[aring75]

 

 

 

I had the Nagasaki Batida. If you like cachaça, it’s yummy. Nice raspberry flavor on top of the tart lime and the “bite” of the cachaça. 
 

 

 

Mark had a tall, diet, virgin Cuba Libre. 😜

 

[aring75]

Started with the edamame again. I told Mark I’m pretty sure he just orders this for the salt. He did not deny it. 
 

 

 

Then the Chicken Ginger Gyoza.

 

[aring75]

Got the Spicy Tuna and Shrimp Tempura roll again. And, again, it was delicious. 
 

 

 

I wanted the Eel Dragon Roll, but Mark was  not excited about that one. We got the Alaskan California roll, and while it wasn’t terrible, he agreed to try the Dragon roll next time. 
 

[aring75]

Instead of dessert at So5, we headed over for an Aspen Coffee at Café al Bacio. 
 

 

 

Dessert started out as two coconut macaroons. Then it became two more. 😂

 

[aring75]

Stopped by the casino for a bit. Not really ahead by much, but we’ve played a lot and are about $100 to the positive. Can’t complain!

 

Headed over to Ensemble Lounge for drinks and music. 
 

[aring75]

Celebrity Today - Day 6 - Santa Barbara

 

 

 

 

[aring75]

Spa special for day 6

 

 

 

Tender info for Elite and above. 
 

[balisong187]

How is the gyoza at SO5? We may be eating there once more on this cruise and like a good gyoza. Also I have no idea what cachaca is but your pic and description of it makes me think I'll be trying it!

[aring75]

4 hours ago, balisong187 said:

How is the gyoza at SO5? We may be eating there once more on this cruise and like a good gyoza. Also I have no idea what cachaca is but your pic and description of it makes me think I'll be trying it!

The gyoza was good. I tend to like the pork gyoza, but Mark thinks the chicken is better. I do like the mild ginger flavor. 
 

Also, Cachaça is kind of a Brazilian rum. Where traditional rum is usually made from boiling down the sugarcane to make a molasses (and then use that to make the rum), cachaça is made directly from the sugar cane “juice.”
 

In my opinion, rum is usually sweeter and smoother. Cachaça has a brighter, sharper taste. I think it’s one of those alcohols you either really like or really don’t. If you try the Nagasaki Batida and like it, try a caipirinha. It’s like a mojito without the mint, but made with the cachaça instead of rum. 

[aring75]

Started off the morning in a fog. Both literally and figuratively. Headed to the Elite breakfast in Tuscan Grille to take care of the figurative fog. But the literal fog was going to have to take care of itself. 
 

 

 

We crossed our fingers for clearer weather and headed to the tender platform. 
 

[aring75]

As we disembarked the tender and made our way toward town, we could see that the fog was already lifting. 
 

 

 

[aring75]

Took a leisurely walk down Stearns Wharf and decided to look for a place for lunch. 
 

We had originally planned on stopping at the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company, but when we went to sign in (you write your own name on a piece of paper hanging by the front door), there were six names ahead of ours. We walked a few steps and ate at Moby Dick’s instead. Waited around five minutes and got a table with a nice view. 
 

 

I decided to try the Brooks Dry Cider. But Mark just got an iced tea. 

 

 

We shared the seafood platter for two. It came with two fish filets, four jumbo shrimp, calamari, and clams along with onion rings and seasoned fries. 
 

 

 

All of this was good. It was lightly breaded and crispy. But I think it was just too much fried food for me. This might be a nice lunch to share between 3-4 people and then add a side salad or something. 

[aring75]

As we headed back down the wharf toward town we could see that the fog was already lifting. 
 

 

[aring75]

Santa Barbara is a quaint coastal beach town with tons of Mission-style architecture.

 

 

 

 

There are nicely maintained, pedestrian-friendly walkways and the downtown area is around 1/2 mile (maybe a little less) from the intersection at the wharf. 

 

 

MOXI (Museum of Exploration and Innovation) is along State Street, the main road to downtown. Admission was $18 adult/$14 child and the reviews are pretty great.

 

[aring75]

I forgot to mention. The Sea Center is also located on Stearns Wharf. Admission prices range from $11-$14. 

 

[aring75]

This is a really great stop to watch for sea life from the balcony. This morning we had half a dozen sea lions jumping and playing alongside while the ship was maneuvering into position. 
 

When we returned from our shore visit, we saw dolphins from the tender and more sea lions playing “king of the hill” on the water buoys along the route.

 

It’s probably old hat for you west coasters, but I love watching their antics. 😁

[balisong187]

Haha, we also went to Stearns Wharf and also were originally going to go to the Shellfish Company. But we ended up going to Harbor Restaurant. They were short staffed, so it was a bit slow, bit it was very very good. Had their garlic toast appetizer, was terrific but don't know why they served it with ranch instead of marinara. She got the fish and chips, which was very large and consisted of 2 red snappers. Very tasty without being too heavy on the batter. I neglected to get a pic of that. And I got the delicious seafood pasta. Salmon, shrimp, clam and mussel in a lobster bisque sauce. That sauce was fantastic with the garlic bread. Can definitely recommend this place to anyone here on future trips. Unfortunately we didn't get to shore til after noon, so after exploring the wharf it didn't feel like we had much time for anything else so headed back at that point.

 

[aring75]

5 hours ago, balisong187 said:

Had their garlic toast appetizer, was terrific but don't know why they served it with ranch instead of marinara.

I agree the ranch is a weird choice, but that garlic bread looks really good!

[aring75]

Saw the production show “Amade” tonight. The vocalists and dancers are very talented. The show has no real story line, but it has intricate choreography, aerialists, and it blends contemporary music with traditional styles for an overall enjoyable show. 
 

 

 

 

There is a pop-up bar at the back of the theater. You can stop for a drink on the way in if you like. They are still walking around taking drinks orders though. 
 

[aring75]

Also. It looks like the messaging button is back in the app. 

[aring75]

Celebrity Today - Day 7 - Ensenada

 

 

 

 

[aring75]

Final Spa Special

 

 

 

Tour with airport drop off (LAX)

 

[aring75]

Solstice disembarkation information 

 

 

[aring75]

Last port stop for the cruise is Ensenada. Woke up to a view of the port and the Crown Princess. 
 

 

 

[aring75]

The main shopping street in town is Avenida Adólfo López Mateos. It’s also known as Calle Primera, or First Street. 
 

You can walk to the downtown area from the ship in about 15-20 minutes. However, they also offer a shuttle for $5 per person round trip. 
 

The Main Street has many shops and restaurants, but be aware, as you walk along you will be approached by vendors and shop owners inviting you to visit their stores or trying to sell various products along the sidewalk. A simple no thank you or no gracias works. But there are quite a few. 
 

 

 

We found a restaurant with good reviews on Google Maps and decided to stop for lunch.