I'd say the fall is a good time to take this nice 4-day cruise to Catalina & Ensenada... generally nice warm weather. And with most kids in school, there are fewer associated distractions. We will do it again in Sept. 2023 (already booked)!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Well planned pre-arrival docs made it quick; we were aboard in under 45 mins.! They had a lot of customer service people to keep the lines moving. One thing I overheard was you can Not carry-on large luggage bags that exceed airline standards... because they are too big for the security x-ray scanners.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The Main Dining Room food was good to very good, with Prime Rib (twice!) & Steak Diane being among the winning choices. Their Coconut Shrimp was a disappointment because I could not taste any coconut flavor, just a crispy fried shrimp taste. The Windjammer Buffett was good, with a nice veggie selection at the salad bar, and their carving station had both hams, and roast beef at different meal times, Their hamburgers were Good, with 1/3 Lb. patties! I went over to the sliced cheeses & lunch meats station to make mine a "deluxe Cheeseburger" (2-3 cheeses).
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
So Many Things to Do! From pools, hot tubs (Solarium pool & hot tub is Adults Only), water slides, FlowRider, ice skating, mini-golf, rock-climbing wall, shows & lounges, shops & bars, kids clubs & arcade, and evening movies on the pool deck, there is always Something to do to have some Fun!
Entertainment
We never went to the Main Theater to see a show because our granddaughter needs to go to bed early.
Children's Programs
Our 7 yr. old spent most of her free time with grandma at one of the pools, hot tubs, or waterslides; we never checked her into the Adventure Ocean kids club.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Our waiter in the main dining room was OK, while our assistant waiter (Israel) was very attentive and helpful. I told him my granddaughter prefers OJ to Lemonade and the next night he brought her OJ for our dinner! Our cabin steward, Aliw, seemed a bit overworked & forgetful; I had to ask him twice to please leave us a filled ice bucket in our cabin every day. We did get it the afternoon of our 2nd day aboard.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship generally looked clean & well-maintained. The Royal Promenade was a delight, both in decor & services. It had many bars (Bamboo Room tiki bar, Playmakers sports bar, a pub, etc), shops, a Starbucks (extra cost), & Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream (extra cost), and the Promenade Cafe (free pizza slices, sandwiches, pastries, Tea & Coffee) to choose from while walking Deck 5 between the forward elevators and the rear elevators.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Nice cabin with lots of storage space (double-door closet with extra shelves, many drawers) for the three of us. With only two 110v outlets at the vanity desk, we brought an "approved" adaptor plug that had 3-110v outlets & 3-USB ports to cover all our phone/tablet charging & CPAP power needs. Three things would make our cabin Perfect... 1) a little more room for a sofa bed as our 3rd berth (I bumped my head on our grandaughter's top bunk set up over our pillows at least twice), 2) a little larger bathroom with a larger shower area & a bit more space between the toilet & shower (I am a Wide guy), and 3) a smoother/quieter operating balcony door.
Ship tip
Plan ahead to make sure you experience all the things you Really Want to Do. I never got up to the mini-golf deck on our "Sea Day" like I wanted to.
We visited Ports of Call village briefly before checking in & getting aboard at the World Cruise Center. While Ports of Call is a shadow of what it once was (a nice waterfront shopping mall) it did offer free parking, harbor tours, a fish market & cantinas, and nice views of our ship docked behind the WW2 battleship, USS IOWA.
It was sunny and warm in Avalon, we even saw some folks going swimming at the harbor beach. We walked out to the Casino to take some pictures. Saw many snorkelers & scuba divers enjoying the Casino Point dive spot near the Steps to the Sea.
We enjoyed touring the La Buffadora ocean blowhole. It's a 40 min. drive south of town, and the road there & back was a bit rough & bumpy at times. The blowhole was shooting up seawater about 75-90 ft. high! Local vendors pitching their wares (leather goods, t-shirts, jewelry, etc.) have a gauntlet of shops you have to walk through on the street to the blowhole. Oh, and it costs 50 cents to use the "Public Restrooms" at La Bufadora... be prepared.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
