My advice to those who go to Catalina and Ensenada if you want to enjoy those ports: spend the money on an excursion. Otherwise your world is just walking distance from the ship. It will probably be about 60 deg F and rainy, so dress accordingly.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Very short wait time even though I arrived hours before the suggested boarding time
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Buffet was very good. If you like meat, and I do, the selections have it.
On embarkation day, the desserts in the International Cafe are the same as in the buffet.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
It was raining a lot of the time, so I didn't get to try the exercise circuits on the sports deck.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The one production show I attended was a song and dance medley that featured an actual opera singer. All the female lead singers are more skilled than the male lead singers. (It's the level competition, I guess.) We got Carmen, Queen of the Night, and others.
The comedian was good. Timing was everything, because those jokes could have hit people the wrong way.
Children's Programs
no kids
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Steward was personable and had a system-- every time I'd like the room serviced, I'd put the tag on the doorknob whenever I was going to be out for at least an hour.
Buffet staff was always ready to fetch you a drink when you seated yourself.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Common areas looked relatively clean. Admittedly I used the lounges only during muster drill and disembarkation.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
I really liked the size compared to an interior. (I had paid for an interior early on, then got a spontaneous upgrade to a balcony.) I enjoyed the fresh air from the balcony.
Bed was really comfortable.
I think the carpet really needs to be changed out because it looks like someone did graffiti all over it.
Bathroom smelled mildewy. Wonder if that is universal on any ship; 2 for 2 at this point.
No excursion done here. Looks nice on a sunny day. It's LA, so that orange smog blanket over the coast is a feature. I took a transfer from the airport to make the driver deal with LA traffic so I wouldn't have to. Traffic was ok outbound, busy inbound.
I took the ship-sponsored tour of the island interior with Airport-in-the-Sky. You go where golf carts aren't allowed on a long serpentine, bumpy road in an air conditioned van. Beautiful views of the coastline, some ranch animals, roaming buffalo that were set loose a while ago. Avalon looked picturesque. Also get good views of your ship from up high. Guide/driver was personable and informative.
Weather got rainy on the way back. A note to anyone traveling around California during December: bring rain gear if there is a recent history (within 2 weeks) of rain. If it's raining you will feel it when everyone forms an endless line to tender back to the ship.
I took the L.A. Cetto winery and Casa de Dona Lupe tour. Good drinks, good eats. L.A. Cetto will include a bottle of wine for you to take home. As a bonus, we got shots of tequila at the end, so everyone became quite happy.
Bus used for transport did at some point contain passengers who smoke inside it, so be aware of that.
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