Welcome to episode #46! Scott is back from another four day cruise to Catalina and Ensenada, Mexico on the Carnival Imagination.
This cruise was with his mother, (her first cruise ever) and she was celebrating with her former high school friends a class reunion cruise. Scott shares his experiences with these seniors and what to expect when you cruise and travel with someone who has mobility issues. There is a lot of good information, insight, and fun on this show. Check back later for photos and a review from Scott. Also on this new show, we have cruise news, cruise chit chat, theme cruise of the week, listener email, and our opinions, of course. If you haven't done so before, be sure to follow us on Periscope @thecruisedudes - you can also watch our live video archived "scopes" here: www.katch.me/thecruisedudes We appreciate your support of our show. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen and share it with your family and friends! Happy Cruising! Tommy & Scott
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Cruise Dude Scott and his wife, Pam decided to take a post summer 3 day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico on Carnival's Inspiration cruise ship to get away from it all. So on this show, Scott tells us all about his cruise, the water slide, the food, his excursion tour in Mexico and so much more. Besides enjoying the cruise, Scott did some Periscope videos while on board and in Mexico. These videos are archived and you can view them here: www.katch.me/thecruisedudes
Also on this episode we cover the cruise news, cruise chit chat, the theme cruise of the week and a Cruise Dudes exclusive, a statement from SpongeBob SquarePants regarding his contract break-up from Norwegian Cruise Lines. We appreciate your support of our show! Please continue to share our show with your family and friends. Thank you! Tommy & Scott
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Carnival Inspiration
(9/11-13/15)
“Short Review”
By Scott Andrews, www.TheCruiseDudes.com
3-Day Baja Mexico
This California 3-Day Baja Mexico cruise sailed from the Port of Long Beach. The Cruise Itinerary; departing Friday at 5:30pm, arriving Saturday at 8am in Ensenada, Mexico departing 6pm. A Fun Day at sea on Sunday, returning to Long Beach at 7am.
Check-In
Check-in is between 1-4pm. My advice is to beat the crowds and check in as early as you can. Let your cruise begin. The pool, buffet will be open. My cruise day started pulling into the parking structure at the dock. The cost of parking is $19.00 a day. Just remember this while putting a budget together. There are taxis and Ubers around that might make the cost cheaper over a longer cruise. Check-in will take some time. There are two types of check-in, Priority passengers proceed to the Captain’s Lounge located in the plaza and all other passengers proceed to General Check-In inside the Dome (formally the Howard Hughes Spruce Goose Hanger). Remember, 2,000 of your soon to be “close friends” are also checking in. Expect a little controlled chaos. All the lines were open and the very helpful Carnival staff direct passengers. It can take 15 minutes to an hour to check in before you step foot on the ship. The number one thing I saw holding up check-in was how individuals were arguing with staff about taking drinks, such as bottled water and other alcohol, onto the ship. Every passenger over the age of 21 may bring one bottle of wine. Passengers are still permitted to bring on sodas as long as they are in a can. Even with the politeness of staff explaining the policy many people tried to sneak beverages on in their carry on luggage. The new policy of not bringing bottled water I believe is a good policy to have. It cuts down on the screening of liquids at check-in. Not to mention the affordable $2.99 12-pack of water that can be purchased online then delivered to your room before the cruise begins. This also includes sodas that can be purchased and sent to your room so it is waiting for you when your cruise begins. Once at the check-in station staff was very polite and helpful checking in passengers.
The Ship
The Carnival Inspiration launched in 1996 part of the 8 ships in the Fantasy class. With the passenger capacity of 2,056 and a crew of 920 this ship is the ideal size for a 2-5 day cruise to Baja California. I had an inside room. I love the inside rooms on such a short cruise. Sleeping in complete darkness is nice. The room was the standard 185 square feet. The room steward, Ida, who took care of our room was excellent; he was always there cleaning rooms and keeping passengers happy. The hallways were kept cleaned and tidy.
Dining
The ship has different food options throughout the cruise included in the price. There is a Sea-day Brunch, 2 Dining Rooms, the buffet at the Lido Restaurant, Pizza Pirate, The Taste Bar, 24-Hour Room Service, Mongolian Wok, Swirls, and more. If you are looking for more, Inspiration also offers for extra cost The Coffee Bar and favorites like Lobster any night from the Steakhouse Selection. I chose the anytime dining starting at 5:45pm until closing instead of having a set time. With 600+ seats in each dining room the wait was only a few minutes each time. The menu included appetizers, soups, and salads. The desserts were excellent, the Hot Melted Chocolate Cake was to die for. Everything I had was hot and tasted great. The prime rib was cooked perfectly to my preference. My favorite appetizer, escargot, was on the menu and yes I had two. The dining room was spotless. Wait staff were always there assisting passengers with selections until the lights dimmed and the wait staff went into dance mode getting passengers up and dancing. It was very entertaining. It was also nice to see hostess staff enforce the nightly dress code turning passengers away for coming to the dining room in inappropriate attire, i.e. sports shorts, sleeveless t-shirts, etc.
Activities/Shows/Excursions
There are so many activities, shows, and excursions to choose from while on board. There is the Casino for the adults and the kids have their own programs and areas to hang out in too. The nightlife also includes the Rock n’ Roll nightclub or great productions like Motor City, with the sounds of the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s or Studio VIP, which brings back disco. Both shows are very entertaining to watch. During the day on the pool deck you can play fun adult themed games to watching crew making large ice sculptures and if you dare the water slide. If you want to get away from it all there is the Serenity Deck for a bit of peace and quiet for adults only. There are so many other things to do while on the ship. I found myself constantly on the move enjoying every second. I would actually need a longer cruise just to do it all.
On Saturday the ship docked at Ensenada giving passengers a window between 8am to 6pm to enjoy what the city has to offer. I chose, with the help of listeners, to take the Mexican Craft Beer Tour. It was great, we went to The Grumpy Goat where we were treated to a behind the scenes tour and tasting with the brew master, Juan. I am now “broken”, I tasted the best Irish Red Ale I have ever had, it’s not sold in the states as of yet, ahhhhh! From there we went to the Wendlandt brewery right on the coast and was given another tour and tasting. There I had the Farmhouse Ale that’s aged in old French oak wine barrels. Our last stop was Hussongs; it’s the oldest bar in Ensenada and is the true spot where the first margarita was born. Our tour guide, Stefano, was awesome. He talked about the region and the history Ensenada as we were driven through the beautiful scenery of Mexico.
Future
What’s happening to the Inspiration in the near future? The last dry dock of the Inspiration was November of 2013. The next dry dock will be taking place in January of 2016, with the first set cruise Super Bowl weekend. All I can say is more Fun Ship 2.0 elements are coming soon. I would love to see a Guy Fieri’s Burger Joint or the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar or Cantina. I guess we will just have to wait and see. I am looking into returning for another cruise on the Inspiration in February when she is launched once more from dry dock. For more information about the Inspiration or what is Fun Ship 2.0 go to the Carnival.com website. Until next time, “Keep On Cruising!"
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Podcasting
goodness is here! On this new show we take a look ahead and in depth at
what Carnival Cruises has to offer guests this year and next year. In
our opinion, Carnival is the best value cruise line and is great for
first time cruisers who want to test their sea legs and without blowing
their budget. Carnival has many different ships to and destinations to
pick from so you are never out of options. Also,
we are planning a short 3 or 4 day cruise from Los Angeles in August.
We will be announcing the details on our next show. So plan to join us! As always, we have the latest cruise news, cruise chit chat, our themed
cruise of week and Scott's opinions (not facts, he doesn't want to be sued.) We love and appreciate your support of our podcast. Please continue to share us with your friends! Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to our show! - Tommy & Scott
The Cruise Dudes Podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate
advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and
linking to amazon.com.
Welcome to Episode #30! On this new episode, Scott shares about his overnight trip to Catalina Island which is just off the coast of California, about 26 miles from the ports of San Pedro and Long Beach. Catalina is a popular port stop for cruise ships year round for Carnival and Princess. As you will hear, there are plenty of things to do, see, experience and eat there. Check out our Instagram feed to see Scott's photos and video he shared!
Whether you decide to cruise to Catalina or plan to stay there for a few days, you won't be disappointed with the beautiful and quaint surroundings. And if you take the one of the express boats to the island you don't need your passport! Catalina one of California's best vacation spots where you can relax and be rejuvenated.
As always, we have the latest cruise news, cruise chit chat, our
themed cruise of week and Scott's bad sense of humor. (Guess who is writing the show notes?) We love and appreciate your support of our show. Please continue to share us with your friends and family.
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to our show! - Tommy & Scott
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California’s Island Port
Destination
A
mere 26 miles from Long Beach, California is Catalina Island, California’s own Island
Resort. Gorgeous mild weather all year long, it’s always a beach day at Avalon
or Two Harbors. One can get there by
helicopter, airplane, cruise ship or express boat. My adventure started with a call to the Hermosa
Hotel www.hermosahotel.com in Avalon. The family-owned hotel made all the arrangements
for the room and the express boat cruise over on the Catalina Express www.catalinaexpress.com. One call
and I was on my way! There is no
surcharge for this service and the staff is kind and helpful and they go out of
their way to make all guests feel like family. The Hermosa Hotel was built in
1896 and is considered a historic building.
The accommodations were charming. It’s like walking back in time. They are pet friendly, have WIFI, shuttle
service, and only a half block away from the beach. They are Avalon’s lowest priced rooms and with
88 rooms they will be able to accommodate all size parties.
The
tours
on the island are like any other island resorts in ports of
destination. From para sailing, golf, zip lines to scuba it’s all there
for you. But the difference is it’s all here in California.
Since my overnight stay was in Avalon and I
chose The Zip Line Eco tour. The tour
was the most exhilarating with 5 consecutive lines, at heights up to 300
feet and
speeds to 45 miles an hour. It was
breath taking! After the zipping through the hills outside Avalon I
ventured to
The Island Spa. Just steps from the
beach, The Island Spa offers a wide variety of treatments from facials
to
massages and more. Both the zip line and
spa are owned and operated by the Santa Catalina Island Company. The
Santa Catalina Island Company runs other
interesting tours of the island for all activity levels. www.visitcatalinaisland.com
After
a full day of zip lining, spa treatments, and wandering around Avalon, it was
time to eat. After talking with locals
I was directed to “The Lobster Trap” www.catalinalobstertrap.com
for the best fresh fish on
the island. The locals were right - the seafood was outstanding! For 35
years, Chef Pidel Razo has been amazing guests on Catalina and I
left it up to him what I would be eating that evening. First up was
the creamy clam chowder - clams in every bite. No
spices were necessary, it was seasoned to perfection. Next was the expertly prepared halibut - I could flake it with a fork. And the poke…WOW! All seafood is caught “daily and locally” if
they can’t catch it, or if it’s out of season, they will fly fresh seafood in daily
from The Santa Monica Seafood Company which is also been family owned since
1934 www.santamonicaseafood.com. If it's lobster that you
want, the owner catches it from his many traps on the south side of the
island. There is always a wait to get in,
even during off-season, go early and plan to stay late. The food does take time to prepare - so relax,
have appetizer and/or drink and enjoy ocean view and the great atmosphere. It’s
worth the wait!
Finally, be sure and contact the Catalina Chamber at www.catalinachamber.com for the “2015 Official Visitors Guide” and they will
mail it out a copy to you free of charge. - Scott Andrews
The Cruise Dudes Podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate
advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and
linking to amazon.com.
Welcome to Episode #29! We
just got back from the 2015 Los Angeles Travel & Adventure show in
Long Beach, California and we share our thoughts and observations about
the show. Check out our Instagram feed for photos and video we took at
the show!
As usual we have interesting cruise news, cruise chit chat, our
themed cruise of week, plus we have listener voice mail, email and much more.
Special "Shoutouts" to Alexa @writetotravel and Danielle @DeeMagicGurl whom we saw at the travel show.
We
want to thank Richard & Sarah of Skywalking Through Neverland for
coming on our show and sharing with us their thoughts about Disney
Cruise Line's announcement of Star Wars Day on the Disney Fanstasy in
2016. Do you Love Star Wars and Disney? Please visit our friends at
www.skywalkingthroughneverland.com
Special Deal! Scott wants to remind you about this great travel offer we heard about on at the LA Travel Show: Get a free one night hotel room stay on Catalina Island at the Hermosa Hotel! This offer is only good when you arrive on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday only through March 27, 2015. Go to http://tiny.cc/FreeHotel and enter "Free Hotel Room" in the comments field. There is a 12% Avalon Tax ($12.00) which is due at booking in addition to your boat travel cost. Call (310) 510-1010 and ask for Mark for more information. Please tell Mark you heard about this on our podcast!
We love and appreciate your support of our show. Please continue to share us with your friends and family.
Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to our show! - Tommy & Scott
The Cruise Dudes Podcast is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate
advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and
linking to amazon.com.
How smart is your cruise ship? New technology is coming onboard! What has been announced? What do we like or don't like? What do we want to see? We answer all these questions and more.
Plus we are joined by Joe Tolley of www.cruisehangout.com and he shares with us his thoughts about the new onboard technology coming to the Quantum of the Seas. Richard Fain of Royal Caribbean announced that this is the first ever "Smartship" of their fleet and in the world. Does it excite Joe? Find out! Introducing the world's first "Smartship":
An in depth look at the technology coming to the Quantum of the Seas:
And of course we have cruise news, announcements, and more. Thank you for listening and supporting our show! Check out our official Cruise Dudes gear! T-Shirts and More!
