Fun 4-Day Baja Carnival Cruise

A short cruise can be a lot of fun – and can actually seem like you’ve been away longer and gone farther than you really have – as Anne and her sister Vera discover on their fun 4-day Baja Carnival Cruise. This roundtrip cruise took them from Los Angeles to Catalina Island, Ensenada Mexico, and back again.

Fun 4-Day Baja Carnival Cruise from Los Angeles

A short cruise can be a lot of fun – and can actually seem like you’ve been away longer and gone farther than you really have! 

At least that’s what my sister Vera and I discovered when we recently went on a 4-day Baja Carnival Cruise from Los Angeles, California.  It left from the Long Beach Cruise Port and went to Catalina Island, Ensenada Mexico, and back to Long Beach.   

We had flown to LA for a friend’s wedding, and this cruise was just an added little bonus to the week of fun we had already enjoyed. Originally my idea had been to book a cruise back to Vancouver after the wedding, but I found out those cruises don’t exist in June. Some ships leave LA in April and May, but then they do the Vancouver to Alaska run until about September or October when they return to LA. 

The good thing was that neither Vera nor I had ever visited Catalina Island or Ensenada, Mexico, so these ports would be new to both of us, even though we had both been to LA several times before. Neither port is very far from LA, which made for a few laughs from our friends who were dropping us off: “What do you mean it’s going to take you all night to get to Catalina …. you can see it right there!”  

Enjoying the fun at sea on a Carnival Cruise

Of course, apart from going to the ports, a big reason for going on a cruise is all of the fun you can have onboard, so the ship could go at a snail’s pace for all anyone cared.  

Carnival Cruises are known for having ‘the most fun ships at sea’, and this cruise certainly lived up to that. There was a lively party atmosphere everywhere, and a great assortment of fun activities to do from morning to night – and some people even partied all night, as we heard from bits of conversations at breakfast.  

Vera and I did not quite go to that extreme, but we still packed in a lot of fun. Some of our daytime activities included mini-golf, art shows, and health & wellness sessions. Then after happy hour and dinner, we loved the nightly entertainment shows such as musical groups, dancers, and especially the comedians. Even just people-watching with their amusing antics was entertaining in itself. Sometimes there were so many things on at the same time, it was hard to choose. 

Santa Catalina Island – our first Port

We thoroughly enjoyed seeing both ports as well. For our first port, Santa Catalina Island, I played ‘tour director’ and led us on a fun day of exploring the main town of Avalon. I had read some articles and watched some YouTube videos about the island, so I knew about some of the history and a number of things to see. 

As we walked down the waterfront boardwalk, I told Vera that Catalina was bought and developed back in 1919 by William Wrigley Jr. of chewing gum fame, and you can still see the Wrigley mansion on Mt Ada above the harbour. Wrigley’s wife, Ada, had a bell tower erected on the opposite hillside, because she wanted the beautiful chimes to waft over the town for everyone to enjoy.  

Vera and I could see the bell tower, known as the Catalina Chimes Tower, as we walked along, and we decided to walked up a long steep wooden staircase and then along some quiet streets for a closer look. We passed by quaint homes and backyards, some with some very interesting lawn ornaments, and we got a feel for how the locals live. Parked along the back lanes were large golf carts, as this is the main mode of transportation on the island.

When we got to the tower we walked around it, watched a worker refurbishing some of the chimes, and took in the gorgeous view before making our way back down. 

Continuing along the boardwalk, we came to what was once the Catalina Casino and which is now a theatre. We walked around the ornate building, the largest in town, and stopped to watch some divers taking lessons in the water behind it. We then wandered into the Avalon Diving History Exhibit in the lower level of the casino and marvelled at all of the vintage diving gear.

Walking back, we browsed in shops, strolled down side streets, and took in the charm of this tourist town before going back to the ship. 

Ensenada, Mexico – our second Port

The next day we arrived at our second port of Ensenada, Mexico, which was quite a contrast to the day before. Being a cruise ship port, Ensenada is still very much a tourist town, but it is larger and has more run-down buildings than the more upscale Catalina. We had booked a ship excursion called ‘La Bufadora Adventure’, a 5-hour bus tour on which we saw both the poverty and prosperity of the Ensenada area. 

Our first stop on the tour was at the grandest building in town, the palatial-looking ‘Riviera del Pacifico’. Our guide took us through this magnificent building which was once a luxurious hotel almost 100 years ago, telling us about its history and showing us around. We were impressed by the lavish furnishings, especially in the huge ballroom where dances were regularly held, with men sitting on one side and women on the other.

When we arrived at the lobby area, we were all given yummy margarita samples, as apparently this hotel was where the margarita was invented. Whether that was true or not didn’t matter to us, as we happily sipped on them in the lovely courtyard, laughing that it was only 9:30 am. 

Our bus full of happy people continued on to La Bufadora,  passing areas of ramshackle shops and homes as well as large expanses of fields growing various crops. On the way our guide told us interesting facts about Ensenada, one of them being that most of our produce comes from this area. When she asked us to guess what Ensenada’s biggest export was though, we were surprised to learn it was Colgate toothpaste!  

Our excitement grew as we neared La Bufadora, a famous blowhole and apparently the second largest one in the world. We were given some information about it, as well as tips on how to navigate the long row of Mexican vendors leading up to it. Our guide led us through the maze of vendors, many of whom were offering samples of tequila, churros, and other delectables, and we gazed at stall after stall packed with their wares.  

Then finally we arrived at the blowhole and it did not disappoint. We were amazed as we stood and watched the water continuously build up along the cliff bottom and then shoot straight up near us.  Sometimes the resulting spray was very high and impressive, and we marvelled at this natural wonder and took lots of photos.

We then wandered back to spend more time browsing at the Mexican stalls, enjoying seeing the various local products and tasting more samples before it was time to board the bus.  

We felt this tour had indeed lived up to the name ‘La Bufadora Adventure’, and we would highly recommend this excursion or one similar. 

Back at the port, rather than board the ship right away we decided to walk down the boardwalk and into town. We browsed in shops and stalls, listened to street musicians, and just enjoyed taking in the atmosphere of this Mexican town before going back to the ship. 

Our two port adventures now complete, Vera and I were ready for a fun and relaxing final day at sea, with time to recall our many experiences over the past few days.  

We had seen, done, and learned a lot on our 4-day Carnival Cruise. Our cruise may have been short in duration but it was long on FUN! 

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