4 Night Carnival Cruise to Catalina Island and Ensenada Mexico

Long story short, we were planning a trip to Hawaii. We sat at the airport all day Saturday and all day Sunday trying to fly to Hawaii on stand by. Since my husband is a pilot for South West airlines, and they don’t fly to Hawaii yet, we were trying to get on another airlines flight. It didn’t work. Sunday at 1pm when the last flight to Hawaii left, I was disappointed. But I don’t give up! I decided to turn lemons into lemonade. I got out my IPad and went to www.vacationstogo.com. I found a cruise leaving Long Beach, California the next day. I called the number and booked us on the cruise. We ran home repacked and flew to LAX ! We took an Uber car to the Long Beach terminal and I swear we were the last people on the ship! To our surprise this was the best vacation we have ever taken with our boys! They loved the cruise ship, the pool and water slide, and the sense of freedom. We let them stay together and gave them times and places to meet us. They followed through every time; I think they were afraid to lose their new found freedom.

Long Beach California,  Carnival Cruise $119 per person before taxes and tip (bought 1 day prior)

Monday get on the ship

We literally got on the ship and went straight to the drill. After we found our cabin, it was nice to unpack and get ready for dinner.

Tuesday Catalina Island–

We walked off the ship and went to the first dive shop we saw. We got wet suits, snorkeling  gear, and fins for $$$$ less than the excursion on the ship! We walked to the dive spot, threw on the stuff and walked into the ocean. Great start for kids first time snorkeling. I bought an Olympus Digital Waterproof camera a year ago and I was so excited to use it. It came in really handy.

Wednesday Ensenada Mexico–

Kayaking to the La Bufadora, blow hole.We booked the excursion on the ship. It was a 30 minute bus ride. We kayaked in the ocean to the blow hole and back. The bus stopped in this tiny little town so we could have lunch. We had the most delicious tacos and fresh churros!

Thursday at sea

We spent a lot of time at the pool. I was multitasking, watching the kids, working on my tan, and doing laundry. We found a laundry machine on the ship and took advantage of the day at sea. I hate going home with dirty, wet, smelly clothes!

We enjoyed the dining room every night. The kids loved steak and french fries for dinner, every single night! Trust me there were plenty of choices but my little carnivores couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have steak and fries.

Friday get off the ship

This was the end of our trip and we were all sad to leave the ship. I was going to miss my omelet and coffee every morning. The boys would miss the pool and new friends they made. My husband was going to miss the relaxing time we spent together.

I knew we would cruise again, real soon!

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