Carnival Firenze Cruise: 5 Days of Adventure and Relaxation

5 Days on the Carnival Firenze

We just returned from our last cruise on the beautiful Carnival Firenze.We flew to Los Angeles, then boarded a bus to Long Beach for our 5 day cruise to Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada.

We have previously been to both destinations, but wanted to sail on one of the latest additions to Carnivals lineup of vessels. My husband and I arrived to the port almost an hour before our boarding appointment. To our surprise we were allowed to go ahead and enter the line to start the boarding process. It did not take long at all for our documents to be checked and we were on our way to board the ship. Headed to our muster station to get the safety demonstration out of the way, on to lunch, then to explore the ship until our room was ready.

Our first day was a sea day. Sea days can be long drawn out days or full of activities. The first sea day was also Elegant Night. The theme for the night was a Masquerade party. We went in the morning to a masquerade mask decoration class. I enjoyed decorating the masks that we would be wearing to dinner later that night. We explored more of the ship, relaxed in the sun and fresh air, went to dinner, and a comedy show!

It’s Cabo in the morning! We arrived in Cabo and the Carnival Panorama was there!! We were on that ship last year. In Cabo, this year we decided to do a non Carnival excursion. Resortforaday.com offers day passes to several resorts. Solmar Resort is where we went. It is about 5 minutes away from the port, but up a very steep heill. We took a taxi and paid $10 each way. It was worth it for the ride up that hill!!

Solmar Resort is so beautiful and peaceful. We checked in at the office, were given our wrist bands. Walking down through the resort to the pool and restaurant area was breathtaking!!

Enrique was our host and he made sure we had everything we needed. Lunch was the best. We did not actually use the pool. It was not a crowded day while we were there. Maybe 8 other people in all. The waves were so big coming in we could not get very close to the water. After spending half our day there we left to go shopping, before heading back to the ship. I enjoyed my time there, and can’t wait to go back again!!

Another sea day and then we are in Ensenada. This time we did a Carnival excursion. It was a foodie walking tour. This tour would take us to 6 different places. There were 16 of us in our group. We walked from the ship, over to the Malecon or pier. There were many shops, along the way waiting for all the tourists. There was also an open market or flea market nearby. We went to and area callled Mercado Negro or the black market. At our first restaurant, we had a shrimp taco. We also learned about the different salsas available to choose from. From there we went to a candy store. There was so much candy they gave us to sample. Next we were in a “speak easy” for tequila tasting. Some of us did not drink alcohol, we were given non alcoholic drinks. Some of our group also had some protein in the form of grasshoppers!!. Right upstairs was our next restaurant. They gave us seafood ceviche tostadas. We marched on to another restaurant and had fish tacos, then to a bakery for some freshly made churros. Our last stop was another tequila and honey tasting. The non drinkers decided to leave and go shopping at the nearby market on the Malecon. I enjoyed all the food we were served. All the restaurants were nice and clean, the people were friendly. And our tour guide Alexandra was the best.

Ensenada was our last stop. Time to sail on home! The Firenze did not leave anything to be desired. The beautiful Italian designs and a full size statue of MichaelAngelo in the dining room. I would not hesitate to sail on her again!!