Our Cruise To Mexico
Well, it is finally here. Embarkation Day, time to set sail on our cruise to Mexico. There was a lot of preparation to get to this day. We had to have our covid test completed up to 3 days before we could set sail. Then we needed to download an app called Verifly. This app we would upload our booking number, embarkation date, name of cruise line and ship, vaccine records, and covid negative test results along with our names and date of birth. Our picture was also added.
Upon arriving to the port in San Francisco, to enter the port terminal we had to show passports and our Verifly app. I have to admit the app made everything go so much faster. There were four security checkpoints, and 3 of them used our Verifly app. The last checkpoint scanned our passports.
We are now ready to board the ship. There was about a 15 minute wait to actually board the ship. From the time we entered the terminal until the time we boarded was about 45 minutes. There was one last thing to do before we boarded. We had our picture taken by Carnival. Yes we are finally walking down that long ramp and onto the ship. We are sailing on the Miracle.
Once onboard, we were directed to our Muster station. We had to watch a demonstration of how to put on our life jackets and where to report if the emergency alarms were sounded. This is the way it’s done since after the shutdown. Everyone no longer has to gather in large groups, to watch. There were maybe 10 of us at one time. We then headed to the Lido deck’s buffet for lunch. The ship is not scheduled to leave port until 4 pm. The last passengers should be boarded by 3. It’s now time for us to explore the ship.
Time to Sail Away
It’s time for us to sail away!! The weather in San Francisco was a bit cool and very cloudy. Everyone on board is excited to begin our cruise to Mexico. It’s a 5 day cruise. We will have a day in Catalina Island before heading to Ensenada, Mexico.
Dinner was in the Main Dining Room (MDR). There are always 3 courses with many choices. We selected your time dining. We were able to check in on the Hub app when we were ready for dinner. The app would tell us how long the wait for a table was and then notify us when the table was ready. Our table was always ready by the time we arrived. Everything was wonderful from the service, food, and entertainment. The waiters would sing to anyone having a birthday.
After leaving San Francisco, going under the Golden Gate bridge, the water started to get a lot choppier. It was also becoming dark. It gets pitch black on the see at night. There were no stars or moon to be seen that night. We had a balcony stateroom. It gets very dark inside. Looking out at night, all we could see was the wake from the ship.
First Sea Day
Our first sea day was very cloudy. The waters were not exactly calm but were not rocky either. We were able to explore the ship more and find out where everything was. I played Bingo, played some slot machines. We walked around the sun deck. 3 and 1/2 times around was 1 mile. We sat on the sun deck and watch the ocean as we sailed on. Later that night we caught an 80 show, called The Heart of Soul. It was an awesome variety of 80 songs. The next morning we will be at Catalina Island.
Catalina Island
I was thankful to see land when we arrived at Catalina Island the next morning!! The sun was out that morning, and we were happy for warmer weather. The ship is too large to dock in the port, We stopped outside the port a bit. A tender boat, like a ferry took us to the Island. It was about a 10 minute ride on the tender. Arriving at the port, is the marina, and the tourist area. There were lots of shops and restaurants. It is a beautiful area. We walked through the town a bit. It reminds me of Sausalito, California, in the Bay Area. After sightseeing and some shopping, we headed back to the marina to wait for our tender boat back to the shop. Before we knew it we were pulling our of port to head to Ensenada, Mexico.!!
Ensenada, Mexico
We left beautiful Catalina Island to sail on the Ensenada, Mexico. We had some lovely weather leaving the island. We had smooth sailing for the rest of the evening.
Ensenada is very close in weather to the Bay Area. We had a breezy sunny day with a few clouds. We debarked the ship to go walk on the Malecon. The pier is full of shops and restaurants for the tourists and the locals. A lot of the vendors there speak english. They offered boat rides, specials for breakfast, lunch, and drinks. We passed most of the shops and at the end of the pier is a very large seafood market, and more vendors. After walking a few blocks we ended up in downtown Ensenada.
Sailing Home
It’s time to leave Ensenada and sail on home. Hurricane Agatha hit southern Mexico the day we sailed out. Although it was quite some ways from where we were, we had some rocky seas. The wind got up to 61 miles per hour. The top decks were closed, and no one was allowed out there due to the winds. The water in the pool swayed back and forth. The winds were high and the waters were rough most of the way back to San Francisco.
I was happy to be back in San Francisco, but at the same time did not want the cruise to be over. All and all we had a great time. The food was delicious, shows were very entertaining. and people and crew were the most friendliest ever!! Yes, I am ready to sail again!!