Our Cruise-Monarch of the Seas

Monarch of the Seas--our Junior Suite
Monarch of the Seas at Catalina Island on Wednesday

We had originally booked the Vision of the Seas 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise for 10/8, but due to some huge expenses in June and July, I cancelled and rebooked the Monarch's 4 night instead.

Sunday we had the Doubletree's park & cruise package booked, so we drove to San Pedro Sunday afternoon and had a restful night at the hotel before the cruise the next day. The P&C package allows you to leave your car at the Doubletree and they shuttle you to and from the World Cruise Center. Since parking at the WCC is $12/day it really made a great deal. The package comes with a wonderful breakfast buffet and they sent a bottle of champaign to our room that night.

Monday we boarded with priority boarding and sat up on the pool deck until our stateroom was ready (about 1pm). Our luggage arrived almost immediately so I unpacked and got everything put away before we had to go to muster.

We had early seating so dinner was at 5:30pm and we were at a table for 8. We enjoyed the company of our tablemates and enjoyed the dining room each night except Tuesday.

Tuesday morning we awoke pulling into port in San Diego. I had purchased online the Old Town Trolley passes so we checked in at their kiosk near the port and boarded the trolley about a half hour later. We enjoyed the tour of San Diego's gaslight district, the Seaport Village and Coronado Island before getting off at the San Diego Zoo.

We were a bit disappointed in the Zoo as they were undergoing construction and we didn't get to see much on the double-decker bus tour. The Zoo used to be world-class but it looked very tired the day we were there. Hopefully when they are finished it will be the same Zoo I always loved.

We got back on the trolley and went to Old Town. I love Old Town! Lots of wonderful shops and the historical park is interesting. We walked through the old original school house and then stopped at a great restaurant for a Margurita and fabulous Mexican food. We didn't go to dinner that night because we were still stuffed from our lunch--but later that night I had room service.

Wednesday was Catalina Island and it's a port where you have to get on a smaller boat (called a tender) and they take you to the island. We walked around the main street and did some window shopping and enjoyed the view of the harbor. We tendered back to the ship in the afternoon and went up on the pool deck to watch the men's bellyflop contest and relax in the sun.

Thursday was Ensenada. We had fun looking in all the shops and stopped at Mango Mango for chips and salsa and Marguritas (me) and beer (Paul). We met a young couple from Barstow and enjoyed visiting with them before heading back to the ship.

Thursday night I had to pack our bags to get ready to leave the next morning. Sad. I could have stayed longer.