After 6 years of being a wedding photographer, I find the best times to take a personal vacation are actually during the weekdays. With 3 other wedding photographer friends, wives, and kids, we took off from the convenient port of Long Beach and headed out to Catalina Island and Ensenada on a 4 day Carnival Cruise. For between$250-$400 a person, you really can’t complain about anything, except the sun, which we’ll get to later.
As we arrived in Long Beach and boarded our cruise ship, we toured around, getting the layout of this massive boat. Similar to the 3 day Carnival Cruise I had been on 3 years ago, I was fairly familiar with it’s layout and main areas of interest. And what do you know, music and free food were already being served on the pool side deck, so hamburgers and nachos became the quick afternoon snack of many. With some improvements, I did notice the boat had a few upgrades, including not just 1 waterslide, but 3 in the back of the boat. This massive twisty slide looked like fun and I couldn’t wait to try, hopefully a little warmer though as we head south. The views from the top deck of Long Beach and the Queen Mary were very nice. The boat was clean, the staff was friendly, and there seemed to be a good organization of how things worked and were scheduled. A few new games in the casino showed me that I might be losing a few dollars to the CLAW machine that grabs stacks of $100 in ones.
As we ventured through the rest of the boat, we saw stores filled with expensive watches, jewelry, and $949 Whiskey. In Catalina, we rented golf carts and drove around the islands main city Avalon. With a few amazing views, it was fun to see the city that way. We didn’t see any buffalos, but it was still fun. Dinner that night was also the fancy Formal night, so we dressed to impress. 1 hour before dinner, we got as many portrait style photos that the ships photographers would take of us. Yes, even professional photographers like to get there photos every once in a while. However, we weren’t really the most serious about them, or maybe we were a little too serious. Either way, it was hilarious. The food that night was amazing. Lobster, Roasted Garlic Steaks with a variety of sauces, amazing desserts. And yes, if you don’t already know, the Carnival Molten Chocolate Cake is the best dessert hands down. Get it every night if you like, the rest won’t compare.
In Ensenada, we took a bus to the blowhole 40 minutes away, or as the locals call it, La Bufadora. With a long street of shops and restaurants, the blowhole was at the end, shooting water up the cliffs for hundreds of feet. The splashes were surprisingly big at times and nonexistent at others. We managed to get a few clams to eat, tacos, and a mango. Back on the bus, most everyone fell asleep, or at least Erich and Jeremy did as we played a few jokes on them. Later Erich was full on cinematographer mode and used his little Go-Pro substitute to capture lots of video this trip. I can’t wait to see his video. The girls kept us busy and entertained and we even got a chance for a little photoshoot of each other up top. Photographers photographing Photographers photographing photographers. Inception at it’s best. Brunch was amazing the next day, with cereal coated French Toast and Huevos Rancheros. The big $1000 bingo game was tragic, as a few of us were 1 number away when the winner yelled BINGO and our smiles faded from our faces. Desserts were being showcased up top in the buffet dining room with chocolate infusions and amazing sugar decorations. Our last dinner was a sad one, but then Erich got up and danced with the wait staff to Gangnam Style and it was all worth it.
It was an awesome trip and we hope to go on another one. This is what weekday vacations are all about! Good food, good friends, and lots of laughter.
TEAM DESTINATION 2015, can’t wait.
