BAJA: Cruising close to home

I have been a travel agent for more than 20 years and had never been on the cruise that sails between Los Angeles and Ensenada, Mexico. Year round, both Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International have three- and four-day cruises to Ensenada, Mexico, that leave Friday at 5 p.m. and return to either San Pedro or Long Beach (Carnival sails out of Long Beach) at 8 a.m. Monday. The four-day cruise leaves Monday at 5 p.m. and returns to San Pedro (or Long Beach) at 8 a.m. Friday.
Over the years I have sold hundreds of these cruises and my first thoughts were always the same: "Party time" booze, gambling, loud music, etc. Not a cruise I particularly wanted to take.

On Jan. 3, Royal Caribbean had a special five-day cruise out of San Pedro visiting Catalina, San Diego and Ensenada with an extra day at sea. This itinerary only happens around the holidays, and depends on what day of the week the holidays fall. Redlands Travel Service had booked several large groups on this cruise, and because I had never been on the Baja cruise, I was "elected" to accompany the groups.

IT WAS FABULOUS. I congratulate Royal Caribbean. I literally did not want to get off the ship. Yes, it's a party ship, but they have dozens of activities that suit every age group and every activity level. The ship, the Monarch of the Seas, is an older ship that is very well maintained. The rooms are small (120 square feet), but more than adequate for a short cruise.

Most of the "ocean view" rooms have small picture windows; however, there are a few with only portholes. There are also a very limited number of cabins with balconies, unlike Royal Caribbean's newer ships.

We (my traveling companion on this cruise was my longtime friend Karen Mahmoudi) arrived at the cruise ship terminal around noon on Monday and were on the ship before 1 p.m. Over the years I have been on dozens of cruises and have never checked in so fast. Registering online prior to the cruise, along with an efficient staff, definitely speeds up the check-in process.

Once on the ship, we headed for the Windjammer Café for lunch. The variety of food was great: salad bar, sandwich bar, hot buffet, several choices of soups and a wonderful dessert table. They even had a total section of sugar-free desserts, which were surprisingly good. I felt it was important to try everything so that I could accurately report on the variety of food!

Once finished with lunch we started our tour of the ship. Our first stop was the hallmark of all Royal Caribbean ships - the rockclimbing wall. It's a favorite activity with both adults and children, and even though neither Karen nor I felt the urge to climb up the 30-foot wall, we did enjoy watching others scale the wall and claim victory as they reached the top.

Near the climbing wall is the basketball or sports court, and on the deck below, the youth activity center. The children's program, called "Adventure Ocean," has wonderful facilities for young people aged from 3 (potty-trained) to 17 years old. The programs are divided by age groups and were a big hit with all the kids in our groups.

One of the more popular places on the ship, other than the various lounges, was the day spa and fitness center. Once again, in the interest of reporting about all the facilities on the ship, I did try out the fitness center and the spa! The fitness center is small and there was a wait for the more popular machines. There is also very little floor space for stretching. Royal Caribbean has also started charging extra for some classes, i.e. yoga and spinning classes.

We toured the entire ship, and by the time we reached our cabin our luggage was waiting. As I said, the cabins are small but well laid out with more than enough drawer, shelf and closet space for clothes. Our suitcases fit easily under our beds.

Like most large ships (2,744 passengers), there are two dinner seatings - 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The food throughout the cruise was consistently good. I was disappointed that they only had vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice creams, but for the most part there was a nice choice of appetizers, entrees and desserts, and the serving staff was truly wonderful. There were several children in one of our groups, and the staff made a special point of serving them first. They also entertained the children with magic tricks.

The entertainment aboard ship was fabulous. The shows were at 7 p.m. for the late dining passengers and 9 p.m. for the rest of the guests. In the main theater, the shows were all family-oriented, even the comedians. There were some midnight shows in one of the lounges for more adult-oriented comedy. The comedians aboard were some of the funniest I've ever seen, and the dueling pianos in the Schooner Lounge were outstanding. As I said, the entertainment throughout the ship was fabulous.

The excursions in all the ports of call (Catalina, San Diego and Ensenada) were varied and offered something for everyone. Prior to arriving in each city, the ship distributed a map of the city, sights to see and main shopping areas. Even though I did not personally take any of the ship's excursions, I talked to several people and heard many positive comments about the tours.

Throughout the four days, even when docked, there were always activities aboard the ship from cooking demonstrations to scrapbooking classes to bridge lessons to wine tasting. Adventure Ocean, the youth program, also offered activities for the kids staying on board. It was interesting that such a large number of people never left the ship the entire cruise. I was not one of them, but I will admit the idea of never leaving the ship did appeal to me!

If you're looking for some fun and relaxation close to home with no cooking or cleaning, good food and your choice of great entertainment, consider a three- or four-day cruise aboard the Monarch of the Seas.