During my time at Caltech, I’ve gone on several trips put on by friends and the school. We have ski trips, beach trips, and hikes in my house (Page House). I’ve gone to Iceland and will be going to Hawaii thanks to Caltech’s GPS division. For classes, I’ve hiked several routes around the Southwestern United States and been on some crazy car rides. I’ve flown on planes, rode on trains, sat in the car, and took a bus quite far. But the one mode of travel I had yet to conquer was by boat. This past winter break, a small group of seniors in Page House decided we wanted to kick off the break with a four-day cruise together. We got online, found tickets for the same Carnival cruise, and the moment we finished our finals, we set sail.
This being my first cruise, I didn’t know what to expect. I packed for a range of weather; I had sweaters, pants, skirts, swimsuits and one formal dress. After finals, we headed to Long Beach, CA, to board the ship. Waiting in line for this cruise was just as bad as being in a busy airport. They had security checkpoints and scanned our items the same way LAX would. It took a very long time, but once we made it through, we boarded a massive boat and were on our way.
Going into the cruise, my primary concern was my motion sickness. Growing up on the coast, I’ve been on a variety of different boats, but I haven’t been on anything as large as a cruise ship. I hoped the size of the ship would mean I would not feel the boat rocking as much as I would in a canoe. The boat proved me wrong in an instant. No matter how large the vessel, I learned that the ocean will still remind you that you’re on the water. Luckily, I packed motion sickness medication in preparation.
The cruise ship itself was like a floating resort. They had shops, restaurants, a spa, a gym, and so many pools across the various decks. The first thing I did while waiting for my room to be ready was wander around and explore. There weren’t a ton of shops, but they had a fine jewelry and watch shop that I ended up frequenting every day of the cruise just to browse. There was also a candy shop, small apparel store, and, of course, the cruise-themed gift shop. The pool deck had several hot tubs and pools and a water slide on the back end of the ship. There was also an adults-only pool area for any travelers without children looking for a less crowded spot. The restaurant costs were mostly included with the room package, but a couple of the specialty restaurants had an additional fee. The gym was located on the top deck with a large window overlooking the front of the ship, and I loved the view in there. Once my room was ready, it looked just like a small hotel room with a private bathroom and a large vanity mirror. I unpacked everything and then went to go soak in the hot tub until dinner time.
Each night on the cruise, our group would meet and have dinner together. They sat us at a table for eleven, and we’d pick and order items off the menu. Each dinner was served in three courses, which I was pleasantly surprised by. We also discovered that we could order multiple appetizers or entrees, and we definitely made use of that information. For dinner on each of the four days, there was a dress code for attending. They let us know using the app we downloaded that contained all the information we’d need while onboard. Most of the nights were casual dress, but we did have one fancy night, which I enjoyed. This gave me the chance to use the semi-formal dress I packed. On fancy night, we sat in the center of the restaurant, and there was a mid-dinner show with singing and dancing. Overall, dining on the ship was a very fun experience.
By now you’re probably wondering if we spent every day on the water. We did not. This cruise package had two stops: one on Catalina Island and the other in Ensenada, Mexico. On first day we sent off, we headed towards Catalina. Here, there were a lot of activities available right at the coast. Some of the people in my group went parasailing, others went to rent golf carts to drive around the island, and the rest of us went window shopping. Personally, I love window shopping and I loved browsing through each of the stores. I did end up buying a fancy handmade soap as a gift for a friend. The group met up and had happy hour tacos on the island, where it was $1.50 for each taco. Those tacos were pretty good. They also had happy hour drinks, and, as a group full of 21 year olds, we definitely sampled the menu.
The second day of the cruise was a day dedicated to cruising the waters. The cruise line hosted a bunch of events onboard like an art auction, jewelry auction, trivia, and so much more throughout the day. I went shopping and watched the various auctions while the other ten seniors in the group went to trivia or hit the pools. I did check out the gym and attempted one workout. I found it was very disorienting running on the treadmill while the boat was moving. The pace I was running at did not match the speed of the ship. I rejoined the group for some trivia, and then I went back to my cabin to have a DIY spa day with face masks.
The third day of the cruise we went port in Ensenada, and six of us took off to go zip lining. This was my first time doing it, and I was originally pretty nervous about it. However, the tour guides we booked through were awesome, and it was beautiful out in the mountains where we were. Afterwards, our driver took us to a local birria taco place where we pigged out for lunch. We met with the rest of the group for a tequila tasting event at a shop that specialized in top quality tequila and honey. I ended up buying a jar of the honey to take back home because it was so delicious. We went back to the boat, and I crashed early that night from the excitement of moving around all day.
The final day of the cruise was disembarking day. Our ship set a course back to the Long Beach Port. The night previously, the boat had moved incredibly fast, and I could feel it when I tried to sleep. Luckily, I’m a heavy sleeper, so it did not bother me as much. However, it was the most motion we felt on the ship the entire time. Once we docked for the end of the trip, I caught an Uber to LAX, and I flew home to finish winter break.
Overall, the trip was a huge success. Everyone had fun, and we all got to try things we’ve never done before. The trip was a nice length of time, and the room package covered a lot of the expenses onboard. I did end up with several souvenirs and Christmas presents I gave to people at home. I’d totally recommend others who want to do a fun small trip with friends off campus during break to look into a short-term cruise. It was a great way to bond with people, and I am so glad I went!
