First of all, the full day at sea was interesting because the ship does pitch and roll a bit, despite the stabilization devices they have on luxury cruise ships these days. The effect was more pronounced as you moved away from the center of the ship (read up on Torque for an explanation), but only a couple of times did a nice wave cause everything to jostle a bit. For the most part, it was like earthquake aftershocks, where everyone sort of reacts and starts asking if you felt that.

There was food everywhere. Most eating can be done in a buffet-style dining room that had a cafeteria-quality atmosphere and food selection. The food was not bad, but it was a bit carb-heavy. A 24-hour pizza bistro didn't help. They did have a reasonable salad and fruit bar, and we found that some melon and a little vanilla soft-serve from the soft-serve machine was a nice, sorta-healthy desert choice.

Dinner was a sit-down affair with a really nice wait staff and assigned table seating. We only went to two of the four dinners... just too much eating otherwise. Our table companions were nice, and the food selections were quite pleasant, though I have to say that the deserts were sort of so-so. This was a surprise, because you would think they would go overboard on deserts (they did have some great selections), but they were actually not all that great. Not bad, just not great.

The room was nice, the on-board entertainment was diverse, fun, and always available, and the crew people were just great. One of the people who took care of our room, Mara, was from Romania and was hilarious. There were several crem members from Thailand whom Oum ended up chatting with now and then, and our assitant waitress at dinner was from Lithuania and was very sweet. I would have to say that in general, the on-board experience is great.

The tours at the two ports were okay, but not great. In fact, probably not worth the money. We went for a glass-bottom boat tour at Catalina Island, but being winter the fish were not varied or particularly colorful. We also drove around the island on a rented golf cart, and while this was fun, it was not particularly eventful, and the time constraints made it quite short (though I think we would return to Catalina another time as a stand-alone trip). The weather happened to be great for the entire trip, so it ws only a bit cool but otherwise clear and nice.

Ensenada was more of a disappointment. We went on a combination tour, to a blowhole (where the surf hits some rocks and shoots up into the air) and to a wine bottling facility. The former was nice, but was at the end of a walk through a rather seedy area just outside of Ensenada proper. The blowhole itself and the rocks and such are nice and all, but not necessarily worth the trip. The wine bottling place was not great at all, particularly for anyone who has been to Napa. To be honest, we confused the Wine Country Tour with the Winery Tour, and that may have made a difference, but in general, Mexico is still known for Tequila.

At the end of the day, I'm glad I went, and I think Oum enjoyed it. We were both a little disappointed with the tours, but I think we both know a bit more about what to expect and what to consider for choosing tours. Perhaps next time we'll take the Hawaii cruise or go to Canada or Alaska. Eventually I know I would like to do one of those trips around Europe with many stops in different countries. I'll see if I can talk Oum into that...

Bottom line, I would do it again, but I would consider the off-ship activities more carefully, and I would prepare better for the ports of call so I knew what to expect, what to look for, etc. I would also bring my gym clothes to offset the eating, and I would probably bring a trunk rather than loose bags, because finding your luggage when you get back is a whole 'nother adventure.

I've posted some photos from the trip on my Flickr pages.