In January, Nate and I kicked off our 2025 year of travel with a sun and fun filled Carnival cruise to the Mexican Riviera. What made it extra special was having Sharon, a former coworker of Nate’s and good friend of ours, along with us for her first ever cruise. We shared plenty of good times, laughs, and adventures together!
For the first leg of our trip, we flew Southwest to Long Beach, where we spent the night at the Double Tree by Hilton, San Pedro right on the Los Angeles Harbor. At the recommendation of the hotel’s shuttle driver, we enjoyed a delicious brunch at Rex’s Cafe. It was perfect! The staff were friendly and the food was fresh, filling, and delicious.
After an afternoon of reading and relaxing in the hotel room, Sharon insisted on treating us to a seafood dinner, and we walked over to the 22nd Street Landing Seafood Grill & Bar. We enjoyed some wine and cocktails and dined on shrimp, crab, and salmon dishes while watching the sun set over the Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club boat yard.
The next morning was embarkment day! We paid for the convenience of a hotel shuttle over to the Port of Los Angles where, after passing through customs and waiting in the terminal because of a brief delay, we boarded the Carnival Firenze. As mandated, we located and checked in with our muster station and then set off to orient ourselves and explore the many amenities of the ship while we awaited to set sail.
The Mexican Riviera Cruise Itinerary
Day 1: Depart Long Beach at 4:00 p.m.
Day 2: Fun day at sea
Day 3: Cabo San Lucas 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Day 4: Fun day at sea
Day 5: Ensenada 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Day 6: Arrive back in Long Beach at 8:00 a.m.
Our Days at Sea
This was only Nate’s and my second cruise, and I don’t think I’ll ever NOT be impressed with the engineering it takes to allow what’s basically a massive resort with staterooms, shops, bars, a casino, a theater, and restaurants to float on the sea. In addition to all that, the Carnival Firenze is outfitted with two pools, a walking track, a basketball/pickleball court, and plenty of space to spread out on the lido deck.
And the lido deck is where we spent the majority of our time on those days at sea, soaking up the sun and enjoying mimosas. But that wasn’t all we did. Our first evening, we stopped into to The Piano Bar for some pre-dinner cocktails and to listen to Olga—and at one point, Nate—play some tunes before heading to the Il Viaggio Italian Restaurant to belatedly celebrate Nate’s and Sharon’s November birthdays.
Besides drinking and dining during our days at sea, we enjoyed a few games of Bingo, browsing the shops, people-watching during an evening 80’s themed dance party, and playing slots and digital roulette in the casino. And reading! All three of us brought along books, which we enjoyed among the many other readers we noticed lounging on the decks.
Our Day in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
After brunch on Day 3, we headed up to the lido deck to check out the rocky costal scenery as the ship cruised into the Bay of Cabo San Lucas. The sky was a brilliant blue and we watched as yachts, tour boats, and even a pirate-themed schooner zipped in, out, and around the bay. Too large to port at the coast, the Firenze anchored offshore, and we had to board water taxis to disembark.
Our first destination once on land: the beach! We made our way to an unbelievably uncrowded public beach a short walk through the busy market area crowded with tour guides and vendors shouting their ware. We unfurled our towels, dipped our feet into the chilly water, and enjoyed a few ours of peaceful relaxation and reading in the sun.
When we felt thoroughly toasted and hungry, we made our way back through the market area and found lunch at Captain Tony’s, a bar and grill next to the bay’s yacht yard. While Nate and Sharon ordered taco dishes, I had to try the seafood stuffed chile relleno. It was so cheesy, delicious, and filling! We were then serenaded by a Mariachi band! Next time, we’ll have to remember to bring cash to tip the musicians.
Our day ended with a long-time bucket list item of Sharon’s: swimming with dolphins! Booked through Carnival, this excursion plunged us right into the dolphin pool at the Humane Certified Cabo Dolphins Cabo San Lucas. We’ll share more about this fun experience in a future post!
Ensenada, Mexico and Return to Long Beach
As the ship left Cabo San Lucas, we bemoaned how quickly the cruise was passing by. We had another day at sea, where we enjoyed more drinks, more great food, more games in the casino, and delightful Piano Bar shenanigans with the evening performer, Elizabeth. Seriously, we were so impressed with her piano, singing, and crowd pleasing abilities, we didn’t want to leave. Mostly because if she saw someone headed for the door, she’d interrupt her current song and belt out, “Kangaroooo!”
The final port before the ship’s return to Long Beach was a stop in Ensenada. It was a cloudy, drizzly morning and we didn’t book any excursions, so Nate and I disembarked on our own to explore. We found a main street in town to peruse shops and restaurants and found a spot for margaritas and chips and salsa. As the morning passed, the weather cleared up, more shops opened, and the merchants began boldly enticing cruise tourists to enter their stores.
In the afternoon, Sharon joined us for more shopping and, of course, more tacos! This time, we lunched at Tequilera Tacos and Grill. We couldn’t resist trying the margarita taster including lemon fresco, jamaica, tamarind, peach, and pineapple flavors served on an adorable mini cart. Sharon and I both tried the battered shrimp tacos. So good!
We ended our day in Ensenada early with a stroll back to the port to reboard the Firenze and prepare for our the last evening of our cruise. We couldn’t believe how quickly it went, but celebrated the fun and good times we had. As the ship took up anchor and slowly cruised away from shore, we wandered back up to the lido deck to watch the sun set and say goodbye to the Mexican Riviera.
Nate and I were so grateful to have Sharon along with us. She made the trip extra special, and we look forward to having more adventures with her. We’re also looking forward to more cruises this year. ¡Adiós por ahora!
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