New Adventures from Los Angeles

As Royal Caribbean® continues their return to service, they’ve listened to their guests and valued travel partners and are heading back to the West Coast of the United States for sailings out of Los Angeles.  San Pedro pier is only 23 miles from the airport.       Don’t just get away. Get more from your cruise on the newly amped Navigator of the Seas®. The newly amped Navigator of the Seas® delivers a maxed out adventure in just a few short days. Take on record breaking thrills, like the longest waterslide at sea. Soak up bigger, bolder, splashier pool days. Swap going out for going all out with next level nightlife and new dining for every craving. This is your short vacay, turned way, way up. Only on Royal Caribbean®. Think tide-turning new rides, next level lounging, and a new pool deck with double the surface area for you to swim, splash and lounge. Plus craveable dining and new nightlife hotspots that dial the excitement way up. LA becomes your jumping off point for epic weekend adventures along the Baja coast and the Mexican Riviera. For the first time in over a decade, Royal Caribbean® heads west with the Amplified Navigator of the Seas®, sailing a mix of short cruises from Los Angeles to Catalina Island, Ensenada and Cabo — plus longer wanders to Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán.  Arrive in LA prior to your cruise and enjoy some time exploring Hollywood, or simply relaxing on one of the pristine beaches as the gentle winds of the Pacific wash over your body.  Indulge in California's unique cuisine at one of the posh restaurants, or shop for that treasure you've been seeking.   Each port has something for everyone - here is just a sample of what awaits you in each port. (Click images to enlarge)   Navigator of the Seas Sailings

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Safety First at Sea

October 20th Sailing Norwegian Bliss 

Altered by Hurricane Willa

We've returned from National Conference and will continue our October #ChooseCruise mini-series.  Internet on Norwegian Bliss was fine for social media posts (which hopefully you followed) but blogging was another story.  

Agents and guests of Cruises Inc, CruiseOne, and Dream Vacations 2018 Inspire Conference on the brand new Norwegian Bliss, departed the Port of Los Angeles (Long Beach) as scheduled on October 20th. Plans called for 3 sea days and 3 port days in the Mexican Riviera (as shown in the itinerary below).

Shortly after we sailed, while we were at dinner, the captain announced that due to the high seas expected from then Tropical Storms Vincente and Willa, we were altering our course for San Francisco, San Diego, and Ensenada, Mexico.

This was our 13th conference, that we attended, and it was only the second time that Mother Nature had interfered with the original plans, and the first time that the change occurred after departure. So, I guess that's a pretty good track record, considering we always sail during Hurricane Season for our national conference.

The first time we had a course correction was in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. We were to have sailed from New Orleans, but instead departed from Galveston, Texas. In that case, we needed to rearrange flights, but the basic itinerary was only slightly modified. This time, there were no flight changes needed, since we would still depart and return form Long Beach, CA.

While we were disappointed that we wouldn't be able to do our planned shore activities in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, we were grateful that we would still be able to have our complete conference itinerary and enjoy 3 ports of call.   Cruise lines have the right to modify itineraries for any reason, and we are happy that they consider safety of passengers, crew and ship as a priority.

Changing cruise itineraries is no small feat, and we'll focus on that for the rest of this post.

Original Itinerary - Mexican Riviera

Revised Itinerary - Baja California

The Jones Act:  The Passenger Vessel Services Act, (PVSA), 46 U.S.C. § 55103 (b), prohibits commercial vessels such as cruise ships from allowing passengers to board at one U.S. port and debark at another U.S. port. Such travel would constitute point-to-point transportation between two U.S ports, which is prohibited on foreign flagged ships.

You'll see from our modified itinerary map above that we made a stop in Ensenada, Mexico prior to returning to our point of embarkation in Long Beach.   That is due to the Jones Act restrictions.

The Jones Act played an important part of our conference cruise, since original plans called for certain cruise line and other suppliers joining us or departing from one or more of the ports of call along our original route.   There are fines that can be paid to circumvent the requirements.  See the following on the Customs and Border Patrol website for more information about the act and fines.

Norwegian Cruise Line picked up about $20,000 in fines to accommodate suppliers that were embarking or debarking in ports other than Long Beach (in other words only completing a portion of the cruise without first going to a foreign port).

Planning for our conference began about a year ago, right after the last one.   Many of those plans had to be modified, in a matter of hours, due to the change to our itinerary.

We still had the 3 sea days, which is when the bulk of our meetings occur, but now they were on different days, and some suppliers would not be able to attend, on the given day or at all, due to conflicts in scheduling, inability to get flights, or other logistical difficulties. 

Cooler temperatures at night meant we moved indoors to the Observation Lounge for some events.

The cruise line staff worked closely with our headquarters team to make all the necessary modifications and the conference went off without any issues.  If you've ever considered hosting your conference at sea, this story should take some of the fears away - cruise lines are definitely quite adept at dealing with logistical nightmares due caused by natural or other disasters and your conference will go and still be successful. 

Thank you to Camille Olivere, Senior Vice President, Norwegian Cruise Line, and the entire Norwegian Cruise Line team for all you did to make Inspire 2018 Conference a huge success.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Mexico impacted by Hurricane Willa.  Knowing the cruise industry, we will be there to assist in rebuilding and getting people visiting again.

 

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Happy Cinco de Mayo 2018

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a holiday held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico.   The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War.

In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.   Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico, which occurs on September 16th.

Cruises to Mexico

Mexico is not just sunny beaches and great water sports. Mexico's Spanish colonial roots fused with her turbulent Indian ancestry have engendered a rich cultural history. Fascinating archaeological ruins, extraordinary works of art, colonial architecture, native handicrafts and wonderful folklore will capture your imagination. Combine all this with fiery sunsets, lots of fun and romantic evenings, and you have the makings of a spectacular cruise vacation.
There are three types of cruise to Mexico, each offering a different cruise experience.

Mexico Baja :

These are short 3 and 4 day cruises departing year-round from Los Angeles, California to Ensenada, Mexico and Catalina. Very popular with the West Coast crowd as fun, quick and relaxing getaway.

Mexico Round-Trip :

These are typically 7-night cruises departing year-round from Los Angeles, and seasonally from San Diego and San Francisco; however, they travel further South than the shorter Mexican Baja Cruises. A Mexico Round-Trip cruise often includes, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, and Puerto Vallarta before returning to Los Angeles. 

Some 8, 10 and 11 night cruises to the Mexico Round-Trip are also offered seasonally. In April, many cruise lines offer a one time one-way repositioning Mexico Round-Trip Cruise from Acapulco to Los Angeles or San Francisco as their travel enroute to Vancouver for the Alaska season. They do this again in the reverse at the end of the Alaska Season.

Caribbean - Western :

Many 4, 5 and 7 night Caribbean cruises make stops in Cancun and Cozume l, Mexico, which is on the opposite side of the country when compared to the Mexican Riviera. Click here to learn more about Mexico. In Mexico you'll find world-glass golfing, horseback riding, bounteous sport fishing, and sensational diving spots. Dramatic scenery abounds. Shopping is blissful. The American dollar goes a long way, and everything, from regional leather goods and handcrafted silver to designer imports is a bargain.  

West Coast cruises had declined for many years, but this year there are more than 40 cruise itineraries to select from.  There are parts of Mexico that have seen an increase in violence, so there have been itinerary changes to keep passengers safe.   Tourist areas are safe for the most part.   As with any international travel, you want to be vigilant and be sure to use common sense (such as not wandering off alone at night). We have traveled to Mexico several times, and especially enjoy the Mexican Riviera.  Our National Conference this year will be on Norwegian Bliss to the Mexican Riviera.  Consider including one or more Mexican ports in your next cruise. 

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