PHS Mexico 6-0 Reunion Cruise tips – part II 

Projected WEATHER:

Long Beach 85 F on Friday, Oct. 5,  Ensenada 81 F on Sunday, Oct. 8

Out at sea – don’t know but breeze and winds can get cold during the evenings and nights

However - we are in hurricane season through November 1. And though Pacific hurricanes are rare in comparison to Atlantic and Caribbean ones, --- there is a little bad news.

Currently (Sept. 16) there are two storms brewing just off the coast below Baja. Both with less than 40   percent chance of becoming a cyclone and eventual hurricane. (the second photo is the five-day outlook of where the storm is heading.) We’ll just keep an eye on them. Either way – even if they did become hurricanes, they should be gone by Oct. 5. (But we might see damage left behind.) And, with there being two storms brewing – it’s possible more can develop later in the month. I always keep an eye on the storms as my cruise approaches so I’ll keep you all posted if any new ones develop. The cruise ships are really good at staying ahead of the storms but worse-case scenario – we get some rough sea waves. (Another reason to bring Dramamine)
9/17: Good news that second disturbance has disappeared. (Yellow X). Bad News: A new one is developing, just southeast of the red one.

PACKING:

Remember, light is best. And if you need it – there are laundry rooms on the ship. I always throw a couple of laundry pods and some dryer sheets in a Ziploc bag - just in case but I have only used them on the 7-8 day cruises. I like to write down the days of the cruise and go from there:

Friday – Embarkation Day
Comfy clothes for traveling. Dinner is a “come as you are” for the first night – so no need to change. They know we are busy with the mandatory safety briefing and sail away party and then show and dinner. Plus some people may not get their luggage delivered till later in the evening.

Saturday – Sea Day and Elegant Night
Daytime: swim suit and cover-up, shorts or sundress and flip flops, hat, if you will be out by the pool.
Dinner – Elegant Night – dress up nice. Men: slacks, shirt, tie optional; Women: dressy or simple dress or just nice slacks and a dressy top. Take a sweater or shawl if you get cold easily. The showroom is usually cold.

Sunday – Ensenada
Comfort is key. Wear whatever you might need for your excursion. Wear comfortable walking shoes if you will do a lot of walking. Jeans and closed toe shoes if you are horseback riding. Swimwear and Shorts if you are kayaking. etc. There’s also zip lining and dune buggy excursions, wine tours, cooking classes, shopping in town, bar hopping, etc. La Bufadora (a natural blowhole on the coast) is cool to see. There are only three in the world – Australia, Hawaii and Ensenada. And Ensenada’s is the largest one in North America. (Second largest sea geyser of the world.) For photos of La Bufadora - click here: La Bufadora photos 
And if you go there - you have to try their tacos and other sea food. Everything is so fresh and absolutely delicious. Don't worry - you'll still be hungry for dinner when you return to the ship.
Sunday night – just remember to change back for dinner. Casual/dressy wear is fine.

Monday – Debarkation

Time to go home - wear something comfortable for driving home.

This is how I personally would pack.

Friday – black exercise capris pants, t-shirt

Saturday – same black capris, second t-shirt, flip flops for day / black dress and heels for elegant night

Sunday – jean capris and t-shirt, Nike shoes for Ensenada / simple dress and sandals for dinner

Monday – same black capris and another t-shirt for drive home.

Other – shawl for dinner, long sleeve shirt for early morning walking, jeans in case of cold day, undergarments, socks, swim suit and pajamas.

Toiletries: There is shampoo and liquid soap in every shower - but no conditioner. In the past, some rooms had hair dryers and some don’t. If you need one and don’t have a travel one, just ask your room steward as soon as you see him since they have a limited supply of them.

Other things which help:

·  Electrical power strip – can NOT have a circuit breaker, they will take those away from you. Sometimes they are hard to find without a surge protector – so I just like taking simple three-plug strips to plug in. That way two of you can plug in your cell phones to charge.

·         Post its – to leave notes on your mirror for the steward or on your door for family or others on where you are, etc.

·         Small bills – ones and fives and tens, maybe 20s if you plan on shopping. Avoid large bills. You don’t need money on the ship so always leave your wallet and cash in the safe deposit box in your room. While in port, you need your sail card, your driver’s license and cash for food, water, shopping – do NOT use your credit card. I have heard several bad stories.

·         Small cross-body purse – for your cell phone around the ship if you don’t have pockets – and/or for your cash and cell phone in Ensenada

·       Backpack – for your bottle of wine and sodas if you bring on the ship – also good place for medicine, makeup bag, light sweater or anything else you might need when coming onboard. This also great for Ensenada for your water bottles and anything you might need when you get off in port. (You cannot take fruit or meat or food off the ship – they have dogs to sniff you.)

·         Laudry pods, dryer sheets; and Fabreeze spray to freshen room

No Need to take towels – there are plenty in the room and at the poolside. If you need them in Ensenada, you do have beach towels in your room you can take off the ship with you but you are responsible for them.

Irons are not allowed – but there are self-laundry rooms onboard with irons and ironing boards if you need them.



Continue scrolling page to see Part 1

Note: PHS Class of 76 - this was too long to place on facebook so I'm placing it here.

Porterville High Class of 1976 

  Mexico 6-0 Reunion Cruise   

Carnival Inspiration: Friday to Monday, Oct. 5-8, 2018

Hi everyone – I just thought I’d put this together for you. I’ve cruised a lot in the past so these are just a few things. It may seem overwhelming but it’s really not. Once you are there, it is so much fun, you’ll be ready to do it again soon. Ok – here we go…… And remember, everything is included. Well, almost everything. You have to buy your own alcohol.

IMPORTANT Pre-cruising Documents: Do not forget these – you can’t board the ship without them.

·         Valid passport or U.S. Birth Certificate - needed to clear customs.

·         Government issued driver’s license or photo I.D.  

·         Boarding Pass - print it up at home or work before you leave.

·         Luggage tags – print one per luggage or make copies of it for each piece of luggage.

Pre-Register:

This is very important. You MUST pre-register. It is how you get your boarding pass and luggage tags. And, it is how you sign up for, and receive, your “check-in time” – the sooner you do it, the earlier you can come onboard. I am scheduled to board at 12:30. The latest you can board is around 4 p.m. But you don’t want to do that unless you have to because the ship party starts at noon. In other words, the moment you walk on the ship, music will be playing, drinks will be flowing and people will be in the pool spa or waterslides, learning a new dance on deck – or eating.

Packing:
This is just a long weekend, so a carry-on or small suitcase, should be plenty. (Unless you are Armando – then just throw your speedo in your pocket and you’re ready to go.) For the rest of us – pack light. We are only there for the weekend. I will post a list at the end as an example, as well as some things you should consider bringing. Pack a small carryon or purse with any medicines, a swim suit, your cell phone and charger, limited liquor or soda (see below) and anything else you might want to carry on. Do not put those things in your suitcase. Do not pack a swim towel – you can check them out pool-side.

Carry on Liquids:

You may bring one bottle of wine or champagne per adult onto the ship. (Don’t forget the corkscrew to open it. And you must open it yourself – though we’ve asked our cabin steward and he’s done it for us for free a couple of times.) You can also bring a six-pack of sodas per person with you. (A six pack of sodas onboard is $10.) However these things must be carried on – so either in a bag or a backpack. Bottled Water is NOT allowed (people were sneaking on vodka and other liquor inside the water bottles so they stopped it.) If you have cruised on Carnival before, you will have a courtesy 1 liter bottle of water in your room upon arrival. Or take an empty bottle and fill it up yourself in the buffet restaurant. OR – you can pre-purchase (must be done before you get on the ship) a six pack of bottled water from the Carnival website for $4.50 – they will place it in your room.

Driving:
If anyone is driving from the Porterville area and you have room for one more – please let me know.
You want to leave with ample time to get to the port. According to Google Maps, the port is 3 hrs. and 8 minutes away. But take traffic into account and give yourself more time. Even 4-5 hours is good. Our ship will be docked next to the Queen Mary. (If you get there early, you could always walk around there and check it out until it is time to board)  It is also safe to say that you can follow the signs for the Queen Mary – then once there, stay to the right to “Cruise ships” – where you can either be dropped off or park. There is plenty of parking there to leave your vehicle. Do not park in the Queen Mary parking, as that is not long term.  Park in the Cruise Ship parking garage.

Upon Arrival:

Once you park, walk to the front of the garage entry and you will see many porters there taking suitcases. Make sure your suitcase has a Carnival tag (the ones you printed at home) and get rid of your bag. They will take it to your room. Keep any meds, wallet, phone, charger and valuables, with you. Once you do that, follow the signs (people) to the check-in line. There is a shorter assistance/disability line for anyone who needs it.  The regular line may be long by the time you get there, but it will be worth it. You will check in (if you’ve already done everything online, it is so much faster) – and they will take your photo and give you a little plastic “Ship and Sail” Card. You can carry it in a pocket or on a lanyard around your neck. (Bring your own lanyard or buy one there.)

Once you are called to enter Customs, it goes fast. You’ll go through a metal detector, and next thing you know, they are taking your photo and letting you board. Once on the ship – the party starts. Head to Lido Deck (10^th floor) for food and to meet up with our group. I’m sure everyone will be up there getting a bite.

Eateries:
Do not have lunch before you board – have lunch once you get on the ship. You have a choice of Guy’s Burger Joint (it has a sidebar of sides – the sautéed mushrooms are so good) and the Blue Iguana Cantina (delicious shrimp tacos, tostada bowls and burritos – and a sidebar with many salsas, including the mango salsa…yumm.) – all poolside. Inside is the buffet lido restaurant, a sandwich bar (they make your sandwich to order), complimentary sushi bar, 24-hr pizza and Caesar salad, dessert bars, salad bar, 24 hour soft-serve ice cream – and the free drinks - water, coffee, hot chocolate, tea, lemonade all day long; and passionfruit and orange and apple juices in the mornings. Alcohol and sodas are sold at the bars – which you will find in several areas, including poolside and at the back of the lido restaurant next to pizza place.  Remember, there is no additional cost for any of this (other than alcohol/soda) – it is all included. In the mornings, Guys and Blue Iguana turn into a breakfast buffet places with made-to-order omelets and other breakfast foods.

Cabins:
Usually your room (cabin) is available by 3 p.m. But I have found them open many times by 1:30 p.m. Feel free to run by and drop off any carry on stuff (wine, sodas, bags) once the rooms are open. The hallways leading to the rooms have doors which will typically have a sign stating what time the rooms should be open. But even if it says a later time, you can check earlier. I usually find them open earlier than stated. Most of us are on Empress Deck - the 7^th deck (which is the deck we enter on) – so after entering, check the room hallways first and see what time is posted on the doors. We enter at the center of the ship – which is where most of our rooms are. Then take an elevator up to the 10^th floor. (Lido Deck)

Once you eat, stay and visit a bit – but do go back to your room to deposit things you don’t want to carry around…..because….. See below:

Mandatory Safety Briefing
This part can be a pain but it is very important – and mandatory. Once everyone is onboard – and before the ship can leave – everyone must participate in a mandatory Safety Briefing. Your ship and sail card tells you where to go for this. There are several stations and you must be at the correct one. I was once on the other side of the ship and tried to attend one in a different room but they said no, you can only go to the one on your card. They will start making announcements – so don’t go there until you absolutely have to or it will be a super long wait for you. They count everyone and scan your card and will tell us what to do in an emergency. Don’t think you can hide in your room – they will find you and all you are doing is making everyone else wait. They cannot start the briefing until everyone has been found. (Honest, I am not making this up.) Once they go through the entire safety thing (they try to make it understanding but I have fallen asleep a time or two through it) then the whole group is walked up to the deck and we line up again near the emergency lifeboats – and only then…..after they count everyone again…..do they let us go. By that time, it’s either time for the Sail Away Party (we all go up to the Lido Deck and wave goodbye to people on the shore) or, if the briefing went late – get ready for show time or dinner time. In our case, show time! (We have “late dining” seating.)

Sail Away:
More music and waving goodbye to everyone on shore. This is a good time to take a Dramamine if you haven’t taken one. (Generic works fine – I get a box for 99 cents at Food for Less) I’ve never been sea sick but I still take one an hour before sailing. And then one every 24 hours.

SHOWS:
You don’t want to miss the Welcome Aboard Show. (By the way, the Inspiration has a lot of 70s music. The other ship we were looking at, the Imagination, has 70s and 80s epic rock music. Both are great shows. Please don’t skip them. There is a different show every night and they are all awesome. If you get cold easily, take a light sweater to the show….it tends to be cold in there. I am not sure of the schedule for this cruise. The show may be before our dinner – or after.  I’m thinking before.
This is what Carnival has to say about one of our shows:  

“Inspired by the sophistication of Studio 54 and the funk and fashion of Soul Train, Studio VIP is a dance party that celebrates the musical revolution that was New York City nightlife in the 1970’s and the glittering excesses of that decade. An all-out audience participation show, Studio VIP evokes the days of bell bottoms and wide lapels while showcasing some of the most memorable songs from a bygone era – from KC and the Sunshine Band and Donna Summer to Chic, Parliament and Barry White.”

They’ll have us dancing in our seats – and following them out to the atrium for more music and dancing. It’s really pretty amazing. Lots of great songs. And, of course, if they “Play that Funky Music White Boy,” I can’t help but jump up and dance.

Click below and scroll to "Motor City" and "Studio VIP" for a snapshot of the shows we will see. Amazing.

https://carnivalentertainment.com/playlist/shows

DINNERS: our ship and sail card will tell us what dining room we are in. There are two onboard. Come as you are (casual) for the first night. (No swimsuits or cutoffs allowed). More than likely the second night will be Elegant Night – bring one dressy outfit for this night. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to wear a tie. A nice top and slacks for men, and a dress or nice slacks and dressy top for women, is fine.

You can order more than one appetizer (great time to try frog legs, alligator fritters, escargot, or caviar.) Different item every night. But don’t worry – they also have “normal” things – like soups and salads to order. Desserts are great too. If you’ve never tried the Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake – it’s sooo amazingly good.

Ok - This is all for now. Later I will make a list of misc. things you might want to take to make your trip more enjoyable. I’ll also post some tips on shopping, info about excursions, and I’ll give you an example of what to take in your suitcase.

Less than three weeks to go – I’m very excited about this trip. There are still cabins available (I just checked) if anyone wants to join us.

Talk to you all soon. 

Once a Panther, Always a Panther

Esther Avila

Autumn Leaves

Autumn has always been my most favorite time of the year. Sweater Weather is what I call it out here in Central California. It's a reprieve from our scorching weather - but never cold enough to require more than a light sweater.


It's odd to be writing about Fall when Spring just arrived. But I love it and there's a reason for this blog post.

In 2006, I was listening to the playlist provided on my plane as I flew home from the East Coast.



Suddenly there was Nat King Cole singing about Autumn. But I did not catch the name of the song. For weeks I tried to find it. However, I thought it was Summer Leaves for some reason, and I ended up finding Summer Wind - which I also love. I always wondered about it. What song was it? Why can't I find it? I finally convinced myself I would never find it and I stopped looking for it.

Then last week, out of the blue, I found it by another artist. I have a large selection of LP albums which I play on my record player in my bedroom. I play The Best of Bread every day. I play Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra .... and yes, Donny Osmond too, quite often. But this time I decided to play
Tom Jones. I was in a "What's up, Pussycat?" kind of mood and started playing my Tom Jones collection. On Side B of one of them, I suddenly heard the Autumn lyrics I searched for so long....... I could not believe it. I had found the name of the song - the last song on the last Tom Jones LP I played. And I almost stopped it but saw there was one song left, and decided to leave it.

I love Nat King Cole's version. Melancholy.

Autumn Leaves

Nat King Cole

The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sun-burned hands I used to hold

Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall