Ensanada port of departure

Has anyone cruised from this port? We live in so cal but not sure how we would get there. Driving is out of the question!!

Most cruise lines operating out of Ensenada provide a shuttle from the San Diego area. I don't think you will get many recommendations to drive to the port.

For example:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2052756&highlight=ensenada

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1875325&highlight=ensenada

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1849419&highlight=ensenada

Search is your friend.

We have done it once. We took Amtrak from Southern California to San diego. Blue line to San ysidro border. Walked across and took a bus to Ensenada.

The San Ysidro border facility has gone through a major expansion. The goal was to greatly reduce the wait times for vehicles and pedestrians to enter the US from Mexico. It's too soon to know the results.

Also, TJ is considerably safer than it was a few years ago. All this said, this is one of the few situations where I recommend the cruiseline transfer from SD instead of a DIY approach....just too many "moving parts".

Is this a Celebrity Cruise? We did a Pacific coastal cruise on a Celebrity ship and they bussed us there from San Diego. You didn't have to buy a transfer--it was part of the cruise. By the way, it was poorly organized and a complete mess. There were people waiting endlessly in a hot tent outside a San Diego hotel. Our bus driver got lost and we drove in circles around Tijuana--we even had to stop for gas. It took close to four hours to get there.

This is an RCI cruise to Hawaii. I called RCI and they told me they have no transfers to Ensenada. I am very disappointed with them.

The trip down to Ensenada from SD is the biggest trip planning issue IMO. I've very surprised they aren't offering transfers. If you google "San Diego Ensenada shuttle" different options will show up. Here's one: http://sdsuntours.com/ensenada_transportation $300 for two people between SD and the cruise docks.

Have you looked on the RCCL board to see what others are doing? Also check the Roll Call....maybe a group of you can buy out a van load. Where in SoCal are you located? One option is taking Amtrak home...I've done it on several cruises.

that's a good suggestion in going with other passengers.

Personally, I wouldn't do a cruise beginning or ending in Ensenada, but that's me. For our three Hawaiian cruises, that had the PVSA stop in Ensenada, once we got off the ship just long enough to go to the marketplace on the pier...the next two times we stayed on board the ship just as about 85 per cent or more of the other passengers. We've been there done that to that port too many times.

We are booked on RCI Legend of the Seas 5/14 and they are busing us to Ensenada from San Diego, it is included in the cruise price.

sugcarol, is that with RCI?

We did not know of the transfer arrangement with celebrity when we did a pacific coast wine tour. Fortunately we were talking with our TA and she found the transfer information for us no charge but you have to sign up for it

sugcarol, is that with RCI?

Must be Royal Caribbean International. But Royal Caribbean should suffice. Plus any ship name that includes "of the Sea" is usually a RC ship just as any ship that has "Dam" in its name is usually a Holland American ship.

Yes, it is RCI Legend of the Seas. Some folks goofed and were planning on checking in at Ensaneda port and board ship. There WILL NOT be check in there, they must first go to Pier in San Diego to check in and then be bussed back. Lot of people are ticked off, but those are the rules, at least for this sailing on 5/14.

Few years ago we did 15 night roundtrip Hawaii from San Diego and we boarded and they sailed down to Enseneda to be able to do foreign port, I don't know why this sailing is different, but obviously there is a reason. I have a feeling they need more time to unload passengers and turn the ship around for our sailing, but who knows.

It's probably cheaper for RCCL to bus people between SD and Ensenada than to sail between the two. Of course the biggest expense is 2 days sailing time and fuel to make the roundtrip between the two ports. I agree there is an element of RCCL offloading the hassle onto the passengers.

It's probably cheaper for RCCL to bus people between SD and Ensenada than to sail between the two. Of course the biggest expense is 2 days sailing time and fuel to make the roundtrip between the two ports. I agree there is an element of RCCL offloading the hassle onto the passengers.

The reason isn't cost but so that they can do a one-way cruise to/from Hawaii. Essentially, a foreign-flagged cruise ship cannot transport passengers from one US port to another without either visiting a distant foreign port or returning to the US port from which it originally left. Between San Diego and Hawaii, either of these options would add several sea days to the itinerary and/or reduce the number of port calls in Hawaii. A 10-day cruise with 5 Hawaiian ports is much more marketable, even if it begins or ends in Ensenada.

I'm guessing because it would be considered a PVSA violation to go SD-Ensenada-Hawaii because it begins and ends in different US ports, while going SD-Hawaii-Ensenada-SD is legal. Just seems ridiculous for the ships to have to make that trip to SD empty of passengers and make all those passengers return to SD via bus (or catch a flight out of Ensenada to their home city).

I'm guessing because it would be considered a PVSA violation to go SD-Ensenada-Hawaii because it begins and ends in different US ports' date=' while going SD-Hawaii-Ensenada-SD is legal. Just seems ridiculous for the ships to have to make that trip to SD empty of passengers and make all those passengers return to SD via bus (or catch a flight out of Ensenada to their home city).[/quote']

 

 

They'd fly out of Tijuana.

 

Just wondering where you'd check in? The port in Ensenada isn't set up to process a whole ship embarkation.

Our arrangements with Celebrity were to meet at the San Diego hotel where we checked in and the busses were ready to drive us down to Ensenada. That's was another story. Arriving in Ensenada we just boarded the ship

They do this to avoid the high port charges in a USA port twice (San Diego). HAL goes RT to Hawaii out of San Diego, and just makes a 1 hour stop in Ensenada on the way back to San Diego to satisfy the law. Princess does the same out of LA (with a 4 hour stop).

My parents did this trip on RCCL one time, and the bus driver got lost on the way to the ship in Tijuana! They arrived late, but of course since this was a RCCL-arranged bus, they held the ship for them.

I agree...the cruise lines that make people embark or disembark in Ensenada are doing this to save money; they don't really care that it inconveniences their passengers.

I definitely would prefer to do the longer cruise out of SD or LA (that one we've done three times as I noted above). I can't see having to sit on a bus, go through the border, and then get on the ship in Ensenada. Plus with Princess, there's a great slate of sea day activities as well as great live Hawaiian music, especially if Elua is playing on one's ship.

I agree...the cruise lines that make people embark or disembark in Ensenada are doing this to save money; they don't really care that it inconveniences their passengers.

In this case the Legend of the Seas is transiting the Panama Canal to San Diego then deadheading to Ensenada to embark passengers for a one-way cruise to Hawaii. Then it continues on to Australia/Asia for the season.

Saving money has nothing to do with this itinerary.

The PVSA prohibits RCL from embarking passengers in San Diego and disembarking them in Hawaii. Hence the cruise will originate in Ensenada.

In this case the Legend of the Seas is transiting the Panama Canal to San Diego then deadheading to Ensenada to embark passengers for a one-way cruise to Hawaii. Then it continues on to Australia/Asia for the season.

 

Saving money has nothing to do with this itinerary.

 

The PVSA prohibits RCL from embarking passengers in San Diego and disembarking them in Hawaii. Hence the cruise will originate in Ensenada.

Sure it does. HAL and Princess do this same route, and make a stop in Ensenada to meet the PVSA requirements. Only RCCL makes passengers embark/disembark in Ensenada (see my response above).

Sure it does. HAL and Princess do this same route, and make a stop in Ensenada to meet the PVSA requirements. Only RCCL makes passengers embark/disembark in Ensenada (see my response above).

Ahhh...I see your point. They are saving the fines that would be imposed for every passenger embarking in San Diego for a one-way cruise to Hawaii.

At $300 per passenger, it would kill the profit of such a voyage. Not to mention the overall wrath of CPB.

Sure it does. HAL and Princess do this same route, and make a stop in Ensenada to meet the PVSA requirements. Only RCCL makes passengers embark/disembark in Ensenada (see my response above).

Those Ensenada stops are on roundtrip Hawaii cruises from San Diego, Los Angeles, or San Francisco; since the ship calls on US ports other than the one from which it departed (i.e., Hawaii), it must call in at least one foreign port under the PVSA. These are roundtrips from California, not one ways between California and Hawaii.

Ahhh...I see your point. They are saving the fines that would be imposed for every passenger embarking in San Diego for a one-way cruise to Hawaii.

 

At $300 per passenger, it would kill the profit of such a voyage. Not to mention the overall wrath of CPB.

Absent extenuating circumstances (e.g., Carnival Triumph leaving from Galveston and being towed back to Mobile), a cruise line cannot willingly violate the PVSA for an entire ship, even if it or the passengers are willing to pay the fine.