Ensenada Port Redevelopment

[cdm289]

In February 2018, Carnival announced a major port redevelopment in Ensenada Mexico:

 

"The project will provide guests visiting the destination with an unparalleled, one-of-a-kind dining and retail experiences ashore, along with unique attractions for guests of all ages to enjoy. Details about the development will be announced at a later date."

 

3 years later and I have never seen an update.  I realize that things may have taken a pause this last year but does anyone know if they have started a redevelopment of the port? 

 

I loved the times we have stopped in Ensenada but other than the main street and a drink at Papas and Beer, it would be nice to see a bit more added.   

[Moviela]

I visited Ensenada recently and it is sadly empty of tourists. Many shops that catered to visitors are closed, and the street entertainment has vanished. The cruise port expansion has continued, and infrastructure is in place for 3 ships at a time. There is a commercial area a few steps from the port entrance, but it has struggled to stay alive with tenants coming and going quickly. 

 

There is a bright light in the area. There is a bustling wine tourist area that is worth a visit. The weather and the water in the valley produces some high quality grapes. There are many upscale and even first class tasting rooms. The area has attracted a lot of foreign investment for modern wine production equipment and construction of proper caves for barrel storage. They are not producing two-buck Chuck either, as the wines are of above average quality. There are many choices that would deserve a place in your cellar. 

 

When cruising there, I usually rent a car to visit the wine valley, and maps to the different wineries are available. There are also tours offered by the ship, and by touts dockside, and just outside the gates. 

 

Then there is also La Bufadora where there is a quarter mile of trinket shops, bars, and vanilla churros vendors before one reaches an overlook to watch ocean waves crash on rocks. Some people are easily entertained.

 

[cruisingguy007]

Ensenada is pretty sad to be perfectly honest. They have a few excursions that are interesting but each has drawbacks that could be remedied to make for a better experience. I'd like to see some more nice day hotel/beach option excursions that are more efficient with time/transportation (more time enjoying the destination) that offer good food/drink packages. The shopping is much the same everywhere (same junk all over) and many of the restaurants could use some sprucing up and deep cleaning. When you drop a few hundred on drinks and food and then see filthy restrooms with no soap and roaches crawling around in the restaurant, it is off putting. 

 

Ensenada will be a major west coast port stop for the foreseeable future. It has loads of potential but intertia has taken hold and not much seems to change. Even Tijuana is more interesting and it's sad because the whole area in/around Ensenada is beautiful geographically, like a jewel that just needs to be polished to shine. Until there is more development and focus on making it a international destination (like the other major resort/hotel zone destinations), it will languish in mediocrity and simply be a flea-market stop. A lot of people don't even bother to get off, can't say I blame them.    

[Aplmac]

Could be the project ground to a halt in late 2019

when Covid-19/20/21 was just starting to make itself felt?

and just as the project may have been gearing-up to start?

 

Many a holiday/tourism/leisure industry has been impacted

by this wretched Covid curse upon us!

 

An example: here in Barbados

Intercontinental Hotels/HotelINDIGO was poised to buy

a four-property chunk of South Coast BARBADOS,

to demolish a grim eyesore -and develop the properties nicely.

See pictures below.

 

The sale fell thru when Banking

(already cautious in regular everyday tourism projects)

called a halt to the project, due to the obviously-uncertain future

of tourism and holidays generally! They were right too!

 

Big disappointment for everyone involved,

including the passing public

who were so looking forward to the eyesore GONE!

Voila!

The eyesore -and the proposed development..

[tqc_cruiser]

Here's an article: http://www.ensenada.gob.mx/?p=6822  from a Mexican government source that mentions some investment in the port area which is supposedly going to begin early 2021.  The article is two months old.  I don't know if the investment will be sufficient, or if all that is promised in the article will come to fruition.  The article mentions a 34 million peso investment and also a separate 201 million peso investment which includes other areas beyond the port.  (The conversion rate right now is like 20 pesos to a dollar)  Construction costs are quite a bit lower in Mexico, but this still seems perhaps inadequate, unless it spurs some private investment to follow?