Ensenada - Closed- Cartel Violence

[BlerkOne]

15 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Huh?  Last fill up was $5.99 -- and I was happy that we finally came in under $6 (that is #2 diesel).  

   

Ah. That makes a difference.

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, basicprincess24 said:

I'm leaving on a 4-nt to Ensenada from San Francisco in just a few days, so I'm wondering what they'll do for us. Our group wasn't planning to do much in Ensenada, maybe just get some tacos, so the port itself isn't really a big deal. 

 

I assume they wouldn't cancel the cruise completely? Should we be expecting a cruise to nowhere? I'm not sure where else they would send us so close to our cruise date.

Cruises to nowhere are no longer permitted on foreign-flagged ships, those not built in the US, and/or crewed with foreign nationals who do not have visas to work in the US.  The government was letting this slide until a mom-and-pop gambling ship tried to run regularly scheduled day cruises to nowhere from Florida with foreign crew, a foreign-flagged ship, and/or no foreign port stops.

 

1 hour ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

After checking the port maps, it looks like Cabo would be the closest. I know there are 5 day cruises that do two days in Cabo but not sure how that would work on a four day cruise but it's possible theoretically. There is still some time for things to get worked out but not much. Worst case scenario it will be a technical stop in Ensenada and everyone just stays on and it's essentially a cruise to nowhere.  

Cabo is doable on a 4-day from southern California.... a sea day to get to Cabo, a port day in Cabo and a sea day to get back to California.  But not on a 3-day.

 

1 hour ago, ldubs said:

Back to the topic, I seem to recall something similar happening before with Mazatlan.

Different issue with regard to PVSA compliance.  If they could make it to Mazatlan, they could also make it to Ensenada (at the time), Cabo, and/or Puerto Vallarta to hit at least one foreign port and maintain compliance with the PVSA.

 

1 hour ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Sounding like a cruise to nowhere is the solution, dock for a bit to meet the technicality and pull back out?

Cruises to nowhere are no longer permitted on foreign-flagged ships, those not built in the US, and/or crewed with foreign nationals who do not have visas to work in the US.  The government was letting this slide until a mom-and-pop gambling ship tried to run regularly scheduled day cruises to nowhere from Florida with foreign crew, a foreign-flagged ship, and/or no foreign port stops.

[BlerkOne]

Sounds like CTN it is - Score!

 

From someone on Radiance:

 

On the Radiance now. Ensenada port cancelled for tomorrow due to unrest. $50 OBC per person and 50% future cruise credit. Works for me.

[mondello]

Those terms should keep everyone happy.

[Buffettfan 225]

9 hours ago, alb2277 said:

My Cruise on the radiance leaves the 22nd of this month just 9 days should be in ensenada on the 24th wonder what will come.

Same here sailing Radiance and wondering. This is a replacement cruise for us for our June anniversary, and husband testing positive covid two day prior.  

[Buffettfan 225]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

Sounds like CTN it is - Score!

 

From someone on Radiance:

 

On the Radiance now. Ensenada port cancelled for tomorrow due to unrest. $50 OBC per person and 50% future cruise credit. Works for me.

 

3 minutes ago, Buffettfan 225 said:

Same here sailing Radiance and wondering. This is a replacement cruise for us for our June anniversary, and husband testing positive covid two day prior.  

Thank you for taking time to post. We sail 2nd on four day- guess will see. What are they doing to comply with not visiting a forign port? stop and go port? 

[Whatsthedillio]

10 hours ago, Calnev1 said:

We actually enjoy Ensenada.  Wine tours to the Guadelupe Valley are very nice, have done them multiple times.   https://www.forbes.com/sites/julietremaine/2018/10/02/valle-de-guadalupe-is-the-napa-valley-of-mexico/?sh=4d835aaa4efe  Now we get off the ship to get massages . . . so much cheaper, and done better, than on the ship.  It would be a shame if the cartels shut down Ensenada. 

 

I'm not a fan of any Mexico ports but did a wine tour here too... So awesome.  Gorgeous part of the country too.

 

I'll ask deshaun Watson if he knows of a good massage place there.  🏈

[justafem]

I'm remembering when cruise ships went to Acapulco, then they didn't because of something similar.  I am seeing some ships going back to Acapulco now.  

 

Maybe tijuana?  Is there a cruise port there?

 

[kdr69]

16 hours ago, HB.Blake said:

What will the Carnival Radiance do since the port of Ensenada is closed currently due to this cartel violence?

Didnt read that in the article is this in reference to some other thing you heard or saw?

[Calnev1]

7 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Sounds like CTN it is - Score!

 

From someone on Radiance:

 

On the Radiance now. Ensenada port cancelled for tomorrow due to unrest. $50 OBC per person and 50% future cruise credit. Works for me.

If true, this would be awesome, particularly the 50% cruise credit!  That seems a bit too generous though for just missing Ensenada.

 

Both the Carnival Radiance and RCL Navigator of the Seas were scheduled to stop this Sunday morning in Ensenada.  From the real time location maps, it is clear neither ship will stop in Ensenada today.

[cruisingguy007]

4 hours ago, justafem said:

I'm remembering when cruise ships went to Acapulco, then they didn't because of something similar.  I am seeing some ships going back to Acapulco now.  

 

Maybe tijuana?  Is there a cruise port there?

 

 

Tijuana is the heart of the problem, in fact, a warning went out for people to not go out and to stay home and out of the way. Reports are that the streets were not busy and many businesses heeded the warnings and stayed closed. That's nuts to because TJ (as we call it here in CA) is a busy place, many folks go there over the weekend and to Rosarito and Ensenada as well. It's a regional thing and they are all side by side. I couldn't imagine TJ being a ghost town, Baja beach fest is still going down though, so that's an interesting tidbit. 

 

More about Baja beach fest here:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-latin/baja-beach-fest-cartel-violence-tijuana-1396798/

Edited August 14, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[zentraveler]

18 hours ago, Calnev1 said:

I will also be on a four day Miracle out of SF departing September 1.   I doubt Carnival can find another Mexican port if Ensenada is a problem.  I know you are joking, but of course there is no way they can extend the cruise without messing with the Alaska cruises that sandwich the short trip to Ensenada.  My guess is that if the cartel violence around Ensenada is bad we will pull into Ensenada and Carnival will simply advise people not to get off the ship.

 

Radiance and Navigator of the Seas scheduled to stop in Ensenada tomorrow.  Will be interesting.

I am on this cruise also and to be honest, am going for the sea days and the fact that I live here and it is easy. Was not planning to get off the ship so really hoping we sail anyway. No word from Carnival yet. 

[cruisingguy007]

2 minutes ago, zentraveler said:

I am on this cruise also and to be honest, am going for the sea days and the fact that I live here and it is easy. Was not planning to get off the ship so really hoping we sail anyway. No word from Carnival yet. 

 

Looks like there are several of us on this cruise. I was planning on an excursion and getting off the ship. It would be disappointing to have no port days for four days but I'd certainly rather them proceed than cancel the whole thing.  

[zentraveler]

14 hours ago, Calnev1 said:

We actually enjoy Ensenada.  Wine tours to the Guadelupe Valley are very nice, have done them multiple times.   https://www.forbes.com/sites/julietremaine/2018/10/02/valle-de-guadalupe-is-the-napa-valley-of-mexico/?sh=4d835aaa4efe  Now we get off the ship to get massages . . . so much cheaper, and done better, than on the ship.  It would be a shame if the cartels shut down Ensenada. 

Where do you get massages Calnev1? That sounds like a reason to get off the ship!

[Calnev1]

12 minutes ago, zentraveler said:

Where do you get massages Calnev1? That sounds like a reason to get off the ship!

We use this place:  https://www.ensenada-massage.com/   We have used them three times already, and have already booked them again for September 3 assuming that the Ensenada port stop happens.   Their facility is probably about two miles from the cruise dock, but they pick you up and drop you off right outside the cruise pier security zone. 

 

We used to get massages aboard the ships,  but for various reasons stopped doing that (i.e., high prices, product hard-sells, and variable skill levels among the staff).

[zentraveler]

2 minutes ago, Calnev1 said:

We use this place:  https://www.ensenada-massage.com/   We have used them three times already, and have already booked them again for September 3 assuming that the Ensenada port stop happens.   Their facility is probably about two miles from the cruise dock, but they pick you up and drop you off right outside the cruise pier security zone. 

 

We used to get massages aboard the ships,  but for various reasons stopped doing that (i.e., high prices, product hard-sells, and variable skill levels among the staff).

Sounds like you have considered this safe enough to do and have thought it worth the trouble, although I am not sure in this atmosphere I would do that since I am traveling alone.

 

I have gotten to the point where I don't do anything in the spa area of ships anymore. All of it too expensive and everything designed to upsell something (the "free" teasers are the worst). The staff in my experience are aggressive and not used to or at all happy taking no for an answer. They seem like sales people who are  incidentally massage therapists.

[Calnev1]

1 minute ago, zentraveler said:

Sounds like you have considered this safe enough to do and have thought it worth the trouble, although I am not sure in this atmosphere I would do that since I am traveling alone.

 

I have gotten to the point where I don't do anything in the spa area of ships anymore. All of it too expensive and everything designed to upsell something (the "free" teasers are the worst). The staff in my experience are aggressive and not used to or at all happy taking no for an answer. They seem like sales people who are  incidentally massage therapists.

I was really turned off by our last Carnival spa experience (onboard the Carnival Radiance).  With the autogratuity, my wife and I paid more than $400 (maybe $440?) for a 75 minute couples massage.  I told my masseuse to leave my right heel alone because of a nagging injury, but she kept touching it which of course made me nervous throughout the massage anticipating pain.   Then at the end of the massage they gave us a hard sell for multiple products, including things they thought would be good for my heel which of course they didn't understand anything about the injury. 

 

Afterwards I felt a bit sorry for the two masseuses because I think the higher ups probably were forcing them to sell product.   But at the time I was very irritated with the two of them.  

[Calnev1]

11 minutes ago, zentraveler said:

Sounds like you have considered this safe enough to do and have thought it worth the trouble, although I am not sure in this atmosphere I would do that since I am traveling alone.

 

My wife and I felt perfectly safe doing this.  The owner of the spa is a fellow from the US, we met him one time.  Everyone else who works there appears to be female, including the drivers and receptionist. Not that I guess that has anything to do with security.  Of course, if there is any ongoing cartel violence in the Ensenada area on September 3 we will cancel our massage for that day.

[pinto18]

8 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Cabo is doable on a 4-day from southern California.... a sea day to get to Cabo, a port day in Cabo and a sea day to get back to California.  But not on a 3-day.

 

On a 4 day starting in two weeks...Id be happy with this

[Calnev1]

13 minutes ago, pinto18 said:

On a 4 day starting in two weeks...Id be happy with this

Cabo might be doable on the Carnival Radiance out of Long Beach on a 4 day trip.  But the distance to Cabo is more than 900 miles, so the Radiance would have to be moving at close to top speed to get to and from Cabo.  And even then the port time in Cabo would probably be limited to a few hours.  Since Cabo is a tender port, that wouldn't really leave much time ashore.

 

There is no way the Carnival Miracle out of San Francisco can do Cabo on a 4 day trip.  It is just too far away.

[cruisingguy007]

2 minutes ago, Calnev1 said:

Cabo is a tender port, that wouldn't really leave much time ashore.

 

This is the problem with Cabo. Tendering is such a waste of time. 

[ldubs]

8 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

 

Different issue with regard to PVSA compliance.  If they could make it to Mazatlan, they could also make it to Ensenada (at the time), Cabo, and/or Puerto Vallarta to hit at least one foreign port and maintain compliance with the PVSA.

 

 

Wasn't talking about PVSA or cruises to nowhere.  Was talking about a port being closed due to concerns about criminal activity.   

[pinto18]

Sounds like the violence is being “planned.”  For this weekend until Sunday. So maybe this won’t affect cruises after this weekend , although I think a lot of people will still be too nervous to get off the ship 

[lostsoulcruiser]

8 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

Sounds like CTN it is - Score!

 

From someone on Radiance:

 

On the Radiance now. Ensenada port cancelled for tomorrow due to unrest. $50 OBC per person and 50% future cruise credit. Works for me.

Curious, was the port tax refunded also?

[pinto18]

3 minutes ago, pinto18 said:

Sounds like the violence is being “planned.”  For this weekend until Sunday. So maybe this won’t affect cruises after this weekend , although I think a lot of people will still be too nervous to get off the ship 

The message in Spanish read: “Be warned. As of Friday at 10 p.m. through Sunday at 3 a.m. we’re going to create mayhem so the (expletive) government frees our people. We’re the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, we don’t want to hurt good people but it’s best they don’t go outside, we’re going to attack anyone we see on the streets on these days.”