Carnival elation june 5th to cabo san lucas from san diego?

Question

hi, everyone, I am going on a cruise with my 50-something year old mom and my 27 year old sister (I am 25) from June 5th to June 9th to Cabo San Lucas on the ship Carnival Elation. We are flying into San Diego at 8 on the morning of the 5th. I know they don't let u board until 1pm so I am wondering is there anything to do in San Diego thats around where the cruise ship is that might be fun for me and my family? Also what is there to do in Cabo that might be fun for all of us ? I want to do something that is enjoyable for all three of us. Is there any flea markets around the tourist area that we might go to ? and what about on the boat ? what activities do u guys recommend ? this is my family's first cruise so i want to get all the necessary information before we head out. Is there any forms or things that I should prepared before we leave ? What about formal nights ? Which food is best on board ? Any info would be greatly appreciated !! Thanks !!

Answer 1

Old Town in SD is fun and close to the harbor.

I sailed Elation last May to Cabo and La Paz. Cabo is a nice village with lots of quaint shops to stroll through, maybe have lunch and a drink at Cabo Wabo Cantina.

The ship itself has all the usual cruise activities so you wont be bored. Be sure to check in online beforehand and get your boarding passes.

Answer 2

Hi, my wife and I are going on our first cruise in just four days, and we have been giddy about it for months.

I agree with the man who advised you to go to the site called (cuise/critic.com ) It's really fun, I even started my own thread, and several people wrote back and we are all having a ball with it. It's easy..the home page is where you start.. Scroll down until you see ( ports of call ) and find Carnival and click on it. Then pick your ship, and click on it.. Then just read what people are saying and don't be affraid to join in and have some fun...Have a great cruise...You'll love cruise/critic...

Answer 3

you really need to visit Carnivals website and review your documents.  there are forms you need to do before you go.  I am a travel consultant and do them for my clients and brief them on what to expect (especially first timers) but it doesn't seem you used a travel agent.  There is too much info to answer here.  Check out their site and especially the before you cruise section.

Answer 4

The only word I bothered to look at was 'carnival', sorry.

Answer 5

I took that same cruise in early April. In San Diego, Seaport Village is just down the street from the cruise ship terminal. It's a collection of shops and restaurants on the harbor where you can wander around for an hour or two. The probably won't have any live music on a weekday morning, however.

We spent our time in Cabo San Lucas on a jetski, which your Mom may not enjoy. You have to take a small boat from the cruise ship to the marina; once there you'll be bombarded by vendors selling all kinds of shore excursions. The glass bottom boats seem to be particularly popular. They will take you to the arch formation ("El Arco") at the very tip of the Baja Peninsula. Walking away from the marina there are lots of street vendors. Medano Beach is a nice destination.

On board, there are lots of things going on, so it's hard to recommend anything in particular without knowing what you like. I enjoyed the running track on the very top deck of the ship, where you get a 360 degree view of the ocean. As far as dining, the dinners in the main dining rooms (Inspiration & Imagination) had the best food. The lobster dinner one night was excellent. We were fortunate to be assigned seating with a very nice family that we had a lot in common with. I could imagine not enjoying the dinners as much if we had drawn some other dinner companions. Since Carnival is not big on formality, I'd estimate about half the diners dressed up for the one formal night. By the way, you can always have dinner at the buffet if you don't want to go to the main dining rooms.

Answer 6

For answers to your questions about the cruise itself, try CruiseCritic.com.  Click on "Boards" at the top of the page, then "Ports of Call" and "Carnival Cruise Lines".  You might also want to check "West Coast Departures" for comments about the port area and what's nearby.  Also check out "First Time Cruisers".  

They say you board beginning at 1:00, but you can often board before that and begin exploring the ship [you won't be able to get to your rooms until about 1:30, however].  If you want to explore around the port area, see if you can check your bags at the ship so you don't have to lug them around.  Be sure you have things you'll want first thing [swimsuit, sunblock, etc] in a carry-on bag.

Have a great cruise!