Modern Day Cruising

Cruising is a modern day phenomena. I first went on a cruise in the late 1970’s and they were certainly different from today. The food, the accommodations, the service, the entertainment were all inferior.

The ships today are bigger, more commodious and both the food and service are much better. Today, most of the ships have balcony rooms and several larger rooms are designated as “handicap rooms;” the restroom facilities are at least twice as large. The newer ships also have more shops, more bars and make more stops on their routes. Amazing to me is that cruise ships now cover the world. Several transverse the globe.

From personal experience, many lines have short cruises. Examples: a three and four day cruise to Ensenada; and the same to Bermuda; and the same to the Greek isles.

The average ship has rooms with various prices. The inside cabins are cheaper; followed by outside rooms with a small window; next are rooms with a large viewing window; then comes the room with a balcony and the last are the suites. All businesses have a way to make money. Black Friday brings many of them out of the red. With cruise ships it is the price of their booze.

Also be aware that the people who go cruising are mostly seniors-like Stella and me. However, they do have programs for children and teenagers.

STELLA AND I RECENTLY WENT ON A CRUISE TO SANTA BARBARA AND ENSENADA.

Santa Barbara is an unforgettable town about 95 miles north of Los Angeles. It is often referred to as the American Riviera; in contrast to the French and Italian Rivieras.

It has been described as, “Having white-washed houses dripping with bougainvillea, sapphire-blue water rolling up a rocky coast, palm-lined beaches, and an enviable climate.”

The scenery is dotted with Spanish and Moorish style buildings.

It was settled 8000 years ago by the Chumash Indian tribe that was attracted to the area by the abundance of fish in the Pacific Ocean.

In 1542, two sailing vessels, commandeered by the Portuguese explores Juan Cabrillo stopped from Mexico. He was followed by Sir Francis Drake in 1579. In 1602, the Spanish Sebastian Vizcaino named the region but it wasn’t until 167 years later before Spain returned.

The Franciscan Missions came to Santa Barbara in 1786, the tenth of 21 in California. Its setting, surrounded by majestic mountains, leaves no doubt why it is called “Queen of the Missions.” It is a thrilling experience today to visit the mission and see its museum, chapel and historic cemetery where scores of the city’s founders are buried.

The Spanish ruled the area until 1822 when Mexico made California a Mexican territory. This ended in 1847 when Santa Barbara became part of the United States.

A monumental event occurred in 1925 when an earthquake leveled the town. The civic leaders rebuilt the city in the Spanish colonial style that set the standard for the city today.

I would be doing Santa Barbara a great injustice if I neglected to mention two major assists nearby: the province of the Santa Ynez Valley wineries and the historic Danish town of Solvang-just a hop-skip and jump from downtown Santa Barbara. Both are worth the time, effort and money spent at both.

Ensenada is an amazing city. It is no longer a small fishing village and a pot hangout for hippies as it was in the 1960’s. It is a city of about 425,000 people, a bustling shipping center, an international commercial fishing port and a thriving tourist destination from cruise ships.

As one writer puts it, “Ensenada is action-adventure destination filled with fascinating history, welcoming wineries, colorful streets, and breathe taking scenery.”

Twenty years after Cortez conquered the Aztecs Juan Cabrillo discovered this bay in 1542 and named it San Mateo. Sixty years later, the Spanish explorer Schastian Vizcaino arrived and renamed it, “Ensenada de Todos Los Santos.” Meaning “Ensenada the city of all the Saints.

The village was dormant until the 1848 War with the U.S.A. In the 1930’s Ensenada hit paydirt when Hollywood discovered it and people like Lana Turner, Bing Crosby and scores of others discovered it.

Fishing, sight-seeing like the famous La Bufadora and shopping, make it a paradise for the large “gringo” population and the thousands of tourists.

Stella and I have visited both Santa Barbara and Ensenada many times and recommend both enthusiastically.

There are approximately 40 well known people that have homes in the Santa Barbara area. Among them are the following: Bo Derek, Brad Pitt, Carol Burnett, Cheryl Ladd, Dennis Miller, Laura Schlesinger, Ellen DeGeneres, John Travolta, Kenny G, Oprah Winfrey, Richard Dreyfus, Rob Lowe, Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg.

Incidentally, President and Mrs. Ronald Regan had a ranch there that they frequently visited. My understanding is the estate sold it after their deaths.

Amen. Selah. So be it.