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Saturday, January 2, 2016

The Forgotten Cruise--Carnival Inspiration 2015

January 19, 2015 -- Carnival Inspiration Day 1

It's 2016 already, and as I was searching for my photos of 2015, I realized that I did not have anything download to my computer of the cruise we took in January 2015. (Probably because I was busy with the preparation of our big trip to Europe for February). The short 4-night cruise out of Long Beach, with the exact itinerary and ship as our 2014 cruise. After the 2014 cruise on the Inspiration, we decided that January is a good month to cruise near L.A. With the low cruise fare and pleasant weather, it's nice just to get away for a few days and enjoy the food and fun on a cruise.

Itinerary:
Day 1 -- Long Beach
Day 2 -- Catalina Island
Day 3 -- At Sea
Day 4 -- Ensenada, Mexico
Day 5 -- Long Beach

As you can see, this is really not a very attractive itinerary. We have been to Avalon a few times and there is only so much that you could do. I kept reading that people don't even want to get off the ship in Ensenada, which is a shame. We have seen the blow hole and walked around town enough to know the area by now but we are still attracted to this place, mainly because of the seafood stand. Worth a cruise stop there any time! After all, Long Beach is just a 45-minute drive away.


We like to board the ship early, so brother Jon dropped us off around 10:30 at the pier. Embarkation was a little better than last year and this time we had lounge access because we were in the grand suite. There is really nothing much in the lounge except you have a place to sit while waiting to be called to board, if you are lucky. There was only water in there inside that cramped space. Nevertheless, we felt kind of special. We were called before group #1.

We had a little problem going through security because son forgot to put his pocket knife away and husband had a pair of scissors in his bag (he was planning to do some work on board.) We decided it was not worth the hassle and told them to just toss them away. After that was done everything was fine and we started our journey to the gangway. 

It's always exciting going on the gangway and boarding the ship. After more than 25 cruises, we now skip the obligatory on board photos, you know, the ones they want you to purchase, and head to the ship.

Inspiration, 2nd time around!


After dropping off our carry-on, our next stop would be the buffet which at this time was still very quiet.

I wonder what the designer had in mind when he did this space?

It's best to hit the Asian 'wok' station early on the first day when the line is short. Otherwise, expect a long line during meal time.


The Atrium 

We received an upsell call from Carnival a couple of weeks before sailing to switch from an inside cabin to this Grand Suite for an additional $300. 

A huge cabin with a balcony, spacious for three people, nothing fancy though.

The dome and Queen Mary from our balcony.

The long gangway.


Bathroom that came with a bathtub.



Lots of storage space




We were here probably for the muster drill that afternoon.

Sailing away







The Taste Bar serving small tidbits around dinner time. Something different everyday.




Dinner!







Everything looked and tasted delicious!

The fake wine bottle on the table.

Melted Chocolate Cake

Chocolate and towel animal









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