Stormy Weather

Terry and Andy have returned from their "adventure" on the Carnival Paradise. This was truly a unique trip. Andy and Terry can't think of any cruise that was quite like this one.

They started out by driving down to Long Beach to the cruise terminal. As they drove it began to rain. Soon it was pouring rain, and the winds were getting stronger.

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By the time they reached Long Beach they were in a fairly serious rainstorm. They got pretty well soaked trying to board the ship.

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In the cruise terminal they were told that Southern California was due for a severe bout of wind and rain. It was not safe to sail to nearby Catalina Island, nor to Ensenada, as planned.

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In order to avoid the worst of the storm, Carnival had decided to send the ship 800 miles south down to Cabo San Lucas at the tip of Baja California where the weather was safer, a big change in the itinerary. It would take almost two days to get there and almost another two days to get back. This is how their four day trip turned into almost five days long.

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Many of the passengers were pleased at this surprising news because they had never been to Cabo before.

Shirtsleeve weather in Cabo.

That is how Andy and Terry got to enjoy the sunny weather in Mexico when much of California was being drenched by some tremendous rainstorms.

Inside the Paradise.

On the way home, though, the ship had to plow through the residual stormy seas to get back to Long Beach. It was two straight days and nights of the roughest sailing imaginable.

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Cruise ship employees said they had never seen seas this rough. The ship was rocking and pitching in every direction. Many many passengers were ill from the motion of the ocean.

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Experience told Andy and Terry to load up on Dramamine during the whole trip home. They were fully medicated at all times, and that is how they were able to stay well during the entire "adventure" on the roughest seas imaginable.

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They felt very fortunate that they knew enough to take medication BEFORE they were overcome with seasickness like most of the other passengers.

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That is how a very ordinary vacation turned into a trip they will never forget.

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Paradise

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Andy's calendar tells him that he and Terry are leaving on Monday afternoon, January 18, of this new year, to take a cruise on the Carnival ship, Paradise.

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They will depart from the Long Beach Cruise Terminal, located next to The Queen Mary.

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They have never been on the Paradise before. Every week the Paradise takes two trips to Ensenada, Mexico. There is also a stop at Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island during the weekday trip.

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Terry and Andy will be gone for four nights on this cruise. Terry says she will welcome the shorter trip. Sometimes seven nights in a row can be a bit too much.

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Revisit this site after Jan. 22 to see the photos of what they saw and did on the Carnival Paradise.

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P. S. The San Gabriel Valley Daily Tribune says that one of Andy and Terry's travel photos will be in the Sunday, January 17 edition, in their Tribune on Vacation box, maybe mixed in with other items in the first section of the paper. If you get the Tribune take a look and see if it's really in there.

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