We woke up late, missed breakfast and was unsure about getting off the ship in Ensenada. We hadn’t booked any tours and it was quite warm. We visited with a few people who had gone ashore and discovered it wasn’t worth the effort. Normally there are souvenir shops near the pier but the buildings seemed quite a distance away and we were told that the area around the pier was a bit sketchy, so we decided to stay on the ship.
Our new discovery? A great poolside place to pick up fruit, salads and sandwiches when the buffet was closed!
We also indulged in Foster Freeze type ice cream for dessert. Normally this area would be crowded with kids, but there were only a few on board instead of the families usually sailing on a Disney ship.
There was a silent film playing poolside. The other two venues for film showings were the Walt Disney Theatre and the Buena Vista Theater. We consulted our guide to see what was going on.
We ended up listening to Tina Sinatra discuss life with Father and siblings. She was visibly impressed by the crew and participants, who asked her such knowledgeable questions about her father. She was having a good time on the cruise, much to her surprise. It was her first cruise. Later that day we saw her by herself in a quiet area of the ship and my sister told her how he played a benefit concert for her school when she was a student at San Jose State. He had a gig on in San Francisco and he brought a busload down, including Nelson Riddle and his band as well as a tap sancer. He didn’t want publicity for his actions. The students were blown away by his generosity. One of the kids knew a guy who knew a guy who had his phone number..contact was made, he said yes, they got an auditorium, sold tickets, and he just kept singing all afternoon. My sister wanted her to know how much it meant to the students. Tina was not surprised. She said that those activities were typical of him and he didn’t want credit for them. She was very generous with her time during their visit.
We spent part of afternoon in the shops. Cruise shops are only open when ships are in port,so we wandered around to see if there was anything we couldn’t live without. I bought a sweater because I froze each time we went to the Walt Didney Theater. There were even blankets for the audience! Why couldn’t they just turn up the heat?
Tina discusses her family with Ben Mankewicz
We had dinner at the Animator’s Palate, which was very cute. I reproduced the menus so you can see what was available.
It was Costume Night. The theme was California Dreaming so there were kots of hippies. Registrants paraded in the lobby, and the winner was decided later that even, poolside. We wore Hawaiian shirts, not that original. Oh, well…
We spent time listening to Leonard Maltin discuss his experiences watching movies and chronicling them for us in his paperback books, which were very popular in my adulthood. Most people referred to him as the movie expert and his stories were fascinating. We also saw “ Heaven Can Wait,” with Warren Beatty playing the role of the football player who died prematurely. Dyan Cannon does a good job of playing a totally wicked woman. Lots of fun!
The evening brought everyone assembled poolside to hear about the winners of the costume competition. The band played, everyone danced and fireworks exploded! A good time was had by all.
The people with the cones on their heads are “ stars” and the cones were the top of the stars. Each person wore a nametag. I spotted Jane Fonda on one of them. The costumes were handmade and very clever. Unfortunately they didn’t win.
”The Valley of the Dolls” with pill bottles won. One of the members of the group was 96 years old, with the green scarf. You’re never too old to have fun!
Mickey Mouse fireworks—only on a Disney ship.
After the results of the contest were announced and the band stopped playing , some of us decided that the party still wasn’t over and assembled for karaoke, which lasted until midnight. The TV hosts enjoyed letting their hair down and singing ( not always on key) for the group.
Saturday October 17: “Pal Joey” at 9:00 AM. We grabbed a protein shake and headed off to the theatre. Another one of my favorite movies. Old blue eyes. San Francisco setting. Rogers & Hart songs. The all-knowing Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak as the ingenue. What’s not to like?
We listened to two interviews: Tina was back explaining that her dad gave the ladies top billing in the movie. After lunch poolside, we heard Olivia de Havilland’s daughter discussing her mother’s correspondence and the nicknames she had for beloved family members, like her sister, actress Joan Fontaine, whom she’d dubbed “ the dragon lady.”
We had dinner back at Tiana’s place where we enjoyed an espresso martini, a first for me!
It was an early evening, for once. The farewell party on deck was lowkey after the excitement from last night. I think we were just tired! There were still movies but I was tired of sitting, so we went back to our stateroom to pack!
As you can see, each day was jammed with activities and fun. The TCM hosts also signed their books and there were long lines of fans waiting to chat with them. The books are interesting but too heavy so I may order at least one of Eddie Muller’s film noir books online from the TCM website.
We got off the ship Sunday morning after a quick breakfast of oatmeal, but we didn’t have to hurry. The San Diego airport is a quick taxi ride and we were three hours ready for our noon flight.
Would we do it again? You betcha. In fact, we are planning on it. Want to join us? The itinerary is the same. The Disney Magic is sailing out of San Diego October 24-29 for five nights.
Thanks for joining me as I recount our tales. We are also planning a spring cruise overseas to see cherry blosdoms in April of 2027. It was planned for October fall foliage, but we had to change it so we could go on the 2027 TCM cruise. Where are we going? Put your guesses in the comments.
Take care and keep moving. Motion is lotion.
Thank you for all the travel updates and photos, I thoroughly enjoyed them, and importantly, really happy that you both had such a good time!