Sometimes the best trips are the ones where you don’t have to plan every little thing. A short cruise is perfect for that. You unpack once, enjoy the ship, and wake up somewhere new. Recently I took a 4-Day Baja Mexico cruise from Long Beach on the Carnival Firenze, and it ended up being the perfect mix of relaxation and party.

Here’s what the trip looked like.

Departure Day – Long Beach, California

The cruise departed from Long Beach (Los Angeles), which is honestly one of the easiest ports to leave from if you’re in SoCal. Boarding was pretty smooth, which means a lot coming from me because I haven’t been on a cruise in years.

The Carnival Firenze is a newer ship with an Italian-inspired design, so everything feels a little more stylish than your typical cruise ship. After checking out the room and exploring a little, the rest of the day was mostly about getting used to the ship.

Cruise ships always have something going on, and that first night was no exception. I ended up checking out the club on board, and me and Kameron were the last two people on the floor. The DJ probably said “Okay this is the last song.” for three songs in a row. Shockingly, we were actually sober for this… just persistent on staying!

Day at Sea – Shows & Ship Life

The next day was a sea day, which basically means the ship spends the whole day traveling while everyone relaxes and enjoys the activities on board.

The thing we were most excited to do was lay out by the pool with our swimsuits on knowing good and well we were not going to get in the tiny hot tub with a dozen small children. However, looking cute with my margarita was way more refreshing the water could have possibly been.

Sea days are also great for wandering around the ship, grabbing food whenever you want, and just enjoying the fact that you don’t have to be anywhere at a specific time. Kameron spent most of our wandering time reminding me that there were no hot people on the boat, which sadly was true.

Ensenada, Mexico – Papas & Beer

Eventually we arrived in Ensenada, one of the most common stops for Baja cruises. The port is pretty easy to navigate, and it doesn’t take long to get into the main tourist area once you get off the ship.

Of course, one of the most famous places to go in Ensenada is Papas & Beer. If you’ve ever heard someone talk about partying in Baja, this is probably the place they’re talking about.

My dad was very adamant that we go there, and once I saw people twerking on the table and screaming the lyrics to basically any club song you can imagine I could absolutely see why. It was lit. If I wasn’t with my Dad I probably would’ve hoped on a chair myself.

Last Day – Sailing Back to Long Beach

The final day was another relaxing day on the ship as we sailed back to California. By that point, everyone had settled into cruise life. We were sleeping in, grabbing food whenever, and squeezing in a few last activities before the trip ended.

Honestly, I spent a lot of the sea days sleeping and doing my homework. I even joined my classes on Zoom (everybody clap for me). But I still had a lot of good luck with people randomly starting conversations with me on the boat. At almost every meal someone approached me and Kameron to talk and at times even when I was walking around on the ship alone I met a new friend or two.

Traveling a lot recently has made me really reflect on just how much of a extrovert I actually am and I think I am finally starting to grow out of the awkwardness of my late teens/ early 20s.