Cruise Ports - Tendering

It's Cruise Ship Saturday! Today we're talking about tender ports.

“To reach a port we must set sail –
Sail, not tie at anchor
Sail, not drift.” 
― Franklin D. Roosevelt

Unless your ship is at a port that requires tendering.

In some ports the ship may not be able to dock at the pier. The channel may not be deep enough for the ship or the piers could be full with other ships. The ship instead anchors offshore. Passengers are then shuttled back and forth from ship to shore in tenders. The boats used to tender are typically the ship’s lifeboats and in some cases, local boats.

Lifeboats are quite safe and stable.

Tenders, being small boats on ocean waters, can bump and move. The crew does a great job in assisting passengers with entering and exiting the tender. Follow their instructions. The movement felt on the tender will be more than is felt on the ship. Tendering can be a challenge for people with physical difficulties as tenders require steps to enter and exit and are not wheelchair accessible. Passengers with collapsible wheelchairs and foldable walkers and scooters who can navigate steps may be able to access the tenders. Full sized mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs are usually not allowed.

Don't want to take a tender to shore? Stay onboard the ship. Some of the most peaceful and quiet times can be had when everyone else is off the ship. While onboard shops are closed the pools are open, the buffet is empty, and the decks are clear. It’s like having your own private yacht for the day.

A private yacht day.

Excerpt from Cruising with Confidence: How to be a First Time Cruiser without Looking like One, 2nd edition.

The Friday 15

“Friday's a free day. A woman's day.” 
― Neil Gaiman, American Gods

Or a good day to get rid of a Woman's Day magazine!

And another magazine,
and four spools of thread,
and a placemat,
and four pieces of fabric,
and two tutorial projects,
and two things on eBay.

Friday is a free me day for me. I'm free of 15 more pieces of stuff.

5 Things to do in Ensenada, Mexico

Today we're talking about what to do in Ensenada, Mexico. Learn five different activities you can do when you're visiting Ensenada on a cruise ship.

The first time we ever took a cruise to Mexico we stopped in Ensenada. Just a couple hours south of San Diego but a world away. Actually, we didn't know if it that was true because we didn't get off the ship. And the next trip we stayed on the ship, and then the next. Yep, we were fearful American tourists who never stepped foot on shore. But then one of our crew member friends was celebrating his birthday in Ensenada and invited us to go along. Only then did we venture out.

Fast forward to now. How many times do we stay on the ship when it docks in Ensenada? Like, never. We've found lots to do - and found our fears about safety were unfounded.

If you want to venture out a bit either by car, bus, or taxi you can visit:

• A winery? In Ensenada? The nearby valleys of San Vicente, Santo Tomas, and Guadalupe produce 90% of Mexico 's wines.
• La Bufadora, The Blowhole.  The spout of ocean water is created when waves and air are pulled into an underwater cave and spit back out.

If you want activities within walking distance of port you can visit:

• Hussong's Cantina is Baja's oldest bar still in use. It's also where the margarita was invented in 1941.
• The Malecon is a nice waterfront walkway. The Malecon starts just past the ship's secure areas. We frequently see families out and about walking and sitting and playing with their kids along The Malecon. (We enjoy watching locals with their families.)   You'll also see Mexico's second largest flag there. (Although you can easily see the flag from the ship - it is huge.)

Walking The Malecon will take you to #5, the fish market.

• Mercado de Mariscos - Fish Market. Northern Baja California 's largest seafood market, you can find all kinds of small and large fish here. Don't be surprised if you see a fisherman bringing a shark to market - using a wheelbarrow.

Also near the fish market are lots of restaurants. Restaurants that just go next door to the fish market and purchase the fish for your meal.

Ensenada is home of the original fish tacos. With fish straight from the market you can't get much fresher. Cheap, tasty, can't-be-beat fish tacos. Yum.

Fish tacos in Ensenada is our top pick for what to do in Ensenada.

How to Make Flower Button Magnets - Tutorial Tuesday

"When buttons came in, about 1650, people couldn't get enough of them and arrayed them in decorative profusion on the backs and collars and sleeves of coats, where they didn't actually do anything. ”
― Bill Bryson

And this week's project doesn't have buttons doing much of anything either. Except maybe holding up papers on the refrigerator. Buttons + scrap fabric + magnet + hot glue = super quick and easy spring project.

In addition to the standard crafting supplies, for each flower magnet you will need:

• Several buttons of the same size (I used five but if your buttons are smaller you could use more.)
• Fabric scrap
• Small scrap of felt 
• Small piece of cardstock
• 1 1/8” size Button Cover Kit (contains a pusher, mold, button shell, and back)
• Magnet 
• Glue gun or fabric glue
• Pliers

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you sewing and crafting content.

Looking for more craft ideas? Check out these projects!

Check out the step-by-step how to tutorial to make your own handmade flower button magnets:

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Making Spring Flower Placemats and Table Runners - Sunday Sew-In

“We need solitude, because when we're alone, we're free from obligations, we don't need to put on a show, and we can hear our own thoughts.” 
― Tamim Ansary, West of Kabul, East of New York: An Afghan American Story

I like my Sundays. Actually I like my Mondays and Tuesdays and Wednesdays and .... These days - all of these days - are my alone times. I go to the sewing room in the morning, put on my headphones, and work. Every day. And it's great. (Actually, I'm not technically alone as I have kitties running around my feet and table and shelves. And that's great, too.)

Back to today's Sunday Sew-In. It netted two projects, a spring placemat (you can find the tutorial video for the spring flower placemat here) and a still-in-the works project table runner. (You can find the spring table runner tutorial video here.) My daylight is waning and prime photo taking and video recording time is coming to a close for the day. Alone time is done for now.

Sewing Room Storage

Want to know what kinds of products I use for storage in my sewing room? Here are my favorites.

ClosetMaid Stackable 15-Unit Organizer I have three of these.
Sterilite 3 Drawer Unit I have six of these.
ArtBin Super Satchel 1-Compartment Box I have four of these.
IRIS 6-Drawer Scrapbook Cart with Organizer Top I have two of these.
ClosetMaid Cubeicals Organizer, 9-Cube I have two of these.

Note: Some of my links are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support the blog and allows me to continue to provide free content. I only recommend products I use again and again. Thank you for your support!