Catalina Island -- FREE Catalina Express Birthday Boat Ride to Through 2016

[endy]

You beat me to it Sherry I just saw the free birthday offer today. Signed up and hope to make it work for early July or the end of Aug with my ds18. )yeah right he'll be turning 19 and doesn't want to go anywhere with me now).

The same friend and I who went to Monterey and Anaheim last May wants to go somewhere this May so maybe we'll do Catalina and San Diego. We were discussing a trip today and wondering where to go.

If I go in July maybe I'll bring my tent and camp out for a few days. Now I'm excited.
Too bad our birthdays weren't the same day Sherry. I would enjoy seeing Catalina with you and discovering all your secret places.

 

[Sherry E]

My fellow moderator, Mary Jo, is part of the DIS Unplugged: Disneyland podcast team, as you all must know, and she does a regular series for the podcast called "Day Six." Her segments focus on other things to do for trips beyond Disneyland on that "6th day" (since Disneyland stopped selling Hoppers with more than 5 days). She finally took advantage of the Catalina Express Free Birthday Boat Ride just recently, and she did her latest Day Six installment about Catalina Island. I sat in for the recording/conversation, offering assorted bits of info and details about all things Avalon.

We actually ran a bit long during the recording (there is a time limit), so some of what we discussed may have been edited out -- and we didn't even get to some of the most important tips and info that we had planned to cover! But we still covered a lot of ground, so it should be an informative segment for those who have never been to the island and are interested in going -- whether or not you use the free birthday boat ride offer.

So you can hear Mary Jo, Tom Bell and me on the DIS Unplugged: Disneyland podcast, discussing Catalina Island for the "Day Six" series -- tomorrow (Tuesday, March 24th)! I'll post a link to the Catalina segment here in this thread when it goes up on the site!

 

[Sherry E]

And... The DIS Unplugged: Disneyland podcast is up, including Mary Jo's "Day Six Adventure: Catalina" segment (for which I sat in and commented). You can find the "Day Six Adventure: Catalina" segment on this page: http://www.disunplugged.com/2015/03/23/dis-unplugged-podcast-032215-disneyland-show/

 

[endy]

Hi Sherry
I heard my name mentioned in your podcast.
How cool was that! Really hope to make it back to Catalina this year. The campground has a pay for 2 nights get 2 free for April deal. Or the free birthday in July, I could handle either one. Can't wait to see more of your great pictures either.
Wendy

 

[Sherry E]

Hi Sherry
I heard my name mentioned in your podcast.
How cool was that! Really hope to make it back to Catalina this year. The campground has a pay for 2 nights get 2 free for April deal. Or the free birthday in July, I could handle either one. Can't wait to see more of your great pictures either.
Wendy

Hi, Wendy!

Thank you! :

Yes, indeed -- I mentioned you. I was trying to think of people I knew of (from this board) who had gone to Catalina for the first time and enjoyed it, as well as those who came back to share experiences. I also mentioned PrincessInOz, but she probably didn't listen to the podcast.

As I mentioned last week, Mary Jo and I actually (unintentionally) left out some pretty important tips and bits of info that we were saving until the end of the podcast -- some of which we had gone over before recording and some of which I was going to mention later. We just ran out of time and couldn't get into them. However, I think that some of the tips are too important to ignore and to not mention (both for folks using the free birthday boat ride offer and the ones who visit Catalina at any other time of the year), so I will have to post them here in this thread, I guess.

I think that those who like camping would get good value out of the pay for 2 nights/get 2 nights free deal. That's probably a better value than the free birthday boat ride in general, although the free birthday boat ride will come with all of the other freebies I mentioned in the podcast (the free Casino tour, free meal, free ice cream, free coffee, free miniature golf and bowling, etc.).

 

[Sherry E]

For the last few years, off and on, I think I have mentioned that the late TV travel show host, Huell Howser, did a series of shows on Catalina Island. In fact, somewhere on a previous page of this thread, I think I included some links to the shows that were digitized and available for online viewing.

But there were 3 shows that had not yet made it to digital format, and those were the ones I especially wanted to share here. One of them was a show all about the Catalina Casino. Another one was a show about the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Garden. And the third show was all about Huell's experience on the Flying Fish Tour (which Mary Jo and I discussed on the DIS Unplugged podcast segment about Catalina that we did back in March).

Finally, at long last, Chapman University is sloooooooowly putting up some new episodes of Huell Howser's shows for viewing -- and the Flying Fish Tour episode is one of them!!!!!

Here is the link to the Flying Fish Tour episode -- and this is a tour that I highly recommend if you happen to be visiting Catalina between Memorial Day and Labor Day!

Enjoy -- https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2015/06/08/flying-fish-californias-gold-1009/

Oh, and by the way -- I will be back in Avalon next month!

​

 

[usnuzuloose]

Haven't been in here for a while, darn I wish I was going down to Long Beach, my BD is coming up, I could go for free. I loved to look at the house that was made out of two ship wrecks. I would love to know how they redid the inside.

 

[ksromack]

:::waving hi to Sherry:::

Catalina is on our list for our next visit to CA......we just got back from a 3+ week trip to Europe. The return home has left me suffering from the vacation blues.

 

[Sherry E]

Haven't been in here for a while, darn I wish I was going down to Long Beach, my BD is coming up, I could go for free. I loved to look at the house that was made out of two ship wrecks. I would love to know how they redid the inside.

usnuzuloose --

Your birthday is later this month (June), correct? I thought I remembered you saying it was this month at one point, but then I was thinking it was August.

I am still amazed that the free birthday boat trip continues on. It's been going on since 2011, and everyone is allowed to use the offer on their birthday each year -- so it's not like a "one time only" thing. This will be my 4th free trip (next month). Also, they keep adding in things to the list of birthday freebies, too, which adds in even more value. Like, for example, now they have a free Casino tour in addition to the other free things. It's definitely a good deal -- I would have to imagine that the Catalina Express is profiting off of the friends that the birthday celebrants bring. The birthday person will be free, but most people don't go solo (I do, but others don't) -- they bring people with them -- and that's where the Express must make money, I suppose.

:::waving hi to Sherry:::

Catalina is on our list for our next visit to CA......we just got back from a 3+ week trip to Europe. The return home has left me suffering from the vacation blues.

Well, hello, Kathy!

Hello, stranger! Long time no see on this board! I think I asked Janet/mom2rtk quite a while back where you had disappeared to, and if she had seen you around the WDW side of this board.

You know, you're not the only one to talk about Europe this week -- another DIS'er and friend, Marie (a.k.a. mariezp), was just telling me a few days ago about the wonderful, amazing trip to Europe that she and her family had last year!! She said it was the best experience and best vacation her family has ever had -- and they have done their share of long WDW trips and long DLR trips. She is itching to go back to Europe to visit more countries and revisit some of their favorites from the trip. They did go to Disneyland Paris, but that wasn't even their favorite part. They loved other parts of Europe more (like the castles). I think she might do a Disneyland Paris trip report somewhere in our Disneyland Paris forum here, and include photos of the rest of the European trip as well. She is afraid that no one will want to look at Europe photos and will only want to see DLP photos, though, so she is hesitating on starting a TR.

Did you love Europe? Three+ weeks is a long time, but there is so much ground to cover and so much culture and history to absorb. Where did you go and what was your favorite part of the European trip?

When is your next trip to California and Disneyland (and/or Catalina)?

Oh, and by the way, we could have really used your participation in last year's Theme Week Countdown in the Christmas/Holiday Season Superthread! You probably took so many great photos in December 2013, but you vanished from the thread!

Are you on Facebook, by any chance? If so, feel free to send me a friend request at: https://www.facebook.com/sherry.incalifornia.1 (and that goes for anyone else in this thread who wants to friend me as well!!).

​

 

[ksromack]

Loved Europe. Started in Amsterdam then to Bacharach Germany, Rothenberg Germany, Ruette Austria, Venice, Florence, Rome, Italy's Rivera (Cinque Terre), Swiss Alps, Beaune France, and Paris. It was intense and wonderful. Food....the wine.....the only way to recover from my sadness was to book a WDW trip for Food & Wine Festival late September

We may plan something out West for 2016 I shall make it a point to visit the super thread soon. On our trip I took about 5000 photos (Europe) and I'm still editing and weeding them out!

 

[Sherry E]

Even though this thread primarily focuses on the Catalina Express as a way of getting to Catalina Island, I thought I'd point out that Groupon currently has a deal for $39 round trip tickets on the Catalina Flyer (which is not affiliated with the Express and does not offer a free birthday boat ride) out of Newport Beach.

Here is the link to the Groupon page - https://www.groupon.com/deals/the-catalina-flyer-from-newport-beach-3-15.


However, I must point out -- because this is very important to note -- that if you are only taking a one-day trip to Catalina Island, the Flyer will leave you with a very, very, very limited schedule and window of time in which to do things. I really only recommend the Flyer if you are going to spend the night and have more than one day to enjoy in Avalon. Otherwise, this is what you're dealing with:

Catalina Flyer Schedule (From
The Balboa Pavilion)

Departs Newport Beach 9:00 am
Arrives Catalina Island 10:15 am

Departs Catalina Island 4:30 pm
Arrives Newport Beach 5:45 pm


What that schedule means is that, for a one-day trip, if you took the Catalina Flyer you'd arrive in Avalon, hopefully, around 10:15 a.m. (give or take 10 minutes, depending on the wind out on the water), and then you'd have to line up in Avalon to get on the boat back to Newport Beach at 3:45 p.m. or so (they usually ask that people line up 45 minutes before the boat is set to depart).

So, on the island, you'd have -- maybe -- 5-1/2 hours to spend in Avalon, at most, if not 5-1/4 hours. A really, reeaaalllly short trip.

Now, for $39 round trip from Newport it might be worth it to just get a small 'taste' of what Avalon has to offer, but I think that to have a decent day trip without feeling rushed and pressured, taking the more expensive Catalina Express (or going free on your birthday!!!) is the only way to go. Catalina Express has a wider array of departure and arrival times (which is why they are more expensive), which is extremely helpful for day trippers who want to have enough time to do several things while in Avalon.

​

 

[wanderlust7]

Here is the link to the Flying Fish Tour episode -- and this is a tour that I highly recommend if you happen to be visiting Catalina between Memorial Day and Labor Day!

Enjoy -- https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2015/06/08/flying-fish-californias-gold-1009/

Great video! Now I'm wishing we had gone on the flying fish tour. Just back from a 2 night stay. I got a lot of great info from this thread. I posted a trip report here under California & the West Trip Reports:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/2-...ip-report-photos-added.3420100/#post-53870176

 

[Sherry E]

Great video! Now I'm wishing we had gone on the flying fish tour. Just back from a 2 night stay. I got a lot of great info from this thread. I posted a trip report here under California & the West Trip Reports:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/2-...ip-report-photos-added.3420100/#post-53870176

I'm glad this thread was of help to you -- I don't think I ever knew you were out there following along! Great TR and photos (thank you for sharing the link), and I'm happy you enjoyed your time in Avalon!

Since the trip reports are in a different section of The DIS from where this thread is located (and I will keep this thread active indefinitely, with any and all relevant Catalina news and reviews), can you post some -- for lack of a better word -- bullet points or highlights of your trip here, in this thread? Just some of the main things you enjoyed or did not enjoy. I'll be back in Avalon next month and, as always, I will post a recap when I return, but it's nice to have a variety of people's experiences in this thread.

Yes -- the Flying Fish tour is great. When Mary Jo and I were recently talking about it on the DIS Unplugged podcast, I knew that a visual of the tour would be a better representation of it than what I was describing. I was so glad that Chapman finally put up that video (I have been waiting for 2-1/2 years). Now I wish they would hurry and put up the Catalina Casino episode and Wrigley Memorial/Botanical Garden episode!

 

[wanderlust7]

Since the trip reports are in a different section of The DIS from where this thread is located (and I will keep this thread active indefinitely, with any and all relevant Catalina news and reviews), can you post some -- for lack of a better word -- bullet points or highlights of your trip here, in this thread? Just some of the main things you enjoyed or did not enjoy. I'll be back in Avalon next month and, as always, I will post a recap when I return, but it's nice to have a variety of people's experiences in this thread.

My favorite activity was the golf cart scenic drive, the views are great. The kids liked it too for the novelty of the golf cart. They also enjoyed the semi submersible tour, mini golf, and mini bowling. I enjoyed walking around town, especially in the evening when it gets quieter.

We ate at Bluewater Grill, Steve's Steakhouse, The Lobster Trap, and Avalon Seafood & Fish Market. My favorite was Bluewater Grill for the ambiance of sitting in the patio area. Most of the food we had was quite good, but nothing was "I gotta have this again". My one food find was Pier 76 Fish Grill near the Long Beach ferry terminal, so delicious and a great value.

We enjoyed our stay at the vacation rental Shelton's on the Island. It's cozy, clean, and had all the comforts of home. The owner is super sweet.

I don't think there was anything I didn't enjoy. Well, maybe DD throwing up on the ferry, but lesson learned - sit outside, full stomach, and no iPad!

 

[Sherry E]

My favorite activity was the golf cart scenic drive, the views are great. The kids liked it too for the novelty of the golf cart. They also enjoyed the semi submersible tour, mini golf, and mini bowling. I enjoyed walking around town, especially in the evening when it gets quieter.

We ate at Bluewater Grill, Steve's Steakhouse, The Lobster Trap, and Avalon Seafood & Fish Market. My favorite was Bluewater Grill for the ambiance of sitting in the patio area. Most of the food we had was quite good, but nothing was "I gotta have this again". My one food find was Pier 76 Fish Grill near the Long Beach ferry terminal, so delicious and a great value.

We enjoyed our stay at the vacation rental Shelton's on the Island. It's cozy, clean, and had all the comforts of home. The owner is super sweet.

I don't think there was anything I didn't enjoy. Well, maybe DD throwing up on the ferry, but lesson learned - sit outside, full stomach, and no iPad!

You know, the Bluewater Grill is new in town. It's only been there for a year or two. I was actually shocked when it moved into the space that used to be occupied by Armstrong's Fish Market -- which was a really popular place for seafood, and it was a longstanding part of Avalon. I am not a seafood fan, but I love Antonio's (just a few feet away from Bluewater) for the outdoor seating overlooking the water too! You can't beat that ambiance.

I love the golf cart drives! Honestly, a lot of people who have been to Catalina a lot eventually grow out of the golf carts and venture into other activities. But I still love cruising around the hills in a cart, and stopping at Wrigley to wander around. It never gets old for me, even after all these years. I definitely recommend the 3 hours for the price of two if anyone plans to stop at the Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Garden, but that deal is offered by one golf cart place (Island Rentals -- all white carts, and closest to where the Catalina Express docks). I think that you used the other golf cart place in town -- with the Cartopia sign. Does that sound right?

I also enjoy the semi-sub -- much, much better than the Glass Bottom Boat for seeing sea life.

I'm glad that you mentioned the minimum 2-night stay on the island. I actually wrote a companion piece/complementary article to the podcast I did with DIS Unplugged (which it looks like The DIS is never going to publish ), and I detailed a lot of the things that we left out of our podcast discussion -- one of which is the fact that it is almost impossible to book a one-night stay in Catalina. It's almost futile during the peak season (Memorial Day to Labor Day), even on weekdays. But there is a slightly greater chance of being able to book one night in the off season, during the week. Also, due to last minute cancellations and no-shows, sometimes someone might get lucky by walking up to one of the hotels and asking if anything is available for a night.

All in all -- with the exception of the throwing up episode -- it sounds as if it was a good trip!

 

[wanderlust7]

I love the golf cart drives! Honestly, a lot of people who have been to Catalina a lot eventually grow out of the golf carts and venture into other activities. But I still love cruising around the hills in a cart, and stopping at Wrigley to wander around. It never gets old for me, even after all these years. I definitely recommend the 3 hours for the price of two if anyone plans to stop at the Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Garden, but that deal is offered by one golf cart place (Island Rentals -- all white carts, and closest to where the Catalina Express docks). I think that you used the other golf cart place in town -- with the Cartopia sign. Does that sound right?

I saw the 3 hour for 2 deal here:
http://www.catalinaislandgolfcart.com/

I'm pretty sure that's the company we rented from, it says to pick up at "Cartopia".

I think this is the Island Rentals website (very confusing!):
http://www.catalinagolfcartrentals.com/

So looks like they both have the deal, but it seems for Cartopia advance reservation is needed.

It was a great trip! I hope to go back sometime and do the interior tour and the flying fish tour.

 

[Sherry E]

Cartopia must be trying to keep up and compete with Island Rentals! For decades, Island Rentals has had that get 3 for 2 deal (even at the older price of $20 and then $30 per hour, and then ultimately $40), but Cartopia did not offer it.

Yes, Island Rentals (the place I always use) is the one with all the flags and the eagle and buffalo on top of the building. They take cash only.

I would recommend -- instead of doing an interior tour that will only take you part of the way into the island -- catching the Safari Bus or whatever mode of travel brings you all the way over to Two Harbors. You will see a lot more buffalo that way.

 

[endy]

Hi Sherry
Did you make the birthday trip last month? I don't remember seeing you write about or I missed it. Or else you did all the same stuff as last year and didn't think it would be a good read but I'm interested in hearing about your trip and seeing some new pictures.
Wendy

 

[Sherry E]

Hi Sherry
Did you make the birthday trip last month? I don't remember seeing you write about or I missed it. Or else you did all the same stuff as last year and didn't think it would be a good read but I'm interested in hearing about your trip and seeing some new pictures.
Wendy

Thank you so much for asking, Wendy!: Thank you for remembering. I'm glad that someone out there is interested in hearing about Catalina.

I didn't go -- and I'm really bummed out about it because I love Catalina, as you know, and it's one of my areas of expertise here on this forum. I wish my birthday were in the fall instead of summer! Honestly, it was just too hot for me. Last year I ended up ill and with one of the worst sunburns I've ever had, and it was less hot and less sunny than it was supposed to have been on my birthday last month. I often end up feeling nauseous and headachy on days when it's too hot for me, and I just had a feeling that I would end up ill if I dared to go last month. There is no real place to get in the shade and cool down in Avalon unless you get into the ocean or you have a hotel/cottage to retreat to. if I'd booked a hotel I would have gone, for sure, but I would have had to get at least 2 nights, minimum, and that would have negated the "free" aspect of the boat ride!

I tried to console myself in the fact that it's not like I can't go to Catalina this year, if I really want to go. It's just that it wouldn't be free. The free birthday offer was only good on the one day last month, and that may or may not come around again in 2016. Every year I'm never sure if the free birthday offer will return at all, or if it will return with new limitations/restrictions, which is why I have tried to take advantage of it as much as possible. The Catalina Express folks don't even know if the offer will continue each year. Every year they have to make the decision.

Another thing is that I was/am kind of down in the dumps because I spent a lot of time writing and selecting/resizing photos for an informative, helpful Catalina Island companion piece/article that was intended to accompany the DIS Unplugged Catalina Island podcast that I did with Mary Jo and Tom Bell back in March (because we left out a lot of important, key points in the podcast when we ran out of time). I submitted the article to The DIS back in late April, and it's never been published. If it had been published, I would have gladly hustled myself over to Catalina -- even in the heat -- and gathered more material and photos for another Catalina blog, like dining info, shopping info, etc. I mean, I already know about a lot of that stuff anyway, even without making another trip to Avalon, but it would have helped to try a different restaurant or go shopping in a store I've never shopped in, or stay in a hotel/cottage I have never stayed in, just to have more content to add to a piece. I would have gladly done it for research. But, alas, I guess the people who publish the blogs for this website don't think anyone would be interested in my Catalina/Podcast companion piece, and I just got discouraged about the whole thing. That and the heat kept me away!

 

[endy]

Hi Sherry
How disappointing that you didn't go. I hear you on the heat. This summer here in Calgary we've had most days in the 80's and low 90's. You don't even want to enjoy the outdoors during the day and have to wait til it starts cooling of in the evening to walk the dog. It could be worse tho and hot as Phoenix or Vegas areas. I think quite a few days have been warmer than LA.
The 2 night min sure would've negated the free ride. You'll just have to go in the fall for a day. Just think of it as costing less than a day at DL.
Don't be too discouraged maybe it's best to keep Catalina as a little unknown place to visit so it doesn't become over crowded. It's still one of my favorite places in California and I also hope to get back again soon.