First Cruise Postponed

Nov 7, 2019

A series of cruises scheduled to launch in December from Puerto Peñasco, or Rocky Point, in neighboring Sonora, Mexico, will be delayed by one month, cutting the number of departures in the inaugural cruise season from six to three.

The 11-day cruise — called Treasures of the Sea of Cortez — was set for six departures starting on Dec. 7. But the ship’s arrival to Rocky Point from Europe has been delayed until January due to its maintenance schedule, said John Dennis with Cruise and Maritime Voyages.  He called it a “bump in the road” but emphasized the company’s long-term investment in the Rocky Point cruise.

“We’re committed to this. If we weren’t committed to this, I would be telling you that we gave it our best effort but it’s just too challenging for us," he said. "But that’s not the case. We’re committed for the long term, or we wouldn’t even offer three sailings. And I can’t stress that enough.”  The company is already exploring a 2021 season.  He said passengers booked for a December cruise can reschedule to one of three embarkations in January or for expected 2021 dates. Those who can’t reschedule will receive a full refund.

CitiCinema

Nov 7, 2019

Looking for fun things to do when in Rocky Point? You may not know that the town has a full on movie theater, just like ‘back home’. CitCinemas is a multiplex that shows current, first run films.  You will find CitiCinemas on your way to the Malecon. It is housed in a commercial real estate project that never got off the ground. The movie theatre is the only thing open there. So you do have to have a tolerance for things that are a little, strange.

For example, escalators to the entrance? Yes, but they don’t work. Have to walk them the old fashioned way. The theaters themselves are what you would expect though.  There are 2 versions of the films shown at CitiCinemas. It is common to to have one version dubbed into Spanish, and another in English with Spanish subtitles. Check the movie tines first online at https://www.citicinemas.com/cartelera-puerto-penasco/ and it will tell you if a film is DOB -Dubbed, or SUB- Subtitles. Go for subtitles, unless of course you want to see the film in Spanish. A lot of people make films and TV shows in Spanish a part of their way to learn the language. Also of course, not every film being shown will be from the US. Mexico has a well regarded film industry, so you can also check out the latest offerings made in the country as well.

The biggest surprise is the price compared to seeing a film in the US.  An adult ticket for Black Panther at the Harkins Metro Center runs $7.00 USD. CitiCInemas is showing the same film (here named Pantera Negra) for $52.00 Pesos. Exchanged into dollars, that $2.78 USD. Big Difference.

Snacks always seem otherworldly expensive at movies these days. CitiCinemas offers popcorn and other things that you would expect, nothing really fancy. However, if you by one of their sets of discount coupons, you get good deals on buying tickets and snacks. When I went to Panterea Negra recently, two of us used a coupon for our admissions, two sodas, and a big tub of popcorn for $120 pesos. So $6.41 USD for all of it. AND the popcorn is refillable!