Leaving worries on land

To be honest, Martha Bunch said, she wasn’t expecting much the May afternoon she drove to Newport Beach to go on a “Pampered Lady Cruise” with her girlfriends.

“Before you go you think, well, my personal feeling was it’ll be fun to all get together and we’ll have fun and that’s it,” Bunch said.

The Dana Point grandmother says she couldn’t have been more wrong.

“Oh my God, it was so much fun. It was more than I expected, that’s for sure. Just the cruise alone was fantastic,” she said.

Sunday, Parenting Orange County Magazine is hosting its third Pampered Lady Cruise, a three-hour cruise around Newport Harbor on the 105-foot yacht The Endeavor. This offer is for women only.

With your $150 ticket, or discounted $135 ticket for groups of six and more, women get three hours of rest, relaxation and, most importantly, escape.

“It was really, really nice. Different times, between pampering yourself, and just to look out and watch people go by on different ships, it sounds horrible, but I didn’t miss home at all, or wonder if my husband was bored,” Bunch said. “It was kind of nice to get away. It puts you in a different frame of mind.”

And for the price, Bunch said even her husband couldn’t believe it. She said she’s bringing her daughters along Sunday to join her and her friends.

“It’s a way to get away and meet new people,” said Tammy Fago, one of the cruise organizers. There is a lot bundled in that $150 ticket.

For three hours while cruising through the harbor Sunday afternoon, everything will be on the house. Music, gourmet, catered food, “more than just sandwiches,” Bunch said, massages, eye-lash extensions, teeth whitening, palm reading, wine, beer and a chocolate bar are all on the house, Fago said.

“Me and my friend, we didn’t want the trip to end we were having such a blast,” Bunch said. “You don’t pamper yourself that often. You get caught in the hustle and bustle, a day away from the house feels better.”

IF YOU GO

WHERE: 2901 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach

WHEN: Arrive by 12:15 p.m., board by 12:30 p.m., departure at 1 p.m.

COST: $150 per ticket, $135 per person for groups of six or more, $125 for groups of 10 or more

INFO: Call (714) 771-7454 ext. 110, go to www.pamperedlady cruise.com or you can pay just before boarding.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.