Tag: San Diego

Embarkation

Saturday, March 29, 2025

According to my Apple watch, I slept nine hours. I knew I was exhausted. I also woke up with a headache but luckily it went away after coffee.

The shower flow was terrible. Felt more like a rinse than a shower. At least the water was hot.

This hotel only offers a Grab-and-Go breakfast. They used to have a restaurant but the pandemic put an end to it. There were three choices of your to-go bag: an egg and sausage biscuit bag, a fruit and yogurt bag, and an egg and cheese wrap bag. They all came with water and juice and two granola bars. We both chose the biscuit bag. We heated them up in the room’s microwave.

While we were eating, I received a text from HAL letting us know that the ship was late coming into port due to wind and high sea swells. Our embarkation was pushed back to 1:30. This was a problem since our check-out was 11:00. The hotel graciously extended our check-out to 12:30 with no cost.

We checked out at 12:00 and got an Uber. We decided if it was chaos at the port, we’d drop our luggage with the porters and find a restaurant along the waterfront for lunch. We arrived at the port at 12:20. We were directed into the port building, went through security and were in our room by 1:00. No chaos whatsoever.

In our room, we found a gift from the Casino, an invitation to a Casino meet and greet party, and an itinerary for the weeks Casino drawings, etc.

As I mentioned in a previous post, even though we had never sailed the Koningsdam, we knew the layout because of our trips on its sister ship the Rotterdam. Because of this knowledge, we knew exactly where we want to go for lunch – The New York Deli and Pizza. I had the Manhattan Treat – a turkey, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing on rye bread. Chuck had the Reuben Rye – a hot corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing on rye bread. Each order came with potato chips. Sadly, we scarfed them down before I thought to get a photo.

I checked on our luggage and two of the suitcases had arrived in our room.

We went to the Sea View area on the back of the ship and immediately met a staff member who recognized us from our South Pacific cruise in 2022. He told us about two other staff members who were on that same cruise so that we could find them. Looking forward to seeing them.

We soon had to attend a full muster drill instead of just having our cards scanned and watching the video. At least we were able to go to the dining room (our muster station) for the information instead of standing out by the lifeboats.

After the muster drill, we went back to the Sea View for the sailaway party. It was fun with music, dancing, drinks, and appetizers. Thus begins our first leg of our B2B cruise – seven days up the Pacific Coast.

On the way to the Casino meet and greet, we stopped by the room again and our third piece of luggage had arrived. At the party, we talked to several people and met the casino hosts. The casino activities on this cruise are not as elaborate as the last one we attended but it was advertised as an “Ultra” Casino cruise and this one was advertised as a “VIP” Casino cruise.

We came back to the room and got all the luggage unpacked and stored under the bed. I never think we are going to find space for everything but somehow we do.

We decided to eat the steak dinner in the Lido. So did a lot of people. It was hard to find a spot to sit. A couple from Nevada invited us to eat at their table. We had a pleasant conversation. It wasn’t long before the casino opened.

Wow! The casino was so crowded. Being a Casino VIP cruise, I shouldn’t have been so surprised. I guess people had staked out their favorite machines early. I think it is going to be the tone for the next seven days.

Chuck made sure he had been credited with his promised “free play” money, and he had. We ended up playing an unfamiliar machine. We just “weren’t feeling it” so we headed to the BB King Lounge to listen to the Band.

I think the two singers are pretty good, but the backup band just overpowered their voices. The band also dragged out each song with unnecessary riffs. We stayed for the whole set but moved on to the Rolling Stone Lounge to listen to the Band’s last set.

They were good and played so you could hear the singers. They also didn’t talk a lot between songs like the last Rolling Stone band we had on the Rotterdam.

Once the set was over, it was after 11:00 pm and I was fading fast. Back to the room we went. It had been a good embarkation day.

There is a tiny gnat flitting about in our room. I have named him Nathan.

Tomorrow – Sea Day

Traveling Days

Thursday and Friday, March 27 and 28, 2025

For early flights, I always prefer going to an airport hotel the afternoon before the trip. Just cuts down on my travel anxiety and Chuck indulges me. Unlike our last trip, we didn’t have any last-minute house problems.

We left Pumpkin sulking under the couch. He hates to see the suitcases roll out. He knows his staff is taking another unauthorized vacation.

The shuttle to the airport left on time but the traffic was terrible. I was very happy not to be driving and not worrying about getting to a flight. Several passengers kept checking their watches/phones during the ride.

We stayed at the airport Hyatt Place again. We like the location and the prices are reasonable. We walked over to the Ruby Tuesday for dinner. The service was very slow but, once it finally arrived, the food was good. We each had their special of the evening – one trip to the salad bar and a smash burger with tater tots.

After a restless night (typical for a trip), I got up at 5:30 for a shower. The bathroom light is on a motion-sensor. Last time we were here, the sensor didn’t work and I was caught in the shower in total darkness until I could reach the switch. This time, when the lights went out, I just had to move a little and they came back on.

We ate breakfast at the hotel and caught its shuttle back to the airport. With CLEAR, TSA-precheck, and not having any carry-on go through the “naughty” line, we quickly arrived at the T-gate which is right past the security area. We don’t get to fly out of T-gate very often, so it was nice that we didn’t have to take the tram to another gate.

The flight left on time. I watched the movie “A Complete Unknown” about Bob Dylan. I’m not a huge Bob Dylan fan so I wasn’t sure I would like it. I thought it was very good. Chuck watched several episodes of 1923.

We arrived in San Diego early but then we had to wait for a gate to open so the flight ended up being officially late. We took an Uber XL to the Best Western Bayside. Getting to the Uber pick-up area in the airport was very easy which I appreciated. Not that way in every airport.

The traffic was bumper-to-bumper, and a lot of construction was going on, but we got to the hotel by 2:30. Our room was ready but “there is currently no hot water but we’re working on it.” Oh, great. Hoping we’ll have it before tomorrow morning. I am not a cold shower person. The hotel is very near the port and the view is always interesting.

With the time change and the breakfast being a long time ago, we were soon ready for dinner. We walked to the Queenstown Public House, a New Zealand inspired restaurant. We’ve eaten there before and enjoyed the food. This time, we were seated inside because I thought it was too breezy and chilly for the outside seating. We were by a window so we could still watch all the dog walkers.

We got there during their happy hour so we chose food from that menu. Chuck chose the fish and chips, and I chose the chicken/pineapple/potato chip slider with string fries. Everything was very good.

We walked back to the hotel. I was getting the bags tagged for the ship, and we heard a loud bang. We saw a car on its side, the traffic light down, and the windows blown out of the Starbucks. There were numerous police vehicles and rescue vehicles. I hope the person(s) involved would be okay. We had just walked through that intersection about 20 minutes prior to the accident.

Starbucks windows boarded up after the accident

The time change was finally getting to me. 7:00 – lights out.

Up next – Embarkation

Hawaii/South Pacific: Disembarkation

Sunday, April 3, 2022

Before we went to dinner in the Lido, it was time to say goodbye to our room stewards. They have been wonderful to us. We know that the customer satisfaction surveys are important to the staff, and we plan to give them and many others glowing marks – they deserve it. I hope we get to sail with them again one day.

Went up to the Sea View deck and was able to see one of our favorite staff members. Wish we could have found the other ones, but they must have been on their dinner break.

Had a big crowd again for Pete’s last night. There were lots of pictures and exchanges of information. We called it a night and got our biggest luggage out to the hallway to be picked up.

When we woke up at 6:00, we were already docked in San Diego next to a Disney cruise ship. It was a very gloomy day. We went for our last breakfast in the Lido.

At 7:45, they started calling people to bring their ship ID, and passports to have a face-to-face with Customs in the 3rd floor dining room. This process was a new on. Typically, you are called to leave the ship, find your luggage at the port, and then get in line to see Customs. Can be a very long line.

Once we cleared Customs, our ship card was stamped, and we went back to our room to get our carry-on luggage and backpacks. We walked off the ship at 9:30, found our luggage in the port, and were at the Best Western Bayside by 10:00. Hope they keep up the process of seeing Customs on the ship. Very quick.

Of course, the room was not ready but they were able to store our luggage. Chuck had strained his neck dealing with the large luggage so he took one of his muscle relaxers and tried to relax on the lobby couch.

There are three cruise ships in today and there was a big country music concert here on Saturday night, so the hotel check-ins and check-outs were crazy. I was glad we were able to find a place to sit.

The strain in Chuck’s neck started to ease up. We thought about taking an Uber to Balboa Park, but the weather did not seem to want to cooperate. Instead, we walked back to the bayside and walked about two or three blocks in a big square. We knew we could duck into any one of the many restaurants if it started raining. We had never walked in this area of San Diego. Interesting artwork, statues, and parks.

By the time we got back to the hotel, a room was ready for us. The front desk attendant told us not to worry about getting a ride to the airport in the morning even if it is 4:00 a.m. There will be an Uber, Lyft, or a taxi available. Okay, hope she’s right.

Hawaii/South Pacific: Embarkation Day

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Managed to stay awake last night until 10:00 EST which is not bad. However, since we are on Pacific Time, it was only 7:00. Pitiful. Street crowd still going strong. Still hear planes in the distance. But after a prior sleepless night and a long travel day, I just couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.

Much better rest than the night before. Did wake up at 4:00 here but drifted in and out until 6:00. We were no hurry since I was able to get us the late check-out at 1:00. Our choices for breakfast were all grab-n-go bags. We each had a Jimmy Dean breakfast croissant of sausage, egg, and cheese, juice, water, and a trail mix bar. Our room had a refrigerator and microwave so it was easy enough to cook the sandwich.

Felt bad for a Mom that was in front of me in line. The choices of the grab-n-go bags were breakfast sandwich, breakfast burrito, or yogurt and pastry. Her smallest child kept insisting loudly that she wanted cereal – Cereal – CEREAL!  I think Mom got her the pastry choice. Hope it sufficed.

Gorgeous start to the day. Blue skies and white fluffy clouds. Stood on the balcony and enjoyed watching the city wake up – dog walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and only a few cars as it is Sunday. I am sure the traffic is much worse on the weekdays.

Lots of planes landing and taking off. Even a few sea gulls passed by at eye level. I made sure to eat my breakfast sandwich inside. Not sure if Pacific Coast sea gulls are as aggressive as Gulf Coast sea gulls are about taking food, but I wasn’t going to take a chance.

At 1:00, we made our way downstairs. Once I reviewed the bill, I called an Uber to take us to the port. There were 2 Holland America ships side-by-side and a lot of traffic, but the port authorities had it under control. He directed our driver to the correct lane, and we were dropped off at the luggage pick-up.

We were there 20 minutes before our assigned time so I assumed we would be sent to a waiting area. No. HAL personnel just kept directing us to the different stations – (1) Get our Covid testing ticket – we were both in Group 4; (2) Show our boarding pass, negative prior test results, and go over health questions; (3) Take the COVID test; (4) go through Security screening; (5) Health personnel looked at our Group 4 ticket and waived us through; (6) Check Passport and take Security Photo; and (7) Get on Ship and head to stateroom. We were in the room by 2:30.

I am still unsure how the Health Personnel knew we tested negative for COVID. We never sat down in the health screening area to wait. One person said that the Testing people would call the Screening people and say “all Group 1 negative, all Group 2 negative, etc.” so maybe they had called while we were standing in the Security line and said “all Group 4 negative.” I was just glad we were not pulled out of line and denied boarding.

We were soon met by our Room Steward Dodi and his assistant Dena. I think HAL room stewards are some of the best in the cruise industry. We also try to keep the room tidy also so not to make it difficult for them. Our room is an aft balcony which means it is all the way at the back of the ship. I love watching the ship’s wake. Mesmerizing.

The room has a King bed and a small couch that can be turned into a bed. The bathroom has a bathtub which we have not had on a cruise in a while. I prefer a walk-in shower. Personally, I think having to step into a bath tub on a moving ship is a little dangerous. Glad they have several grab bars.

One thing we did notice on our hallway is that one side of this deck is completely closed off. I assume those are the rooms HAL will use if anyone has to go into quarantine. Not sure how many times we will be COVID tested on this cruise. Hawaii and French Polynesia are being very strict on tourists.

We checked into our muster station and watched the safety video in the room. The process is so much better than the old one where you were jammed in like sardines on the deck. I’ve seen people faint from the heat while waiting for the demo to begin.

We had a late light lunch in the Lido. I really like HAL’s salad bar. I am sure I will be a frequent visitor.

The sail-away party started at 5:30 on the aft Sea View deck. It was breezy. Gorgeous sunset to see us out of San Diego.

Checked our room and the luggage had arrived. Got it all unpacked and stored before dinner.

We had reservations in the dining room for 7:00. I had the chicken fajitas and Chuck had the beef short rib stroganoff. Both very good.

Coming Up – Avalon, Catalina Island, California

Hawaii/South Pacific: Travel Day 2

Saturday, February 26, 2022

What do you get when you add one nervous traveler to a mix of fried fish sandwich, lemon pepper chicken wings, weird dreams, and a snoring spouse? You end up with a very restless night. Had two alarms set for 4:00 am. Ended up getting up at 3:45. Glad there was some coffee in the room even if it was weak.

The 6:00 hotel shuttle was so full that Chuck and 3 other people had to stand. At least it was only a five-minute ride.

Delta was the first stop and the majority of riders got off here. I was glad to see that the outside baggage check-in was open. Makes it so much easier to check our bags. Got concerned because the scale kept moving from 51 to 50 pounds. Finally settled on 50 pounds. Whew – just made it. Thought I was going to have to throw something into Chuck’s bag. Guess any souvenirs will have to go in his bag.

Got smart today and before we got into the CLEAR express lane, we got our stuff organized – pockets emptied into backpacks, belt off, laptop and e-readers ready, and jackets off.

Still didn’t matter, Chuck’s backpack was flagged. Never seems to fail – one of our bags goes down the naughty belt. Never found out what the problem was – they just opened and closed it without a word.

Our flight was departing from Gate A2 so we were first ones off the people-moving train but I don’t know why are gate is always at the very end of the concourse. Can’t really complain – from getting on the hotel shuttle to sitting down at the gate – 45 minutes. Not bad for a busy Saturday morning.

Chuck bought us coffee and a bacon-egg-cheese biscuit from McDonalds since we had to leave before the hotel breakfast buffet was opened. The boarding was delayed a little by a late flight crew member. Not a good start to her day. We were in Comfort Plus this trip – little more leg and seat room so we boarded fairly quickly. We took off on time at 8:15.

Flight was very smooth. Watched two movies Addams Family 2 (cute) and the Eternals (meh). They got me through the entire flight.

It was 10:00 PST when we landed. Taxi ride to hotel was quick. Of course, our room was not ready so we stored our luggage. There were a number of people trying to check in from other early flights. Found out we were all going on a cruise tomorrow. Some on the Koningsdam and others, like us, the Zuiderdam. We were all excited.

We walked around a while to stretch our legs. Sunny day in the 60’s. I was glad I still had my jacket especially in the shade. Ended up at Queensland Public House. Even though we had about a 30-minute wait, the food was worth it. Found out it was so popular because they were serving their weekend brunch items with ½ price mimosas and bloody marys.

I had the quiche, and it came with spring mix salad and sour dough toast. Chuck had “The Cure” – large biscuit, tator tots, spicy chicken sausage all covered in in gravy. Both thought our choices were excellent.

We were able to sit outside and people watch. My observation – every San Diegoan is between the ages of 21 and 27, skinny, good-looking, and owns a dog – at least the ones who eat at Queensland on a Saturday.

We got a few items at the nearby Rite Aid. When we got back to the hotel, our room was ready. We are on the 12th floor, and we can see the Bay. Would love to be able to see the cruise ship come into port. The room has a balcony which is surprising. Only big enough to stand but a nice breeze.

Also, so glad to get the N95 mask off. Did what it was supposed to – stay tight against my face. I still have the sensation of it on my face. Aggravating. I am going to wear a regular mask tomorrow.

Since we can’t check-in tomorrow until 2:00, I was able to get us a late check-out until 1:00. I am currently very tired and still on Eastern time. I hope I will be able to be on Pacific time tomorrow with a decent night’s sleep. Fingers crossed.

Up next – Embarkation (pending another COVID test)

Travel Trivia

San Diego, California

San Diego is the birthplace of California. The first European exploration of the West Coast was lead by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, a Portuguese navigator sailing for Spain. He landed in San Diego on September 28, 1542.

Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. President, was the first person to drive over the landmark San Diego-Coronado bridge. It opened in 1969 connecting downtown San Diego with Coronado.

The San Diego International Airport is the busiest, single-runway major airport in the nation and the second in the world after London Gatwick.

Between The Old Globe and the Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego has sent more shows to Broadway than any other city in the U.S.

The Hotel Del Coronado has hosted ten United States presidents. In 1970, it was the first venue to hold the first state dinner outside the White House. The resort also unveiled the world’s first electrically lighted, outdoor Christmas tree in 1904.

San Diego has one of the top-ten best climates according to the Farmers’ Almanac.

Snow in the city is so rare that it has been observed only five times in the century-and-a-half that records have been kept.

The steep and varied topography and proximity to the ocean create a number of different habitats within the city limits, including tidal marsh and canyons.