San Diego, California

Hello from San Diego!

Hey, there’s the Santa Fe Amtrak train depot.
I’ve been there!

This girl was busy today. When we’ve been here before (and were more able-bodied) we walked to and from the cruise ship to Petco Park (the San Diego Padres ballpark) to go to a baseball game. I wrote about that day here. Now that we’re no longer able-bodied we have to find a new way to get to the ballpark. We’ve been talking about flying to San Diego and staying in a hotel close to the ballpark. So along with my touristy things today was about exploring two hotel locations I had been looking at. 

I thought the Hilton Bayfront was going to be our best option for limited walking but it was far from it especially when you have a return trip to think of.

Start at the tall hotel on the right and walk left past the parking garage

Cross the sky bridge 

Then once across the street, walk to the ballpark.

But oh boy, my second choice became my number one when I saw how easy it was. 

Omni hotel

It’s so close to the ballpark

The best part is how you get to the ballpark. Go to the fourth floor of the hotel and go to the end of the hall.

And you’ll find a door that takes you straight to the ballpark.

Just a few short feet away

I am certain the nightly rate is probably horrendous but if we only do this once in a while, it just might be worth it.

I spent the rest of my time putting several miles on the scooter and taking too many pictures. It was such a beautiful day it was hard not to. 

Bob Hope Memorial

Huge kissing statue

Convention center to the left

Spent some time in Seaport Village

You can sit in an Adirondack chair and put your feet in some sand.
Unfortunately my Adirondack chair sitting days are long gone.  

Lots of places to eat and drink

Need these flags for my daughter

I stopped by a waterfront restaurant and had some garlic Parmesan fries right next to the ship.

Wandered by the Maritime museum with all the different ships available for viewing and touring.

It always looks like the planes are landing right inside the city.

I saw lots of things in bloom.

Looks like red bottle brushes

Pretty purple/pink

So pretty against the blue sky

Tonight’s pre dinner drinks wound up being a four martini night. Yikes. I did have a bottle of water and a Diet Coke so everything equals out, right?

Feels so good, but man I’ll pay in the morning

A little stop by Movies Under the Stars for some Top Gun Maverick. Only seems fitting when we are across the water from North Island. And to think I was just a block away from the original Top Gun bar today and didn’t even know it! (At least the internet tells me so.)

Movies Under the Stars

North Island

Afterwards a dinner of chicken breast and dessert of sugar free coconut cake and orange sorbet then a glance at the USS Midway Museum on my way back to the cabin. 

Up tomorrow, Ensenada and my 1000th day on Princess Cruises. Oh, yeah. 

San Pedro (Los Angeles), California

Hello from San Pedro!

While the itinerary says we are in Los Angeles we are really docked in San Pedro. Several Princess tours went to Los Angeles to see some of those things Ed and I saw on our own 10 years ago, but my plan today was to stay close to port. San Pedro has been our turnaround port for our winters-at-sea cruises so I’ve been here upwards of two dozen times in the last two years. Usually on turnaround days here all aboard is 2:30 PM so there isn’t a lot of time to get out and about. But today being a port day instead, all aboard was 6:30 PM. Plenty of time for me to do my thing both on the ship and ashore.

After breakfast I watched the loading/unloading of cargo.

Always interesting

Had some phone calls and texts to deal with from home. Had a morning nap. And finished charging the scooter to be ready for today.

Just a short 15 minute walk (or scooter) from the ship is the Green Onion Mexican restaurant. It’s next to the Crowne Plaza Hotel which is where we always stay pre-cruise in San Pedro. The Green Onion has delicious food in large portions for a cheap price. I chose a beef taco and cheese enchilada combo for lunch. The price? $13.95! No way in the world I even came close to even finishing a third of it.

Guess who has dinner tonight too?

As I was already overstuffed I figured I might as well start heading back to the ship. But how can I come so close to The Happy Diner without getting a churro waffle? I had no room in my stomach for more food but I sure could take one back to the ship for tomorrow’s breakfast. It’s not like I haven’t had it for breakfast before.

Thanksgiving breakfast 2023 in San Pedro

This time I got the ice cream on the side and rolled my way down to the waterfront and ate the ice cream there.

Lots to watch on the busy waterway

As I sat there I spied something else across the way at the fire department. When I was done eating, I had to go check it out. 

Their fire dog is a Dalmatian sculpture.

Occasionally, the sun would break through the clouds today and it would feel oh so good. It made the colors of the flowers and trees pop.

I made my way back to the ship by 3:30 with an extremely full stomach and Mexican food left over for dinner. With a churro waffle ready for breakfast I guess there will be no need to go to Richard Walker’s Pancake House for an apple pancake tomorrow. So now I’ll see you in San Diego tomorrow where I’ll have time for things other than breakfast. 

Santa Barbara, California

Hello from a cool, drizzly, dreary and kind of depressing looking day in Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara is a tender port, meaning we anchor offshore and use the lifeboats to send passengers back and forth. 

Since I’ve been here plenty of times and done all I care to do (Ed and I even walked 7.5 miles here once), I had already decided to stay on the ship today. 

After a highly unsatisfying breakfast (bad food, bad service) I went straight across the deck over to the gym. I realized I really wasn’t feeling it so I turned around, went to the elevator, and headed right back to my cabin. Kicked off my shoes, cracked open the balcony door for cool fresh air (and sea lion singing from the buoy), covered up with a blanket, and watched a selection of movies for the day. Dirty Dancing, My Penguin Friend, Barbie, Back to Black. Princess has a large variety of free on demand movies you can watch in your cabin.

I don’t know how many they have but I’m guessing it’s over 100.

I skipped lunch because I knew I was having a bigger dinner at Crown Grill tonight. (Technically I didn’t skip lunch. I had a cup of M&Ms while watching movies. What was I thinking?!)

Also I should have thought through my choice of food at Crown Grill a little better. 

Shrimp cocktail appetizer

More shrimp and Seabass just like I had yesterday at lunch

Keylime pie bar for dessert was a little too citrusy
when paired with my lemon drop martini

Every time I cruise for a long period of time, at some point I hit a wall. The combination of the last three days, along with the weather, may have made today the wall day. Tomorrow we’re in LA (technically San Pedro) where I’ll see if I can break out of this funk. See you there.

Sea Day

Welcome to the first sea day of just two on this seven day cruise. It’s a cool and cloudy one as we slowly sail our way towards Santa Barbara.

View from the promenade deck

Since I skipped breakfast my first order of business today was the slot tournament at 9:00 AM. The players with the top 60 scores moved onto the next round and I landed at number 66. Darn. And the top prize for this tournament is $10,000! Oh well.

To kill some time after the tournament, I used the $400 in free play the casino gave me for this cruise. You have to run it through the machine and play the entire $400 but you get to keep the winnings and, lucky me, I walked away with $400.41. Pretty unusual to be able to get back that high of a percentage.

Then to kill some time before the Most Traveled Guest luncheon I sat outside, tucked away from the wind, and watched part of Moana 2.

Lunch was the exact same menu as last cruise and I again chose the sea bass. I didn’t take a picture of the fish this time since I did last time so instead I took a picture of the seafood trio starter and the dessert. I’m not a big fan of chocolate, but it sure was pretty.

Oyster, crab, tuna

Beautiful chocolate

I watched a movie in the afternoon during my phone calls with my daughter and hubby and came away not understanding the movie. Not like I can’t watch it again. Then off pre dinner drinks where I tried a sour apple martini. 

After two sips I wasn’t a fan

Tonight was formal night and I went to dinner at the time I was told, 7 PM. But my table was occupied and the only other table to accommodate me was squished in with another. I don’t do squished so I decided to go up for pizza. Still in my nice clothes, freezing on deck, I had a slice of vegetarian and pepperoni. 

Probably better than formal night dinner 

Not wanting to get any colder, not wanting to go to the casino, and not wanting to be around crowds on formal night I came back to the cabin at 7:30, the earliest I have this entire trip. 

Off to Santa Barbara tomorrow. See you there. 

San Francisco Turnaround Day

Welcome to my turnaround day in San Francisco when one cruise ended and another began. 

A cloudy morning

A sunny afternoon 

And welcome to the day I had a meltdown. 

It started when we were leaving the ship to go through immigration. Just as we left the deck the scooter’s belt started going whack, whack, whack. I had to get off the scooter and push it off the ship, down the line outside the terminal, through immigration, and back onto the ship. I made it all the way to my new cabin and took things apart and found a piece of black rubber imbedded in the grooves of the belt. It could have been a complete disaster but thank goodness it was easily fixable.

While I was in the cabin I noticed something unusual.

Where are my clothes and suitcase and bags?

When you’re in transit and change cabins they move your things from one cabin to another while you do immigration. (So my clothes should be here in this picture.) Giving them the benefit of the doubt of maybe a running late situation, I cleaned out my scooter belt, reassembled all the pieces and headed to get some sun before lunch.  

A beautiful day for an outdoor concert 

Embarkation day lunch is typically the same for me, salmon and orange soufflé. 

 

I had an invitation for a slot tournament so I went straight from lunch to the casino where I got my tournament time - 9 AM tomorrow - and a nice gift. 

I returned to my cabin and found the closet still empty. So I spoke to a supervisor about the missing things. And a supervisor. And a supervisor. And guest services and guest services. No one could find my things. In all of our days sailing with Princess - 1,000 days for me this week - we have never had our things not get transferred. 

The meltdown then began.

I almost thought someone was playing a joke on me but it sure wasn’t funny. I stewed in my cabin (yeah there were tears, too) throughout the afternoon until everything arrived. They had been delivered to a completely different cabin. Thank goodness a cabin steward reported my things in one of his cabins (not even close to my cabin). I tipped him $20 in some ones and fives I had on hand and gave him some things from my mini bar. Boy, that was a big mess up by someone. 

Honey, I’m home

At the exact moment the clothes and bags were being delivered the future cruise consultant was calling me on the phone making sure I was coming to tomorrow’s Most Traveled Guest Luncheon. Umm…I didn’t get an invitation? She insisted it was supposed to have already been delivered to me. Another mess up by someone. (Later I asked my cabin steward about the missing invite and he said he has a bunch of VIPs in his section and has been too busy taking care of them to deliver the invitations.)

I’m trying hard to clear my head but it’s, well, hard. So happy to be back in a balcony cabin to clear my head with fresh air.

I was in no mood to attend the sailaway party so I sat on my balcony instead. 

The seagulls loved water stirred up by the ship as we left the dock. 

Alcatraz

And the Golden Gate Bridge on the way out

If fresh air wasn’t going to clear my head it was going to be lemon drop martinis. I planned on cutting back on them this cruise but I don’t think tonight’s the night to start. Yellow is an Easter color anyway. 

Being Easter and all I chose the ham for dinner. It really was good.

I turned in early so I’ll be ready to start pushing buttons during the slot tournament right after breakfast. Tomorrow’s a sea day so I’ll see you then!