John and Diane are on board - at last!

[oaktreerb]

@tennisbeforewineLoved your review.  Was the interior of the ship warm enough for shorts and t-shirts?  How about out on the balcony?  We sail in three weeks and I was planning on long pants and layering for the top.  We, too, have OBC to spend and the Ensenada excursion sounds wonderful.  We’ll book it as soon as we get onboard.

 

I’m glad you got a beautiful warm San Diego today.  Enjoy your visit!

[mocruzer]

Thanks for your review.  How frustrating with the beverage charges and hope it got taken care of.  

[Cruise Suzy]

26 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

 We, too, have OBC to spend and the Ensenada excursion sounds wonderful.  We’ll book it as soon as we get onboard.

 

Before COVID, you could call HAL up to 3 days before sailing and use OBC to book Shore Excursions.

[Florida_gal_50]

@tennisbeforewineany idea if the covid test was antigen or pcr?  Happy birthday.

[tennisbeforewine]

6 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

@tennisbeforewineany idea if the covid test was antigen or pcr?  Happy birthday.

It was antigen (I think).  It had a 15-minute turnaround time, during which we were to wait in our cabins.  If we didn't hear in that time, we were OK.  No news is good news, I guess.  We passed.  

[tennisbeforewine]

Sunday, October 17, 2021

San Diego, California

 

It was a beautiful day in San Diego to end one week’s cruise and begin another.  John was up at 5:00 to take a gorgeous photo of the skyline before dawn, and the sunny skies and warm temperatures made it a perfect day.  I intended to get in a half hour or so on the treadmill, but when I arrived at 6:15, it was locked up tight.   I guess that had something to do with debarkation/embarkation day, but it didn’t make me very happy.

 

We had been informed that a face-to-passport inspection would take place in the terminal any time between 7:45 and 9:45.  There is something called a “zero count requirement” at the end of any cruise.  That means that by a particular time (10:00 in this case), every passenger must be off the ship, regardless of whether they are done with the cruise or are just in transit (like us).   Today’s “off the ship” requirement meant we could not re-board until 11:30, so we headed into town, beginning, of course, at Starbucks.

 

We walked up the hill into town, hopefully headed to Horton Plaza, home of a Macy’s and a Nordstrom.  What a surprise awaited us:  the entire mall looked like it was gift-wrapped for Christmas, so there was no shopping to be had in that area.  With a bit of disappointment, we headed down the hill to the waterfront, where we found a sunny table for our 10:30 Sunday online church service.  By the time it was over, it was 11:30 and time to head back to the ship.  We had talked about taking the hop-on, hop-off trolley, but we didn’t think we’d be on it long, which made the $40 pp charge a little steep.  Besides, The Dive-In onboard was calling to us, so back we went.

 

Fortunately there was an in-transit entrance, so we only had to wait about five minutes before we boarded.  The nicest surprise was meeting up with our friends Ann and Cathy, whom we haven’t seen for a couple of years.  They’ll be on for almost seven months, sailing on three different HAL ships, so after this week we won’t see them until we’re on the new Rotterdam in February.

 

One great thing about today was that, for the first time, some of the crew members were able to go ashore.  Armand, our waiter, was so excited that he’d be able to go to Ross, and he was also interested in visiting The Midway, a famous WWII aircraft carrier.  We’re looking forward to hearing about his day out at dinner.

 

For some reason, it seemed like a very busy afternoon, since we’d been invited to a Mariner cocktail party in Billboard Onboard from 3:00 until 4:00.  At 3:30 there was a sail away on the back deck, but since we didn’t leave Billboard until after 4:00, we weren’t there very long.

 

Then it was back to the cabin to watch San Diego slip off into the distance and look forward to tomorrow’s sea day, followed by Cabo San Lucas on Tuesday.  Life is good.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

54 minutes ago, tennisbeforewine said:

We walked up the hill into town, hopefully headed to Horton Plaza, home of a Macy’s and a Nordstrom.  What a surprise awaited us:  the entire mall looked like it was gift-wrapped for Christmas, so there was no shopping to be had in that area. 

Horton plaza is permanently closed and being replaced by office spaces

 

"In January 2020, Stockdale Capital Partners announced it had reached an agreement with Macy's to close their store as part of a plan to close 125 stores nationwide, allowing redevelopment of the mall to move forward.^[26] Macy's closed in April 2020.^[26] Starting in May 2020, Horton Plaza was fenced off and began demolition; the plan is to redevelop it as primarily office space for a new tech hub called "The Campus At Horton". Completion is expected in 2022.^[27]"

[san diego spartan]

53 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Horton plaza is permanently closed and being replaced by office spaces

 

"In January 2020, Stockdale Capital Partners announced it had reached an agreement with Macy's to close their store as part of a plan to close 125 stores nationwide, allowing redevelopment of the mall to move forward.^[26] Macy's closed in April 2020.^[26] Starting in May 2020, Horton Plaza was fenced off and began demolition; the plan is to redevelop it as primarily office space for a new tech hub called "The Campus At Horton". Completion is expected in 2022.^[27]"

Yup it had pretty much reached the end of it's  usefulness.   It was a ghost town and not  many storesm left before  the pandemic hit.  

[canadianbear]

1 hour ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Horton plaza is permanently closed and being replaced by office spaces

 

"In January 2020, Stockdale Capital Partners announced it had reached an agreement with Macy's to close their store as part of a plan to close 125 stores nationwide, allowing redevelopment of the mall to move forward.^[26] Macy's closed in April 2020.^[26] Starting in May 2020, Horton Plaza was fenced off and began demolition; the plan is to redevelop it as primarily office space for a new tech hub called "The Campus At Horton". Completion is expected in 2022.^[27]"

We were there a few years back and it looked so run down at that time.  Was our first and last time in that area.  

[tennisbeforewine]

Monday, October 18, 2021

At Sea en route to Cabo San Lucas

 

What a difference a day makes!  On Saturday, the 1300 passengers on board were going about their quiet enjoyment of the cruise, and the evening after sailing from Ensenada was very peaceful, convincing me that they were all in their cabins packing for tomorrow’s disembarkation.  Then came Sunday, and even though the number of passengers stayed almost exactly the same, the noise level went up and the seats in the various music venues and bars were much harder to find.

 

When we came down from our cabin at 7:00 to enjoy the music in the Rolling Stones venue, almost every seat was filled.  We found a couple of chairs off to the side and settled into them.  Then, however, the band began playing “Old Time Rock and Roll.”  As long as I live, I won’t be able to hear that song without feeling an incredible urge to dance, so of course we headed to the dance floor and rocked out with a crowd that filled a dance floor that had been virtually unused the week before.  When the song was over, we looked and saw that our two chairs were now occupied by others, and I felt that we had just been eliminated in a game of Musical Chairs.  We did find a place to sit, however, and enjoyed the rest of the set.

 

At 8:00 it was off to dinner, and our area, which had been virtually empty for an entire week, was now filled with people at small and large tables.  Our dining steward and his assistant had had plenty of time to chat with us throughout dinner, but that stopped in a hurry.  In addition, we noticed that the standard of dress had changed.  One of the “rules” is that no shorts are allowed in the dining room, but we saw several men wearing them - a few with just a tee shirt.

I guess I’m just too old!  Anyway, I guess this will be an entertaining week.

 

While I sit in the Crow’s Nest writing, John is on the sports court playing pickle ball.  He’s primarily a tennis player, but since we have friends who play PB, he has begun going back and forth between the two.  The first day he played there were nine out there, and he had such a good time that he stayed for two hours.  I hope today is as much fun.

 

We’ve also noticed other changes in the dining rooms.  There are several items that are now labeled “indulgences” and require additional payment.  For example, at dinner a jumbo shrimp cocktail add an additional $8.50 to your shipboard bill, and at breakfast, if you wish to have a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, it will cost you $3.50.  I know, I know - these are first world problems, but they are changes from the last time we were on board.

 

It’s almost lunch time and I’m hoping that the queue at the front desk will be shorter while people eat.  I’m still trying to get the beverage charges removed from our bill, and although they have done so beginning October 16 (the last day of the cruise), all the rest are still there.  I guess I’ll have the rest of the week to work on this, so perhaps I should just set up a cot in front of the counter until it’s taken care of.  Who knows?  Maybe they’ll just hire me and I’ll get to stay on indefinitely.

 

P. S.  Thanks for the info, Pete and everyone.   I do remember that there wasn't much there even before it was shut down.  

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Diane, I hope you can get your drink charges resolved. While on the Nieuw Amsterdam Alaska voyage in September, I did not get credit as a 5* Mariner for a number of prepaid specialty dining. Guest Relations assured me it would be taken care of and it wasn't so I emailed Mariner Society upon my return with my issues. Although I never received a reply I did receive a credit on credit card account although it was different from what I thought I should have.  Prior to 'the pause" I had no trouble getting these types problems taken care of on board. Good luck. Barbara

[erewhon]

Wishing you a belated Happy Birthday, sorry that you could not view the Jacquie Lawson card.

[puppycanducruise]

Wishing you a belated Happy Birthday.

[Florida_gal_50]

That’s so annoying about the beverage charges.  If they aren’t going to uphold the dress code they should not have one.  Next stop, speedos in the mdr 🙄😛😉.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Sad to read about the continuing erosion of the dress code.   Hardly surprising - after all, when a collared shirt is all you need for a "gala night", wearing shorts during normal dinners is not a real stretch.  

 

The day is coming, far too soon I fear, when your cruise fare will buy you nothing more than your hotel room and everything else, from the shows to buckets of ice will be an extra charge - for your convenience of course.     

 

 

 

[Sir PMP]

I guess the relaxing days in the ocean bar are long gone, sad to see..

[AV8rix]

On 10/17/2021 at 6:04 PM, tennisbeforewine said:

We had been informed that a face-to-passport inspection would take place in the terminal any time between 7:45 and 9:45.  There is something called a “zero count requirement” at the end of any cruise.  That means that by a particular time (10:00 in this case), every passenger must be off the ship, regardless of whether they are done with the cruise or are just in transit (like us).   Today’s “off the ship” requirement meant we could not re-board until 11:30, so we headed into town, beginning, of course, at Starbucks.

 

Fortunately there was an in-transit entrance, so we only had to wait about five minutes before we boarded.  

 

Thank you for describing the post-covid San Diego in-transit procedure.  I was wondering about that since I'm doing the Koningsdam Pacific Coast B2B  Oct 31-Nov7, then Nov 7-14.  I have done in-transit many times pre-covid but usually in Vancouver, never in SD.  Thanks again!

[Storylady]

7 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Sad to read about the continuing erosion of the dress code.   Hardly surprising - after all, when a collared shirt is all you need for a "gala night", wearing shorts during normal dinners is not a real stretch.  

 

The day is coming, far too soon I fear, when your cruise fare will buy you nothing more than your hotel room and everything else, from the shows to buckets of ice will be an extra charge - for your convenience of course.     

 

 

 

Rules don’t apply to some people. And if they are denied entry, they create a fuss. You can’t blame the staff for not enforcing. Glad I won’t be sitting at their table. I am sure that a “fine restaurant” in California wouldn’t allow them entry in shorts. 

[jhsocal]

Was the Mariner Cocktail limited to certain level of mariner? On our 2019 cruise it was by invitation and limited to 3 level and above.

[rkacruiser]

9 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

The day is coming, far too soon I fear, when your cruise fare will buy you nothing more than your hotel room and everything else, from the shows to buckets of ice will be an extra charge - for your convenience of course. 

 

9 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

I guess the relaxing days in the ocean bar are long gone, sad to see..

 

I am more hopeful that neither of these posts are what the days of HAL cruising portends.  

[The-Inside-Cabin]

53 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

I am more hopeful that neither of these posts are what the days of HAL cruising portends.  

I hope you are correct.   

[Storylady]

@tennisbeforewine thanks for the posting on your wine tour out of Ensenada. Hadn’t planned anything for Ensenada, but the drive, the scenery and most of all the wine tasting sounded like something we would enjoy. Fortunately, there was still space available. Also enjoyed John’s photos. Thanks ever so much for the suggestion. Enjoy the rest of your cruise. Hope John gets the billing straightened out. 

[tennisbeforewine]

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

 

It’s quite a distance from San Diego to the bottom of the Baja Peninsula, such that we had a full sea day yesterday with an expected arrival this morning at 10:00.  However, the captain came over the PA system last evening and said that the currents have been stronger than expected, slowing our progress and now resulting in an arrival at 11:00.  To balance it out, however, we’re staying an hour later, so it all works out.

 

I imagine many of you have visited Cabo as we have, and enjoyed the beautiful natural setting with Los Arcos - the great stone arches in the bay.  We once took a boat ride out to the arches and their beach and found the area was even more beautiful close up.  It was a bit windy this morning, so the tender to the shore bounced up and down and waves washed over the bow.

Upon arriving on shore, the wind mostly disappeared and the 80-degree heat took over.  It was a beautiful day.

 

On our last couple of visits here, we’ve enjoyed having lunch at Captain Tony’s, which sits on the corner of the most touristy area on the water.  We headed there again and our five-minute wait for a table was well worth it.  The margaritas were huge and tasty, and the nachos even better.  John had ordered a plate of three fish tacos (I had one), and it was like eating tempura fish filets in a tortilla:  they were wonderful.

 

After lunch we began the hunt for the post card. I’ve mentioned that we send our granddaughter one from every port, and usually that’s an easy task.   You’d think in a completely touristy area like this we’d have no problem finding one, but you’d be wrong.  We walked clear to the end of the restaurant/bar/shop area and had no luck.  John assured me that if we just headed back to the tender we’d find some along the way.  I hate to admit it, but he was right.  We found a card with a beautiful photo of the arches, so I handed over the dollar for it, John paid for his new tee shirt ($14.00), and we continued on to our almost empty tender for a quick trip back to the ship.

 

If there’s one truth in life, it’s that margaritas require a nap, and that’s what we did.  Waking up, I looked out the window and the view could not have been better; those beautiful arches and their beach looked so close that we felt that we could have touched them.   Now it’s just time to sit on the balcony and wait for our 6:30 all-aboard and 7:00 sailing, heading to Mazatlan, our next destination.  Can’t wait.

 

P. S.  The account adventures with the front desk continue.  

 

 

[Dismomx5]

Thank you for sharing. It's amazing how far places really are when we look at a map. We think it's a hop, skip, and a jump, but in actual fact, there is quite a distance between places!
 

I do have one question, though. I love that you send your granddaughter a postcard from every port. After you (finally) found one, did you search out a post office to send it? I would imagine that that might be a problem at times. I'd love to start that tradition with a grand or two of mine. 🙂 

 

Thanks again for sharing!

[canadianbear]

I was going to ask the same about sending postcards-it’s a great idea.  My parents used to do that many years ago for my kids.