LIVE / NOS /Weekend Getaway/ Aug 4 – 7, 2023

[HBCcruiser]

Welcome to my “LIVE from” the Navigator of the Seas. To be perfectly upfront, @Awjeez317 started a great LIVE from the NOS last week. 

Those of you who are following him, please understand that mine will not compare. He is a great storyteller. I am NOT. I am more of a short and to-the-point kind of writer. My job has made me that way. Sorry. I will, though, answer (or do my best trying) any questions you might have as we go along and will sprinkle lots of photos throughout. Now onto the cruise stuff. 

 

A few months ago a close friend of mine decided to give the 3-night NOS cruise out of LA a shot. We both live in Hermosa Beach, CA which is really close to the port. You must understand my friend normally hates sea days and prefers exotic port-rich cruises where she can plan exclusive, fun tours. That being said, I was a little surprised that she was willing to try this cruise. Her reasoning was that it was much cheaper to do this weekend cruise than it was to stay in a hotel in say Palm Springs for the weekend. True that! Especially with the steep rise in hotel and restaurant costs lately. IMO living close to the LA port in San Pedro has its benefits, such as being able to jump on these 3-night cruises for a short weekend getaway.  I have sailed out of LA on this and similar cruises many times and really love it. I consider this my chance!  If I can get her to enjoy these short cruises I have a new cruise buddy, and more chances to cruise. A Win-Win!   

 

My friend is rooming ... or is it cabining? I will go with cabining… with her mom, and I am cabining with my DD.  We booked 2 spacious balconies right next to each other. I know, I know… NO SUITE FOR YOU!  😱. Yup!  I am venturing out into the land of the gen pop this cruise. It is back to Steerage Class for me! 😂😂  Hmmm…Will I miss the suite life? It is only 3 days. Right? I guess the big question is – do we request early or late cleaning? I am thinking late because my DD likes to sleep in. Thoughts on that? 

 

To help control my not-in-a-suite-this-cruise anxiety we booked the Key when the price dropped. This gives us priority boarding, priority seating at shows, VOOM (now StarLink), and a nice Chops-like lunch on day one, among other perks. Sounds pretty nice. I have never gotten the Key before so we shall see how it goes. It only cost us a bit more than the WIFI which everyone in our group needs anyway. Work and such… We also booked a casita on the sea day which guarantees us a place to lay out and grab some sun-n-fun and of course plenty of adult beverages🍹🍹. Last time we were on NOS the pool deck got really crowded on the sea day. It was hard to find chairs – even in the suite area (which is a joke on this ship IMO).  

 

For some added deliciousness, we booked the Chef’s Table. I really enjoy this meal with the wine pairing and great food. Yes, I always ask to switch out the first appetizer with beef carpaccio (too many fish dishes IMO), but they never seem to take issue with that. The Chef’s Table on the VOS last month was probably one of the tastiest I have ever experienced.  That chef was top notch! Let’s hope this one is just as yummy. 

 

This 3-day getaway takes us to Ensenada, Mexico. Being the wine lovers that we are, we decided to book a private wine tasting tour. A lot of Napa winemakers are expanding their wine production into the Valle de Guadalupe which is a short ride from Ensenada. Some of the wines are quite good. Should be fun! I have done the ship wine tour excursions which were just ok IMO. We shall see how the private tour compares. 

 

Our check-in time at the port is 10:30 AM tomorrow. My plan was to pick everyone up at 9:45 AM and drive to the port. A small wrench was thrown into the plan a few days ago, though. Long story short, my DD, who is a student at ASU, earned an Arizona traffic ticket in May due to having dark window tinting. She fixed it and paid that off but the officer also marked that she did not have car insurance. SHE DID AND SHE DOES! As a result they suspended her license so now we have to stop by AAA first thing in the morning to file some sort of form so her license can be reinstated. What a cluster. I have never heard of such a thing have you? Anyway, I hope to still be able to complete this chore and get to the port by 10:30 AM. Crossing fingers. 🤞

[HBCcruiser]

Oh yeh, on our cruise last month we fell into the duck hunting/hiding trap. WE LOVE IT! I didn't' think it would be so much fun but it really is. It reminds me of the Easter egg hunts we did as kids then again as parents. This cruise we plan on hiding a bunch of ducks so if you are on this cruise be on the lookout! 

 

Some of our ducks to look out for: 

 

 

[HBCcruiser]

Our letter describing our Key benefits arrived last week.

[Cherful59]

@HBCcruiser Following along.  Hope you get DD issue resolved quickly and can be on your way!

[HBCcruiser]

35 minutes ago, Cherful59 said:

@HBCcruiser Following along.  Hope you get DD issue resolved quickly and can be on your way!

Thank you so do I! It’s so weird. She had insurance!! We may have to get an attorney involved if Arizona doesn’t reinstate her license soon. They made the mistake. Frustrating.

[HBCcruiser]

My workday is almost over then I leave to get my DD at LAX. Ooh and I get to sit in LA traffic for about an hour and a half. Woopie!! 

[Rusty_lock]

I’ll be following along. I get on navigator in 2 1/2 weeks.

[HBCcruiser]

20 minutes ago, Rusty_lock said:

I’ll be following along. I get on navigator in 2 1/2 weeks.

Cool thanks! Let me know if you want any specific info. I’ll do my best to get it.

[Rusty_lock]

1 hour ago, HBCcruiser said:

Cool thanks! Let me know if you want any specific info. I’ll do my best to get it.

Thanks, I’m pretty familiar with the ship. This’ll just whet my appetite. 

Edited August 4, 2023 by Rusty_lock

[HBCcruiser]

My DDs United flight was actually early! No delays. Nice. Now it’s time to finish packing, have some wine and relax. 😎

[Jetmama1]

I will be joining you on this one. Arrived at the Doubletree San Pedro this evening. Ready to get started!!

[HBCcruiser]

1 hour ago, Jetmama1 said:

I will be joining you on this one. Arrived at the Doubletree San Pedro this evening. Ready to get started!!

Awesome!! Please feel free to post your experiences on this thread too. Are you joining the sail away party on deck 12 - Lime and Coconut bar? I hope to meet you.

[HBCcruiser]

[Jetmama1]

15 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

Awesome!! Please feel free to post your experiences on this thread too. Are you joining the sail away party on deck 12 - Lime and Coconut bar? I hope to meet you.

Thank you! I plan to be there just before I head to dinner. 

[Coralc]

Is the Lime & Coconut bar the former Sky Bar or just the Pool Bar? I have yet to figure that out. 😄

[HBCcruiser]

5 hours ago, Coralc said:

Is the Lime & Coconut bar the former Sky Bar or just the Pool Bar? I have yet to figure that out. 😄

It’s the main pool bar that spans 3 decks. We are meeting on the upper deck, deck 12. It may have been called the Sky Bar, not sure. 

[HBCcruiser]

It’s a beautiful sunny day! Good day for a cruise.

 

[Jetmama1]

Safety briefing complete from my hotel. I just need to check in at muster once onboard. 

[HBCcruiser]

13 minutes ago, Jetmama1 said:

Safety briefing complete from my hotel. I just need to check in at muster once onboard. 

Same here. Except I watched it from home. We are getting ready to go to AAA to see about my DDs insurance/license issue. 🙄 Ugh! Wish us luck! 

[HBCcruiser]

@Jetmama1 is it sunny there? It’s cloudy here RN - damn marine layer! 😱 

[Jetmama1]

Cloudy but bright here. Hopefully that marine layer will burn off soon. 

[HBCcruiser]

so we were delayed at AAA but finally got it fixed BUT internet a cluster. Anyway, we made it onboard by 11. Went up to 11 for drinks then back down to 5 to explore. RAJ is onboard!! Sooo cool. He’s the best bartender. We will be doing rainbow shots there later. Promise. Tons of traffic headed in.

 

 

 

 

 

Now at the Key lunch.

[Jetmama1]

15 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

 RAJ is onboard!! Sooo cool. He’s the best bartender. We will be doing rainbow shots there later. Promise.

In which bar can I find RAJ?

[HBCcruiser]

Soup to start.  LOVE the Chops soup!

 

Cheers!

[HBCcruiser]

4 minutes ago, Jetmama1 said:

In which bar can I find RAJ?

The Bamboo Room or Tiki Bar. Best drinks!