🐾🐾 Sea Dog is Live! Tiki, Tacos and Tequila: Navigator, October 18-25

[Sea Dog]

8 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

Is that another balcony/patio to the right of yours in the photo?  Looks like a table and chairs on it.   
 

Doesn’t appear to offer much privacy.   

We share this balcony patio with another room that is not connected to ours. We were not happy that they left glass ware on the table and even pulled an ottoman out from the room onto the patio.

 

[Arzeena]

31 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

We share this balcony patio with another room that is not connected to ours. We were not happy that they left glass ware on the table and even pulled an ottoman out from the room onto the patio.

 

Hmmm. I am not sure if I would be comfortable staying in such close proximity to absolute strangers, especially if they smoked the heck out all night on the patio or had a wild party or peeked into my room.
I think this patio room is an upgrade from their standard rooms, but they also have private balcony rooms (?).
Some years ago when we cruised from SP we had considered this hotel a lot, but went for Crown Plaza which was walkable to a lot of things.
I remember the SP port "shed" (could not call it a building) looked like an industrial shed and thought even Bayonne ( at that time the old tent terminal at Bayonne for those that know) was better. But hopefully it has developed into something more nicer now. I am talking about 2014 and 2016.

Edited Thursday at 05:11 PM by Arzeena

[jmh2006]

Wow!  @taznremmy Pat that is so, so nice of you to take care of the dining reservations!  🙂

 

Greg, so glad you and Linda made it safe and sound and had a great first night of Tiki time! 🌴

[Sea Dog]

30 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

Hmmm. I am not sure if I would be comfortable staying in such close proximity to absolute strangers, especially if they smoked the heck out all night on the patio or had a wild party or peeked into my room.
I think this patio room is an upgrade from their standard rooms, but they also have private balcony rooms (?).
Some years ago when we cruised from SP we had considered this hotel a lot, but went for Crown Plaza which was walkable to a lot of things.
I remember the SP port "shed" (could not call it a building) looked like an industrial shed and thought even Bayonne ( at that time the old tent terminal at Bayonne for those that know) was better. But hopefully it has developed into something more nicer now. I am talking about 2014 and 2016.

So far we have not seen the other people. Another weird thing is the ottoman that’s out there belongs in our room.

 

We drove by and he Royal terminal. It’s basically a long grey looking inflatable building. Weird looking.

[Sea Dog]

Air conditioning fixed. We are back in our main room. They have offered us a free dinner or breakfast but I think we may pass. Dinner tonight at Secret Island and we may skip breakfast as we have embarkation Key lunch.

[Luckynana]

What a great experience you and Linda enjoyed at your Tiki Bar and Restaurant last night, Greg!  I could be real comfortable hanging out there!  Absolutely beautiful Polynesian atmosphere at it's best!

I hope you enjoy this evening's Tiki experience just as well!  🥰

[Sea Dog]

The Battleship of Presidents:

 

 

Earned for hosting several US Commanders-in-Chief, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush, the USS Iowa is berthed right next to where Royal Caribbean docks their ship.

 

 

 

The museum of this mighty battleship is a must see for anyone interested in these massive warships and their history and involvement in WWII, The Korean War and the Cold War. I will not get into the many facts about this ship because there are so many. You can learn more here:

https://pacificbattleship.com/learn-the-history/statistics/

 

But needless to say the self guided tour was extremely impressive. So I will just leave you with some pics on our time on the USS Iowa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now back to the hotel for maybe a nap as tonight we visit the Tiki Bar “Secret Island.”

[lenquixote66]

Happy Anniversary,Greg.

[Sea Dog]

1 minute ago, lenquixote66 said:

Happy Anniversary,Greg.

Thank you Lenny!

[SteelCityCruiser10]

8 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

We share this balcony patio with another room that is not connected to ours. We were not happy that they left glass ware on the table and even pulled an ottoman out from the room onto the patio.

 

That’s so awkward IMO.  I’d only book this room if my family was in the adjoining room.  

 

That ottoman would be dead to me too.  lol 🤣 

[DaKahuna]

Happy 27th Wedding Anniversary Linda & Greg 

[George C]

Happy anniversary, Greg and Linda 

[Cherful59]

Happy anniversary!  I will be following along as well.

[JamesEM]

Happy Anniversary!!

[Sea Dog]

Journey To Secret Island

So night two of our pre cruise “Escapism “ included a stop at the popular Secret Island Tiki Bar in Long Beach. It is the perfect place to pretend you’ve escaped your everyday life to a remote island…with killer cocktails. 

The entrance is down a flight of stairs into the abyss. A elaborate display wakes up to sight and sound as you pass by. 
 

 

The moment you walk in, you're hit with a blast of tropical décor that feels like Trader Vic’s and Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room had a wild night and gave birth to a bar. There’s bamboo, tiki masks, and enough mood lighting to make you forget what time of day it is (or how many Mai Tai’s you've had).

 

 

I loved the changing color clouds over the booths. It felt as if you feeling an oncoming storm of strong tiki libations. Intermittent flashing of lightning and the sound of thunder would accompany the arrival of specialty cocktails.

 

Speaking of drinks, the cocktails here are a rum lover’s dream. Each one is an adventure. First off was a rum runner. A classic tiki cocktail and it was delicious.

 

The food delicious as well. Me munched on. BBQ Pork Sliders

 

Coconut Shrimp.

 

 

And a big plate of shareable fries.

 

We were surprised when we came in to see a large group of people with name tags. Who are these people?

 

I found out it was a private party of a conference for mayors of California. Luckily we got a table and after about :45 minutes of they all left .

 

 

Next up was the Pele’s Fire was a high octane cocktail of pineapple and orange juice with cinnamon and habanero bitters. It packed a spicy punch.

 

 

 

 

I loved the Lava Chair. It looked like molten lava oozing out of the rocks with some steam. Naturally I had to get a picture with the Pele’s Fire cocktail.

 

In short, Secret Island is the kind of place where you can sip a strong drink, forget you’re in Long Beach, and pretend you're on a vacation you didn’t even know you needed. Just be careful: one too many Painkillers and you might end up trying to book an actual flight to Hawaii. Aloha!

 

Here is a video recap of our amazing journey to Secret Island. 
 

 

 

Edited Friday at 04:46 AM by Sea Dog

[NHProud]

Happy anniversary, Greg and Linda , and wishing you an enjoyable cruise. 
 

Well , you’re doing better than we did last Oct. at that hotel.  No cookies , no balcony and no offers of a free meal.  It is was cool and overcast yesterday and today so sorry you were uncomfortably hot.   Did you reserve the hotel shuttle to the port , tomorrow? 

Edited Friday at 04:38 AM by NHProud

[Sea Dog]

15 minutes ago, NHProud said:

Happy anniversary, Greg and Linda , and wishing you an enjoyable cruise. 
 

Well , you’re doing better than we did last Oct. at that hotel.  No cookies , no balcony and no offers of a free meal.  It is was cool and overcast yesterday and today so sorry you were uncomfortably hot.   Did you reserve the hotel shuttle to the port , tomorrow? 

Yes we did Judy. I will say the staff here did try their best to remedy the situation. We did get the AC fixed and they offered a free dinner or breakfast but we already had plans. I did ask for some extra cookies and got some. I have no idea why they didn’t have cookies for you. The shared balcony is a joke. Very disappointed about that. They finally did clean up the empty glassware that was out there and returned the ottoman that was sitting out there. Can’t say we will be back but I did like the proximity to the port.

[NHProud]

1 minute ago, Sea Dog said:

Yes we did Judy. I will say the staff here did try their best to remedy the situation. We did get the AC fixed and they offered a free dinner or breakfast but we already had plans. I did ask for some extra cookies and got some. I have no idea why they didn’t have cookies for you. The shared balcony is a joke. Very disappointed about that. They finally did clean up the empty glassware that was out there and returned the ottoman that was sitting out there. Can’t say we will be back but I did like the proximity to the port.

I’m glad they took care of it for you. A shared balcony must have been an unexpected unpleasant surprise.  We had booked the Crowne Plaza this year but had to cancel our cruise. Your pics are absolutely gorgeous.
 

 

[perfect match]

Those Tiki Rooms you went to certainly looked like a lot of fun! I have no expectations of us visiting the west coast any time in the near future but both would be on my list of places to go if we do get there. 
 

I’m glad your hotel worked to make things right for you, but that shared balcony - that would be a hard no for me! Fortunately it doesn’t seem like your neighbors in the shared space gave you any problems, so that’s a good thing. 
 

@taznremmy that was so nice of you to make the dining reservations for Greg and Linda! 

[dani negreanu]

 

🌺 Linda & Greg,

Congrats on your 27th Wedding Anniversary  💐

[Ocean Boy]

8 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

That’s so awkward IMO.  I’d only book this room if my family was in the adjoining room.  

 

That ottoman would be dead to me too.  lol 🤣 

It would be the same as having the balcony divider open on a cruiseship with strangers in the next cabin... very awkward and uncomfortable.

[Ocean Boy]

It is good that we don't have one of those Tiki bars around here, at least that I know of. They look way too interesting.

[Sea Dog]

 

 

I can’t sleep….

 

 

It’s after 2am!

I’m wide awake like a child on Christmas Eve. What to do? Let’s write a poem

 

“‘Twas the Night Before Cruising”

 

Twas the night before cruising, and all through the port,
The excitement was buzzing, of every sort.
Our luggage was packed for the porters with care,
In hopes that the Navigator soon would be there.

We passengers nestled, snug in our temp beds,
While visions of ocean views danced in our heads.
With pass in hand and the sea calling near,
Tomorrow we'd sail, the adventure so clear.

When arriving to the dock, there arose such a cheer,
The Navigator gleamed, the moment was here!
With captain and crew all prepared for the ride,
We knew in our hearts it would be quite the glide.

So here’s to the journey, the fun, and the sun,
The night before cruising—tomorrow, the fun’s begun!

[Sea Dog]

 

24 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

It is good that we don't have one of those Tiki bars around here, at least that I know of. They look way too interesting.

Hey OB!

 

 

You would have loved this. The Mem’s bathroom at Secret Island had a Kraken. I immediately thought of you. Cheers!

 

 

 

Edited Friday at 09:56 AM by Sea Dog

[Sea Dog]

Cruising Partner For Life

Happy Anniversary to my beautiful wife Linda. 27 years ago today we became cruising partners for life. Thank you my dear. It’s been one great cruise.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to my Cruise Critic friends who took the time to wish us a happy anniversary. You are the best.

Edited Friday at 11:20 AM by Sea Dog