Cruise Day!

Saturday, April 20, 2024

How fun to get up on Saturday morning and see the Zaandam docked right outside our window! 

Photo taken from our balcony!

As per our usual cruise day routine, Bob took a long walk while I showered and took my time getting dressed for the day. He ran across a fish market as he walked along the shore. Fishermen were cleaning and selling fish directly from their boat which Bob found quite interesting!

Jon needed to return their rental car to the San Diego airport by 11 am so he dropped off Michelle and all of their luggage at our hotel first. Once he had the car returned, he Ubered back to join us. 

Getting an elevator on the 14th floor for four people and all of our luggage proved to be the most challenging part of getting to the ship. Once we were outdoors it was just a quick walk across the street and we were at the pier. I had read horror stories of very long waits for people to board ships in San Diego, but in our case once we dropped off our luggage outside and walked into the terminal it was smooth sailing 😄. We breezed through security and never stopped walking until we were on the ship. 

Our rooms were ready so we first dropped off our carryon bags before heading to lunch at the buffet. We were in cabin 7086 and J & M were one deck below us in 6125. 

Bob and Jon checking out "our private balcony"...aft on deck 7.

I had an agenda that I wanted to accomplish after we ate lunch at the buffet which required a little more walking than was comfortable for me...but we got it all accomplished. One of the first tasks was to check on the location of our table in the dining room. When we got there we found out that J & M had not been assigned to the same table as us! Fortunately that was an easy fix. I had asked our HAL personal cruise consultant (PCC) to request any of four possible tables in the dining room. (I had gotten a diagram of the table placement back in 2019 when we did our Antarctica cruise on the Zaandam.) He pulled it off and we were assigned #20, a table for four on the upper level right by a large window. Perfect.

To make sure it didn't sell out, the four of us had booked a tour for our stop in Astoria which required paying in advance. Since we each had so much onboard credit (OBC) I wanted to have someone in the shore excursions department switch the payment over to use the credits...something that could only be handled once the cruise began. Unfortunately because the 11-day cruise could also be booked as a 7-day and 4-day itinerary, they couldn't do this until the second itinerary began. This went on my to-do list for a week later.

While we were close to guest services I wanted to get a hole punched in my ship card. The line was sooooo long that I skipped that. Bob was nice enough to go back later and get that taken care of.

Lastly, we had to report in at our muster station on the promenade deck. Our station was on the port side, J & M had to go to the starboard side. We still needed to watch the safety video on the TV in our cabin but that was done while we were unpacking.

And unpacking is what happened next...at least for me. Bob did some roaming around the ship and checked out the pickleball court. Having him OUT of the room makes it so much easier for me to unpack. I met our room steward and made my usual requests...extra hangers and ice twice a day. By the time Bob returned and did a little of his own unpacking it was time to go up "our private stairs" to the aft pool deck for sail away. 

Bob and Jon 

The Zaandam cows seem uninterested in the San Diego skyline.

Looking back at the San Diego cruise terminal.

A zoomed in view of the USS Midway.

An even more zoomed in view of the aircraft on deck of the USS Midway.

The ship left later than planned so we decided to eat at the buffet rather than going to the dining room for our 5 pm dining time. At 8:00 we attended the "Origin Story" in the main theater...a look back at Holland America's 150 year history. The presentation was a slide show with cruise director, Erin, reading the narrative off of a teleprompter. 

Almost every single evening, after the main entertainment, the four of us played cards or some other type of game. Most of the time we sat at a table in the buffet. By then dinner service was over and there were only a few others around and we could enjoy a cup of tea while we played. I know I won't be able to remember what we played on what nights, but what I do know is that I am probably the world's worst card player!! As the cruise continued, I did get a "little" better. What I DO remember is how much we laughed. 

And that is why I didn't take any notes for the blog. It was so fun to be with good friends. They were able to get my mind off of my ailments and all of the heavy stuff we had been dealing with. By the time we got back to our cabin each evening I was worn out and ready to sleep. And with the ship to rock us to sleep each night we slept well!

Travel Day to San Diego

 Friday, April 19, 2024

Compared to flying from the Sioux Falls regional airport which is much closer to our home, flying out of Minneapolis-St. Paul is almost always cheaper and more direct for us. But…it does involve a three hour drive from our house. That certainly isn't a hardship when we know that we will get to see our grandkids at the end of that three hour trip! So as usual, our actual travel began the night before when we left our home and spent the night at son #2's house.

Whatever respiratory virus I had been fighting was getting a bit better but the lingering cough hadn't improved much. I made sure to keep a pocketful of cough drops handy because once I started coughing I just couldn't stop. My knee (that I injured at the beginning of the previous cruise in late January) was really no better either. Wearing a knee brace made it feel a little more stable, but it was still painful to walk. My doctor had given me a cortisone injection a couple of weeks before our trip but it did very little, if anything, to relieve the pain. What a way to start a vacation!

Our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until almost noon so we had a leisurely morning. We were able to spend time with the grandkids before they left for school and then son #3 and his wife stopped by briefly after dropping off our other grandkids at school. (All five of our grandkids go to the same school.) 

It was snowing lightly when our son drove us to the airport. (Seems like most of our trips begin in the snow!!) There was no wait to drop off our bags but getting through security took some time. I always hold my breath when I put my bag on the scale, but no worries today...it was "only" 48 pounds. Bob's luggage was 37 pounds and that included my heavy toiletry bag that he had graciously agreed to pack for me.

I was worried about my cough and was hoping no one would be in the middle seat between Bob and I...but there was. I think the guy must have also had a cold so we might have just traded germs. I went through many cough drops on the flight trying to tame the tickle.

The flight did go smoothly though. I was thankful for my noise cancelling headphones when the small child in front of us screamed for much of the flight. 

We landed on time at 2 pm (Pacific Time) and our luggage was already on the carousel by the time we got to baggage pickup. As Bob grabbed the suitcases, I was on the phone with the Wyndham San Diego Bayside hotel inquiriting about their shuttle. I was given directions where to meet the van and was told it would be 2:30 before it arrived. We had just gotten to the meeting spot and the shuttle was pulling in at 2:20. Only one other couple was with us.

We barely had time for our selfie before the hotel shuttle arrived!

I had booked a city view room, but we got lucky and were upgraded to a bay view room on the 14th floor. Wow! When we got to the 14th floor we realized we had been so excited about the upgrade that neither of us had heard what room we were in! Bob had to go all the way back to the lobby to find out! Once in the room, Bob grabbed his binoculars and we sat on the balcony for a long time just enjoying all of the activity along the waterfront. 

A great view from our 14th floor room! And to think it had been snowing when we left Minnesota!

The Maritime Museum was across the street from the hotel.
We had visited the museum prior to our Panama Canal cruise last year.

The cough medicine I had taken was making me quite sleepy so Bob went for a walk while I napped. His mission was to scout out someplace nearby where we could get some dinner.

USS Midway aircraft carrier has been converted into a floating museum.

The 25-foot "Unconditional Surrender" sculpture near USS Midway.
The statue is copied from the famous 1945 photo in Life magazine.

Bob walked past the USS Midway which is now a museum and returned with photos of several different menus from restaurants along the way. We decided on the Hazelwood Deli which was the closest of all of the restaurants (it was actually part of the Wyndham Hotel) and had a decent menu. We both ordered burgers (which were huge and delicious!) and sat outside and enjoyed people watching as we ate.

This photo taken from our table at the deli shows just how close the cruise ship pier is to our hotel!

After dinner we returned to our balcony and sat outside until after sunset when the chill chased us back into the room. Throughout the evening we kept in touch with our friends and travel companions, Jon and Michelle. They had flown to Tucson and spent a few days with Jon's brother and then rented a car to drive to San Diego. They didn't get in until later and spent the night at a Hilton Garden Inn about 12 miles away. 

Our day ended with warm showers and some TV time. The two hour time difference had us in bed fairly early but anxious to start our next journey!

Boarding the Koningsdam

 Tuesday, January 30, 2024

We managed to get to breakfast at the hotel before things started to get really busy so finding a table wasn't difficult. (I knew a lot of cruisers were staying at the Best Western Yacht Harbor.) Scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and biscuits with gravy...not bad. I overheard a couple saying they were getting on the cruise so we stopped and visited a bit as we were leaving the dining room. They were from Wisconsin and this was to be their first cruise. Normally they travel in an RV and had visited all of the U.S. states except for Hawaii. They decided a cruise would be a good way to check off the 50th state from their list. Wonder if they will get hooked on the cruising way of travel?!

Bob did another long morning walk along the harbor while I showered and got ready for the day. When he got back we sat on the balcony waiting until it was our scheduled time to catch the hotel shuttle to the port. The Best Western Yacht Harbor hotel provides a free shuttle that runs every 45 minutes to the port starting at 10:45. Our original boarding time was 12:40 pm so we signed up for the 11:30 am shuttle. 

Around 11:15 we gathered our luggage and went down to the lobby and saw the shuttle being loaded. It pulled out just as we got to the front desk and I asked if that was the shuttle we were SUPPOSED to be on. The gal said there was a "problem" and they would call us a taxi and pay for it instead of sending us on the next shuttle. We never did find out what the problem was but there were no complaints from us...it was much nicer to have a private taxi than squeezing into a crowded shuttle. Ron and Jean (whom we had met the day before at the pool) were also being sent in a cab.

The Koningsdam pulling into the port of San Diego in the early morning hours.
Photo shared on the Koningsdam January 30th Facebook page.

The Koningsdam docked at the port of San Diego in the early morning hours.
Photo shared on the Koningsdam January 30th Facebook page.

The taxi dropped us off inside the port area where we dropped off our luggage with the porters and got into a line outside the building. People who had walked to the port from nearby hotels were waiting in a longer line just to get inside the fenced in port area. 

Cruisers lined up to get inside the port.
Photo shared on the Koningsdam January 30th Facebook page.

There were mountains of luggage piled in the parking lot. It only took a few minutes for our line to reach the door. I looked at my watch as we entered the building and it was exactly noon. The line snaked back and forth through roped off queues. As I was walking through the maze I felt my knee twist slightly and pain shot through the back of my leg...again. 😢

I hobbled through the rest of the line using my wheeled carryon bag for support like a cane. Once we went through the security screening and had our bags scanned there was another queue to have our faces scanned and compared with our passport photos which literally took seconds to complete. Finally at that point we were sent directly onto the ship with no further waiting. Boarding was on Deck A at the bottom of the ship so there was a bit of a wait for an elevator.

Our room (obstructed view cabin 4070) was ready so we quickly dropped off our carry on bags and backpacks and put our valuables in the safe. I was determined to get to the main dining room for lunch rather than fight the crowds at the buffet. Lunch in the main dining room was scheduled from 12:00 to 1:00 and we arrived at 12:50. With my knee (now more painful than ever) it was nice to sit and be waited on. An older man and younger woman (perhaps father/daughter?) sat at the table next to us and we had a nice visit while we ate. Bob had a club sandwich and I ordered the roasted cauliflower with a burger and fries. (I ordered the cauliflower out of curiosity but actually thought it was pretty good!) Bob ordered cheesecake for dessert which we shared.

 

Embarkation lunch in main dining room.

The burger was topped with bacon jam.

While we were in the dining room we took the time to check out the location of our table for the early fixed dining. We were pleased to see that we had a table for two right by the window! Another stop was made at guest services to have a hole punched in my keycard so I could attach it to my lanyard. Before going back to our cabin we also checked in at our muster station located by the BB Kings Blues Club.

I was in quite a bit of pain so Bob left me to unpack my carryon while he went up to check on the pickleball courts. My large piece of luggage got delivered shortly after and I got it unpacked too. When Bob returned he announced that he had played pickleball with Lamont, the comedian onboard the Koningsdam.

The ships at the San Diego Maritime Museum located next to the cruise ship pier.

The obstructed view from our cabin, #4070.

I was already feeling discouraged because of my sore knee when a deep bass music beat and drums started pulsing through the cabin. Rehearsal was happening in BB Kings (two decks below!) and it felt like the band was practicing right outside our door. There weren't many obstructed cabins available when we booked the cruise but I should have done a little more research. Even though BB Kings was two decks below our cabin the club has an open ceiling and the sound carried right up into our room. 

I might have dealt with the noise a little better if I wasn't tired and in pain, but it was more than I could tolerate at that point. I tried calling guest services on the phone but was put on hold for a LONG time. That just frustrated me even more so I gave up and me and my bad knee limped down to guest services (GS). When I left our cabin, two sets of neighbors were standing in the hallway also upset because of the music. 

As I was waiting in the long line at guest services a lady came up behind me practically hysterical because she didn't know where her room was. In fact, she didn't even know WHAT her room number was! I helped her pull up her boarding pass on her phone which showed her cabin number. She thanked me over and over as she left to go find her cabin.

The next lady that walked up behind me was beside herself because her luggage hadn't been delivered. I explained that sometimes it takes awhile, but she was sure she was going to Hawaii for 18 days with only the clothes on her back. Yes...cruising can be stressful...especially on the first day.

Eventually it was my turn to talk to one of the GS workers...a sweet girl named Daisy. She was very sympathetic with me and suggested she come up to our room so she could hear how loud the music was. Of course by the time we got back the music had stopped. She instructed me to call GS if it happened again. 

Sail away was supposed to happen at 5:00 pm (our assigned dining time) so we made the decision to skip dinner in the main dining room and eat at the buffet after the ship had left San Diego. We went to the aft pool area to watch as the ship left the port and on the way spotted Bob's luggage sitting by the elevator. Whew...glad to know it was on the ship. 

Sail away was delayed a bit but while we were waiting we experienced a beautiful sunset. By the time the ship started to move it was dark and getting quite chilly.

That outdoor stairway hanging over the edge of the ship was CREEPY.

Golden Hour

The city lights were starting to twinkle as the Koningsdam left the port.

As we were headed into the buffet we saw Ron and Jean that we had met at the hotel. I mentioned my sore knee and she offered to loan me a knee brace and actually dropped it off at our room while we were at dinner! (Our room steward put it in the room for us.) Aren't cruisers just the nicest people around!

Lido Buffet menu

After dinner we went back to the cabin long enough for Bob to unpack and then we went down to Billboard Onboard for the 8:15 show. Guess who was there...Ron and Jean! It was funny how we ran into them so frequently for a couple of days and then didn't see them for most of the cruise. 

Another surprise was "Sailor Steve" that we had met on our cruises last winter sat down right next to us. He pretty much lives on cruise ships but I hadn't realized he was going to be on the Koningsdam. It was also fun to see that one of the two piano players was Clara Vee whom we had enjoyed so much on the Zaandam in 2023. The Main Stage theater was featuring the "Origin Story" (the 150 year history of Holland America Cruise Line) which we had previously seen so we didn't mind skipping it.

The ship was starting to shake and shimmy a bit and the fog horn was blowing. The captain had warned us that we would be encountering large swells (4 meters) by tomorrow evening. I was feeling a bit of motion sickness (which is rare for me) and we decided to call it a night. At that point we both decided that bed was the best place for us to be. 

Hobbling in San Diego

 Monday, January 29, 2024

The two-hour time difference had us in bed early the night before...very early...but the night was not a good one. My sore knee was painful and I just couldn't get comfortable. A couple of Tylenol PM tablets around midnight finally did the trick. I was surprised when I woke up and it was past 6:30 am. I had been worried that I would be awake by 4:00 am.

The free hotel breakfast wasn't outstanding, but it did have a nice selection of hot and cold foods. Back in our room after eating we heard revelry being played at the Point Loma Naval Base across the street.

I knew trying to walk much with my sore knee would not be wise so I hung back at the hotel while Bob took off exploring. Throughout his walk he texted photos and videos and I followed his location on my iPhone...so that was sort of like going together, right? I iced my knee and sat on our room balcony enjoying the warm weather.

Following Bob's location via my iPhone...

A few photos Bob took on his walk...

When Bob returned, we ate a "snack lunch" on the balcony. Bob got particularly excited when a loud roar indicated a fighter jet was taking off nearby. Each time he would grab his binoculars and try and identify what type of aircraft it was. He had seen many of the military establishments on his walk and learned a little about the area from stopping and talking to locals that he encountered.

After a siesta, the two of us went downstairs and sat by the pool. We began in the sun but after about 20 minutes it was just too warm so we moved to the opposite side in the shade. Bob played many games of Spider Solitaire and I listened to an audio book that I had downloaded on my phone.

Another couple, Ron and Jean, showed up after we had been there awhile and we had the nicest visit with them. They too were headed to the Koningsdam cruise ship the next day. The time we spent together was what I've missed most about post-pandemic cruising...the social interaction. On our recent cruises we have kept to ourselves and tried to avoid close contact with others as much as possible to avoid catching Covid...or any other type of bugs. You really do meet such interesting people on a cruise!

Military jets continued taking off occasionally during the day. Each time the roar from the engines was so loud that it felt like the building was shaking. Bob called the noise "the sound of freedom."

My knee was feeling a little better after a day of rest and I was ready to get out of the hotel. Around 4:30 pm we walked across the street and meandered along the harbor looking at the boats and seagulls during the golden hour before sunset. 

We ordered dinner at the Point Loma Seafood Market and intended to eat on their rooftop deck but the evening air was just a bit chillier than what we dressed for. Instead we chose an indoor table by the window overlooking the marina.

Bob ordered the clam strip platter and I got a cod sandwich on sour dough bread and we were both happy with our choices. By the time we finished eating it was dark and the lights of the marina twinkled on the water and made for a scenic walk back to the hotel.

Best Western Yacht Harbor Hotel in San Diego

Bob occupied himself watching several movies on TV...all at the same time by flipping back and forth during commercials. 😒 I tried to organize my luggage (which was already a mess after only one day!) and looked forward to being able to get unpacked on the ship. Holland America had just changed their embarkation procedures from having specific assigned boarding times to instructing everyone to show up after noon. I crossed my fingers that the embarkation would go more smoothly than what I was anticipating.