The Pinnacle Grill was full of people this morning at breakfast time. The diners must have been lined up at the door before 8am, probably due to the time change last night. We had a mimosa and a pontsetiia to help fortify ourselves for packing later. "Later" came right after we went back to our room. At least we had already sent two pieces of luggage home from Ft. Lauderdale. It shipped from Florida on April 6th (via Fed Ex), and arrived to our home in California by April 13th. It wasn't cheap, but worth it since we had paid for overweight bags (65 pounds each). We had a good friend who injured his rotator cuff while schlepping bags on his way back from a cruise. Eventually, it required surgery. We never forgot his story, and keep it in mind when doing the same thing.
So, we did have to buy another duffel bag while in Ft. Lauderdale. Good thing we did not wait until we were on the ship to buy one, as they don't sell them here. On the grand voyages, they do carry them, because the passengers tend to buy a lot more stuff. And there are the extra ship's gifts to consider.
For some reason, one of us always thinks it will only take a short time to double bag the toiletries. Wrong…..it took all morning. We had squeezed in as much as we could in the shipped bags, but we still had extra stuff left. The clothes were easier. After the job was almost done, all three suitcases were close to the 50 pound mark or a little less. Hope our handheld scale is correct, as the ship was moving up and down quite a bit.
It was a good time to "cash out" at the front desk, as well as getting a copy of our shipboard account. Think we may have mentioned that they do not automatically print your account summary and send it to your room anymore. They expect you to download it to your cell phone. Not us…we don't own one. So while she was doing that, I asked about how many folks would be leaving the ship in San Diego. She said about 350. More will join the ship, then it will sail north to Victoria. From there, it will start the Alaska season.
As well as getting our yellow one ship tags, we had a letter with instructions for tomorrow. Specifically, we will need to see the US Customs and Border Protection inspectors in the Stuyvesant Room on the ship at 9am. We will need to bring our keycards and passports, but no luggage. Guess this will take the place of the facial recognition technology we had in Ft. Lauderdale. Once passed, we will receive an immigration card needed to disembark.
During his noon talk, the Captain said that conditions would remain about the same the rest of the way to San Diego. We will arrive very early, pick up a pilot, then be alongside by 8am. All aboard for those who are continuing on will be at 9:30pm. Why so late, no one seemed to know.
It was time for a lunch break in the Lido. We had small salads, because we made reservations in the Pinnacle Grill tonight. Sitting near us, was a couple who continuously coughed. We highly suspect that more people are sick, but will not report it. We went for a walk on the promenade deck and just about froze. It was the coolest on our side of the ship – starboard. No sun at all.
Back inside, we strolled through the Shops expecting to see a lot of shoppers, but there were only a few. It was a surprise for us to see tables full of bargains for Alaska things. Of course, the vendors are smart selling the Alaskan sweaters, knit scarves and hats, and sweatshirts. People were buying those for sure.
We got the final Journeys booklet with the sticker of this 19 day Panama Canal Cruise. We forgot to mention that the TV reception has been terrible ever since we left the Canal. Even worse as we travel the coast of Mexico. Cannot count the times we phoned and asked if it was happening ship wide, or was it just our TV. Never did get an answer on that question. The internet has been spotty…..coming and going, as well as losing the connection. That's not exactly what you need when trying to confirm airplane flights and the ride home. Eventually it did get accomplished.
It was time to crack open the bottle of sparkling wine we got almost 3 weeks ago. It has been chilling in the refrigerator for days now. Too bad it is too cold on the veranda to enjoy it out there. We toasted the end of another fun cruise, as we slowly sipped the drink for an hour.
Stashing the last of our clothes in the suitcase, they will be ready to put outside the room after dinner. Speaking of dinner, we did go to the Pinnacle Grill for our usual meal of wedge salads with the candied bacon on the side, warm bread, the 7 ounce filet mignons with tempura onion rings, and a shared order of French fries. Absolutely no room for dessert, we were happy campers.
Passing through the Billboard Onboard, we were glad to see pianist, Hyperion Knight, performing for a packed room. Even extra folding chairs had been set up into the hallway for the folks to sit. Now this is what the passengers like. Judging from his performance, he will get the thumbs up. We have had the pleasure of listening to his concerts on many world cruises. Glad to see that he is still doing it. Very talented fellow.
Well, the bags are out in the hall, and we are ready to turn in early for a change. Breakfast at 6:30am will come all too soon.
Stay tuned………….we will be back with final thoughts as soon as the dust settles. Sure has been fun sharing our adventure with you all.
Bill & Mary Ann
NO Pictures
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Report # 129 Day at Sea enroute to San Diego, California Monday - April 25, 2022 Very cool & 65 degrees
