Well, here we are, the last port of the trip….San Diego. Like it or not, we set the alarm for 5am, because breakfast would be at 6:30am in both the dining room and the Pinnacle Grill. The Lido was even earlier at 6am.
Just as Captain Smit predicted, the pilot was picked up in the dark, and the ship sailed into the picturesque San Diego Harbor. Too bad most of the guests did not see it. Both of us were awake, due to a strange noise in the corner of the room near the bed. It was like something was swinging and hitting the wall with the deep swells. We searched everywhere, but finally decided it was coming from next door. It finally quit happening when the seas calmed down around 1am. We were lucky to get 3 hours of sleep.
Breakfast was nice as always and the waiters all came by to say goodbye. Some of them were also going home, with many new crew members boarding today. Afterwards, we walked the promenade deck to watch the activity on the pier. The ship had major re-fueling to do before heading back out at sea on the way to Hawaii. And new provisions were waiting in several big rig trucks on the pier. The ship was not cleared until well after 8am.
Since we did not have a set time to debark, we could choose to go anytime from 8am to 9:30am. We always hang out in our room watching the morning news before leaving. Well……after our deck walk, we came back and guess what? Our room keys did not work. We were locked out. We went to find our room steward, who came to let us in. We were not alone, as more guests found they were also locked out. Someone on the ship pushed the "erase button" way too soon. Not wanting to take a chance that would occur again, we stayed there until 8:30am.
There was no line at the gangway, and we were pleasantly surprised to see Captain Smit standing outside saying farewell to the departing guests. That is really a nice touch we think. Hopefully, he will be on another cruise we take as he earned an "A-plus" from us. We also said goodbye to Darren the hotel manager inside the terminal, as well as some of the crew who had lined up to wave us onward.
The line for the Customs and Border control zigzagged back and forth, taking about 20 minutes to see the agents and get clearance. They were quick with the passport and photo checks, then we were off to locate our luggage. We had a black tag, which happened to be the area right next to the customs check point. We easily found our luggage and proceeded ever so slowly to the taxi line. We got a driver who was a magician fitting all four bags and us with hand carrys in his vehicle. It was well-worth the $25 taxi fee compared to the $24 per person bus ride with HAL.
We arrived to the airport, a mere 3 mile ride, around 9:30am. It was a bit surprising to see how many people were traveling, although this may be the beginning of the holiday crunch. The first thing we were told was that there were delays with some of the San Francisco flights. It turned out they were the flights that had connections to Canada and elsewhere. The storm system had delayed many of those flights, but we were OK. We checked in the four bags and if they were slightly over-weight, they did not mention it. Maybe fewer folks are checking baggage these days, so they are not so picky.
The line for the TSA security check was really long. Disneyland-like back and forth lines took us up to 45 minutes to get through to the end. But it was not to be easy. Knowing that we did not have to take our shoes off was nice, but when you do that, you are questioned. As long as you are over 75 years old, you are OK to leave the shoes on. If they are questioning you, then take it as a compliment. They think you are younger than 75, right? So belts, jackets, sweatshirts, and any other metal type objects have to be put on the xray machine. This time, Bill's camera bag had to be emptied into one of the tubs. First time that happened. The scanner lady said it was empty it now, or be pulled aside and empty it with another agent. I had to do the special xray due to my knee replacement. The lady also did a pat-down of that knee. Always leave plenty of time for these procedures that may take longer than you expect.
Our flight was running 10 minutes late, but still was leaving by 12:50pm. It was a typical commuter flight, so it was full. We are always happy when the TV screen works in the seat in front of you. We watched a documentary on the Inuit's life in Alaska, which included hunting scenes. Very entertaining. We landed and deplaned by 2:30pm, went to the luggage carousel, and found our luggage immediately. Like we said, few folks on these short flight have bags to check.
Our driver was waiting at Starbucks, and we were on our way home in the rain and the wind, which probably slowed the traffic down more than normal. It was moving, so that was a good thing.
We arrived home just as darkness settled in. Safe and sound and really tired after a long day. It was hot soup and pizza for us, and early to bed. It was a wonderful trip, and it is also nice to be home.
Thanks for joining us on this Alaska/South Pacific journey. God-willing we will be back on the 2025 Grand World Voyage on the Zuiderdam. To be continued…….
Bill & Mary Ann
