(Daily Log will be written newest to oldest)
March 1 (first time) – At Sea
Two weeks down, 3 to go.
At 2:00 in the morning, we crossed the Equator.
We got up fairly early for some reason and had breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill.
We both went up to the cabana for a bit. It was quite windy so Matt went back to the room. I stayed inside the cabana and listened to my audiobook.
10:00 brought the King Neptune Ceremony for those who had not crossed the equator before. It was a lot of the same words that Regent uses, but the ceremony here was more crowded and hard to see what was going on unless you really kept moving around. I only stayed long enough to get a few pictures for the photo page.
Matt came back up to the cabana around 10:30 and we moved the lounge chairs just outside the cabana where it was less windy than out in the middle of the cabana area. We tanned for an hour before going to lunch at the Lido Buffet.
After lunch, we went back to the room and watched a movie. I went to the casino at 2:00 for a bit and did well.
I went back to the cabin and took a quick nap.
We looked at the menu for the main dining room and thought better of it, so we decided not to dress up and just go to the Lido Buffet.
Then it was time for the casino where we both did ok.
Back to the room for another movie and calling it a night.
February 28 – Tabuaeran, Fanning Island, Kiribati
We got up at 6:45 as we were getting close to Fanning Island as the sun came up. The ship anchored at 7:00. We went up to the 10th deck to get photos of the Island from the ship. It was a bit windy as the Captain had told us it would be. We kept watching for a tender to be lowered into the water, but that never happened. We knew we were not going to be able to go ahore.
Sure enough, at 8:00, the captain told us that because of the winds and the swell of the ocean (although it did not look that bad), we would be canceling our visit.
What we did not understand is that it was the same exact conditions that he told us it would be yesterday. Why he even tried, I don’t know. Guess he did not want us mad at him for 2 days instead of 1.
We went to breakfast in the Lido Buffet and then I did the usual going up to the cabana for sun time and to listen to my audiobooks. It was a bit windy up there, but everyone seemed to manage.
Lunch time rolled around and I met up with Matt and we ate at the Lido Buffet.
Afternoon was more time in the cabana for me and movie watching in the cabin for Matt.
Dinner tonight was in the main dining room. Again, an ok dinner, but nothing exciting.
After dinner, it was casino time and we broke even. We followed that with a movie in the cabin before going to bed.
February 27 – Sea Day
Yep, anther sea day with breakfast at Pinnacle Grill and tanning time for me up at the Retreat.
Matt came up and we had lunch together in the cabana.
The Captain told us that the temperature outside is 80 degrees (with the humidity starting to be felt.) Seas are fairly calm and we have come 660 nautical miles from Hawaii and have 304 to get to the Fanning Island. He did mention that the winds tomorrow will be in the 20 mph range. We think he is setting us up for a cancellation of the Island tomorrow. The Fanning Islands have been on our itinerary several times and we have never been able to get ashore. Want to take a bet?
Matt did his Bingo thing and I did a bit of casino time.
Dinner was in the Main Dining Room with Prime Rib as the featured main course. It was ok. Again, not spectacular. I did enjoy the cherry pie.
We went to the casino where we had absolutely no luck, so it was back to the cabin to watch a movie.
February 26 – Crossed the International Date Line (day does not exist for us)
February 25 – Sea Day
We are falling into a “Sea Day” pattern.
We got up and had breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. Matt then did some work in the cabin and I went up to the cabana area to lay out in the sun.
We met up for lunch in the Lido Buffet, then Matt went back to the cabin while I went back to the cabana area.
We had some time to relax in our cabin until dinner, which tonight was at “Morimoto At Sea”. It was an ok meal, but not as good as we thought. We are not sure if we will be going back to any of the specialty (pay extra for) restaurants on this cruise. We may go back for lunch, which costs less, at Pinnacle Grill.
After dinner, we did our normal casino time, where I did well and Matt not so much. He went back to the cabin to watch a movie while I played slots a bit longer.
Tonight we cross the International Dateline, so we do not have a Thursday. We move directly to Friday. We will gain the day back and have two March 1sts on our return from the South Pacific.
February 24 – Kona, Hawaii
Up at 6:00 to have breakfast via room service and to get ready for our excursion. The ship anchored offshore just as we were getting ready to leave the cabin.
Our excursion today is called “Pelagic Wildlife Excursion”:
Enjoy a wildlife-watching tour with an experienced naturalist captain and crew who will share their passion and respect for the ocean and its inhabitants with you. Kona is one of the few coastlines in the world with numerous species of wildlife year-round. Climb aboard a military-grade, 24-foot Zodiac Hurricane to explore the diverse habitat provided by Hawaii’s deep underwater geography — an ocean safari for the true adventure-seeker. Keep an eye out for 17 resident whale and dolphin species, turtles, sharks, Hawaiian monk seals and other species.
It came with this warning: Ride will be bumpy. Pregnant women, guests with back or neck problems or recent surgeries are not allowed to participate. Matt had read that people had thrown up on this excursion. So Bonine was taken before departing the ship.
We went to the theater at 7:30, our group was called at 7:45 and we were on the tender over to shore at 8:15.
As we got off the tender, we could see our “military grade” zodiac arriving. We had a group of 14 people. You ride sidesaddle on the edge of the zodiac facing inward, but turned to one side. There is a rope on the outside of the zodiac to grab hold of, as well as handholds inside and a rope at the bottom of the zodiac to put your foot under if you feel like you might lean back to far.
Our captain had some 35 years of taking people out, so we felt comfortable being with him. The ocean was pretty calm, so no seasickness, but it did get a bit bumpy when he pushed it up to speed.
We first went out and encountered a mother and baby humpback whale. We stayed about a football field away from them. There were several boats following them. Some were getting pretty close and our captain was a bit upset with them. He is a conservationist and tries to keep a distance to keep the whales calm.
After watching them for about 30 minutes, we made our way around the coastline to see rock formations. Along the way, we met up with spinner dolphins having a good time near the shore. Then it was back out into the open waters and we found a large pod of pilot whales, who got pretty close to our zodiac. It was then time to get back to the ship. It was good timing as our butts were getting pretty sore sitting on the edge of the zodiac.
We arrived back on land right at noon. I took the tender back to the ship and Matt stayed ashore to walk to Walmart to get some supplies he needed.
I had lunch and went up to the cabana for some tanning time. Matt got back to the ship and brought his hamburger and fries up to the cabana too.
I stayed in the cabana for a bit while Matt went back to the cabin to check the returned laundry (we send out our laundry each day and it usually comes back the following day).
I returned and downloaded all of our photos to the computer and Matt did his Facebook posting while I deleted a lot of photos of just water. You had to be quick with the camera to get a shot of the dolphins or whales.
By the time we did that, it was time to get ready for dinner. We went to the main dining room. We followed that with time in the casino, as it had been closed the past several days while either in port, or in Hawaiian waters. The casino was packed. I guess everyone missed being there.
Matt went back to the cabin to watch a movie, while I stayed in the casino an extra 20 minutes or so.
We then called it a night as it was a long day.
February 23 – Honolulu, Hawaii – Day 2
Again, no hurry to get up. We had breakfast in the Lido Buffet for a change and then we went up to the cabana to find it a disaster. Furniture moved around, workers equipment on chairs and an ugly sheet hanging at the back blocking the view (see photo page). We could also see workers on the other side of the sheet doing something.
Matt was not pleased and went to our concierge to complain. I went out to a lounge chair in the sun and laid out.
I could tell when Matt talked to the concierge downstairs, because all of a sudden there were officers and others looking at the 2 cabanas that were blocked. It took until 11:15 for everything to be cleared and set.
Matt had since gone to the Aloha Tower to pick up the Amazon package that was delayed in delivery. He also toured the area a bit before returning for lunch.
In the meantime, one of the cabana stewards apologized for the mess. He had been calling his boss to try to get the workers to clear the area. I told him it was not his fault. At the 11:15 point, his boss, an officer, came up to me to also apologize. I told him “thank you” and said that Matt was not happy and had left the ship. We’ll see if they do anything to compensate us a bit, as we pay for the use of the cabana daily and for half the day, it was unusable.
Matt and I had hamburgers and fries for lunch in the cabana. Matt went back to the room and I continued to lay out. He re-joined me at 2:00 and he got in an hour of sun time too.
Back to the cabin until dinner, which we had in the main dining room.
The ship left port just as we arrived for dinner.
After dinner, we went up to “High Score”, an arcade, where we played skee-ball and pinball (they have 2 pinball machines). All games are free.
We followed that with a lychee martini (quite good) at the Tamarand Bar and watched the sunset.
Back to the cabin for a movie and bedtime. Early excursion in the morning.
February 22 – Honolulu, Hawaii – Day 1
No hurry to get up as we are docked here in Honolulu for 2 days and have no excursions planned. We have done most of the excursions offered during past cruises.
We had breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill and then decided to walk around town, as we had some things to pick up.
We first went to the Aloha Tower, 15 minute walk away from the pier, to pick up a few items that we had ordered from the Amazon lockers. We continued another 10 minutes into town to do a bit of shopping, then another 5 minutes to Chinatown.
Being a Sunday, most stores were closed, but markets were open. We heard drums beating and just caught the last 30 seconds of a Chinese New Year Dragon performance. Just not quick enough to get a photo.
We came across the Manakea Marketplace and went inside. Several stalls were set up and I found two Hawaiian short sleeve shirts that I liked. They were VERY resonable.
We continued to walk around Chinatown for a bit before making our way back to the ship. We passed the statue of King Kamehameha, first ruler of Hawaii. We have passed it several times on past bus tours, but always hard to get a good picture of it. Across the street was the Iolani Palace, the former royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Next, we came across a church and beside it was the Lunalilo Ka Moi Mausoleum. It is the final resting place of Hawaii’s sixth monarch King Lunalilo and his father Charles Kana’ina.
We got back to the ship at noon. Upon entering our room, we found a lei for each of us. Every passenger received one. Not sure if it was a “sorry we’re stuck here” gift or what. We each got lunch and took it to the cabana. Sometime between the time we boarded the ship and got up to the cabana, it had rained and stopped. We were very lucky to miss it while we were out and about.
We ate lunch and Matt went back to the room to catch up on some of his favorite TV shows we have recorded at home. With the fast internet we can get on our devices via T-Mobile here in Honolulu, he can watch the shows on his laptop. I stayed up in the cabana area and laid out in the sun (yes, it came out quickly after the brief rain) and got in a few hours of tanning time.
We had dinner at the Pinnacle Grill, which for lunch and dinner becomes a Steakhouse. We both had filet mignon. One of the items offered was “Clothesline Candied Bacon”. Had to try it. Was good.
After dinner, Matt watched another TV episode, while I worked on this. That was enough for today.
February 21 – Maui, Hawaii
One week of the cruise down…four to go.
We were able to take our time getting up and having breakfast this morning, so we ate at the Pinnacle Grill.
Our excursion today was “Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden”:
Explore the magnificent Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, located north of Hilo on the Hamakua Coast.
You will have 1½ – 2 hours to stroll on your own through a slice of tropical rain forest, complete with orchids, heliconias, ginger, waterfalls, a fern garden, exotic birds and ocean shoreline.
More than 2,000 different species of plants are all labeled, including a very large display of orchids.
En route back to the ship, relax on a guided panoramic mini-tour of Hilo’s Old Town.
We met in the theater at 9:10 and were off at the posted 9:30 time. There were only 11 of us on this excursion. The garden did not open until 10:00, so on the way there, our van driver, Mike, who has lived here 53 years, gave us a quick tour of the downtown area.
We arrived at the garden at 10:00 and had an hour and a half to walk the garden, which was just the right amount of time to take in the entire place.
There were so many plants and flowers to see, and the garden even ran along the ocean. Matt was very busy taking all kinds of photos. Only are few are posted on the photos page. Most of the plants there were non-native and there were signs stating what each plant was and were it was native to.
A bit of history of the garden: The founder, Dan Lutkenhouse Sr. discovered the Onomea Valley while on a vacation to the Big Island of Hawai’i in 1977. Lutkenhouse was in the process of selling his long-established trucking business in California and retiring. He and his wife agreed that this is where they would like to spend the rest of their lives. They purchased the 17-acre parcel for its seclusion and beauty and once Dan began exploring the land, he decided to establish a botanical garden in order to preserve the valley and its beauty forever. Onomea Valley was once an overgrown and virtually impenetrable jungle, choked with invasive species, weed and thorn thickets.
Every day, seven days a week, until the Garden opened in 1984, Dan, his assistant Terry Takiue worked with cane knives, sickles, picks, shovels and a chainsaw to clear paths through the jungle.
We went back to the ship via anther tour of the area and a drop-off (for those who wanted) at the local farmer’s market.
Back aboard the ship, I went to the “Dive In” to get a hot dog and fries and took them up to our cabana. Matt went to “New York Pizza” to get one and brought it up too, so we could have lunch together.
As we were eating, it began to rain, so we were lucky to have just cloudy weather at the garden.
I stayed in the cabana on the lounge chair listening to an audio book on the life of game show host Bill Cullen until 3:00, while Matt went to the cabin to watch a movie. By the time I left the cabana, it had stopped raining.
As we were getting ready for dinner, the Captain announced that due to strong winds and high surf, it has been decided to skip the port of Nawiliwili, Kaui on Tuesday. Instead, we will stay an extra day in Honolulu. This also happened on the cruise through this area right before ours.
We had dinner in the main dining room with both of us having French Onion soup and Fettuccini with short rib Bolognese. During dinner, we left port just as it started to rain hard.
Back at our room, Matt worked on all of our ship accounting so far (it’s complicated how they post things), and I worked on this blog.
February 20 – Maui, Hawaii
The ship docked in Maui at 8:00 and our excursion began at 8:30. We did not eat breakfast on the ship, as it was provided on the excursion. It is as described:
The Molokini Crater & Turtle Snorkel leads you on an exciting exploration of Molokini reef and the unique marine wildlife that inhabits it. Molokini, Maui’s iconic crescent-shaped islet, is a beautiful reef known for its crystal clear waters, abundant coral, colorful fish, and resting seabirds. A protected marine conservation area, this volcanic crater is only accessible by boat with a certified tour operator. Turtle Arches offers a bonus snorkel site with its underwater lava formations and frequent turtle sightings. Continental breakfast is included, and a delicious BBQ lunch is prepared onboard.
There were about 90 passengers on this excursion and Matt had contacted the tour operator to find out about the size of the catamaran. They told him it held 150, so would not seem crowded. They were right.
The bus ride to the “catamaran” took a half hour. We took a seat on the upper deck so we could have fresh air and see any whales, which we did. There were several and some just seemed to be splashing their fins and having fun.
We arrived at the first snorkeling location (to see fish and coral) at about 9:00 and had 45 minutes in the water. This was a nice snorkel area in the volcano islet.
We then headed to Turtle Arches, about 45 minutes from our first stop. Upon arrival, the captain decided that currents were not right and that we would go to another area, another 45 minutes away.
When we arrived, it was getting cloudy and only about half of the passengers got back in the water to see the turtles. Matt was one of them, as I stayed aboard. I saw him go out for several minutes and return. There were no turtles to be seen.
They served lunch while we were at this stop, which included grilled chicken sandwich, hot dog or veggie burger along with 2 salads, one being a mix of macaroni and potato. Had never had the combination and it was pretty good. Dessert was a Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie.
We left that area and it was just a quick ride back to the pier.
Our busses were not there yet, so we had to wait about 20 minutes for them to arrive and take us back to the ship. We arrived back at 3:00.
We went back to our cabin and downloaded our photos to the computers, then got ready for dinner.
We did not feel like getting all dressed up for dinner (or Matt doing his hair), so we just ate at the Lido buffet. They pretty much serve the same things that are in the dining room, but is a quicker meal. Matt got a pizza from the “New York Pizza” station by the pool and brought it back to the dining table. I had teriyaki chicken and pork katsu.
Back to the room where Matt watched a movie and I worked on these pages.
The ship left the port a bit late due to the wind pushing the ship against the dock, so we departed close to 7:00 instead of 6:00.
February 19 – Sea Day
This morning, we were back at the Lido buffet for breakfast, as the Main Dining Room and Pinnacle Grill were hosting a brunch and were not open until 9:30.
After breakfast, we went up to the cabanas and the sun was coming out, so I changed and went up to tan while Matt checked on some things regarding tomorrow’s excursions.
Looking at our Ring cameras at home, we found that the west side of our temporary chain link fence had fallen. We made a call to my brother and nephew and they will put it back up for us. I am very lucky to have a brother and nephew who will do these things.
We also found out that Mama, one of our dogs, escaped the yard of their caretakers. They said that she just kept running and running and they chased her around the neighborhood for an hour before they were able to catch her. Whew!!! We know that everyone would have felt very bad if something had happened to her. I think she just wants to get home one way or another.
Matt came up and joined me in the cabana area and he even laid out in the sun for a half hour. During this time, the ship’s crew decided to grind away at some rust that was right above the cabana area. They only worked for about 10 minutes before they stopped. Either they were told to stop or realized that the paint dust was blowing down into the cabana area. Either way, we were glad they stopped.
We had lunch in the cabana…a “Wall Street” pizza for Matt. It has prosciutto, arugula, white sauce, gorgonzola, and mozzarella for Matt and a “Dive In Dog” described as a Nathan’s hot dog topped with American-style yellow mustard, relish, and piled high with a mound of crispy, frizzled onions in a poppy-seed bun with fries for me.
It got overcast and started to sprinkle, so we headed back down to the cabin.
Matt went to play “Bingo for a Cruise” and was one number away from winning. I stayed in the room and napped for a half hour before going to the casino until Bingo was over.
We both rested before dinner at Canaletto, the Italian specialty restaurant. Matt had veal and sage meatballs & grilled tiger shrimp and I had Veal Scallopini. All dishes were very good.
After dinner, we went back to the casino where Matt, once again, did quite well. Me? Not so much.
We went back to the room at 8:30 to pack up our backpacks for tomorrow’s excursion before watching a bit of TV and calling it a night.
February 18 – Sea Day
This morning, we decided to have breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill. This is a specialty dining venue that they open up in the morning to those who have Neptune or Pinnacle Suites. This makes it a more intimate and quiet venue, offering the same selection as the main dining room.
After breakfast, we went up to the cabana and were served a fresh fruit plate.
Matt left just as the sun was coming out, so I laid out for about an hour and a half. Nick and Robert, who I met yesterday, are kind of the cheerleaders in the cabana area and are trying to organize a few activities up there.
Matt came back up at 11:00 and at noon, we each ordered a pizza from our cabana staff.
The captain’s report: 72 degrees, 9 foot waves (going to a possible 12 feet tomorrow). We have come 1,622 nautical miles with 642 more to go to Hawaii. He has slowed the speed down to 17 mph as we have passed the bad weather.
The rain started heading our way, so the tanning time was over. We decided to check out the stores on the ship.
Matt went to play Bingo and I spent some time in the casino. We are still coming out ahead in that area.
Dinner this evening was in the main dining room. I had a chicken dinner. It was a bit on the dry side, and Matt had Beef Wellington, which he said had a soggy crust, the mushroom was not great, but the beef was good. So far, we rate the main dining room food somewhere in the 6-7 range.
Dinners here are 3 courses (appetizer, main course and dessert). Although they are not large servings, they are just the right size to fill you without feeling stuffed. We could always go to the buffet and get more food, but so far, that has not been necessary.
It was back to the casino again, where Matt once again did well.
We went back to the cabin early so Matt could watch a movie.
One more sea day before Hawaii.
February 17 – Sea Day
Did the normal wake up at 7:30 and breakfast in the Lido Buffet.
Matt is feeling much better today.
We did a bit of room tidying and then I went up to the cabana with hopes of sun, but that was not to be. I chatted with some of the guests up there, and it quickly became lunch time.
Matt and I met up and went to the Lido Buffet.
After lunch, I went back up to the cabana (still no sun) and listened to some music while Matt watched a movie in the cabin.
At 3:00, I went to the “Lido Fair”, the Holland America version of the Country Fair on Regent. You play carnival type games and receive tickets. They then have drawings for chachkies and gift certificates for dinner in the specialty restaurants. I did not win anything, but it was fun to do…once.
I went back to the room to rest for a bit before our dinner in the main dining room. Dinner was ok…nothing special. They do need to learn that food needs a bit of seasoning. We seem to be adding salt and/or pepper to almost everything served in the buffet and main dining room. The specialty restaurants do a nice job of that.
After dinner, we contributed to the casino fund.
Back to the room where I worked on this page and Matt finished a movie he was watching.
The clocks go back one more hour so we will be on Hawaiian time until we get there.
February 16 – Sea Day
Awoke again at 7:30 with breakfast at the Lido Buffet. I think it will be a thing. A lot of items to choose from.
We got more things settled in the room before I went to the cabana for a bit of sun. It was still a bit overcast today, windy and seas of 9 feet (which rocked the boat pretty nicely). I pulled my lounger part way out of the cabana and was in the sun as the cabana itself blocked a lot of the wind. We have the nicest cabana stewards, Fahmi (Fah-me) and Chester. They make sure we have whatever we need. I think I’m pretty easy. All I need is a glass of iced tea and I’m happy. They really want to do more. Of course, with all the wind, there were only 8 people total in the Retreat (cabana) area. One group of 4 in one cabana, 2 in another and Matt and I. So…only 3 of the 12 available cabanas in use today. If you scroll down to the June 17, 2024 post, you will see all that you get with the cabana.
Matt joined me (he stayed inside the cabana) for awhile before lunchtime.
The Captain gave us his report at noon. The temperature was 61 degrees and that we have traveled 866 nautical miles from San Diego with about 1,400 more to go to Hawaii.
We decided to go back to the buffet, which today, was so-so.
After lunch, our laundry we sent out on Saturday night came back and Matt sorted it all out. He is very good at making sure everything we sent came back.
Next came Bingo time for Matt while I sorted out our “non-refundable” vs. “refundable” shipboard credit with the destinations department. I decided to cross the ship on deck 10 (outside) and got wet from mist, but did see a nice rainbow off the back.
We met back at the room and rested a bit before getting ready for dinner. Matt was not feeling 100%. Not sure if it’s the rocking of the ship, or lunch, so dinner was not the best experience for him.
We did eat at the Tamarind restaurant with Pan-Asian cuisine. Matt had shrimp tempura, some of the Thai beef salad and wasabi & soy crusted beef tenderloin. I had lumpiang shanghi (eggroll) and Mongolian pork chops.
After dinner, Matt went back to the cabin while I spent some time at the casino, coming out even at the Three Card Poker Table.
There was a “Gatsby Party” by the pool tonight, which included something like a murder mystery, but was a jewel thief who-done-it instead. We passed.
Tomorrow is sea day #3.
February 15 – Sea Day
Awoke at 7:30 and had breakfast at the Lido Buffet before taking care of a few issues which our Neptune Lounge concierge took care of.
The Captain has told us that we are 381 nautical miles off the coast of California with just about 1900 more to go to Hawaii. It is 61 degrees with a gusty winds and 3 foot waves. He thinks the weather will be the same tomorrow, but we may have rougher seas with 9 foot waves. Time to wear the “Sea Bands”.
We ate lunch in the main dining room and while Matt played Bingo in the afternoon, I went to the cabana and sat inside (too cold to go out of the cabana) and chatted with the cabana stewards. I was the only one up there, so we could talk without them worrying about other passengers.
Our dinner tonight was in the main dining room. Matt had shrimp jambalaya and I had the chili rellenos. Both main courses were quite good.
After dinner we attended the Captain’s reception and the Production Show “Hits On 45”. The cast did a nice job, and just as a comparison to our Regent Cruises, for a larger ship we were surprised that there were less cast members and no live band. This is the cast’s last cruise and they will be leaving when we get back to San Diego.
After the show we went for our usual night at the casino where Matt did VERY well.
We turn the clocks back one hour tonight, so it’s an extra hour of sleep for us.
February 14 – Embark/Departure
We got to sleep in a bit this morning before re-packing and heading to the ship at 11:00. We only had a minute to say “hi” through the security to our friend Janet, who disembarked this morning.
Because we have a Neptune Suite, the process to get onboard went VERY quickly. Rooms were not ready, so we had lunch at the Lido Buffet. By 11:50, rooms were ready, so we dropped off our bags and took care of a few things before a quick visit to our cabana to check it out and meet one of the crew members there.
Things were slow to arrive to the room. In fact, Matt did not receive his luggage until 4:30.
I tried to surprise him with a floral arrangement for Valentine’s Day, but it arrived without a card (that I had requested), so I had to explain that I got it for him and what the card was supposed to say.
Unbeknownst to me, he had packed a box of my favorite See’s candy to surprise me.
Our Early Dinner seating time is 5:00, so it was a bit of a rush getting there.
We had a nice dinner. Not as much food served as Regent, but I think it is the right amount so we don’t get stuffed every meal.
Matt unpacked after dinner and then we went to the casino where we came out a bit ahead for the evening.
Back to the room where we had swan towel animals on the bed for Valentine’s Day.
Matt got all of our clothes ready to send to the laundry tomorrow morning. After the flight on Thursday, 2 days of hotel and today on the ship, most everything either needs to be washed or just pressed.
By the time that was done, it was time to call it a night.
February 13 – Pre-Cruise San Diego
What a nice day we had today. It began with arriving at the San Diego Zoo just a few minutes before the 9 AM opening. We were on the 2nd Bus Tour, which takes you around the perimeter of the zoo, taking in the large animals and giving you an overview of where you might want to return to. For those who may go in the future, go to the upper level of the bus and sit the right hand side.
After the 45 minute tour, we began our walk, taking in the right side of the zoo first. It included reptiles, the hummingbird habitat, and the tiger, hippo and ape areas.
By then, it was time for lunch. I had made reservations at the only sit-down restaurant and requested outdoor seating. We got a table right next to the large waterfall at a corner table…great atmosphere. I had chicken piccata and Matt had a steak.
Then it was off to see the rest of the zoo with visits to see the pandas, hippos, rhinos, giraffes, elephants, camels, koalas and so much more.
We believe we saw all 100 acres. Even though it is a maze of paths, Matt negotiated all of them in a thought out order (the map helped too).
We finished at 4:00 and went back to the hotel to rest a bit before dinner.
We went to “Mona Lisa Italian Foods” restaurant, which was about 4 blocks from the hotel. This was a nice local restaurant with large portions at a very reasonable price. Matt had a dinner salad, chicken parmigiana and tiramisu, while I had minestrone soup with a caesar salad.
A stop was made on the walk back to the hotel at the 7-11 to get a bottle of water and a bottle of orange juice for tomorrow morning, before watching some TV and calling a night.
February 12 – Pre-Cruise San Diego
We were up at 5:30 AM to finish packing and getting ready for our ride to the Sacramento Airport. Eric from Vintage Limousine arrived at 7:15 and we were at the airport just after 8:00. Quick check-in at Alaska Airlines then over to the “Escape Lounge” (the only lounge at the airport) to wait for the flight to board and have breakfast.
Our flight boarded at 10:15 and we were off at 10:45 with arrival in San Diego at 12:30.
We Uber’d to our hotel…a quick 10 minute ride…and were pleased to find that our hotel room was ready upon arrival. We are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn Bayside with a nice view of the bay. We did get a knock at the door and it was a front desk clerk who arrived with a bag of goodies, bottled water and a nice note. She told us that we had been selected as “Guests of the Day”. Nice touch.
Matt napped in the afternoon, while I went down to the pool area to lay out and rest, even though it was very overcast.
We had dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, which was a 15 minute walk from the hotel before returning and calling it a night.
Prologue
June 17, 2024
We began talking about future cruises some time ago, but with our less than stellar experience on our last Regent Cruise, we started looking at other cruise lines. This has led us to our choice of Holland America. Though it is a larger ship, our friends Phil and Janet, who we have sailed with before, love the line so we thought we would give it a try.
A call today to Brenda at Travel Leaders and within 20 minutes she had us booked in our cabin…7053, a Neptune Suite. It was chosen as it is near the Neptune Lounge, where Matt will be able to grab snacks throughout the day. As I will be in the sun daily, I also booked a private 2 person cabana (13′ X 8′) looking out over the ocean (one of 14 in a private upper deck area) for the entire cruise. With 20 sea days on this 35 day cruise, it will be used every day. There is also an area with loungers in the sun. With the cabana, you get:
Luxurious loungers and table, separate seating area, bathrobes & slippers, warm and cold towels, handheld fans, Evian Brumisateur spray, chilled bottled water setup, fruit basket, healthy breakfast and lunch choices, ice cream in the mid-afternoon and chocolate-dipped strawberries, frozen grapes and a glass of sparkling wine in the late afternoon.
June 23, 2024
Holland America lets you book excursions as soon as you have booked the cruise. We have studied all available, removed those that we have done in the past and booked.
Excursions booked:
| February 20 | Maui, Hawaii | Molokini Crater & Turtle Snorkel |
| February 21 | Hilo, Hawaii | Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden |
| February 23 | Kauai, Hawaii | Wailua River Cruise & Fern Grotto |
| February 24 | Kona, Hawaii | Pelagic Wildlife Excursion |
| March 4 | Raiatea, Fr. Polynesia | Raiatea Reef Discovery |
| March 5 | Papeete, Fr. Polynesia | Tahiti’s Natural Treasures |
| March 6 | Papeete, Fr. Polynesia | Ohana Catamaran Escapade |
| March 8 | Moorea, Fr. Polynesia | Motu Beach Picnic & Ray Feeding |
July 19, 2025
The airline booking window has opened, so we have decided to fly Alaska Airlines from Sacramento to San Diego arriving 2 days before the cruise. This will allow us to spend one day visiting the San Diego Zoo, something I know Matt will enjoy. As we now know our flight dates, we also booked our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn Bayside.
September 4, 2025
Specialty Dining Reservations opened today and we were able to book 3 complimentary dining venues: Tamarind (Pan-Asian), Pinacle Grill (Steakhouse), Canaletto (Italian) and one other restaurant, Morimoto By Sea (Japanese). We booked each of these early into the cruise and will book more of each onboard if they cater to our taste.
January 31, 2026
Two weeks to boarding day and boarding passes are online and have been printed. Now it is just waiting for our vacation to begin.