Category: USA

Traveling was fun, once upon a time. There was anticipation and excitement, once upon a time. When did did air travel cease being fun and become what it is today. Not fun. One needs to be a logistics planner and that is just the beginning. 

There was a time when you could book a flight and wait for the departure day. So long as you arrived a few minutes before takeoff you were just fine. Today, a logistics nightmare. 

So the plane is to depart at 9:30 but you need to be there by 7:30 (they say) because you must check in and be screened by security and possibly an immigration agency. You will need to leave home by 6:30. Oh wait, what day will it be? Will I need extra time. And so it goes. When does the fun begin?

The day arrives and the plan got you to the airport. Now begins the game of snakes and ladders that could not have been anticipated because it has all changed since the last trip. The airport is filled with travelers lined up before kiosks. Most clutching documents such as passports , staring with puzzlement at the machines. There may be someone from the airline to assist, but makes very sure you understand s/he really shouldn’t because you’re actually in the wrong place. 

Finally, baggage is tagged for the correct destination and the electronic version you worked so hard to get is unacceptable in the “secure” areas. Really? Nevertheless, another ladder has been scaled. 

Now the checked luggage vanishes through one of the holes in a wall guarded by some folks making sure you really have a boarding pass. Next, you and anything you hope to carry onto the plane walk into the “secure area” to be screened. Here we are thankful we have our NEXUS privileges and are in a queue of 20 rather than hundreds and we are not required to disrobe. 

Now immigration. Where we formerly filled in a little card to certify we were not bringing contraband we now stand before another machine to answer the same questions. However, the machine takes our pictures and prints a card like the one we used to fill out but with a black and white facsimile of our faces printed beside our attestations.

Finally, the only real human turns out to be the immigration officer. We have found the ladders and avoided the snakes (I think it’s a different term these days, something bad about snakes I suppose). 

We have negotiated the game board and 

arrived at departure gate A14. It turns out that the entire departure lounge is a restaurant where every chair has its own 

iPad to order food and be entertained, complete with a credit card transactor, yes, one per person. Fortunately, a young staff member from Moldova no less, was there to guide our first experience. The food turned out to be quite good although airport expensive.

Boarding was uneventful except of the bag than needed to be removed because its owner failed to board. How can that happen? After a shower from the de-icer, we were off to LA only 30 minutes behind schedule.

A Princess Cruises representative met us at the luggage carousel and escorted us to the location where we awaited the Marriott shuttle. It was very late, about 40 minutes late. The traffic at LAX was insane. This photo does not go it justice. You really had to be there.

 We arrived at the Marriott LAX to discover a power failure had them manually registering guests. Rather than wait for a room we had the Bellman store our luggage while we went to the restaurant for lunch, Los Angeles time, almost dinner Toronto time. The day is now coming to a conclusion. The sun, yes the sun, is setting but when we were out walking it felt like the mid 20’s C. 

We have registered with our Princess Cruises representative and our luggage will be picked up at 8 AM from our rooms to appear in our stateroom on the Star Princess, possibly before we arrive. Our bus is to depart for the San Pedro cruise terminal about 11:45 AM Tuesday.

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