Category: USA

The long step at sea

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We spent most of this morning waiting but it provided opportunity to chat with other travellers who were also waiting. While waiting for the porter to retrieve our large bags then waiting for our 11:45 bus to arrive at 12:30. All things worked out well and there was no wait at all to check-in and board the Star Princess. By 1:30 we were munching on our traditional boarding day lunch, cheese burgers, and by 3:00 PM all baggage had arrived, been emptied and we were sitting quietly on a hallway floor during the muster drill.

The first four or five days of this cruise are spent crossing a large part of the Pacific Ocean, which, contrary to its name, is not so peaceful. This time, each of the first three nights were progressively more bouncy, making us happy we again chose accommodation in the less affected midship area. Now, as we approach Hawaii, the weather and sea condition is improving minute by minute. I wouldn’t be surprised if the pools were open today, during the heavy weather they turn into wave pools and unsafe to use.

Thus far we have met a number of people with whom we have previously shared this trip. There are also many for whom this is a first experience and others who are experienced travellers. It is easy to meet people on the ship. We share tables with different passengers for each meal and conversation is generally good. We also meet folks in the lounges where the entertainment this time is quite enjoyable. Elua is a duo that perform Hawaiian theme music and drive the Hawaiian cultural experience by their music, teaching lei making, ukulele, and hula. The Gemstones Quartet has been performing very danceable music in the Wheelhouse Bar.

There are, as expected, numerous children, mostly well behaved. Yesterday, with some help, they made a  number of gingerbread houses. They are on display in the Atrium along with other Christmas decorations and there are decorated Christmas trees everywhere.

We are just arriving at Honolulu so I will post without photos and load them later.

The second step

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YYZ Snow just before boardingToday was a big step, about 4,000 km and predicted to be nearly six hours. Our departure was scheduled for 0945 Eastern time with a 1237 Pacific time arrival (1537 Eastern time). According to the airline we departed at 1022 Eastern and arrived at 1353 Pacific (1653 Eastern). The details are more fun.

Having avoided the morning traffic rush by staying at the Airport we were still up at 6 AM. That made for an easy shuttle ride to the terminal and a quick trip through check-in, airport security and US border services, leaving time for a leisurely coffee and breakfast.

We boarded the airplane as scheduled just as a reasonably heavy blast of snow hit the airport. The airline employees continued to call for passengers to voluntarily gate check luggage taking care to remind us that the plane was full and there might not be sufficient overhead room for all of our carry-on baggage.

Interestingly, the reason for the initial delay at the gate was that the ground crew was having some difficulty stowing luggage, meanwhile, inside there was still some space available overhead. Although the airline lists departure as 1022 the plane actually pushed back from the gate at 1040. Then from 1110 to 1125 we were at the anti-icing station and it was actually 1144 when the wheels left the ground. The flight was otherwise uneventful and we met our Princess Cruises representative around 1430 and arrived at the Long Beach Hilton by 1525.

LAX traffic protocols have changed. No longer do multitudes of cabs and hotel shuttles plug the road in front of the passenger terminals. Instead there is a fleet of green busses shuttling passengers and luggage to a transfer point where the taxis form long queues and vie with ride sharing vehicles for customers. The worst part of this system is that it creates an extra luggage handling step, on and off the shuttle and it is not particularly easy to throw a 20 kg (45 lb) on and off the shuttle bus. Otherwise it seems to reduce traffic on arrivals. Later we shall see what happens on the return.

During our search for a dinner venue, which we found, we came across the “Waters Edge Winery” right in downtown Long Beach. A short chat with one of their staff was intriguing and we decided to return after having dinner. Gail enjoyed her glass of sauvignon blanc while I tasted five of their offerings and all were very nice. Apparently, they are a group of franchised “mom and pop” micro winery operations. Yet another interesting concept.

We’re Home

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The photo above is what greeted us as the Emerald Princess arrived in San Pedro harbour, AKA Port of Los Angeles, at about 6 AM with all aboard. Disembarkation day is always a bit of a zoo. Passengers are asked to place luggage outside of staterooms for transport ashore around dinner time on the evening before arrival and then vacate staterooms by 8 AM the next morning. Almost everyone complies so every food service, buffet, cafe and dining room is busier than normal. There are always a few passengers who are able to disembark with all their luggage so they are the first to leave, some live only a few minutes from the port. The remainder of us proceed to various lounges and common rooms to await our departure. They use a colour and number system to tag luggage and schedule departure. We were Yellow 7 scheduled for a 10:10 AM departure but that meant a two hour wait.

Everything proceeded right on schedule and our departure was very quick. Homeland Security just checked our passports and said “have a nice day”. Once outside we were directed to our bus transportation to LAX. The trip to the airport took about 20 minutes, from the time we passed the big LAX sign until we arrived at terminal 6 took another 40 minutes. If you had to drive through LAX airport you’d think Toronto airport traffic a breeze. Check-in and luggage drop, 10 minutes. TSA Pre-check, another 10 minutes, then we wait, again. Flight time, 3:40 PM.

Our Airbus 320-200 delivered us to Toronto Pearson airport on schedule at about 11:15. Thanks again to Nexus and a bit of luck at the luggage carousel we were out of the airport, picked up the car at Park’nFly and arrived home before 1 AM. There was a couple of centimetres of snow on the car but it was gone by the time we reached Burlington.

With access to home internet I have finished uploading the remainder of the photos. Some are in the sidebar, the whole trip is in the slideshow below.

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Crossed the Pacific to Ensenada

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At the time of this posting, internet service is still not great but we will make this our final post before arriving back in Burlington. There are no more photos in the album, the remainder will have to wait until I am home.

We just did a little shopping while in Hilo, the macadamias are too hard to resist. Perhaps some will actually make it home. Although Mauna Loa was cloud covered for the entire day we did not get any rain.

It is now nine days since we left Los Angeles, more precisely, San Pedro behind to sail across the Pacific to the islands that are said to be the most remote from any major land mass than any other. It is also claimed that the volcanos on the island of Hawaii are the highest mountains on the planet. Measurements are from the sea floor to the summit. Given the physics of their creation in comparison to that of the reputed highest peaks, such a reputation is reasonable. Never-the-less, it is possible to climb the recorded height of such peaks as Denali or Everest whereas that is not possible with Mauna Loa or Mauna Kea. Each is, in its own way, a geological marvel.

On a more personal note, it seems we have developed a reputation as the “tango dancers” on board. At times there are others on the floor when we dance with other musical groups but more often we are alone when Anna and Olga, the Sun Shine Duo, are playing a tango. They tend not to play the more commonly recognized tangos but their performances are superb. Almost always Olga looks for us and makes eye contact with a wink, smile or nod to invite us to dance. The first tango they played for us is one called Libertango which was the music selected for a show dance that Bonnie and I performed a little over a year ago. They have also learned that playing “The Lady in Red” almost guarantees we will perform a bolero. Since Anna and Olga most frequently entertain in the Piazza there is a large audience. We can see passengers stopping along the Atrium railings two decks above the Piazza floor. Thanks to our dance teachers, Bryan and Patricia, we seem to be able to execute an entertaining version of tango. Last evening we had danced once and were content to sit out the next one when a passenger sitting next to us looked over, smiled and motioned to the floor with an expectant smile. What else could we do? It was Libertango. This duo has become one of the two most entertaining and enjoyable groups on board this otherwise rather mediocre cruise, the other being “Elua”, “Tiki Dave” and Leialoha, the Hawaiian Cultural Ambassadors. It also appears that Gail and I may have become part of the Piazza entertainment. We really haven’t danced as much on this cruise as on others and most commonly dance out tango and bolero with an occasional rumba or cha cha. The number of passengers who stop us to say they enjoy our performances is quite surprising and numerous. They are performances since it is exceedingly rare that any others join us on the Piazza floor.

After leaving Hilo to sail east across the Pacific the ride has not been smooth. There are no huge waves just waves big enough that the wind turns their peaks into surf and a swell deep enough for the ship’s bow to make considerable spray. There has been enough movement to turn the swimming pools into wave pools which some seem to enjoy. We have been using the hot tubs frequently and they don’t have the same wave action as the larger pools. In the islands we stayed on deck to enjoy the sun but as we sail east across the Pacific the temperature has dropped a bit and lounging on the deck chairs is not for us.

On the evening of Sunday, December 30 we paid a visit to the Crown Grill steak house thanks to a gift from our travel agent. We enjoyed a very good quality and well prepared filet mignon. I think the 8 oz rating may be a bit conservative but if you were up to the task there was a 22 oz porterhouse available.

The afternoon of December 31 saw the performance of the Aloha Oe show. During the sea days on the cruise Hula and ukulele lessons were provided by the Hawaiian Cultural ambassadors “Tiki Dave” and Leialoha and this show is the culmination of that instruction. The stage was full and Gail performed with the hula group.

Our trip across the Pacific has been anything but smooth. It has not been violently rough but enough so you really know that the deck is moving beneath you. As we approach Ensenada, Mexico this morning, January 2, the sea became quite calm. There was no majestic sunrise and it is still quite cool but it looks like we will have a sunny day. Ensenada harbour is not one of the prettiest. It is an industrial site primarily but there is room for a couple of cruise ships to berth. A brief excursion ashore confirmed a sunny but cool day.

Back aboard, we took a little walk around the deck then back to the room to pack. Tomorrow we expect to arrive in San Pedro early then wait for our 10 AM transfer to LAX.

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