After two days on board the ship, we
met some of the familiar faces from the staff and crew. Some of the
crew we knew were transferred, a few were promoted, but the veteran
crew, the team we call it, are still around. We feel more
comfortable knowing that a few people we know are still on board.
The passengers on the other hand are a
different bunch. There were a few kids and teenagers, making the
ship a livelier environ and erasing the image of the cruise ship as
God's window for the waiting senior citizens
. There`s a man who
walks with two women on each side, but he swears he is not from Salt
Lake City. We see a couple smooching at the hot tub. This is
something unusual when the usual average age for this kind of cruise
ship are seventy years old! There were also a few that came just
for the Christmas holidays and obviously, the casino on board.
Today, in San Diego, our first port stop, we had additional six
hundred (600) people who boarded the ship. As a requirement,
everybody should attend the emergency passenger drill.
We've been here in San Diego several
times in the past and had seen and explored the city hence I didn't
arrange for any tours. We took a cab and went to Horton's Plaza in
search of Star bucks, not for coffee but more for the wii-fi
connection
. Within an hour, we were able to download our emails and
made some precious phone calls.
“I love San Diego, “ I told Bert
about three times while walking toward a shop. I thought he might
pick-up on that and walked faster. But today was obviously a no rush
day.
San Diego is California's oldest,second largest and southern most City. “It's a little bit like NewYork,” described Bert while crossing the pedestrian walk. “Except
there is no crowd and it is more quaint,” he added. The city is
walkable and there is a trolley and a public bus service. Cabs are
plentiful too and there are even pedicabs available for tourists.
There is also an cheap commuter train that leaves the downtown area
and it is fast and efficient
. All around us were modern urban
buildings in contrast with the Spanish architecture prevalent in some
of the still existing old buildings.
I noticed the locals were friendlier
and the drivers were not as demonic as their counterparts in nearby
Los Angeles. The place has a certain vibe with the sparkling blue
ocean in the west and boulder -strewn hills in the east. Just
imagine this: vintage tall ships lining up the waterfront; USS
Midway, an aircraft carrier turned museum; a Russian submarine and
the USS Dolphin submarine. All of these were flanking our cruise
ship plus there was a little red trolley that can take you all the
way to Tijuana, Mexico.
Other surrounding attractions are the
famous Balboa Park, the largest urban cultural park in the country.
The 1,074 acre park is home to numerous
art galleries, botanical exhibits and fifteen (15) museums including
the world famous, San Diego Zoo with more than 800 species of
animals.
The Seaport Village is also not to be
missed. It is full of shops, boutiques and restaurants. Here, you
can wander around and shop for trinkets, and have a cold beer or
margarita before heading back to the ship. It has a fun and festive
environment.
If one is looking for the Ritz and
glitz, head to La Jolla which is famous for resorts catering to the
rich and famous. Some of the best restaurants sit over-looking the
rocky bluff to the sea.
Of course, one shouldn't miss the Old
City where one can dine serenaded by mariachi bands and margarita
fountains lit with strings of lights.
For people with kids, the Legoland is
about half an hour drive from the downtown area and is geared for
kids from 2 – 12 years old. If killer whales are your interest,
head to Sea World, part theatre, part marine life exhibition where
there is a daily interactive show involving marine life and humans.
Whether one is a military buff, an
animal lover, a food lover, have family with kids or just a plain
tourist willing to explore and experience; San Diego has plenty to
offer. For me, San Diego is
spectacular anytime of the year and I wouldn't mind visiting this
place again. I wish that we could stay longer but alas, we
have to get back to the ship and perform another mandatory emergency
drill once again!
Do they think we are that stupid?”
a friend asked me while waiting for the elevator door to open. “What
do you mean?” I countered. Well, we just did the emergency drill
the other day and now we are going to do it again,” he added.
“They have new life vest,” I reasoned.
Soon after he left and chose to used
the stairs instead, I muttered, “ I hope our Captain is not Italian!”
met some of the familiar faces from the staff and crew. Some of the
crew we knew were transferred, a few were promoted, but the veteran
crew, the team we call it, are still around. We feel more
comfortable knowing that a few people we know are still on board.
The passengers on the other hand are a
different bunch. There were a few kids and teenagers, making the
ship a livelier environ and erasing the image of the cruise ship as
God's window for the waiting senior citizens
. There`s a man who
walks with two women on each side, but he swears he is not from Salt
Lake City. We see a couple smooching at the hot tub. This is
something unusual when the usual average age for this kind of cruise
ship are seventy years old! There were also a few that came just
for the Christmas holidays and obviously, the casino on board.
Today, in San Diego, our first port stop, we had additional six
hundred (600) people who boarded the ship. As a requirement,
everybody should attend the emergency passenger drill.
We've been here in San Diego several
times in the past and had seen and explored the city hence I didn't
arrange for any tours. We took a cab and went to Horton's Plaza in
search of Star bucks, not for coffee but more for the wii-fi
connection
. Within an hour, we were able to download our emails and
made some precious phone calls.
“I love San Diego, “ I told Bert
about three times while walking toward a shop. I thought he might
pick-up on that and walked faster. But today was obviously a no rush
day.
San Diego is California's oldest,second largest and southern most City. “It's a little bit like NewYork,” described Bert while crossing the pedestrian walk. “Except
there is no crowd and it is more quaint,” he added. The city is
walkable and there is a trolley and a public bus service. Cabs are
plentiful too and there are even pedicabs available for tourists.
There is also an cheap commuter train that leaves the downtown area
and it is fast and efficient
. All around us were modern urban
buildings in contrast with the Spanish architecture prevalent in some
of the still existing old buildings.
I noticed the locals were friendlier
and the drivers were not as demonic as their counterparts in nearby
Los Angeles. The place has a certain vibe with the sparkling blue
ocean in the west and boulder -strewn hills in the east. Just
imagine this: vintage tall ships lining up the waterfront; USS
Midway, an aircraft carrier turned museum; a Russian submarine and
the USS Dolphin submarine. All of these were flanking our cruise
ship plus there was a little red trolley that can take you all the
way to Tijuana, Mexico.
Other surrounding attractions are the
famous Balboa Park, the largest urban cultural park in the country.
The 1,074 acre park is home to numerous
art galleries, botanical exhibits and fifteen (15) museums including
the world famous, San Diego Zoo with more than 800 species of
animals.
The Seaport Village is also not to be
missed. It is full of shops, boutiques and restaurants. Here, you
can wander around and shop for trinkets, and have a cold beer or
margarita before heading back to the ship. It has a fun and festive
environment.
If one is looking for the Ritz and
glitz, head to La Jolla which is famous for resorts catering to the
rich and famous. Some of the best restaurants sit over-looking the
rocky bluff to the sea.
Of course, one shouldn't miss the Old
City where one can dine serenaded by mariachi bands and margarita
fountains lit with strings of lights.
For people with kids, the Legoland is
about half an hour drive from the downtown area and is geared for
kids from 2 – 12 years old. If killer whales are your interest,
head to Sea World, part theatre, part marine life exhibition where
there is a daily interactive show involving marine life and humans.
Whether one is a military buff, an
animal lover, a food lover, have family with kids or just a plain
tourist willing to explore and experience; San Diego has plenty to
offer. For me, San Diego is
spectacular anytime of the year and I wouldn't mind visiting this
place again. I wish that we could stay longer but alas, we
have to get back to the ship and perform another mandatory emergency
drill once again!
Do they think we are that stupid?”
a friend asked me while waiting for the elevator door to open. “What
do you mean?” I countered. Well, we just did the emergency drill
the other day and now we are going to do it again,” he added.
“They have new life vest,” I reasoned.
Soon after he left and chose to used
the stairs instead, I muttered, “ I hope our Captain is not Italian!”
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