Solstice B2B - April 15-29 - Mex Riviera & Pac Coastal

[JintyGirl]

4 hours ago, aring75 said:

It’s Southwest so I’ve learned not to expect much, but this was probably the least impressive mimosa I have ever had. 
 

 

 

 Luckily, we have a premium beverage package so I’m looking for things to only improve from here!!

The plastic tumbler screams luxury 🙄

[Angua]

5 hours ago, aring75 said:

 

Thank you!!

 

 

 

That would be great! Hope to see you onboard. 😁

So, we were just on the Reflection 3 weeks ago and had a fabulous time.  If the service is half as good as it was on that cruise it will still be amazing!

 

We had the premium liquor package on that one, because they had a 40% off offer when purchasing, that wasn't offered for this cruise.  We decided to just pay as we go and see how close we get to the actual cost of a drink package.  We like the World Class bar and premium waters, but i have a feeling we will come in well under the amount to purchase the premium package.  I drank way more than i usually do on the last cruise and still feel i didn't come close to the per days cost.  My husband can get  closer, but we shall see how it goes!

At the WCB I tried a bunch of their drinks and finally settled on the Bumbu Old Fashioned, a very nice, sophisticated drink!  I felt so grown up drinking it! (I am 52, lol).

 

[westcoastsue]

17 hours ago, aring75 said:

 

Thanks! This will be our first Pacific Coastal, so I’ll let you know what we think. We’ve been to San Diego and San Francisco before, but only for a couple of days. So I’m really looking forward to the ports!

 

 

Excellent! Should be a great cruise. 😁

We board on the 22nd and stay on for the following 4 day cruise to Vancouver. Have fun!

[aring75]

3 hours ago, Cinder22 said:

My friend and I will be joining you for the second have of your trip. Looking forward to reading how your first half goes 🙂

Yay! Sounds like quite a few CCers will be onboard. 

[aring75]

2 hours ago, Angua said:

At the WCB I tried a bunch of their drinks and finally settled on the Bumbu Old Fashioned, a very nice, sophisticated drink!  I felt so grown up drinking it! (I am 52, lol).

Lol. I turn 50 this year. Maybe if I try one I’ll finally feel “grown up” too! 😆

[aring75]

2 hours ago, westcoastsue said:

We board on the 22nd and stay on for the following 4 day cruise to Vancouver. Have fun!

Vancouver is such a great city! Sounds like a very enjoyable B2B.

[peanut head]

Just caught up.  Hope you have a wonderful time and thanks for taking us along.

[aring75]

Made it to Long Beach. It’s currently noon here. Why am I so tired?!?

 

Got a taxi to the DoubleTree San Pedro. $58 plus tip. Uber was showing $52 (plus tip), and Lyft was $67 (not sure if that was some dynamic pricing thing going on, but seemed high). We just opted for the taxi because there was a crowd at the rideshare station, but there was a line of about 15 taxis with no wait. 
 

Since we arrived so early, the room is not yet ready so they let us store our luggage, sign up for the shuttle to the cruise terminal for Saturday, and then they suggested a great brunch/lunch place. 
 

The hotel has a dedicated van/shuttle that will take you anywhere within a five mile radius. Rex’s Cafe is less than a mile away and, while small, has really good breakfast and a friendly staff. 
 

We decided to walk back after stuffing ourselves on berry-banana French toast, eggs, and thick-sliced bacon. Took less than fifteen minutes to walk and had lovely views of the marina along the way. 
 

 

 

 

[aring75]

5 minutes ago, peanut head said:

Just caught up.  Hope you have a wonderful time and thanks for taking us along.

Thanks for being here!

 

 

It’s currently 57 degrees here in San Pedro and I’m loving it! The feels like temp is 93 back home, so this is glorious!

 

[westcoastsue]

29 minutes ago, aring75 said:

Vancouver is such a great city! Sounds like a very enjoyable B2B.

We’ve been to Vancouver several times & agree it is a great city. We will stay at the Pan Pacific for one night and then fly home.

[hcat]

Looks like we stayed here last time ( Doubletree) sailing from San Pedro...Rex's cafe was awesome..locals/ families and visitors...a great mix.  Excellent food and service! We walked both ways!

 

BON VOYAGE!

Edited April 13, 2023 by hcat

[aring75]

10 minutes ago, hcat said:

Looks like we stayed here last time ( Doubletree) sailing from San Pedro...Rex's cafe was awesome..locals/ families and visitors...a great mix.  Excellent food and service! We walked both ways!

 

BON VOYAGE!

I was apprehensive about the hotel as it seems to get mixed reviews, but so far I’ve been very pleased with the helpfulness of the staff at the front desk.

[aring75]

The plan tomorrow is to head over to Shoreline Village and the Aquarium of the Pacific. I received a notice from the aquarium reminding me about the Acura Grand Prix also taking place tomorrow.  Had read about this before, but had forgotten about it.
 

Thought I’d post it as a reminder for anyone else heading in to town tomorrow. Don’t forget to allow for heavier than usual traffic. 

 

 

[phoenix_dream]

1 hour ago, aring75 said:

The plan tomorrow is to head over to Shoreline Village and the Aquarium of the Pacific. I received a notice from the aquarium reminding me about the Acura Grand Prix also taking place tomorrow.  Had read about this before, but had forgotten about it.
 

Thought I’d post it as a reminder for anyone else heading in to town tomorrow. Don’t forget to allow for heavier than usual traffic. 

 

 

An alternative is to just walk over to the Carrillo Marine Aquarium right down the road from the Doubletree.  It’s not huge, but it’s nice and it’s free!  Check the hours I think it opens at noon. It’s a nice relaxing, at times scenic, walk there and it’s right next to a nice little local park on the ocean.

Edited April 13, 2023 by phoenix_dream

[aring75]

58 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

An alternative is to just walk over to the Carrillo Marine Aquarium right down the road from the Doubletree.  It’s not huge, but it’s nice and it’s free!  Check the hours I think it opens at noon. It’s a nice relaxing, at times scenic, walk there and it’s right next to a nice little local park on the ocean.

Great info, thanks!

[aring75]

Room was ready around 3:45 pm. Looks good. Reports that the hotel is “tired” seem slightly exaggerated. It’s definitely not new, but in clean and pretty spacious. Also the bathroom is spotless and sheets and towels are sparkling white. This is a big deal in my book. 
 

 

 

The view is nice, but probably not worth too much additional charge. We had an upgrade available from HH, so I’m happy. 
 

[aring75]

There’s a small refrigerator (that feels nice and cold), a small microwave, and a single serve coffee maker.

 

 

[california and cruising]

My husband and I will be on the April 29th coastal cruise for 4 days. Looking forward to it.

 

[phoenix_dream]

4 hours ago, aring75 said:

Great info, thanks!

I fat fingered the name. It's Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.  Sorry.

[westcoastsue]

12 hours ago, california and cruising said:

My husband and I will be on the April 29th coastal cruise for 4 days. Looking forward to it.

 

My husband and I will be on this itinerary also in addition to the week before. It doesn’t look like the ship will be full at this point. So ready to relax & kick back.

[california and cruising]

7 minutes ago, westcoastsue said:

My husband and I will be on this itinerary also in addition to the week before. It doesn’t look like the ship will be full at this point. So ready to relax & kick back.

We are ready as well. It has been awhile since cruising. We can't take more than this as we have a 18 year old dog. Hard to get our son to watch him. He doesn't do good with anyone else.

Yes, it seems pretty empty. Considering seems like a great 4 day getaway.

[DaKahuna]

On 4/13/2023 at 12:03 PM, Angua said:

At the WCB I tried a bunch of their drinks and finally settled on the Bumbu Old Fashioned, a very nice, sophisticated drink!  I felt so grown up drinking it! (I am 52, lol).
 

 

I infer from your post that they do not have the Zacapa Old Fashioned any longer?  That was my 'go to' drink at the WCB.  Don't get me wrong, the Bumbu is excellent as well, I have a bottle here in my 'bar stock' but I really prefer the Zacapa 23. 

 

 

[Angua]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

I infer from your post that they do not have the Zacapa Old Fashioned any longer?  That was my 'go to' drink at the WCB.  Don't get me wrong, the Bumbu is excellent as well, I have a bottle here in my 'bar stock' but I really prefer the Zacapa 23. 

 

 

They no longer have the Zacapa, i think i read someplace they changed distiller affiliations.  They also don't make my. favorite drink anymore, the Tropically Yours, which is why i moved to the Bumbu Old Fashioned.
 

[Jim_Iain]

On 4/12/2023 at 6:09 PM, aring75 said:

This will be our first Pacific Coastal, so I’ll let you know what we think. We’ve been to San Diego and San Francisco before, but only for a couple of days. So I’m really looking forward to the ports!

 

Hope you enjoy.    Celebrity docks in a really good location in SF just a short stroll to Fisherman's Wharf and right in the center of the city.    There is so much to do -  

[aring75]

4 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

I infer from your post that they do not have the Zacapa Old Fashioned any longer?  That was my 'go to' drink at the WCB.  Don't get me wrong, the Bumbu is excellent as well, I have a bottle here in my 'bar stock' but I really prefer the Zacapa 23. 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, Angua said:

They no longer have the Zacapa, i think i read someplace they changed distiller affiliations.  They also don't make my. favorite drink anymore, the Tropically Yours, which is why i moved to the Bumbu Old Fashioned.
 

 

Mark is going to be disappointed as well. He was definitely a fan of the Zacapa old fashioned. I’ll suggest the Bumbu, but I’m sure he’ll be able to find something he likes. 
 

Thanks for the heads up.