Dazzling Week on the Diamond

[HLSinker]

We came into San Pedro the night before our cruise and stayed at the Crowne Plaza. We asked if we might have a room with a view of the harbor. The room was beautiful with a terrific view. Thanks Priceline and Crowne Plaza for this "Suite" deal!!!

 

EMBARKATION was a breeze. The Enterprise Car Rental shuttle dropped us off at the ship around noon. We practically walked right on board. They really have this process down.

 

CABIN was a deluxe oceanview on Plaza deck. Our bed did not block the window, which we really liked. We felt so up close and personal with the sea -- even more so than when we had a balcony. One night, I got up at about 4 a.m. The Serenade of the Seas was right alongside us about a half mile away. What a beautiful sight under a starlit sky!

 

ENTERTAINMENT highlights included the great not to be missed show "Piano Man." The comedians were entertaining as were all the music venues on board. In retrospect, all the lounge entertainment was preferable to the hypnotist, magician, etc. The casino seemed pretty loose for a cruise ship. One night at Karoke, a young woman got up and sang "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera. She did this without any music!! She should be in Phantom -- what a fabulous voice. There is so much talent around. We also loved watching the ballroom dancers tango, etc.

 

When I play the slot machines, I like to do so with dollar bills. That way, you don't have so much in the machine and it is easy to move around. One afternoon, an older man saw me slipping one dollar into the machine. He reached over and put a five in my machine saying, "We are only guests on this planet and I'm told the last shirt doesn't have any pockets. If you win, you can pay me back." I thanked him. A while later I did win. I hit three triple diamond symbols! At first, I thought I had won the progressive. Shucks, it wasn't on the right line for that!! I did win $100 though (nickel machine). Frankly, kindness like that is worth more. I happily paid back the $5 telling the man he had brought me luck.

 

FOOD was not five star but was most enjoyable. Best meals included crab legs, rack of lamb, lobster tails, roast pork and roast turkey. The buffet always had all kinds of tasty selections. Desserts in the dining room were the best -- New York cheesecake, warm berries with crumble topping and ice cream and so much more. They had the best tiny cream puffs at tea, which is held every afternoon.

 

PORTS were great. San Diego was first up. We took the public San Diego trolley ($4 roundtrip) to Old Town. It was Cinco de Mayo weekend. What a treat! When we arrived, one band was playing Santana and vendors offered all kinds of crafts, etc. It didn't feel crowded at all!! CVS Pharmacy had a booth. They were taking pictures of the festival goers for free. We got a great photo in a complimentary photo folder. How nice of them.

 

Next came Santa Barbara. We walked and walked in this gorgeous town. We went to the mission and also enjoyed a couple of the lovely parks here. Numerous turtles were fellow pedestrians in these parks. Flowers abounded everywhere. One man from our ship asked a girl at the information booth where he might find a small house in the neighborhood of $200,000. He did this with a perfectly straight face. After registering a very startled look, she said, "I think you might be in the wrong town."

 

San Francisco did not disappoint! First stop was Pier 39 to watch the sea lions frolic, bark, push each other off the rafts, etc. Great fun for all. Next, we walked to the Buena Vista Cafe. A 50-something ponytailed waitress approached and I asked her to tell me about the Irish coffee. "It's what we're known for, hon," she said and smacked her gum. I persisted and asked what was in it. "Coffee, sugar and WHISKEY," came the reply. I said if it was really THAT good, it might be a bit early in the day for me to drink it. So we ordered regular coffee. She promptly informed us in a no-nonsense way that there are no refills included. Ok. On the wall was a painting of the place that Leroy Nieman had done. It was a trip worth the trip. Stopped into some great art galleries and paid a visit to Trader Joe's where we picked up a bottle of their great budget wine. Wonderful day.

 

Astoria coastal scenery was spectacular. We met a friendly shore bird who kept his distance. However, when DH spoke to him in "bird language," he actually came closer and spoke back. So cool. If you go to Astoria, be sure to go up to the column -- you don't have to climb to the top to enjoy the view. I think you can see hundreds of miles from up there. No wonder they say most tourists say the words "Oh, wow." LOL

 

Victoria is as lovely as it's name. We went to the 39-room Craigdarroch Castle. The guide there told us all about the family history (move over hollywood celebs -- you've got nothing on the Craigdarroch daughters). This place is pretty astounding. We left there feeling very good about what WE DON'T NEED. This house was built as a showoff house. Unfortunately, the coal baron owner died before he ever lived in it. Afterward, we walked a short distance up the street to the wonderful gardens surrounding Government House.

 

In short, the ship, the weather, and ports of call starring the most interesting people -- dazzling!