TRAVEL DAYRather then flying to San Francisco on Day 1, we have broken up our travel into two days which we sometimes do based on flight availability. We were picked up at our home by a private vehicle service and taken on a one hour drive to our regional airport. After checking in at the airline counter we quickly made our way through airport security. Late last year we received Global Entry (GE). While GE provides speedy entry back into the United States when returning on an international flight, it also carries the Pre TSA Approval benefit which we enjoyed as we went through security. As part of this benefit we don't have to remove shoes, belts, most types of jackets, computers, nor even the 3-2-1 bag which is used to carry 3 ounce or smaller liquids. One is subject to a random check. Once through the security we proceeded to our airline club lounge where we waited for our flight and had lunch. Our flight was from a regional airport to one of the major hub airports for our preferred airline. The good news is that our flight departed early and we also arrived early to our destination. We stayed at a hotel which is located at the airport and just a one minute walk to one of the terminal check in counters for our airline. We have stayed at this hotel property several times. The room is quite spacious featuring a separate living room area with desk and television from the bedroom area. A Short while after we checked into the hotel we enjoyed dinner at the hotel restaurant. The menu features Mediterranean and Pacific Rim Cuisine. Food was terrific and the service was amazing. Our server was Wendy who has worked at the restaurant since it opened over twelve years ago and we have had her before. She was very attentive and has a lot of enthusiasm and passion which added to our overall enjoyment of the meal. After dinner, we relaxed in our room.
All in all a perfect day and a great start for our trip. Keith & Anne Marie WELCOMEWelcome to our Coastal Vistas Blog. Our trip begins with a four-night stay in San Francisco. To this day, San Francisco remains one of our most favorite cities from around the world. We were fortunate to live in the Bay Area for almost four years between 1987 and 1991 and we have fond memories of our time there. We have visited this area several times since 1991 and we look forward to each and every visit. After our pre-cruise stay, we will board Crystal Serenity for what will be our shortest cruise ever. Ironically, we spent close to six months on-board Crystal Serenity between mid-December, 2014 until the end of May, 2015 and late July and mid- August, 2015. This time we will spend only five days on-board Serenity. We chose this cruise because it fit into a short travel window available to us. At the conclusion of this voyage in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Crystal Serenity goes into dry-dock. One of the major goals of this dry dock is to prepare Crystal Serenity for its August, 2016 sailing of the Northwest Passage. We will be on-board for the Northwest Passage, along with the cruise which precedes it, rejoining Serenity in Vancouver. We plan to post shortly before the start of our cruise and will post daily once our trip begins. ITINERARYLOCATION ARRIVAL DEPARTURE 5/2 San Francsico 5/3 San Francisco 5/4 San Francisco 5/5 San Francisco 5/6 San Francisco 10:00 PM 5/7 Cruising 5/8 Astoria, Oregon 9:00 AM 5:00 PM 5/9 Seattle Washington 10:00 AM 11:00 PM 5/10 Victoria, Canada 8:00 AM 10:00 PM 5/11 Vancouver, Canada 8:00 AM |