DAY 2

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME

​We enjoyed a good night's sleep at the airport hotel and heard no aircraft noise.  

After we awoke we got ready for the start of our adventure.  The hotel shuttle took us on a five-minute drive to the airport terminal.  Check-in was efficient and with Global Entry allowing pre TSA check we made our way through security expeditiously.  We enjoyed coffee at the airline lounge and visited a few stores before making our way to the gate for our flight.

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Our flight left on-time and was uneventful. There was some turbulence but in someways it felt like being at sea.

While the first class section was full, the coach section was less than half full.  This is because of the time of year when business travel slows and tourist travel ramps down until closer to the Christmas and New Years Holidays.  

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The good news is that we landed 45 minutes early.  However the plane that was at the gate was delayed so if they didn't switch gates we would have been delayed arriving to the gate.  We were assigned a different gate and by the time we arrived we were back on schedule.  Translation.  We waited 45 minutes on the plane.  LOL

We did have a first.  Thanks to the airline app we can track when the luggage gets loaded on the aircraft. While we were sitting in the airline lounge Keith noticed that the luggage was loaded on an aircraft.  The only problem is that it was loaded on another flight to Los Angeles that left three hours before our flight.  When we landed the app showed that the luggage was being held at the customer service area and that is where we claimed our two pieces.

The last two times we sailed from Los Angeles (May 2017 & September 2018) we stayed at hotels on-site at Disneyland.  On other cruises we booked hotels in Long Beach, San Pedro, Santa Monica, Marina del Rey and Beverly Hills.  

This time we returned to Beverly Hills and booked the Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel.  The last time we stayed in  Beverly Hills was before the start of the 2008 World Cruise and we stayed at a different hotel property.  

The Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel will be our home for five nights.   This is our first time staying at this hotel.  We booked a garden patio suite.


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Our room was not ready upon check-in. ​​ We were given another room that we could use which we did and then we went out to have lunch.  Our room was ready by the time we arrived back from the restaurant.

This is a special trip for us and Keith booked a room to celebrate the start of this adventure.  The room is beautiful and what makes this one unique is the amazing outdoor patio.  We look forward to having breakfast outside along with enjoying some nice afternoon time outside.

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Some photos of the inside of the room and some additional ones of the patio.

The Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel opened in 1991.  The hotel includes 140 rooms, 38 suites and 17 private villas.  The exterior of the hotel has a French Riviera look and its winding walkways are lined with lemon trees and palms.  The hotel is a short walk from Rodeo Drive.
 
The hotel includes three venues for dining: The Belvedere serving Mediterranean-Californian cuisine; The Roof Garden serving Californian Cuisine and The Living Room featuring Traditional Afternoon Tea and food items.    There is an intimate venue to enjoy a drink, light snack and conversation called The Club Bar. 
 
There is a fitness centre, a spa and a rooftop pool and Jacuzzi for exercise and relaxation.  The map will give those of you not familiar with Beverly Hills an idea as to its proximity to Los Angeles and other nearby areas.

We will dine at the hotel this evening and will post about that tomorrow.  We are excited to be in California and look forward to a memorable journey.

​As we begin this journey we thought we would include a slide show from previous World Cruise adventures. 

NOTE: The slide-show may not show on all devices.

​Anne Marie & Keith
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