DAY 28 - DAY 22 CRYSTAL SERENITY

1/11/2019

BACK TO THE USA- SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

Before dinner we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the Avenue Saloon. We would have gone to Palm Court but this was the last night that bartender Dennis was there as he is going on a well deserved holiday with his wife Natasha.

We chatted with a very nice couple about cruising and also memories of baseball. We also chatted for a few minutes with Deanna and her niece who popped their head into this lounge knowing we would be there before they were to see the show with the Magician.

A noticeable difference between this cruise and the holiday cruise is the number of guests in the lounge. On the holiday cruise before dinner there would be two to eight guests, on average, including ourselves. Last evening there were 40+ guests within 15 minutes of the lounge opening.

These are the dinner menus from Waterside and Prego. We dined at Prego with good friends Rocky and Dave.

We dined at Prego with friends Rocky and David. It has been a pleasure being on two back-to-back cruises with such nice people. This is one of the aspects of cruising that we enjoy.

Dinner was terrific with great conversation, food, service and the overall ambiance of the dining venue.

We both had the same salads and entree; Caesar Salad and the additional entree of Halibut over Linguine and grilled vegetables. Keith tried an appetizer of lobster and octopus for the first time and enjoyed it. Anne Marie had the crab appetizer. Everything was delicious.

Our waiter was Mia who we have had several times. She is exceptional as was Sommelier Mila. They both remembered items that we like including the type of wine we each enjoy and even little details such as Pepper always for Keith and never for Anne Marie. LOL.

For us dining at Prego is similar to going to a neighborhood restaurant in our home-town.

We slept well as we sailed to San Diego. We did feel an occasional bump on the road as we did while dining in Prego. Or is that a bump in the Ocean. LOL.

We started the day as we always do. A workout for Keith, breakfast and a walk inside the ship for the two of us. The only difference is that all guests had to meet with immigration on board the ship. This began earlier than the 8:30 AM schedule. We waited until our group number was called and went to the Galaxy Showroom and met with the Immigration Officials. They were friendly. They asked if we were continuing on for the World Cruise (it must have been noted on our records) and wished us a great time.

A whole was punched in our shipboard card so that when we left the ship to o into the city the security team would know we had been through immigration.

Our last visit to San Diego was in May, 2017 when we sailed with the family on-board Serenity.

San Diego is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean 120 miles south of Los Angeles. It is the eighth largest city in the USA and second largest of California in terms of overall population.

It is a popular tourist destination for its climate and for its attractions. These include:

The USS Midway Museum located at the Pier where Serenity is docked.

Legoland a popular park for families.

Balboa Park & Museum which comprises a 1,200 acre cultural and botanical park located downtown. It includes the San Diego Zoo and several other attractions.

San Diego Zoo which has over 3,700 animals from over 650 species and subspecies.

Sea World featuring aquariums, fish, other, dolphins, seals whales and penguins.

We docked at the B Street Cruise Terminal.

We both were going to walk off the ship but Anne Marie did not feel well so Keith went off on his own. He immediately walked by the USS Midway/Museum and over to the area that is dedicated to Comedian Bob Hope who put on many shows for the USA troops during war. As Keith walked for the next two and one-half hours he saw many of our military personnel on foot.

He walked up and down several streets with no destination in mind. He felt cooler as the walk continued with overcast skies. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the walk.

On his walk he saw various modes of transpiration. Those scooters seem very popular as they were in Beverly Hills.

Returned for lunch and we both dined at Waterside. On our way out we saw Hotel Director Hubert who just came on board today and will take over for Scott Peterson on Sunday when the World Cruise commences. Over the past few days we have seen other officers return such as Bar Manager Maria.