May 2, 2022 - Arrive in San Diego
We got up early to catch our Southwest flight to San Diego. We connected through Dallas and everything went well. We took a taxi from the airport to the Intercontinental. It was a short ride. We booked Club Level rooms to have a place to all hangout and it worked well. My parents arrived about 40 minutes after us and my Aunt and her partner about an hour after that. We found a comfy couch outside the Club Lounge and enjoyed the amenities. We ordered a charcuterie plate and chips and guacamole. We had dinner at Vistol right at the resort outside overlooking the marina. Dinner was delicious. The tuna poke was outstanding.
May 3, 2022 - Embarkation
We had breakfast in the Club Lounge. I worked for a couple hours. We headed over to the port around 11 am. We could easily walk there. We had a 12:30 pm check in time so they did make us wait. We didn't have to wait until 12:30 pm though. We were onboard by noon. We went to the buffet for lunch. I loved the make your own pasta station. We headed to Sunset Bar, but didn't vibe with the bartender so we went down to Cellar Masters. I think that's going to be our bar. We took a break to see if our luggage arrived. We went back to Cellar Masters to listen to the guitar player and the violin duo. Dinner was in the main restaurant: Metropolitan. I had the carrot salad, mushroom soup, and salmon. I think the highlight was the beet salad my Dad ordered. He also had really good ravioli. Glenn's spaghetti was a little salty. I was exhausted so we headed to bed early.
May 4, 2022 Santa Barbara
We were up bright and early to get the first water shuttle to shore. I woke up to see the sunrise.
We were on Shuttle #1. We booked a wine tour with Surf's Up Limo. I did not tell my family anything about the tour so I loved their reaction when they saw the Surf Limo. Jeff was a terrific guide and picked a wonderful itinerary.
We headed to a local olive oil grove to taste some olive oil. The owners have 800 acres of olive trees. It takes the owner 2 1/2 months to prune them each year. Jeff picked up lunch for us. We found a great picnic table along a beautiful winery for lunch. We were all delighted when Jeff pulled out a table cloth and place mats. We also visited Brick Barn vineyard. This is a much larger winery geared toward sessionable bright and accessible wines. We enjoyed the comfy patio furniture. My favorite was the Viognier. We headed back to the ship. Just a wonderful tour. We all took a little rest and then headed to Cellar Masters to hear Sean play the guitar. Dinner was delicious. I loved the Grilled Sirloin Steak. The rigatoni was delicious.
May 5, 2022 - Catalina Island
We had an easy morning. We went to Elite breakfast Tuscan Grill. We set up camp Cafe al Bacio where Jenny kept us caffeinated. We met up with everyone else around 11 am to take the water shuttles over to land. We had a great lunch on the water at Bluewater Avalaon. We did a little souvenir shopping. We hit up the local dive bar - the Blue Marlin - and then went to a nano brewery that was also a bakery. Very fun. We headed back to the ship for a nice evening with dinner.
May 6, 2022 - Sea Day
The morning started with a very boring lecture that put all six of us to sleep. The weather wasn't great so we played a little bean bag toss. The evening was fun. We went to The Company Men show and had a great time. Then, Glenn sang some live band karaoke.
May 7, 2022 - San Francisco
We were excited for today. We booked a wine tour to Hook and Ladder. It was terrific. My Dad was so excited to see Hook and Ladder. We met the wine club representative Glenn and my Dad always email and it was like meeting a rockstar. We got a behind the scenes tour and to try so many great wines.
The next stop was Martinelli where we had a stand up wine tasting. We had lunch at Russian River Brewing's new pub location. Then, a very overpriced food and wine tasting at Flowers Vineyard. Overall, the weather was gorgeous and it was a terrific day.
May 8, 2022 San Francisco
This morning we took the Hop On Hop Off bus around the city. It started to rain just as we were going over the Golden Gate bridge so that was quite the adventure.
It was really hard getting an Uber so we walked along the waterfront back to the ship.
May 9, 2022 Sea Day
Another rainy, lazy sea day. We actually sat at the bar outside for a while.
May 10, 2022 Astoria, Oregon
We had a cruise ship excursion along the coast. The scenery was great. We visited the Tillamook Air Museum and Cheese Factory. Plus a stop at the beach where part of the Goonies was filmed.
We also finally stopped at the Martini Bar. We were laughing so hard when the bartended did a "sexy" dance with the bottle when he made a dirty martini.
May 11, 2022 Seattle, Washington
We took a cruise ship excursion and it was not good. The driver had no idea what he was doing. He drove us in a circle with no information. Then, we boarded coastal cruise that was actually great. We sailed along the skyline and then through a lock to Lake Union. The narration was terrific and we really enjoyed it.
The next stop was the Space Needle so we decided to bail on the tour. Glenn and I went to the Chulily Glass Museum and the Outdoor Sculpture Garden while my parents, Aunt and Fred went back to the martini bar.
May 12, 2022 Victoria, BC
My parents, Aunt, and Fred took a tour. Glenn and I decided to stay on the ship. We were originally going to explore Victoria, but my work took until noon so we decided to stay onboard. We went to the production show that night.
May 13, 2022 Vancouver
We did self assist disembarkation. We walked across the street to the Fairmont Waterfront to check in. Then, we had to walk down to the Fairmont Vancouver to get COVID tested. We stopped at a nice bakery for coffees and breakfast. Testing was seamless. We all tested negative so we headed back to the Fairmont since our rooms were ready. We had lunch at Cactus Cafe in the Harbor. It was delicious.
After lunch, Aunt and Fred headed out to explore. The four of us went back to the hotel. I worked for a few hours. We had dinner in the Club Lounge and went to bed early.
May 14, 2022
My Aunt and Fred flew out early in the morning. We had a leisurely morning with breakfast in the Club Level and then headed across the street to check in for the Holland America Koningdsam Alaska cruise.
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