San Diego

 Yesterday we were in San Diego. Because it was the first US port since our visit to Cabo San Lucas, all passengers had to disembark and have a face to face immigration with CBP agents. We got off the ship at 9:30 and there was a line of about 100 people. The line moved quickly and we cleared by 10. Angie had seen information about a place called Sunset Cliff Natural Park, so we arranged for a Lyft (rideshare) and took a 20 minute ride out to this area. It is well described. Huge cliffs!! And you really appreciate the power of the water when you see the erosion. They have tried to create some artificial breakwater which helps a little, but the water still does what water always does. Still a fascinating place. They have a walking path and you can be more adventurous and walk down parts of the cliffs to the beach area. I think getting down would be much easier than getting back up as there wasn't a proper trail of any kind.  

It is a popular area for surfers and we saw one area where a man was on top of a cliff and jumped off!! We heard a "local" tell us the water was about 55°F (12°C), but that apparently didn't deter him. 

After we got to the end of the path, it was time to think about some lunch. Angie found a brewery in Ocean Beach so we arranged a Lyft and headed to Ocean Beach Brewing. We tried one of their sour beers (one of my favorite styles) and it was delicious!! The bartender said if we liked sour beers, to check out California Wild which was a short walk down the street. They had a really good selection of sours. And perhaps the friendliest bartender I've ever met. Plus they had some table games to play while you enjoyed their beers.  

Now it was time for some lunch. We were going to meet Katie who works with Angie at her travel agency. We'd be going to Little Italy. Katie recommended a place called Buon Appetito and it was fabulous. We had some delicious homemade meatballs baked in a spicy marina. Also some baked goat cheese that was served on pesto and had sides of caramelized onions and roasted garlic along with some small toasts. Such a great start!! I always gravitate towards lasagna at an Italian restaurant and it was the same here. Delicate thin layers of lasagna surrounding beef, pork, veggies, ricotta and some of the same marina. I still had some sauce leftover from the meatballs which I used to further enhance the dish. Angie had Orecchiette which was combined with broccoli rabe, fresh tomatoes and spicy and savory Italian sausage. Both dishes we so good!!  

We chatted for awhile and then it was time to head back to the ship. It about a 15 minute walk to the port. No Lyft needed this time. And such a great sunny day!!

Once back on the ship, we headed to Cafe Al Bacio for some tea. We both had the African Solstice tea. It is a bit spicy like chai but also has a sweetness. Just what I needed!!  

After our tea, we headed to the cabin for a mandatory rest period. We got ready for our final dinner onboard by saying hello to everyone at the Martini Bar. Then it was showtime in the main theater. Tonight was "Rock City" which was described as a show celebrating the greatest anthems in rock history. They had many rock favorites including Queen's "Radio Ga Ga", "I Want to Break Free", Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" and Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer". Some great vocal performances. I could have done without U2's "One" and the decision to have the three men sing Last Gaga's "Born this Way" was a misstep. But overall a crowd pleasing show. interesting choreography. There were a few people in the front row and they practically received a private concert from one of the singers.  

It was then time for dinner at Sushi on Five. We were having dinner with Santos!! Some wonderful dishes including our favorite Shrimp and Lobster Wontons along with a Dragon Roll. I just love the combination of the eel and hoisin sauce. Plus we had a wonderful conversation with Santos. I just love to see someone so passionate about the work he does also be rewarded and respected by the company he works for. It doesn't always happen that way.  

After our great dinner, we headed back to the World Class Bar and had another Zacapa Old Fashioned. And Yuliana also made us a rose cocktail which has pureed raspberries. So refreshing!! It as then time to head back to the cabin.   

Today we disembarked at San Pedro at 7:15. We did self assist which is where you take all your own luggage off the ship. You don't leave anything outside your cabin the night before. We jumped in a taxi and made it to LAX by 7:45. Checked our bags by 8 and are now sitting in the Delta Sky Lounge. Had some snacks and tea. We'll board at 10:30 and will land at 6:30 Tampa time. We have some doctor appointments and other stuff to take care of before we head in our next adventure.  

Sea Day

 Yesterday was a sea day.  Started with some Chai tea at Cafe Al Baccio followed by some outside time on Deck 14 Aft since the weather was beautiful!!   We headed to our Elite wine tasting at 11 which was held in the main dining room.  Very well attended with about 80 people.  The head Sommelier was there and had a very good presentation on the four wines we tried, providing the best explanation I had heard about how bacteria converts malic acid into lactic acid during the fermentation process.  This is the "butteriness" you taste in some Chardonnays.   There was a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, a California Chardonnay, a Chilean Pinot Noir and finally a Cabernet Sauvignon. She didn't mention where it was from.   She only said that you couldn't buy it onboard which I thought was odd. Most wine tastings I've attended on a cruise ship are partly marketing to get you to experience, and hopefully order, different wines. The whites were okay. The Cabernet Sauvignon had a bit too much tart cherry for my taste.  I liked the Pinot the best of the four.   The sommelier didn't have out any of the bottles so I was not able to take pictures of them or find out the winery or vintage.  

After our wine tasting we had a complimentary slot tournament!!  Everyone who was staying in a Concierge cabin received a free entry. There was about 30 of us, split into three rounds.  The machines they used had reels that sometimes would produce a balloon or star that came on the interactive screen. You had to "pop" them within three seconds to earn up to an additional 5000 points.  Only the two top point scorers would earn a $20 casino credit. The casino host must have gotten complaints from past slot tournament entrants because he really made sure everyone knew about popping them. He would repeat these rules a few times before each round and then everyone would respond to his question: What do you do with the stars and balloons?    In unison "You pop the balloons and stars!!".  When it was our turn, the top scores were 60K and 56K.  We tried our best but didn't get the tip scores. Angie ended up with 48K and I had 42K.  Maybe we should have brought a slot glove?   :-)

After the tournament we headed to the buffet for lunch. They had some delicious roasted turkey with cranberry sauce, one of my favorites!  After lunch we spent some more time outside until we were getting a little chilly so we headed inside.  We then both got a scoop of gelato!!   I went with coffee and Angie had salted caramel.  

We headed back to the cabin and had a mandatory rest period. It was another evening chic night onboard and we'd be going to the dining room.  We went to the Martini Bar to say hello to Putra, Edi and Yogi. Then we  visited the World Class Bar where Max the solo guitarist was playing. We chatted with a couple who were on their first cruise in eighteen years and talked about how things were different.  They were fascinated by our adventurous choice of selling our house.  They were now starting to think about the places they wanted to visit so we talked about some of our favorites, including Alaska.   We've met quite a few people who were on their first cruise in many years.  

For dinner we had delicious buttery escargot, kale salads, herb crusted haddock, NY strip steak and lobster tails. All pretty tasty, even the lobster which was moist and flavorful.  After dinner we headed back to the World Class Bar where Yuliana and Shetty made us some of the cocktails from another mixology class they had earlier that day.  The Key Like Martini was my favorite. It was slightly sweet with that nice lime flavor still present. And the rim of the glass had gingery graham crackers!!  Really tasty!!  And as I had said before, Shetty is quite the artist. He is able to make some elaborate garnishes!!

Today we'll be docked in San Diego shortly.   We'll have to be processed through immigration about 9:30 and then go off for some adventures in San Diego. Well return to the ship later for our last evening onboard this ship. 

Celebrity Solstice Embarkation

Yesterday was our first day onboard Celebrity Solstice. We left the Carnival Panorama and Long Beach in a taxi at 10:20. Got to the terminal in San Pedro at 10:40. Easy embarkation and we were onboard by 11. We were able to go to our cabin on Deck 10 Starboard side and drop our luggage We started with a tour on Deck 15 and worked out way downwards. Angie did some filming for her upcoming ship tour We got to all the top decks. It was then noon and we were ready for lunch. Celebrity has an a la carte sushi restaurant which is our favorite spot for embarkation day since you can avoid the chaos of the buffet. 

Started with a Koku Highball which is a bourbon based cocktail with ginger beer and fresh ginger. Very refreshing!! We had the lobster and shrimp wontons (always a favorite of ours) along with a rainbow roll.

 This was prepared a bit differently with a crab salad in the center. We also tried the BBQ ramen which was so savory and tasty. Perfect for the cool day we were having in San Pedro.  

After lunch we headed back to the cabin to unpack our carry on luggage. We also met our room steward Lindy. We usually have some first day requests which include hypoallergenic pillows. I also ask for distilled water and an extended cord for my CPAP machine. She provided them so quickly along with our one piece of checked luggage. Even taking the time to tape down the cord so we wouldn't trip. 

We finished unpacking all our luggage and soon it was time for a pre dinner cocktail. We headed to the Martini Bar. We knew ahead of time that one of the bartenders we met on the Apex in September 2021 would be on this sailing. Putra was a flair bartender at the Martini Bar on the Apex and most of the flair bartenders end up working at the Martini Bar for future contracts. The Martini Bar is the signature bar on Celebrity ships and usually packed. But there were plenty of seats available at 6PM which told me the ship was likely not at full occupancy.  

We took our seats and ordered our Beefeaters and Tonic (with orange slice of course). The orange is a nice twist for a G&T especially with milder gins such as Beefeater. With Hendricks, you don't need any garnish - or maybe a cucumber slice. But the orange works well with many gins.  

While enjoying our drink, we both spotted Putra and told him we sailed with him on the Apex. We often will meet crew we have sailed with before. The question always is even though you remember them, do they really remember you? He said he saw us walking towards the bar and thought we looked familiar. We are very tall people, so we do tend to stand out in a crowd. Maybe that was it. Or he really did remember us. In any case, we had a nice chat about that sailing. That was one of the first sailings of the Apex post pandemic and only had 450 guests. So it's very likely Putra may remember everyone on that ship!!

After our cocktail it was time for dinner. Neither of us thought the main dining room menu looked interesting. Plus the first night in the dining room can be chaotic. We decided to head to the buffet. We knew they would have a decent salad bar and we were right. I made a nice spinach salad. Also had some jerk chicken and mashed potatoes which were both good. Dessert was some praline gelato. Not quite as good as the pineapple gelato from the Panorama.  

After dinner went to the pub quiz. How could we have forgotten the capital of Pakistan? The main show was comedian Derrick Cameron and we got our seats. He was one of those comedians that used every day situations and how absurd and funny they can be. He was very good and got us laughing quite a few times.  

After the show there was a Welcome Aboard show at the Sky Lounge on Deck 15. The cruise director was there and had a trivia contest for prizes. He'd ask a ship related question. Such as what deck is the buffet on. The first person to come to the dance floor with the correct answer won a prize. The party band Arjam played a set of dance club favorites. After their set, we decided to head to the cabin.  

Today is a tender port to Santa Catalina Island. We visited here when we were on the Celebrity Millennium in May 2022. It is a nice little island with interesting bars and restaurants but we didn't feel like we needed to revisit on this sailing. Plus the tenders add complexity about returning to the ship. We're spending the morning at Cafe Al Bacio which is the coffee shop on board. Great views outside. We'll likely venture outside if it warms up a bit. Right now it is 7°C!! But it is sunny.