CALIFORNIA COAST CRUISE

A year and a half after our Italy trip was cancelled at the last minute (literally!), we finally headed out for more than a two or three day getaway when we boarded the Holland America Koningsdam ship in San Diego for a week long cruise.  Every passenger and crew member was required to be fully vaccinated and show proof of a negative covid test within two days of sailing.

The San Diego skyline as the Koningsdam pulled away from the pier.

We passed numerous sailboats as we continued through the harbor to the open sea. This one was more interesting than most and I had to snap a photo.

The Hotel del Coronado, a San Diego landmark. We visited Coronado Island several years ago for a day trip but have added an overnight stay at the hotel to our wish list.

No cruise departure is complete without a bon voyage cocktail as we sail away.

The Koningsdam was put into service in 2016 and holds 2600 passengers at capacity. This sailing was only half full with about 1300 passengers which made it nice with no crowds. Ours was the first west coast cruise by Holland America since the pandemic put a hold on cruising.

The Lido Pool. If you look at the deck above the pool with the curved white railings, we spent much of our time in the shade on the cabana lounges reading and relaxing.

The Rolling Stone Rock Stage. They had an excellent band that played classic rock almost every night. It was one of our favorite venues. The main showroom had four shows featuring six dancers who were exceptional. It was a different set of performances that I really enjoyed.

The main dining room. We were both somewhat underwhelmed by both the food choices and the service. At times it was quite disorganized with several waiters running all over like chickens with their heads but off but not accomplishing much. Our first cruise together was on Holland America 18 years ago and we loved it. This one didn't measure up in many areas.

Our verandah cabin on deck 10. We have never been this high up and enjoyed it. However, the previous reviews commented that the cabins were small compared to other cruise lines and they were right.

Oddly enough, even though I've been to all 50 states, 66 countries and 6 continents in my 71 years, I've never been to Catalina Island or Ensenada, Mexico. I really enjoyed Avalon and would love to return for a few day getaway sometime.

This was the view from our balcony when we looked outside upon arrival in Avalon, Catalina Island. Lou wanted to take a tour of the art deco Casino (not really a casino but a theater) more than anything on this cruise. But unfortunately it was not open on the day we were there. We walked to it and peeked in the windows but no one would let us in for photos. We're planning to return on a day when guided tours are conducted sometime in the future.

The main street  of Avalon's water front with old hotels, restaurants and eclectic shops.

A walk along the promenade of Catalina's shoreline.

A mosaic fountain with the Casino in the background. Avalon is a quaint little town on the 22 mile long island a mere 27 miles from Long Beach. 

I just counted our 8"x10" formal portraits from previous cruises and it seems we have 18 of them! Early in our twenty year history we took (& bought) lots of the photos. These past several years we made a "rule" that we would not take professional photos. We simply smiled and said, "This is a no photo cruise." This cruise we decided to relent and have some formal portraits taken.

The photo we chose to commemorate our first cruise back following the worst of the pandemic. The cruise director complimented us all on being brave enough to return to traveling. My sweetie still looks as young and handsome as when I met him. But, please, don't look too close at my wrinkles and other signs of aging.

Sailing under San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge before sunrise and watching the sun slowly illuminate The City was one of the highlights of the cruise for me. We had decided to upgrade to a balcony stateroom and we spent over an hour standing outside taking in the gorgeous views.

Lou set his clock for 6 AM to get photos of our ship sailing under the Golden Gate. This is his photo. I joined him about half an hour later still getting some beautiful shots of San Francisco. 

The San Francisco skyline with the Salesforce Tower on the left, Coit Tower to the right with its red illumination and the TransAmerica Pyramid Building just to the right of Coit Tower. Pier 39 is in the foreground.

Alcatraz Island as we sailed past it on our way to the dock.

The City coming alive as the sun begins to light up the buildings and piers.

The Celebrity Cruise Line Millennium followed us under the Golden Gate Bridge and docked just a couple of piers away.

When we looked across the San Francisco Bay to the Oakland Bay Bridge and Yerba Buena Island we were treated to a spectacular sight as the sun brought brilliant life to this incredible scene.

Another magnificent view of of the sunrise over the Bay Bridge.

Our ship was just turning into the pier as the sunrise faded. San Francisco and the surrounding area truly is a breathtaking place.

Our ship spent two full days in San Francisco. I lived in the Bay Area for the first fifty years of my life and have been there hundreds of times so we opted out of any organized shore excursions. The first day we made the short walk to the ferries to Alcatraz for a tour of "The Rock". I had last been there about 30 years ago. Lou had a VIP tour when he was a park ranger.

One of the three story cell blocks. At any given time Alcatraz Federal Prison housed about 275 prisoners. The prison closed its doors for good on my 13th birthday, March 21, 1963.

The isolation cells which held the most dangerous and disruptive of criminals.

Although no confirmed escapes have been proven, a few men who attempted to escape were never found. Three prisoners spent months digging behind the vents in their cells then placed crudely made dummy heads in their beds. 

The ruins of the Warden's House and the Alcatraz Island Lighthouse.

More ruins of the prison buildings.

Our ship, the Holland America Koningsdam, and the Celebrity Millennium docked in San Francisco Bay as we rode the ferry back from Alcatraz Island.

The City and the Bay Bridge with its lights taken from our balcony.

The second day we walked the other direction and took a tour of the Exploratorium, a hands on museum of technology mostly for kids. But adults and old people enjoy it, too. The original Exploratorium was located in the Palace of Fine Arts and much smaller. I'd been to the old one several times with school field trips but this was the first time for both of us to the new, improved version on Pier 15.

The Exploratorium occupies the entire Pier 15 building and would take more than a few hours to really see the entire place. Doing it with kids would be the most fun.

Here's my "big kid" making some huge bubbles with the giant rings dipped in soap.

Our final day was spent in Ensenada, Mexico. This was the only organized shore excursion that we took. Years ago, on a cruise with a friend, we couldn't stop at Ensenada due to unstable tides. I figured this was the only time I'd be here so I might as well see as much as we could.

The harbor had this Ensenada sign just outside of our ship, in case we forgot where we were, I suppose.

Our shore excursion began with a walking tour along the harbor and through a large open air fish market. This was one time I was grateful that I lost my sense of smell due to blood pressure meds a few years ago.

After a short bus ride to downtown Ensenada, we stopped at Hussong's Cantina. It is said to be the birthplace of the margarita. However, our guide told us she believes it was invented somewhere on the Mexican Riviera.

We had an opportunity to enjoy a quick drink. I chose the margarita, of course, while Lou opted for a Dos Equis beer.

Our final stop was a tequila tasting. We were taught the art of "Mexican Joga" - down the shot of tequila in one gulp, breathe in deeply through your nose then blow out through your mouth. This supposedly prevents you from getting drunk. It must have worked since we each had six shots of tequila and didn't feel it at all!