Background: I'm a retired law enforcement officer in my mid 60s and my wife is a banker in her early 60s. This was our 31st cruise, all but 2 on Royal Caribbean. Our youngest daughter, her husband and our 3 year old granddaughter were also on this cruise.

Getting to LA: The flight from Denver was uneventful, we expected a RCCL greater to meet us at the airport, but none were there. A quick reread of our documents provided instructions to get transport to our hotel.

Hotel: We stayed one night at the Long Beach Hilton which was nice, but a bit expensive. We braved light sporadic rain and walked several blocks to the Rock Bottom Brewery for lunch, the food was good and there was plenty of it. We had a light supper and breakfast at the hotel. Read more