This was our sixth cruise, the second on Holland America. We chose San Diego because it was very close to home (Southern California) and the cruise was deeply discounted, a last minute special.
The check in and boarding was a snap although I might add that we arrived at the pier early, 10:30 a.m. long before the transfer buses from the airport began to appear. There were ample porters and enough staffers to eliminate the long lines however, as usual; there were some individuals who had neglected to complete the pre boarding paperwork prior approaching the agent. As many correspondents have written, this slows the process to a crawl for those just arriving.
Our boarding number was called within 5 minutes and we made our way up the gangway greeted by a young Indonesian in a bell hop suit from the 50s. He directed towards the elevator and we made our way to the Lido Deck for a buffet. It wasnt too long before the crowds began to muster and there was a noticeable lack of children and an even more noticeable proliferation of wheel chairs and walkers. The jury is still out as to which is the most difficult to deal with in a buffet line, I tend to opt for the children rather than to watch my youth disappear as I wait behind our most elder statesmen as they load their plates with prunes and oatmeal. (I am not being cruel here, as I am approaching my later years at breakneck speed, I am only commenting that a buffet may not be the answer for them). Our cabin was a mini suite with a very large veranda. Everything was nicely appointed right down to the teak lounge chairs on the balcony. The room had a large whirlpool tub with absolutely no instructions on how to operate (I think it was Italian) and a large stall shower as well. Overall the ship was very clean, not spotless. It showed signs of quick turn around back and fourth to Mexico and I noted from our room that new carpeting was being loaded into the holds along with the baggage and foodstuffs. I gather that they had carpet layers working overnight which, on Holland America is very quiet. By 10 p.m. you could shoot off cannons and not hit a soul! As long as I am on carpeting, as a frequent user of the stairs, they a carpeted in deep blue and all of the landings with a contrasting color making things somewhat difficult with regard to depth perceptions as to the exact location of those last couple of steps&.on the way down!