Overview: We did a quick 3-night cruise on Navigator of the Seas out of Los Angeles over the Memorial Day weekend. We were limited on time, so we felt this would be doable. According to our waiter, this was the first cruise sailing at full capacity since the start of the pandemic. Because it was a holiday cruise and was full, pricing was more expensive than what I’ve typically seen.

Pre-Cruise: We stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton San Pedro. We had slightly dated, but comfortable room with a great view of San Pedro harbor. We walked to 22nd Street Landing Bar & Grill for a nice meal at a reasonable price. Parking at the hotel was $15 per night. We took a hotel shuttle to and from the pier.

Embarkation: Getting on the ship was a relatively slow process. Masks were required in the terminal but not on the ship. What I found a bit annoying was the redundancy of health checks. We were required to upload our vaccination cards and have them approved pre-cruise, but also had to provide that proof another 2-3 times during check-in, along with a negative covid test. What’s the point of uploading proof of vaccination if they’re going to just ask for it again multiple times? Read more