This was our third HAL cruise. We went into San Diego one night early. We stayed at the Bay Club Hotel & Marina, which is on Shelter Island. December is an especially nice time to stay at the here because of the marina and many of the boats are decorated for Christmas. The Bay Club has a lovely view anytime, but especially nice in December. They also provide a complimentary full breakfast buffet, airport pickup & port drop-off.

Embarkation: We arrived around 11:00 and were on board by noon. We had access to the cabin around 1:30.

The ship is beautiful and we enjoyed the smaller size. There were bouquets of fresh flowers everywhere, and we were fortunate that some of the Christmas decorations were up. Read more