The sea and sky were gray most of the voyage from Vancouver to Los Angeles. We remarked several times the water and sky were bluer and calmer, and overall sunnier during our last cruise in the Mediterranean six years ago then now, but soon the sun came out to stay.
We were at sea Saturday, Sunday and Monday sailing past Cape Flattery and San Francisco and arrived Tuesday morning in Los Angeles.
Here in LA we did not partake in an organized Shore Excursion. Instead we rented a car several blocks from the ship and drove to Seal Beach. We planned to drive as far as Newport Beach but found LA traffic to be unpredictable.
Passengers are not allowed to bring beer or spirits on board. Selling spirits by the glass, or having it delivered by room service is a major source of revenue for the cruise line. Randy smuggled on a small plastic flask of scotch, which didn’t last long for evening cocktails on our balcony.
However, each passenger is allowed to carry on one bottle of wine per voyage. We purchased two bottles of wine in Vancouver and found them mediocre considering their expensive price. We later learned that alcohol is heavily taxed in Canada, which helps pay for medical care and education.
Beforehand we learned from our frequent-cruiser, Tucson friend Fred Leinfest that the Los Angeles leg is considered another voyage. We found a Trader Joe’s near Seal Beach and picked up two more affordable bottles. We savored those wines on our balcony as the dining room corkage fee was $15 per bottle. On board the least expensive bottle of wine was $29 plus 15% service charge. The upshot was that we did not drink much during the cruise. When ordering a bottle of wine with dinner we made it last and often the remainder was held in the dining room cellar until the next evening.
We were surprised to learn that many passengers purchased the alcohol package at $49 + service charge a day per person, which amounted to nearly $1,000 per person. There also was an unlimited soft drink package available. Between the two packages this sounded like a lot of alcohol and/or sugar to us.
And speaking of extra charges we heard of the $11.50 automatic room charge per day to be grouped for tipping waiters, room service, cabin boys, etc. We later learned the $11.50 is per person. Regardless, we gave an extra tip to our Cabin Boy at the end of the trip for his excellent service.
There is a reason cruise ships are known as "floating cash registers." We found the internet service very expensive and slow. Consequently we were out of touch sometimes four days at a time until we went ashore to find a free internet connection. Even being careful we accrued an $85 bill for internet charges on board because of some business transactions.