On the second day of our cruise, we ate breakfast while watching our ship pull into San Diego. This was the day for which I was most excited. What’s so great about San Diego, you ask? That’s where my number one granddaughter lives!
No shore excursion could match our itinerary. Our daughter and granddaughter were meeting us mid-morning, we’d go play at a park, eat lunch, then go play some more until our granddaughter’s nap time. If you have grandchildren, you completely understand my excitement. If not, well, I’m sorry – there’s no way to explain it, but trust me, this was the highlight of the cruise!
Our daughter called to let us know she was on her way to the ship. We left our cabin, maneuvering past the photographers wanting to take souvenir photos so they could charge us an arm and a leg for these “treasured memories” of our cruise. Once off the ship, we were unsure of where our daughter would be able to meet us. We asked a port official where vehicles were allowed to pick up passengers and she told us anywhere along a certain area. We began to walk away, when she said, “I think this might be who you’re waiting for,” and she pointed to our granddaughter who was running toward us.
I wanted it noted that she ran straight into MY arms. I got the first hug! This is important because the rest of the day (as it is when we Skype) it was “Poppa, Poppa, Poppa!” The husband has always been a charmer.
That’s our ship, the Sapphire Princess, in the background.
We walked along the pier, which is quite picturesque, visiting with our daughter and granddaughter, stopping to take photos and generally relishing the fact that we were face-to-face with no computer screen in between.
Our daughter is in the Navy, so she took us to a park where the USS Midway Museum is located. If we’d been there without the girls, we’d have definitely gone on the museum tour. The husband loves WWII history and would have enjoyed exploring the ship. There’s a HUGE statue of the famous photograph taken at the end of WWII in Times Square, so of course we posed for a picture.
A few steps away is A National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military. Set up on a plaza are 15 life-sized bronze statues. One is of Bob Hope in front of a mic, and the rest of the statues represent military from different wars or conflicts. They are arranged as if attending a Bob Hope show, and excerpt of his shows are played. We thought it was great, but our granddaughter thought the statues were “scawey,” so we didn’t linger. “Thanks for the memories!”
We headed to the more child-friendly location and end up at a really nice park in Liberty Station. Swings, climbing structures and lots of sand kept Poppa and Izabel busy, while my daughter and I enjoyed the sun and some catching up.
When it was time for lunch, our daughter thought we might enjoy Slater’s 50/50. Who can say no to a burger made with 50 percent ground bacon and 50 percent ground beef? These burgers were good, but HUGE! In hindsight, the husband and I should have split one. If you live in Southern California, or plan to visit, they have several locations. Check ‘em out!
We went back to the park after lunch, somewhat surprised that Izabel hadn’t hit her grumpy, “I need a nap” point, yet. We were able to play/visit for about another hour and a half before we knew she’d had enough. We headed back to the ship and within five minutes our little sweetie was fast asleep in her car seat. Even kissing her goodbye didn’t cause her to stir. She was completely worn out. I have to admit we were a little worn out ourselves. It’s tough saying goodbye to your kids, not knowing exactly when you’ll see them again. Tight hugs, a kiss and a wave goodbye and don’t look back or you’ll cry.
We got back to our cabin and made reservations for dinner in the Santa Fe dining room. We weren’t hungry, but perhaps we would be in a couple of hours. Nope, we weren’t hungry, but went to dinner anyway. Hey, you’ve paid for the food, so you kind of feel obligated to eat, which is probably the reason people gain weight on a cruise.
I have to say the piña colada soup was amazing. Non-alcoholic, not overly sweet, it was the best part of my meal, and I probably should have ended it right there. The specialty of the Santa Fe dining room is fajitas, so naturally I had to try them. I left the tortillas to the side and just ate the chicken and veggies. Still so full from lunch.
Back in our cabin, we watched our ship pull out of port from our balcony. If our cruise had ended the next day, I would have been satisfied. It had been a lovely day making memories with our granddaughter, and I went to sleep with the thought of her little arms wrapped lovingly around my neck.
(Next: Who cares about Ensenda? I’m watching football on a jumbo screen, poolside, in JANUARY!)