San Diego, California...

Well, once again we are back in San Diego…I was up most of the night worried about our COVID test today in order to make it back to the east coast…so in the wee hours of the morning I decided to go out on the forward deck and take some take sail in photos. Caught some nice photos as the sun was coming up.  The anxiety level today was high for all of us as we were being COVID tested at 7 am, this test was so pivotal to our future cruises. If we failed or tested positive, we were going to be kicked off the ship for a 10-day quarantine stay at a hotel in San Diego followed by a journey whether flying or a road trip to meet up with the Rotterdam in Fort Lauderdale sometime down the road or possibly heading home. At 7:16 the weight was lifted and we all three (Ann, Cathy & I) tested Negative…it was a happy dance all the way to the Main Dining Room for Customs and Border Protection clearance. This new Holland America policy regarding putting guests off the ship if testing positive for COVID rather than using onboard quarantine facilities has been a major game changer in the future of cruising for me.  Gone are the days of sailing around the world, exploring other cultures and seeing wonderous sights.  I will be staying much closer to home with the threat of being put off the ship in some port far, far away from home if testing for COVID, even if asymptomatic…  This could potentially have a chilling effect on the cruise line’s ability to keep their base if they don’t feel comfortable with not being assured of being brought back to their intended port of debarkation.  I believe a World Cruise would be fraught with potential problems…  True to their word, some guests did test positive and are now in a quarantine facility in San Diego as we sailed away.   As far as our day in San Diego, the weather had a real chill in the air, but it was bright and sunny and just perfect for our day in the Retreat. It was downright cold but magnificent sail away from San Diego.  Ran into my friend Juville at the sail away, one of my all-time favorite beverage attendants, he took exceptional care of Ian & I during 2019 when I spent 8 1/2 months on the Zuiderdam...  Fort Lauderdale here we come…this is last of our Panama Canal transits for our Zuiderdam voyages. We will continue to be careful, and not let our guard down in order to make it through our next test for our transition to the Rotterdam in Fort Lauderdale….  On to the Panama Canal…. 

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico...

Tough day today…  Beautiful day here in Puerto Vallarta but for various reasons, we didn’t feel that it was prudent to go out and get any more exposure to COVID than is necessary….  To that point, the game has changed dramatically, for us, in trying to sail on a 6 ½ month voyage during a pandemic.  It was always going to be a challenge but, Holland America needed to get back to business and we were more than happy to do our part.  We would have done a longer voyage, but it just wasn’t possible with the jumbled schedules of Holland America restarting after being on pause for 19 months.  Last night was a total game changer for us…  I was notified, only because of a question I asked about another matter, that if I tested positive this coming Sunday morning in San Diego, I will be put off the ship. This coming after months and months of assurances that if I were to test positive, I would remain on the ship and quarantine there.   As a result, I am packing everything thing up, just in case.... I am so pissed off with them. They can't give me a good reason. Tried working with them to get it changed but to no avail. The best understanding that I have is they want everyone who tests positive off at the earliest possible port, wherever that may be in case they get really ill even if asymptomatic. If I pass Sunday, and am able to make it to Fort Lauderdale, I have 9 cruises booked, not longer than 7 days. It wouldn’t pay to ever unpack with the weekly threat of being tossed off the ship hanging over your head. At some point I may have to stop this craziness and come home much sooner than expected. So disappointed in Holland America Line. Just a word of advice to all you people out there that want to book back-to-back cruises…. You may be left hanging out to dry at some port halfway around the world depending on where you are sailing.  Just so happy we didn’t book voyages going too far afield from the US…. I’m very sad that a lot of the joy of cruising has been ripped away…. Instead of enjoying each day and the ports along the way, we must hunker down and minimize our exposure, so we aren’t dumped off somewhere….  Starting in the Fall, I am booked on voyages beginning in October and not returning home until the latter part of July, all over the world.  That certainly is subject to a serious, are you kidding me, review now…