I flew down a day earlier from Van. B.C., eh, as I've heard a number of horror stories over the years from a few cruisers whose flight arrival was delayed.. Normally, I drive down from British Columbia.
It seems every time I depart out of San Diego, there is a different format on the pier. I must say the authorities are slowly improving since 9-11, but there still is a great deal of confusion .. There were people telling us: Take your bags over there.. No... Over There!!... Unfortunately, the baggage depot had not been set-up yet, so a few of us were walking around like headless chickens...
On HAL,I prefer the suite life, so as a preferred guest, I was relegated to the "disabled" section of the waiting room. Nevertheless, I was the 2nd. passenger to board the ship. The woman that was leading us onto the ship, however, was something else. She treated everyone as if they were total idiots ...Definitely someone, who should be doing a different job.
The suites on HAL are great... The balcony has to be at least 18 X 10 feet. (Most cruise cabins are barely this big).
I prefer just a shower, in the bathroom. On the Oosterdam, the suites have both, which is kind of nice.
On this cruise, they were having a bit of problems with the air conditioner, in a few of the rooms. The concierge sent me in a fan, which I never requested. But it was a nice gesture. ..AAR, I never complain about the heat. ..That's why I go on a cruise!!