Through some combination of jet lag and excitement, I’m wide awake long before the sun rises. Thank God for Starbucks! There’s a coffee bar in the hotel lobby and, after inhaling a grande 
Americano, my heart settles into a normal rhythm. Now what? The bus transfer is scheduled for 11:30 so there’s time to kill. Several boring hours later, we meet in the lobby for the transfer to the ship. The luggage had been collected earlier so all we have to do is board the bus and go. Not quite! We’re led to the parking lot (single file, stay in line) to find all the luggage in a line on the concrete. Our driver, a very out-of-shape Jackie Gleason look-alike, is attempting to load the bags, one very slow bag at a time. It’s very hot and I’m concerned that he’s about to have a stroke any minute. We’re told to board the bus, where the air conditioning isn’t working. In an effort to speed the loading process, the HAL rep (a small woman probably in her sixties) started carrying bags two at a time onto the bus. Finally the luggage is loaded and we’re ready to go. Not quite! The door won’t lock. After fifteen minutes of fiddling with the lock, Greg removes the strap from his camera bag and ties the door to the passenger-assist bar. And we’re off. At least for a hundred feet or so. As we exit the parking lot, the bus begins to scrape the ground and the driver announces that we’re not going anywhere. The hydraulic system which raises the bus is shot! We park right in front of the hotel, almost an hour after we were scheduled to depart. After several confusing calls by the driver and the HAL rep (who actually is sub-contracted and works in San Diego), we’re told to go back to the hotel lobby. The bus company will “try to get another bus as soon as possible”. Sorry, ain’t gonna happen! Given my personality, there’s no way I’m waiting around to see how this plays out. Since we’re right in front of the hotel, there are plenty of taxis a few feet away. Greg and I crawled under the bus, retrieved our luggage and hopped into the first taxi in line. It cost us $60 plus tip but it was worth every penny. We arrived at the pier, checked in and were having lunch in less than an hour. Later, we stopped by the front desk and explained what had happened. To HAL’s credit, our taxi fare was refunded (minus tip, of course). Later, as Greg and I enjoy some ice cream in the Lido, the HAL rep walks past. They finally arrived just before 4:00 o’clock. We sail at 5:00….
Of course, before we can sail, there’s the always-entertaining lifeboat drill. This one seemed more confused than usual. Rather than recording cabin numbers as people arrived, the lifeboat captain waited until the drill began, then started calling cabins. Regardless, we survived the drill and were ready to sail on schedule. The sail-away was festive and noisy. Drinks were on special, beer was half-price, Charlie and the HAL Cats were playing and generally everyone was in a good mood! We eased away from the dock, aimed the “pointy” end to the west and sailed off into the sunset. Next stop, Hawaii….
Americano, my heart settles into a normal rhythm. Now what? The bus transfer is scheduled for 11:30 so there’s time to kill. Several boring hours later, we meet in the lobby for the transfer to the ship. The luggage had been collected earlier so all we have to do is board the bus and go. Not quite! We’re led to the parking lot (single file, stay in line) to find all the luggage in a line on the concrete. Our driver, a very out-of-shape Jackie Gleason look-alike, is attempting to load the bags, one very slow bag at a time. It’s very hot and I’m concerned that he’s about to have a stroke any minute. We’re told to board the bus, where the air conditioning isn’t working. In an effort to speed the loading process, the HAL rep (a small woman probably in her sixties) started carrying bags two at a time onto the bus. Finally the luggage is loaded and we’re ready to go. Not quite! The door won’t lock. After fifteen minutes of fiddling with the lock, Greg removes the strap from his camera bag and ties the door to the passenger-assist bar. And we’re off. At least for a hundred feet or so. As we exit the parking lot, the bus begins to scrape the ground and the driver announces that we’re not going anywhere. The hydraulic system which raises the bus is shot! We park right in front of the hotel, almost an hour after we were scheduled to depart. After several confusing calls by the driver and the HAL rep (who actually is sub-contracted and works in San Diego), we’re told to go back to the hotel lobby. The bus company will “try to get another bus as soon as possible”. Sorry, ain’t gonna happen! Given my personality, there’s no way I’m waiting around to see how this plays out. Since we’re right in front of the hotel, there are plenty of taxis a few feet away. Greg and I crawled under the bus, retrieved our luggage and hopped into the first taxi in line. It cost us $60 plus tip but it was worth every penny. We arrived at the pier, checked in and were having lunch in less than an hour. Later, we stopped by the front desk and explained what had happened. To HAL’s credit, our taxi fare was refunded (minus tip, of course). Later, as Greg and I enjoy some ice cream in the Lido, the HAL rep walks past. They finally arrived just before 4:00 o’clock. We sail at 5:00….Of course, before we can sail, there’s the always-entertaining lifeboat drill. This one seemed more confused than usual. Rather than recording cabin numbers as people arrived, the lifeboat captain waited until the drill began, then started calling cabins. Regardless, we survived the drill and were ready to sail on schedule. The sail-away was festive and noisy. Drinks were on special, beer was half-price, Charlie and the HAL Cats were playing and generally everyone was in a good mood! We eased away from the dock, aimed the “pointy” end to the west and sailed off into the sunset. Next stop, Hawaii….
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