We have disembarked in San Diego many times. There has never been a long delay going through immigration and customs, when that process was handled in the port building on the ground, instead of on the ship.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Quick and Efficient!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Very good food and beverages. Appreciated plexi-glass barriers between passengers and food in the buffet! Plenty of servers to put buffet items on passenger plates, as they requested. Sanitizers everywhere; great cleaning protocols!
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Lincoln Center musicians were wonderful! Jukebox quartet was outstanding! Dancers were very good! Comedians were very good. Bar musicians were OK - music in the bars should be geared towards the age demographic on the ship.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All staff was friendly and efficient. Excellent at following cleaning protocols. All staff was thrilled to be back to work, and worked hard to make sure passengers were well cared for.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Layout & design is the same as several other HAL ships. All should have a larger Lincoln Center State venue, as the seating is insufficient for the crowds that want to attend those performances. Lots of staff cleaning everything regularly. Lots of new furnishings and upgrades. (Need new chairs on the balconies.)
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Typical size cabin. Everything was very clean. Desk chair not comfortable. Balcony chairs need to be replaced.
Ship tip
The first day of the cruise, take the time to explore all the public areas on the ship.
Great seafront walkway leading to restaurants and museums. A few blocks to Little Italy and the Gaslamp District. Public transportation available to all of the many venues.
Lots of things to do, including all sorts of water sports, boat excursions, swimming, snorkeling & diving. Many restaurants and lots of shopping within walking distance.
25 minute bus ride from the port to the waterfront malecon. A "volunteer" (for tips) was on the bus to tell the passengers about the town and things to do in the area. Water sports and boat excursions available.
Upon arrival at the port we were entertained by a school musical group & the Navy band with singers. 10 minute bus ride to old downtown and malecon. Shopping stalls were set up at the malecon and there was local entertainment throughout the day.
Big port shopping area with trolleys to take passengers to and from the shopping area. Lots of things to see and do, if one goes farther into the town.
Passengers were called by their disembarkation color to go through immigration in the Dining Room. There were only 8 immigration and customs agents, who had to scan passports and do facial recognition via phone or computer. The process was excessively slow, possibly due to poor bandwidth. We stood in line for 35 minutes to get to an immigration agent. The wait was exacerbated by the passengers whose color had NOT been called joining the ever growing line, and no HAL personnel were there to turn them away to wait until their color was called! Once cleared, a sticker was put on our cruise card, and we could go back to our cabin, gather our belongings and disembark. Our luggage was immediately available, as we disembarked when our color was called.
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