Off to Hawaii!

And what a roundabout way to get there….Pat and I are taking yet another ocean-crossing cruise, this time crossing from San Diego (well not exactly) to the Hawaiian Islands. We have 5 days at sea this time instead of the 6 days we had last trip crossing the Atlantic.


When I say roundabout, I mean it. Due to an obscure law called the Jones act, foreign flag vessels (which almost all cruise ships are) are not allowed to transport passengers between US ports. The Jones act dates back to the early 1900’s and involves other activities….you may remember that the Jones act also gave the Island of Puerto Rico US citizen ship status. I can only think that the purpose of the law (as it applies here) was to eliminate foreign competition with American passenger lines. As liability became a greater concern, American chartered cruise lines ceased to exist. Today, most cruise lines are chartered in foreign countries like the Bahamas or Panama etc. The Jones act just isn’t relevant today.

Anyway, I digress…..what this meant to us is that we were required to check our bags at the cruise terminal in San Diego and then board a Bus to Ensenada, Mexico (home of “Papas and Beer” and other seedy night spots) where we actually boarded our ship. During that trip we were warned that we could be stopped and inspected by Federales and customs agents. What they didn’t tell us is that a roving musician would board our bus and subject us to Richie Valens tunes and make us sing along. We clapped at the appropriate time and tipped him well since, after all, a Federale was stationed outside our bus with a fully equipped M-4 at the ready. This could have been an elaborate ploy to search the bus for drug dealers and terrorists……we kept our heads down, smiled, put money in the bag and waited until his repertoire ran dry……

Carnival is our cruise carrier this time. We have never sailed with Carnival….it’s a different crowd where bikers are shoulder to shoulder with retirees, hopefully, we will coexist in peace…. We even have a bona-fide movie star here….Richard Keil (the character “Jaws” in one of the old James Bond movies). I couldn’t believe it when I saw him….he’s got to be at least 7 feet tall. Anyway, seems to be a fun ship….I already like the attitude of the staff. The test will be if I go stir crazy like I did during the last crossing. I’ve told Pat to get help if I start rambling on about Brussels sprouts. 

No pictures this post but should have some in a few days when we hit Hawaii.

Best to All



Pat and Chris