Lucas Digital Art Center

San Diego ideal starting point for cruises to Mexico

No need to fly across the country for a cruise when you live in or near California.

This is the ideal scenario for first-time cruisers who want a no muss, uncomplicated way to test cruise waters. Our recent cruise Holland-America out of San Diego was an excellent example – 45 minutes of our suburban house in San Diego and we were ready to board our boat to the Mexican Riviera.

long cruise will tell you that the ships and itineraries each has its own set of demographic data, and often – mainly because of school holidays – Changes in the age of customers vary according to season. Some routes are all about the ports, while other routes such as the Mexican Riviera tend to attract tourists are more focused on the ship itself.

And then every cruise line has its particular niche. With Holland America Line, the place is "premium" – The line of what it suggests is a more elegant cruise, but not so formal that travelers feel out of place. Holland America likes to compare its level of service to a Westin or the Four Seasons.

"Premium means you pay about $ 100 more," said Noel DeChambeau, director of marketing for the line route of Alaska. "But well worth it."

Holland America is experimenting with the use of larger ships on the route Riviera San Diego and Mexico sample – an itinerary that includes Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Our ship was the Oosterdam, a Holland America's newest and largest, and only in service since 2003. While this was not our first cruise, it seemed that we Oosterdam odyssey along the coast of Mexico would be an excellent, reasonably priced way for Californians to sample the great time cruising.

In San Diego, parked the car less than 100 yards from the boat and began the boarding process high technology. Each passenger has photo identification and then digital photos were taken. From that point on, every time the passenger presented your new card Holland-America to raise or lower the boat again, the picture appeared on a computer screen, giving the crew a visual confirmation that the card actually matched the passenger. This took about an hour, but it was relatively easy if we consider the Oosterdam was boarding the equivalent of two small cities as he grew up in – about 1800 passengers and 800 crew.

These proportions provide passengers with a sufficient degree of personal service over the seven-day cruise. The smiles and warm welcome we received from members of the crew on board were only the beginning of an effort not passing cab managers, waiters, cruise directors and many members of the crew to pamper each of us for our entire stay on board the ship. If it was just a cheery "good morning" or a brief chat about the day's activities, meetings with members of the crew were always warm, and the staff seemed genuinely interested in making sure we had a great vacation.

Holland America likes to boast average line cabin is about 25 percent larger than the competition and, based on our personal experience, that seems accurate. The room we had – a luxury with an outdoor terrace – Was much larger than I remembered from previous experiences on other lines. About 67 percent of the rooms had balconies on this ship.

The gallery proved useful in our journey – often sat there and read or watch the passing landscape, lulled by the gentle waves lapping against the hull of the ship. Within of our cabin, the space was used efficiently: our room includes a king size bed, a sofa bed daven, bathroom with bathtub, cabinets number and a desk area. Satellite TV beamed in CNN and several movie channels and view TV cameras from the bow and stern of the ship. Just one floor is the Center of the Internet where, from 40 to 75 cents per minute, passengers can stay in constant contact with the outside world via email mail and Internet.

Besides the three ports daily, this special itinerary includes three days "at sea." The Oosterdam is like a floating hotel tail of 10 floors with a fine of many and varied restaurants, pools and a gym, a spa, shops, discos, bars and countless nooks and crannies. The ship has been carefully designed for maximum comfort and tastefully decorated to be bright, colorful and airy, while maintaining a sense of elegance and good taste. Whether in port or at sea, each day had a list of activities that ran the gamut – from ping pong tournaments to art exhibitions, of the Catholic Mass at happy hours of classic rock yoga classes in wine.

So much to do on a ship like the Oosterdam actually began to feel a little guilty that just want to relax. But that's not guilty – We are in total control of our holiday and on any given day, did as much or as little as we pleased.

Since we had a 5 years with us, our activities often involved the Lido Deck pool where the children loved to join this cruise. Our cruise, we were told, was somewhat unusual for Holland America – had a total of about 180 children on board, a higher number than usual. The Holland America Line, in general, is a little older, more upscale demographic. But once again, which may vary according to ship, time of year and the cruise itinerary.

A real convenience for parents is a relatively new to the ship's services called Club Hal. We were able to leave our daughter at Club Hal for hours at a time if necessary. Club Hal people teach children arts and crafts or play with them in a processing center jam packed with games, toys, movies and just about anything else kids could want. Of course, the proof is in the pudding: our daughter could not wait to come back the next day.

This is no surprise that an important board activity is eating. No no way to get around it – a cruise like this on the Oosterdam will tempt the morning, day and night with a variety of dining options ranging from casual to elegant. In addition to sitting down to eat style restaurant for all meals, the Oosterdam has an area on Lido Deck that offers several cafeteria style or deli-style station where you can order breakfast and lunch. Menus change daily, so there is always a variety of American dishes as well as Italian, Asian and many other products. A fancy restaurant, the Pinnacle, is available for an additional charge.

No matter if it was casual or dress, dinner on the boat was always a festive occasion and enjoyed catching up with our colleagues in the day's activities.

In this particular cruise, there a lot of time in port and enjoy spending time on land in the three destinations of sun. Cabo San Lucas, hot, was charming and picturesque. In Mazatlan, which passed time in a primitive fishing village with a wide, almost deserted beach. And, of course, Puerto Vallarta is one of the most popular coastal destinations throughout Mexico and enjoy to absorb the local culture by shopping and listening to flamenco music played well in drinks and Mexican food.

But once our week at sea came to a conclusion too quickly, we realized the ports of call are really fun and entertainment not the meat of this particular trip. We were among those who felt the target actual trip was the ship itself. As Cruise Director Jason Venner says:. "Anyone who sails in it, loves the Oosterdam"

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: The "experimental" big ship cruise leaves out of downtown San Diego.

WHAT: Among the latest additions to the Holland America fleet, the Oosterdam has a regular schedule of weekly cruises to Mexico during the winter months.

WHEN: The schedule Oosterdam Mexican Riviera continues through April, then resumes in October. Other itineraries in Mexico are available.

WHY: This is an easy opportunity for Californians the big-time sample cruise without flying across the country.

HOW: For more information on booking a Holland America cruise, call 1-877-SAIL HAL or visit www.hollandamerica.com .

PLEASE HELP ME GO TO STAR WARS CELEBRATION V TO SEE GEORGE LUCAS!!!

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