Phew! After standing in line after line after line, we have finally made it onto the Radiance of the Seas. We found our room right away to drop off a few of our things, and then started exploring. Well, by exploring, I mean making our way to the Lido Deck for the lunch buffet! We passed several pools, art galleries, the fitness center and the lobby along the way to the food. We are always a bit amazed at just how big these ships are, and how much they can pack in! We still haven’t seen the other dining rooms, the casino, the theaters, the shops, etc. Our first try at the buffet was a success, with the smoked bbq pork being our favorite of the meal! We set sail at 5 pm, with an obligatory muster drill at 4:30 (Justin’s very favorite part of the whole cruise – ha!).

We got into San Diego last night, and everything went well. I really dislike flying, but the flights were actually pretty good. I am pretty particular when it comes to airlines, as we have had good and bad experiences in the past. So far, Frontier has been one of our favorites. They are pretty efficient and consistent, and the planes are reasonably comfortable and quiet, which is all I am really looking for. We got in after dark, so we were in for a treat this morning when we opened up the shades on the window. Our hotel is located here:

View Larger Map

We are on a peninsula between a marina and a bay. Our hotel room is right across the street from the bay.

It has been a really nice morning so far. We found a donut place to visit, which was awesome. It really makes me want a good donut place in Stevens Point. Copps and County Market just don’t cut it. This place had excellent raised and glazed donuts, with good shredded coconut, as opposed to the blended stuff we normally get. The lady behind the counter was surprised I got a Coke instead of coffee, but you haven’t lived until you have washed down a sugar glazed fried donut with a tall glass of Coke

After the donut run, we wandered around looking for a Walgreen’s or convenience store, as Julie forgot a brush for her hair. We found a pharmacy at around 8:55, but it didn’t open until 9, and we were standing outside when I noticed a bakery across the street. We wandered over to take a look and found a cool bakery with all sorts of different breads and rolls available. We got a demi-baguette and a Gorgonzola, red onion, and walnut focaccia. We are going to have those for lunch before we head to the ship. We can see our ship across the harbor!

We’ve certainly had a full day of cars and planes. We drove to Minneapolis this morning, checked in for our flight without problems (for the most part) and all our flights were on time (for the most part.) It turned out the fee for an overweight bag is $75!! The fee for a whole extra bag is only $25! Since one of our bags was overweight, I quickly pulled out an extra duffle we had packed and shifted things around, and then actually put in Justin’s carry-on bag inside it as well, and the ticket agent counted it as simply checking a carry-on, which apparently there is no extra fee for! Very bizarre, but it all worked out. All the bags made it to San Diego just fine along with us, and we made it to our hotel just fine as well. We have a San Diego Bay view from our window – very cool. It is good to be done for the day, but we are both very excited to get onboard the ship tomorrow!