Las Vegas 2024

Vacation 2025

Nov 2025 cruise from San Diego to Mexico on Norwegian Jade

10/31/25 Alaska Airlines flight to San Diego
10/31/25 Stay at Wyndham San Diego Bayside
11/01/25 San Diego Zoo (Bus 992 to Bus 215)
11/02/25 Norwegian Jade depart 4pm
11/03/25 at sea
11/04/25 Cabo San Lucas (via tender) 10am-7pm
11/05/25 La Paz 8am-6pm
11/06/25 at sea
11/07/25 at sea
11/08/25 Return to port 7am
11/08/25 Alaska Airlines flight home

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Jade
-1,037 crew members and a maximum of 2,352 passengers
-ship is 965 feet long and 125 feet wide, so not a 'huge' ship

My room was on Deck 8 Room 8575

Past Cruises - First 2 with wife, then solo

Sep 2016 Explorer Seattle-San Fran-Victoria BC
Feb 2018 Princess San Fran to Mexico
Mar 2019 Symphony Miami to Caribbean
Aug 2021 Serenade Seattle to Alaska

Airline tickets and cruise reservations do NOT automatically include trip insurance... so think about buying insurance for BOTH your flight and cruise

Instead of buying individual insurance at each site (airline & hotel & cruise) I started at USAA (I am a US Army veteran so have USAA auto&house insurance) and used the company associated with USAA to buy one policy that covers everything

While talking to someone at Norwegian I found out that a passport must have at least 6 months of time remaining at the time of the cruise... since my original passport expires January 2026 it won't work for a November 2025 cruise

While checking into a renewal I found out that the standard passport 'book' is required to fly to another country, but a passport 'card' may be used to go on a cruise ship to Canada or Mexico or Bermuda or the Caribbean... the book renewal is $130 and the card is only $30 - so, since I have ZERO plan to ever fly to another country I ordered my renewal in card form... a passport card also works to be allowed to process through the TSA line in an airport

If you are only flying in the US an EDL (Enhanced Drivers License) will work in some states... check with the DMV in your state to find out if you can get an EDL... you will need to take LOTS of proof to show you are a US citizen to get an EDL

A passport card has the same kind of RFID chip as 'tap to pay' credit cards, so it came with a protective sleeve... it is the same size as a credit card, so while traveling I kept the card in the sleeve, in my wallet with my credit card that is also in a protective sleeve... we use card protection due to portable 'card readers' that thieves use to get close enough to read the RFID chip and steal information

The protective sleeves that we use for our credit cards

View of the Portland airport from our house on the Washington side of the Columbia River (a typical overcast Fall day)

Wife told me about a news report that the Mexican drug cartels are making threats against Americans visiting or living in Mexico in response to what President Trump is doing to destroy drug carrying boats headed toward the US... so before going I did several searches to find out the threat level in Cabo San Lucas where I plan to go to the Cabo Wabo Cantina

According to what I found the cartel threats are 'mainly' much further North, nothing specific down the peninsula to where Cabo sits at the very end (only crime reports are the usual for all places where tourists go... pickpockets and purse grabbers) plus I asked on the ship before getting on the tender to go to the small dock (ship Captain does not want a guest injured)

So... I went on shore and had lunch at Cabo Wabo to compare to Las Vegas... see below

I flew from Portland OR to San Diego on Alaska Airlines... flight was as expected (a door did NOT fall off during flight... going on a 737-900 and returning on a 737-900) and I rode the guest shuttle bus to the Hotel

I stayed at Wyndham San Diego Bayside to be in easy walking distance to the cruise terminal

Wyndham is at the top center of the picture, cruise ships dock at B Street Pier

My ship boarding time was 10:30-to-11:00 so I checked out at 10:00 and walked to the ship... going to warm weather I only had a carryon bag, nothing large to check on the plane, so I didn't check my bag when I got to the ship, it was easy to keep with me until my room was available

Last year wife and I went to El Gaucho with a friend who had a coupon. I buy an entire 'slab' of Prime grade ribeye that I cut into steaks for a once a month treat... the ribeye I had at El Gaucho was good, but it was NOT better than the ones I cut and grill at home

The 'big' restaurant in the Wyndham is Ruth's Chris so I went there to find out if their ribeye is better than the ones I grill at home... Yes, every item is a separate cost (to see the prices click the link) for a vegetable I had roasted brussel sprouts... The ribeye was, of course, more expensive than my home cuts (expected in a restaurant) and it was MAYBE a half a point better, due to having heavy porcelin 'sizzle plates' to keep the steak hot on the table... but the flavor was the same as what I grill at home

We have been to Fogo de Chao in Portland in 2019 and again in 2020 (shortly before the riots... haven't been in Portland in years) so I used my 'bonus' dining credit to go to the Moderno Churrascaria Brazilian Steakhouse on the ship... virtually the same as Fogo and just as good... small cuts of a great variety of grilled meats and a closer look

After twice in a week I am now 'steaked out' for a month or two

After flying on Friday I went to San Diego Zoo Saturday

Here is a map of the Zoo It is a LARGE place!

I rode 2 city buses Route 992 near my Hotel with a transfer to Route 215 Instead of doing a Taxi... Senior cost is $1.25 per bus, with no transfers, so $2.50 to get to the Zoo

Returning I found out that bus 215 went to a stop only 2 blocks from my hotel so I only had to ride one bus... I got on the bus going in the wrong direction so I rode all the way to the SDSU campus and then back past the Zoo to the center of town... while riding through the 'low rent' part of town with lots of small stores I saw spray painted graffiti on some of the buildings, some of which was nice art, but did not see any tents on the sidewalks... I don't know if there are homeless on the sidewalks in other parts of town, but I did not see any on this one bus route

The number one item on my wife's 'bucket list' is Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya

Since she will not even fly 2.5 hours to San Diego, that trip will never happen

Once upon a time the Portland Zoo had a Giraffe 'feeding activity' where you could buy a clump of romaine lettuce and walk up a ramp to feed the Giraffes on their level... we talked about it, but somehow never picked a day to go... that activity went away with Covid and has not returned

According to the 'chat bot' at the website the San Diego Zoo does have a Giraffe feeding activity... Giraffe area is close to the entrance (a short distance to the right after entering) in the 'Urban Jungle' area... a further answer, from a human, said tickets are available at 11:30 AM... I'm not interested in feeding, only in pictures or video... I did not see any feeding while I was there

I very rarely buy 'ship's gear' while on a cruise, but since this will be the last ever cruise I go on I wanted a T-shirt... so before going I did a search... I didn't find any NCL shirts, but I did find a 'joke' shirt that I bought in my size to wear on the ship

Here is a what I found with me inside it

In 2018 my wife and I went on a cruise to Mexico, including Cabo San Lucas... that time we didn't go into any of the 'tourist attractions' since we spent the day with her nephew and his wife who were living in Mexico at that time... she no longer flies (even before a door fell off a Boeing plane) so this time was a solo trip

When I went to Cabo Wabo in Las Vegas in Planet Hollywood... I had a beer (probably an IPA) and a Burrito for lunch, can't remember which filling (chicken or beef) but it was good... cost there was $35.40 + tip (yes, I'm a computer nerd who keeps track of my Visa charges in an Excel spreadsheet)

For this trip I went to The Original Cabo Wabo in Cabo San Lucas... I had an Indio (dark) Mexican beer and a chicken Burrito... taste was slightly better than my memory of the Vegas version... and about the same price at $35.58 + tip (Pesos converted to dollars) so I will say that the original is a 'tourist trap' kind of place... which, of course, is only to be expected in a tourist destination

A taxi in Cabo does not use a meter so you MUST negotiate a price in advance... when I did a search before going the cost was 'estimated' to be at least $20 to go the short distance from the dock to the cantina (about 1.5 kilometer on city streets) I checked Google maps and it is a 1 kilometer walk from the cruise port to Cabo Wabo (equals .6 mile) so I walked and took pictures

Here is a map of the route from the cruise tender dock at the lower right to Cabo Wabo at the upper left... nice day and I was not in a hurry, so no need to spend $20 on a taxi

On the dock an arrow sign telling walkers where to turn left to go to the cantina

With 2 ships in port the Cantina was FULL and I had to wait about 10 minutes to get inside

Another Cantina that I did not visit, because after lunch at Cabo Wabo (and the heat) all I wanted to do was get back to the air conditioned ship

Per a Google search about the name Cabo Wabo
According to Sammy Hagar, back in the day, he was in Cabo and saw a local guy who had partied a little too hard. This guy was trying to walk but was very unsteady and actually fell into a fence. Sammy saw him and thought to himself, “That guy is doing the Cabo Wobble,” which evolved into Cabo Wabo as the name of the cantina he started.

Wife and I saw a news report on TV about a virus outbreak in China... with the connotation that it was a NEW virus spread by mosquitoes... I searched, it is NOT new... it goes back to at least 2014

It is a mosquito-borne illness called chikungunya virus - supposedly started in China

Per Google - Chikungunya virus is present in Mexico and is primarily transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, particularly Aedes aegypti. The virus causes chikungunya fever, which is characterized by fever, joint pain, and other symptoms. While the virus has been circulating in Mexico since 2014, with outbreaks occurring in southern and central regions, it is considered a moderate risk overall

But, to be safer for my cruise stop at Cabo San Lucas I bought repellent... which I used, but did not see any mosquitoes, so I brought most of it home

TSA rule is liquids/gels must be 3.4 ounces or less and fit in ONE quart size zip lock bag... this is ALL liquids/gels including toothpaste must fit in ONE quart size zip lock bag

I found a 2.5 ounce spray on Amazon... which I sprayed on my arms before getting off the ship... I also sprayed some on my hands and 'patted' my cheeks and forehead... I don't know if there were no mosquitoes or if the spray kept them away, but I wasn't bothered

Final picture (everything else is a video) is the dock area from the ship which is too small for a cruise ship, so we rode a small boat from the ship to the dock (small boat meaning one of the lifeboats that was lowered to the water)

Jade has GREAT coffee which helped me get going in the morning

My nose really enjoyed the fact that THERE IS NO POLLEN AT SEA

I went to several large & small shows on the ship

Latin Fusion singing and dancing that was very good... wife and I watch the DWTS reality show, so I recognized a couple of the dances

ABBA tribute band... all I can say is it was free and worth every penny

Standup comedy with Damon Sumner that was good

A couples game show performing silly tasks that was funny

Blazing Boots western singing and dancing that was very good

Plus LOTS of one or two person 'mini shows' every place that was a lounge with a small stage

When I'm not cruising I'm writing novels

End