Monday – February 2, 2026 – San Diego day 1
The featured photo today shows 3 items we needed to pick up that are not available on ship or in most ports – a 2 TB solid-state drive, popcorn and Mountain Dew. The solid-state drive is like what I forgot to bring with me to store all the photos and video. When I realized it had been left at home, I ordered a new one from Best Buy to pick up in San Diego. The popcorn and Mountain Dew are 2 essential food items that are not carried in the ship’s stores. As it happened, there was a Walmart next to the Best Buy so getting all 3 items was easy.
It was a beautiful morning as we sailed into San Diego harbor and passed the US Navy base there. We docked next to a World War II aircraft carrier – USS Midway. As this is the first of 3 US ports we would be visiting, all passengers needed to clear US Immigration. We were assigned group numbers and processed based on those numbers. Ours was group 2 so we were early in the line to get off the ship and go exploring. At immigration all passports were checked. Those with US passports did not have to go through as many “hoops” as those from other countries. However, at the immigration stations, they did not set up separate lines for US citizens. Seems like that would have moved things along a little faster but no matter, we made it through and began to look for a taxi.
From the dock we went to pick up a car I had reserved at Enterprise Rentals. Our driver was originally from Kenya, so we recounted our time there on safari. He delivered us to Enterprise at the San Diego airport and said we could call him for a ride back to the ship if we wished. He gave us his card and away we went to the rental area. We had a choice of models and picked a Genesis GV60 – a vehicle we had not driven.
With iMap guiding us we headed to the San Diego Safari Park (know to us as the Wild Animal Park) which is around 35 miles from the airport – mostly on Interstate. When we reached the ticket counter, we confirmed something we had seen online – during the month of February seniors (65+) do not pay admission (normally $78). Most of that saving was eaten up by an insurance claim we paid to Enterprise – more on that later.
Our first stop inside the park was the Australian animal section. They even had one of the road signs that Jan came to like – “Give Way”. As part of the landscaping in the park, proteas have been planted – a flower we first came to enjoy on the island of Maui in Hawaii and have also seen on the slopes of Table Mountain in South Africa (the area from which the protea originated). Within the Australia exhibit we were able to see a platypus – which we had not seen during our time in Australia last year. This one was active swimming back and forth in the exhibit. Also in the exhibit was a cassowary – the bird that is dangerous and reclusive.
Near the Australia area was a garden filled with Bonsai of many varieties. There are a couple photos of that area in the gallery. The next area we saw included mountain sheep and California condors. Those birds are big and mean looking. We decided we wanted to get some lunch and were trying to pick a place on a map when a volunteer offered to guide us to what he thought was a good restaurant. Along the way we saw a colorful toucan and were hoping to see tigers in the “Tiger Trail”, but the tigers were resting somewhere out of sight.
At the restaurant we had a nice lunch of “normal” zoo food and sat at a table overlooking a pond with pelicans, ibis and other birds “doing their thing”. As we ate we talked about what to do following lunch and chose to take a tram around the savanna area of the park which is filled with many non-meat-eating specimens. They also have a tethered hot-air balloon that lifts to 400 feet above the park so you can get a bird’s eye view. We chose not to do that.
On the tram it was almost like being back in Masai Mara in Kenya (less the lions, hyena, cheetah and leopard). There are many photos in the gallery of the animals we saw from the tram. We learned something new for us – that herbivores rest in circles with the members facing outward so they can see 360 degrees and watch for danger. Young are placed inside the circle. There is a photo in the gallery that shows that action.
It was late in the afternoon, so we walked to the car and headed for Best Buy to pick up the solid-state drive. With the sun low on the horizon, we noticed a small crack (3”) in the windshield to the right of the rear-view mirror. We had not noticed this when we picked up the car in the parking garage at the airport or as we drove to the Safari Park. We assumed this crack must have been in the glass when we picked up the car – it didn’t show unless you looked hard for it. We said we would need to tell Enterprise when we returned the car.
We found the Best Buy without difficulty, picked up the drive and noticed there was a Walmart next door. Kelsey and Jan had been wishing for Mountain Dew since we left Genoa on January 5th. We bought several 2-liter bottles and a couple bags of popcorn to go with it because we would be watching a movie when we returned to the ship – “Groundhog Day”. Each February 2nd we have a family tradition of watching that movie. Eventually I believe all of us will be able to recite the actor’s lines before they do – so many classic lines.
When we turned in the car, we explained we had found a crack in the windshield. The attendant measured it and determined that a claim would need to be filed. He asserted that the crack must have happened when we were driving the car. We didn’t agree but there was no way to prove when the crack first appeared. We had not taken out the insurance offered by the rental agency so it would be our responsibility to cover any repairs. After calling our insurance agent we found that our auto policy covers such damage with a $100 deductible. So, the $156 we saved on admission to the Safari Park was reduced to $56 – still a good thing.
When we returned to our cabin, we found that the maintenance men had installed a clothes line for us in the bathroom! One-by-one our cabin is being fitted with the accessories expected in a standard and a Yacht Club cabin. However, this time there was no chilled prosecco nor any cookies! Today was a great day with beautiful weather, a fun trip to the Safari Park and great snacks and drinks as we watched our Groundhog Day special movie!
I’ll add text later. You can find today’s photos here.