Friday, 03/17/06 I spent the day in San Diego shopping, having lunch, and purchasing some wine in La Jolla for stateroom consumption on the Oosterdam. I purchased the wine at a Ralph's supermarket in La Jolla, which had an in-store wine steward to assist shoppers with their selections. The wine steward was quite knowledgeable, and assisted me in my purchase of a half dozen bottles. In addition, I found the prices to be quite competitive with other merchants in the area, as well as offering a 10% discount when purchasing six bottles or more.
Needless to say, I was "quite happy" with my purchase! It was nice to have a full day in San Diego before sailing on the Oosterdam. This sailing was actually a "re-cruise" for me after having sailed over New Year's. I actually booked directly though Holland America Line and was happy to find that there was a "Community Service Discount" that I was eligible for as an employee of a school district. Now I'm "officially" a Mariner since this is my second sailing with Holland America Line. Wow, an extra invitation to a reception. (In the "world" of Holland America Line, "reception" = "champagne!"
