We’ve had the good fortune of kicking off another big adventure with a visit with our dear friends, the Fischermanns, in Dana Point, CA. We love these kids and have so many laughs with them. We watched football, went to California’s famous In-n-Out Burger, dined at our favorite Casanova’s Italian restaurant and caught up on life.

When you think about your later years of life, when you’ve already established lifelong friends through school, as neighbors, or via your work, it’s been a wonderful surprise to be making new friends through a shared love of travel. It’s the cherry on top of your adventures.

After a good three-day visit, we said goodbye to Ed and Deanna, and headed to Long Beach for two nights before we board the ship. We spent a little time driving around and though we’ve been to Long Beach before, it never ceases to amaze us as to how big the port is here. It covers 3200 acres and is the second largest commercial port in the U.S, behind the port of Los Angelas. We checked in to the Westin Long Beach.

Our friends Lisa and Ron Syfrig arrived from Glendale, AZ. We met them on the WC2024 and like us, are joining the Coral Princess to circle the Pacific. We had a yummy dinner at Nettuno, in the famous old Breakers Hotel which is now a part of the Fairmont chain, then up to their roof top bar for a cocktail and to see the view at night.

Tomorrow: Long Beach, CA