2019 World Cruise - Day 18
Sunday 01.20.19 - Port #5, Los Angeles
Details from the Princess Cruise Lines:
Day 16 - 20, January 2019
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Arrival: 8:00 AM
Los Angeles
Shore Excursions
The City of Angels always hovers between dream and reality. Once a near-forgotten colonial outpost, the pueblo metamorphosed into an agrarian paradise before reinventing itself as a movie colony. Perhaps no other city owes so much to the technological innovations of the 20th century, from the automobile to the airplane. Little wonder that LA is oft described as the "dream machine." In LA, reinvention is a way of life. Yet this talent for change has created a city with a rich ethnic diversity and a sizzling culture. LA is the source for trends that migrate across the country and then the world. Where else can you enjoy a Thai taco or munch on a kosher burrito? Or travel from downtown's high rises to the beaches of Malibu, shopping in Beverly Hills along the way?
Los Angeles is a port of embarkation and disembarkation for some cruises.
I woke up pretty early because I was excited about what we had planned today. Before we get into all that, lets take a look at a few photos I took as we sailed into the port.
I was hungry, but was scared to eat too much because our plans for this port included eating lunch at not one but two different places that have been on my radar for quite some time. I figured the best thing would be some cereal & pastries.
Our breakfast was made even more enjoyable when we had a little visitor enjoy his free meal a few feet from us.
We stopped for souvenir pic on our way onto the pier.
Now here comes the fun part...
After our last trip to Los Angeles several friends gave me suggestions on where I *must* eat while visiting. One of those places was Pink's Hot Dogs
I was told this was the place for hot dogs in every way imaginable; so we headed there first. I did some research ahead of time to help narrow my decision. All the dogs are huge and an endless possibility of toppings. This is definitely a hard choice.
When you arrive you get in a line to order, pay, and then find a seat. We decided to share an incredible HUGE hot dog named the "El Cucuy". Well, it was called a “hot dog” but it was really a whole damn link of jalapeno sausage! This behemoth El Cucuy Dog had medium heat from the jalapenos & perfect crispy bacon. I love it when there is more meat vs bun ratio. #fatboyapproved
I would have liked to order more items (the lady behind us ordered a burger & it looked GOOD!) but we needed to save room for our next stop, which lucky for us only a couple blocks away. On the short walk there, we passed a few interesting items that caught my eye.
After watching Chef's Table S03E03, we were enticed by Nancy Silverton & her amazing looking pizzas. Since we were to be in Los Angeles on this cruise, how could we possibly miss a chance to visit her restaurant, Pizzeria Mozza?
We made reservations and I am glad we did! We arrived a few minutes before they opened, but within 20 minutes the place was full, so my tip is to make reservations.
We started with an order of tasty chicken wings. They were nowhere near as hot as I was expecting. Very mild, but awesome fall off the bone moist juicy chicken. I wish the skin was a little crisper. They serve these as the whole wing, drum & flat all highly seasoned so prepare for messy fingers.
They serve 10” pizzas cut into 4 slices, so we ordered one with panna (white sauce) & one with standard tomato sauce. Both pies were fantastic! I love a good thin crust. It's even better when there's little air bubbles that become slightly charred. My only critique would be that the meat should be smaller pieces & scattered throughout the whole pie. The fennel sausage is excellent, we could eat these on their own. I think instead of having them as giant meatballs, if they were crumbled all over the pizza so you got a taste with every bite this would be incredible. Shelly really loves a white sauce pizza since it doesn't have the strong acidity that some red sauce ones do.
Wow! Look at that red pizza with all the different meats, it's making me drool.
After that massive lunch we returned to the ship to meet our new room steward Andrew. Also there was a new travel tote waiting for us. Los Angeles is considered the start of the next leg of the cruise, the whole world cruise is divided into 4 segments. So each segment there are little changes like new room stewards or waiters, and certainly new people. This segment introduced a huge new group of world cruisers, because you can do this roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale or Los Angeles; most chose the LA option.
Since we picked up all the new passengers, we were required to attend another muster drill. These are normally boring but of course a necessity.
After the drill, we visited with Jim & Donna in the bar lounge area, until it was time to get ready for the Welcome Aboard Showtime, starring Christopher James.
Once the show was over, we then walked over to the main dining room for dinner.
I started with a crisp refreshing fruit trio as my appetizer. I thought the flavors melded well together.
The fruit was followed by the always satisfying shrimp cocktail. I think they snuck in an extra shrimp tonight!
For her entree, she chose one of the two pasta options. Tonight's dish was shell noodles with soft broccoli, a few olives, marinara sauce, plus what they described as wok-fried chicken strips. "The pasta was good, but I found the chicken dry."
Our waiters then delivered the dessert menus.
It is a scientific fact that ice cream settles your stomach after a big meal. With that knowledge, I selected two scoops of chocolate chip ice cream.
Day 16 - 20, January 2019
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Arrival: 8:00 AM
Los Angeles
Shore Excursions
The City of Angels always hovers between dream and reality. Once a near-forgotten colonial outpost, the pueblo metamorphosed into an agrarian paradise before reinventing itself as a movie colony. Perhaps no other city owes so much to the technological innovations of the 20th century, from the automobile to the airplane. Little wonder that LA is oft described as the "dream machine." In LA, reinvention is a way of life. Yet this talent for change has created a city with a rich ethnic diversity and a sizzling culture. LA is the source for trends that migrate across the country and then the world. Where else can you enjoy a Thai taco or munch on a kosher burrito? Or travel from downtown's high rises to the beaches of Malibu, shopping in Beverly Hills along the way?
Los Angeles is a port of embarkation and disembarkation for some cruises.
I woke up pretty early because I was excited about what we had planned today. Before we get into all that, lets take a look at a few photos I took as we sailed into the port.
I was hungry, but was scared to eat too much because our plans for this port included eating lunch at not one but two different places that have been on my radar for quite some time. I figured the best thing would be some cereal & pastries.
We stopped for souvenir pic on our way onto the pier.
Now here comes the fun part...
After our last trip to Los Angeles several friends gave me suggestions on where I *must* eat while visiting. One of those places was Pink's Hot Dogs
I was told this was the place for hot dogs in every way imaginable; so we headed there first. I did some research ahead of time to help narrow my decision. All the dogs are huge and an endless possibility of toppings. This is definitely a hard choice.
When you arrive you get in a line to order, pay, and then find a seat. We decided to share an incredible HUGE hot dog named the "El Cucuy". Well, it was called a “hot dog” but it was really a whole damn link of jalapeno sausage! This behemoth El Cucuy Dog had medium heat from the jalapenos & perfect crispy bacon. I love it when there is more meat vs bun ratio. #fatboyapproved
 |
| El Cucuy Dog 12” jalapeno hot dog topped with mayo, mustard, ketchup, grilled onions, jalapenos & bacon |
I would have liked to order more items (the lady behind us ordered a burger & it looked GOOD!) but we needed to save room for our next stop, which lucky for us only a couple blocks away. On the short walk there, we passed a few interesting items that caught my eye.
 |
| Life size Spider-Man in front of Golden Apple Comics |
 |
| Decoratively painted utility box |
 |
| My kids been kidnep they wer in hotel in NoHo.. motel ? Lounge Behind Ralphs on Magnolea |
After watching Chef's Table S03E03, we were enticed by Nancy Silverton & her amazing looking pizzas. Since we were to be in Los Angeles on this cruise, how could we possibly miss a chance to visit her restaurant, Pizzeria Mozza?
We made reservations and I am glad we did! We arrived a few minutes before they opened, but within 20 minutes the place was full, so my tip is to make reservations.
We started with an order of tasty chicken wings. They were nowhere near as hot as I was expecting. Very mild, but awesome fall off the bone moist juicy chicken. I wish the skin was a little crisper. They serve these as the whole wing, drum & flat all highly seasoned so prepare for messy fingers.
 |
| Chicken Wings Alla Diavola |
They serve 10” pizzas cut into 4 slices, so we ordered one with panna (white sauce) & one with standard tomato sauce. Both pies were fantastic! I love a good thin crust. It's even better when there's little air bubbles that become slightly charred. My only critique would be that the meat should be smaller pieces & scattered throughout the whole pie. The fennel sausage is excellent, we could eat these on their own. I think instead of having them as giant meatballs, if they were crumbled all over the pizza so you got a taste with every bite this would be incredible. Shelly really loves a white sauce pizza since it doesn't have the strong acidity that some red sauce ones do.
 |
| White Pizza fennel sausage, panna, mozzarella, red onions & scallions |
 |
| Red Pizza bacon, salame, fennel sausage, guanciale, tomato & mozzarella |
Wow! Look at that red pizza with all the different meats, it's making me drool.
After that massive lunch we returned to the ship to meet our new room steward Andrew. Also there was a new travel tote waiting for us. Los Angeles is considered the start of the next leg of the cruise, the whole world cruise is divided into 4 segments. So each segment there are little changes like new room stewards or waiters, and certainly new people. This segment introduced a huge new group of world cruisers, because you can do this roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale or Los Angeles; most chose the LA option.
Since we picked up all the new passengers, we were required to attend another muster drill. These are normally boring but of course a necessity.
After the drill, we visited with Jim & Donna in the bar lounge area, until it was time to get ready for the Welcome Aboard Showtime, starring Christopher James.
 |
| waiting for the show to begin |
 |
| audience participation |
 |
| audience participation |
 |
| time for a straight jacket |
Once the show was over, we then walked over to the main dining room for dinner.
I started with a crisp refreshing fruit trio as my appetizer. I thought the flavors melded well together.
 |
| Trio of Cantaloupe, Honeydew & Watermelon doused with vintage port wine and lime zest |
The fruit was followed by the always satisfying shrimp cocktail. I think they snuck in an extra shrimp tonight!
 |
| Shrimp Cocktail an American classic with horseradish-spiked cocktail sauce |
For my entree, I had a plate of over cooked tough Hawaiian luau pork. I wish they would have pulled the meat a little sooner, because the flavors were delicious. They also hid a serving of green beans under the pork.
 |
| Hawaiian Luau Pork with Apricot Drippings served with a white bean and smoked bacon ragout, roast potatoes |
 |
| the "hidden" green beans |
Sensational Shelly started off her meal with a couple of greasy spring rolls. She says that they were still edible thanks to the wonderful peanut dipping sauce.
 |
| Crispy Hand-Rolled Vegetable Spring Rolls with hoisin-peanut dip, lemongrass and cilantro |
Thankfully she had a great salad to use as a palate cleanser after all that grease.
 |
| Watercress, Red Radish and Iceburg Lettuce with vinegar & oil |
For her entree, she chose one of the two pasta options. Tonight's dish was shell noodles with soft broccoli, a few olives, marinara sauce, plus what they described as wok-fried chicken strips. "The pasta was good, but I found the chicken dry."
 |
| Conchiglie alla Campagnola pasta shells in marinara with broccoli; capers and olives optional : add wok-fried chicken strips |
Our waiters then delivered the dessert menus.
It is a scientific fact that ice cream settles your stomach after a big meal. With that knowledge, I selected two scoops of chocolate chip ice cream.
 |
| Chocolate Chip ice cream |
For a sweet ending to the meal, my bride had almond butter ice cream with a butterscotch sauce.
 |
| Almond Butter ice cream with butterscotch sauce |
At the conclusion of dinner, we followed Gail & Carl up to deck 10 to take a look at the blood moon. We arrived too late, plus it was extremely windy, so we retired to our stateroom. Luckily Steve was able to capture a decent picture.
Once we were settled in, I realized that I was shorted 2 hours on my internet package. I called the front desk, who informed me that I needed to visit the internet cafe between 9am to 12pm tomorrow. I will let y'all know how that turns out in my next installment. Good Night.
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