Well....we're in Port Hueneme and it's been a very interesting exprience. First we waited quite some time for all disembarking passengers to leave the ship. Next the captain announced that all shore leave for crew was cancelled. Then he announced that the ship had to be cleared by the coast guard and they were not at the dock yet????? By now it was after 2 pm....still no clearance and the ship must sail at 5 pm (again at the insistance of the port authority) so the time for the two tours was dwindeling very quickly. Finally the captain comes on and announces that only passengers with tour tickets may leave the ship - anyone else who hoped to just walk off to catch a taxi or meet friends (like Kathy and Frank) were not allowed to go off.

You can imagine the uproar. There are many unhappy passengers. The cruise director apologized and immediately organized a pool cocktail party from 2:30 - 3:30.

I met one of the offices returning to the bridge -they are very upset with the local port authority - not because of their decisions, but because they failed to communicate any of this ahead of time. It does seem like very poor business to treat the ship and the passengers (90% Americans)like we're a national threat!

Oh well...off to the pool party!

PS...Kathy, so glad you and Frank didn't drive over here just to be turned away - I decided to skip the shopping trip - they are on such a tight schedule it didn't seem worth the hassle. See you tomorrow.

Dena...can't wait for MIMOSA..it will be so much fun.