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The Ships of San Pedro (With Nowhere to Go)

May 08, 2020 Avatar Florence Brethome Florence Brethome

One of my favorite things to do in San Pedro, my home as well as Los Angeles’ main cruise port, is to relax on my porch while watching the busy harbor, as the various cargo and cruise ships come and go. But that hasn’t been happening lately in the same way.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the USNS Mercy took over the main spot at the port about a month ago. A few cargo ships still came and went, but fewer than usual. Instead of impatiently waiting for the few cruise ships to enter and leave the harbor on a normal day, my view in April caught approximately 10 to 20 cruise ships at a time.

These ships were just anchored or circling the harbor. I wondered to myself: how are the captains and the crew members feeling about being quarantined on those ships, taking care of a cruise liner with no passengers onboard, and no destinations to explore? On the news, we heard that some crew members did get to leave their ships and were bussed to LAX to fly home to be united with their families.

At one point, I saw two Regent Seven Seas cruise ships in the harbor, one of them being the Navigator. Oh, I love this ship! Seeing it brought me back to dreaming about my amazing time onboard while cruising in Alaska. For me, the Navigator is the best cruise ship to visit this part of the world because it offers all the luxuries (like a full-size bathtub in each stateroom in which to take a hot bath after a day of sightseeing in Alaska’s often chilly weather). The Navigator‘s smaller size allows the captain to access not-so-easy-to-get-to locations and get up closer to glaciers. Oh, how I would love to be on that all-inclusive ship right now!

Watching these ships last month reminded me of my past cruises, brought back amazing memories, and those memories shared with me by my clients. I thought about the future of cruising and wondered when we’ll get to make our travel dreams a reality again. Until that time, whether I see no cruise ships or 90 cruise ships in San Pedro, I’m going to keep dreaming.

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