I would love to do that trip on a Holland America ship! But if it's September you are probably going Eastbound. Being from Minnesota I doubt if it makes any difference to you; but I would rather fly first and then just cruise home :-)
I will be in California the week before we go on the Panama cruise, so I thought that would be a good time to go....I'm coming out on April 9th for a week in Redlands and then down to stay on Mission Beach for a night or so....
So you are probably leaving from San Diego; that's a great city to spend a few days pre- or post-cruise. We go there just to get away--we're less than an hour away. There is so much to do within a short distance of the pier.
Have a great cruise; that is one of my favorite trips.