Our own West Coast

[PacificJack]

Why do no cruise lines offer cruises along our own West Coast, meeting their Jones Act obligations by stopping in either Victoria (a lovely town) or Ensenada (with its very own la bufadora)?

 

We have many wonderful West Coast destinations, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Dana Point, Catalina, Santa Barbara, Monterey-Carmel, Astoria, and on and on.

 

Sometimes it seems like the cruise lines think that we love monotony on the West Coast. They must think us a naturally boring people who love endless repetition. How many times can one take the Mexican Riviera cruise without cruise exhaustion? After a while it gets so people just save up their shopping so they can go to WalMart while in Puerto Vallarta.

 

Maybe if Adam Goldstein would relocate to Poway or Rancho Santa Fe, then Royal Caribbean could at least understand what its own customers told it last year when its cruises went north. We love America and we love the great cities of the American West. Besides, Adam, life in San Diego County is much nicer than in Coral Gables.

[Splinter]

There are relocation cruises that do this, but most people are looking for a sun and surf vacation when they cruise, and the Pacific Coast of the USA has notoriously cold water (our southbound current from Alaska) which would not lead to a beach/swimming focused cruise like those to the Caribbean, Hawaii, or even the Mexican Riviera. I am sure you are very familiar with tourists in San Diego complaining about our cold water, even in the summer (where the water temperature rarely exceeds 70 degrees F). The water can also be rough...even in the summer going north (against the current) along either the Big Sur or Oregon/Washington coast can be cold and rough for those prone to sea sickness.

 

The same goes for the northeast USA, which generally only attracts cruisers for fall color cruises during a very short season.

 

In addition, some of these locations are really not set up for accommodating large cruise ships (multiple piers, terminals, etc.) and would require tendering, an expensive and costly option for ports.

 

Nice thought though. We would love to be able to take a cruise someplace new without flying from the west coast. Hawaii round-trip and the Mexican Riviera are not enough for us.

[Bruin Steve]

What Splinter said...

 

Plus, when it really comes down to it, I really doubt they'd sell that many cruises to San Diego, Santa Barbara, Monterey and San Francisco...

 

Those of us who live here have been to all of those places countless times...

I can get in my car and be in San Diego in three hours, Santa Barbara in one hour, Monterey in four hours and San Francisco in six...Not much of a cruise itinerary for me...Throwing in "lovely" Ensenada just for the Jones Act doesn't do much either...

You think the standard Mexican Riviera gets old? This might sound nice, but it would get old really fast...It would be like taking a 7-night "cruise to nowhere"...

 

If they wanted some variation on the Pacific Coast, the better options would be longer and "one-way" cruises south out of Los Angeles and San Diego...Maybe a 14 nighter one-way to Central America and Peru...with pre- or post-cruise packages to Macchu Picchu and Cuzco? Or maybe Costa Rica and Panama and back--like they do on the East Coast? More with different ports in Mexico and Central America--Gulf of California ports like HAL does at time, ...or...Manzanillo, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco?

 

People who live here want to go somewhere more exotic...People flying in from elsewhere can always very easily see San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Barbara and San Diego as a pre- or post-cruise trip...You don't need a cruise ship to get two hours from LA...

[yogi2929]

I'm from LA and I like the PNW cruises.

 

We're doing a 6day HAL repo in April. San Diego-Catalina-Astoria-Victoria-Vancouver. Eureka was a port at one point but it was cancelled. Not much to do in Eureka. Paying less (per day/per person) for a balcony on HAL than we did for a Splendor Swine Flu cruise and practically the same itin.

 

Look for Pacific Coastal or repositioning cruises. They are Northbound in April/May and Southbound in September.

 

(I have heard rumours -very unsubstantiated- that Royal is thinking of some cruises with the Swine Flu itin.)

[Cruisin' Chick]

Last spring when some of the M.R. cruises got diverted because of the swine flu scare, many of those passengers were complaining about the switch. They wanted to go to warm Mexico, not the cold coast of California. There were at least a few of us who felt it this would have been a nice cruise (if you've packed for it...apparently some of the complainers didn't bring anything warm, despite the typically cool weather for the last sea day or so:rolleyes:) as it was something different. Some of us can't go on a repo cruise because of the timing (they're always in late September and early May).

 

I know two MR cruises and three Baja cruises was enough Mexico for me. Even that stop in Ensenada as part of my Hawaiian cruise could have been skipped for all I care (I know, I know, that darn PVSA).

 

Other than perhaps another Hawaii RT (we enjoyed that one, except for the stop in Ense-nada -- can you tell I don't like that port?), we're going to have to travel a distance for any other cruise on our wish list.

[Splinter]

I'm from LA and I like the PNW cruises.

 

We're doing a 6day HAL repo in April. San Diego-Catalina-Astoria-Victoria-Vancouver. Eureka was a port at one point but it was cancelled. Not much to do in Eureka.

 

I would actually love to have a stop in Eureka! Went to school at Humboldt State, and I can tell you there are tons of things to do in the Eureka area. Shopping on "2 Street", visiting Redwood National Park, Patrick's Point State Park (and Agate Beach) or Prarie Creek State Park, hiking in the nearby forests, a driving tour to the Avenue of the Giants, touring the painted lady Victorian houses in Eureka and Ferndale, a visit to old Fort Humboldt (where US Grant was nearly court marshalled), the drive on Hwy 1 from McKinleyville to Trinadad, breakfast or lunch at the Samoa Cookhouse, perhaps a tour of the Holly Yashi factory in Arcata....just as a start.

 

http://www.humboldtcounty.com/hc.php

 

From what I hear, Astoria leaves much to be desired as a port, although there is some historic Lewis & Clark aspects of the area.

 

Since my mother is elderly and disabled, we prefer to not have to fly when we cruise. We love the round trip 15 day Hawaii trips since days at sea are easy and relaxing, and have done the Sea of Cortez with HAL, but would love to be able to find one of the rare round-trip LA or San Diego trips that go to the Panama Canal, turn around and then come back to the same west coast port. A back-to-back through the Canal takes too long for us (nearly a month), as we prefer 10-15 days cruises. HAL does a once a year RT to Tahiti, but it sells out very fast (which should tell the cruise lines something) and is nearly a 30 days cruise.

[yogi2929]

The only thing I remember about Eureka is Lazlos and stopping to pick berries on the side of the road. (I also know of other things that grow in that area;).) A policeman stopped and asked what we were doing. He joined us in the pickings.

 

We found plenty to do in Astoria for the stop. Lunch in a brew pub, checked out the theater, walked around. Unfortunatley the Tower was closed in June. It was getting a new interior staircase. In April we are going to the Maritime Museum- http://www.crmm.org/

The path to the museum on the boardwalk was wide and paved.

 

Has to be something going on in town because there are several large hotels/motels in the area. The town does not survive from the cruise trade. http://www.el.com/to/Astoria/

[scottbee]

Why do no cruise lines offer cruises along our own West Coast, meeting their Jones Act obligations by stopping in either Victoria (a lovely town) or Ensenada (with its very own la bufadora)?

 

Well, there are a few reasons;

1) The Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) which is the act that covers this (Jones is about all shipping, this is specific additions), has some specific requirements. A round trip sailing, returning to the original departure point, must make a foreign stop, but a one way between two different US ports must make a 'distant' foreign port stop, which excludes Canada and Mexico. This is why you can't book B2B on the final southbounds of the year, and why all the repos to LA leave from Vancouver not Seattle.

 

2) Alaska is an 'exotic' destination, that is difficult to reach by almost any other manner, it' just too esy to fly to SFO (and somewhat cheaper). People could just drive the cruise route

[lappy22]

There is little interest in Pacific cruises. Many of the repo cruises sell for cheap and still don't sell out. The swine flu cruises were a hit because the prices were as low as a 4 night Ensenada cruise. I'll take Seattle anyday over Ensenada, but there is such a low interest level that we won't see any regular Pacific cruises in a long time.

[Cruisin' Chick]

As I said, this may be a cruise we would be interested in, but can't go at the usual times (can only go on a cruise when our daughter is out of school). Hopefully my hubby will be up for booking a cruise soon and it'll probably be another Hawaiian cruise from LA as we are definitely burned out on the MR and Baja cruises (at least I am).

[Randy H]

Celebrity had the Mercury sailing a California itinerary for a couple of years... SF, Monterey, Santa Barbara (or LA), Catalina, Ensinada, San Diego, San Francisco... They did it at least two years, so it was successful enough to continue, but not as successful as they hoped... I suspect the itinerary was a reaction to 9-11... more cruises close to home...

 

We took the trip 2003 and really enjoyed it.

 

Any cruise out of San Francisco has to contend with the distance, Both Vancouver and Ensinada are 36 plus hours away... plus, many of our ports are not cruise ship friendly... Monterey is a tender port, and some of the locals were protesting the cruise ship's presence... we were scheduled to call on Santa Barbara, but went to LA (San Pedro) instead because US customs could not accommodate the ship. We enjoyed LA (we rented a car, and knew our way around) but most of the passengers were dissapointed.

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see the itinerary offered again occasionally

[Happy ks]

Princess has a wonderful repo cruise in May, From LA with stops in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Astoria, Seattle, Victoria and ends up in Vancouver. It's going to do this itinerary this year and we're booked for the same itinerary in 2011 with a fairly large group of us going.

 

I only wish a cruise line would do this cruise during the summer months, reversing every other week. I'd be on it at least once per year and I bet it would prove to be quite popular.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Probably many of the cruiseships have some sort of coastal cruise, but at repo time. What many of us, I imagine, would like to see is one of these during the summer.

[Putterdude]

This has been a very interesting forum and I am surprised with fewer ships going to Alaska this year a regular Pacific Coastal wasn't a consideration this upcoming summer....but it must be a market thing. It's like I have often wondered why for us west coast types it's Hawaii or Mexico...why not a 14 day cruise down the coast stopping in the Pacific ports in Central & South America, I am tired of flying to FLL, they are long flights and expensive.

[Jasperdo]

I was on the Mariner of the Seas a few weeks ago, and the Captain was asked this very question during a Q&A session. He replied that a majority of the passengers who take West Coast cruises live on the West Coast. People that live in San Francisco or Seattle won't want to take a cruise right back there. Having a few sailings per year in the spring and fall to coincide with Alaska sailings might be feasable. But to position a ship on that run on a regular basis would not make economic sense.