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We are going to be in Santa Barbara with the Princess Sapphire in late April, I have found a map of the waterfront shuttle. It looks like it runs along the waterfront and up and down State Street. The current cost is listed as .50, when you hop on and hop off the shuttle at various stops are you required to pay .50 each time you get back on or is there a day pass that can be purchased? We are looking at riding the entire route and seeing what might interest us and hop off at those stops on the next round. Any advice or things that we might enjoy would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, Denise

Edited by piscescruiser62
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I have read the posting about the trolley services, and it is helpful. We are stopping at santa barbara on sunday from 1-4 pm. I checked out a few vineyard tours, but they last all day. I also saw a list of tasting rooms in the city.

If possible we would like to visit a winery and see the overview of the city. We have been to SB previously, and enjoy the beauty of it.

thanks,

janines

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We are going to be in Santa Barbara with the Princess Sapphire in late April, I have found a map of the waterfront shuttle. It looks like it runs along the waterfront and up and down State Street. The current cost is listed as .50, when you hop on and hop off the shuttle at various stops are you required to pay .50 each time you get back on or is there a day pass that can be purchased? We are looking at riding the entire route and seeing what might interest us and hop off at those stops on the next round. Any advice or things that we might enjoy would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, Denise

What i decided to do is take the ship's tour to get orientated, then later that day do the independent trolley when I know my way around.

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We are going to be in Santa Barbara with the Princess Sapphire in late April, I have found a map of the waterfront shuttle. It looks like it runs along the waterfront and up and down State Street. The current cost is listed as .50, when you hop on and hop off the shuttle at various stops are you required to pay .50 each time you get back on or is there a day pass that can be purchased? We are looking at riding the entire route and seeing what might interest us and hop off at those stops on the next round. Any advice or things that we might enjoy would be appreciated.

 

Thanks, Denise

 

The 50 cent fare is a one way fare. So you will need to pay 50 cents each way (25 cents for seniors age 62 and those with a Medicare card). However, there are free transfers but you need to ask the driver for a transfer when you board. So if you transfer from the waterfront shuttle to the downtown shuttle that runs up and down State Street, then it is free. I do not know of any all day passes.

 

I would advise going to the Courthouse (go to the top of the clock tower for a fantastic 360 degree view of the city), the Mission and walking around the downtown area. You should also consider taking the Santa Barbara Trolley (this is different than the Waterfront/Downtown shuttle). The ship offers a tour on the SB Trolley, but you can also do it on your own for less money. It picks up at State and Cabrillo, near the Dolphin Fountain at the entrance to the Wharf. Just a couple of blocks walk from where the tender drops you off. It will take you places you cannot get to on the Waterfront/Downtown shuttle such as the Mission and Montecito. If you want to hop on and off, then do the tour on your own. The ship's tour goes straight through with no hopping on or off.

Edited by Princess Patches
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The short answer is no, there's not enough time in port. If you had a car waiting for you and drove like the wind you may be able to get a 4-5 hours at the Reagan Library, but I'd still advise against it. Traffic isn't close to as bad as the 405 at rush hour, but the limiting factor is distance in this case. From Santa Barbara to the Reagan Library is about 70 minutes without traffic and speeding the whole way.

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I agree with SB Ant that the Reagan Library is humanly possible on your port day in SB, but it would be very hectic and would strongly advise against it.

 

However, there is a Reagan museum called the Reagan Ranch Center at 217 State Street which is a very easy walk from where the tenders let you off. It is free and is open to the public Mondays-Thursdays if you are in town on one of those days. It focuses on his ranch just north of Santa Barbara but also includes exhibits and videos about his presidency. You cannot go and visit his Santa Barbara ranch other than by special invitation.

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LOVE YOUR BLOG Allis at your signature. Great Info for beginning to plan excursions... :)

 

Lookinf for a car rental company near the tender dock. Looks like Hertz has one on State St? And at 633 East Cabrillo Bvld.

 

How far to get to/from the the tender dock to the 633 addy?

 

We are looking to go to Solvang (sp?) for a few hours...Would it be better to catch a cab/shuttle to the airport and rent there?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, unfortunately, that's hard to say this far out. April is usually quite nice, but there can be a bit of early "June gloom" in the mornings to keep the temperature down for at least part of the day. We're quite spoiled in that we see sunshine at least 300 days a year, and the early fog can burn off by 10, so I'd plan on either light pants or shorts, wear a sweatshirt/sweater and plan on carrying it by the afternoon. FWIW, I wear shorts most of the year thanks to the balmy climate, so I have more pairs of shorts than jeans.

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Well, unfortunately, that's hard to say this far out. April is usually quite nice, but there can be a bit of early "June gloom" in the mornings to keep the temperature down for at least part of the day. We're quite spoiled in that we see sunshine at least 300 days a year, and the early fog can burn off by 10, so I'd plan on either light pants or shorts, wear a sweatshirt/sweater and plan on carrying it by the afternoon. FWIW, I wear shorts most of the year thanks to the balmy climate, so I have more pairs of shorts than jeans.

that I can deal with...thanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks for all this good information! It has been a number of years since DD graduated UCSB, so we are looking forward to being here at the end of April.

 

We have never done whale watching--usually were not here for the good months for that--but my husband is interested in that. Have you done this, or does anyone recommend it?

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  • 3 weeks later...

We will be arriving in Santa Barbara on October 1st; can you tell me how far it is to East Beach (1118 East Cabrillo Blvd) from where the tender will drop off passengers? We are looking for some competative beach volleyball that's easy to find.

 

Thanks.

 

Suzi

Edited by Sailfish
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We will be arriving in Santa Barbara on October 1st; can you tell me how far it is to East Beach (1118 East Cabrillo Blvd) from where the tender will drop off passengers? We are looking for some competative beach volleyball that's easy to find.

 

Thanks.

 

Suzi

 

About a mile and a half. The tender drops you at about the 200 west block of Cabrillo at West Beach. If you do not want to walk the distance, there is an electric open air waterfront shuttle that costs 50 cents and runs along Cabrillo. There is a bus stop on Cabrillo where the tender drops you.

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About a mile and a half. The tender drops you at about the 200 west block of Cabrillo at West Beach. If you do not want to walk the distance, there is an electric open air waterfront shuttle that costs 50 cents and runs along Cabrillo. There is a bus stop on Cabrillo where the tender drops you.

 

Thank you for the information. That's probably what we will do.

 

Suzi

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  • 2 months later...
Thanks for all this good information! It has been a number of years since DD graduated UCSB, so we are looking forward to being here at the end of April.

 

We have never done whale watching--usually were not here for the good months for that--but my husband is interested in that. Have you done this, or does anyone recommend it?

We will be in SB in mid-March and we are also interested in whale watching. What is the best company for this and what types of whales can we expect to see at that time of year?

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I forgot to follow up on my trip to Santa Barbara. I can highly recommend the courthouse, the mission, and the pier. The trolley was nice, but I preferred the regular bus. Much cheaper.

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