Wine COuntry Coastal DO It Yourself Xcursions

[flipflopgal]

We are on the Sapphire Sept 28 coastal stopping in Astoria, Seattle, San Fran & Santa barbara. Can anyone tell us how close the ship actually docks to the towns where we can get ferries/shuttles or tours on our own ? Would rather not take the ships tours if not necessary. Can we get from the dock at San Fran to a ferry to Sausalito on foot for example ? And then into town for some sightseeing ? Same for Seattle & Astoria & Santa Barbara, are they accessible from the ship ?

 

Thanks so much

 

Chris

 

PS, happy to hear any recommendations for must do things too.

PPS Have been to Victoria twice before so will be OK there ( plus ship offers shuttle to town ) thanx again

[CruiserBruce]

A little reading on the West Coast Departures board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413

 

will give you a lot of info about SF. You can very easily get to the Sausalito Ferry- it is less than a mile walk. The Sausalito Ferry will drop you right in central Sausalito.

 

If you were talking sights in SF, SF is a big city. The sights are spread out, although there are a number of things to do easily within walking distance of the ship. Otherwise, public transit or taxis will be required, depending on what you wish to see.

 

There is a big thread just down this board about Santa Barbara.

Edited September 2, 2013 by CruiserBruce

[Putterdude]

When ever I have been to Astoria, Seattle or Santa Barbra it has been in my own car. However I can tell you that Gray Line do operate some excellent tours in San Francisco. A few years back we had a wonderful tour of the Sonoma Valley with Terrific Tours.

http://www.terrifictours.com/

[lamchops]

We're on the same cruise! This is our 4th coastal and the only new port for us is Santa Barbara.

 

Each city has attractions within walking distance providing you're pretty mobile. This is our plan unless we take some ships excursions as we tend to be stragglers in the morning and with early port departures don't want to venture too far on our own.

 

Victoria: Being from Vancouver we've been to Victoria numerous times but never to Buchart Gardens. I don't know what the (flower) displays will look like in late September. We visited the Royal BC Museum, BC legislature, the inner harbor, and downtown on our last coastal. These are all within walking distance from the ship.

 

Seattle: As we're only there till 4pm & back onboard near 3pm, we plan to take an early bus to the underground tour and spend the rest of the afternoon at Pike Place and areas near the ship. You should be able to get around the downtown area by transit or walking to visit the Space Needle, Experience Music Project, & Seattle Center.

 

Astoria: Hope that the seas are good or this stop may be cancelled as we won't be able to dock. It's a 20 minute walk into town as the lineup for the trolley will be insane. It's a quaint little town with a few sites. Wine tasting at the wine store is an option as Oregon makes some of the finest Pinot Noir. We're considering renting bikes to get around as we are there till 6pm and plan to be back by 5pm.

 

San Francisco: As we're only there till 4pm and onboard by 3pm we'll do either visit "the rock" or do our usual thing. We take the bus for $2 or $5 cable car to Chinatown and downtown shopping with the remainder spent next door at fisherman's wharf.

 

Santa Barbara: We're looking to take the bus to the mission and spend the remainder of the afternoon on the "urban wine trail" doing some tasting.

[jnc411]

Hi , we are one this cruise also, we have been to some of the ports, but not Victoria , so we have scheduled tour there. We have been to San Fran many times , my sister use to live there, lots to do there, and Santa Barbara is only a couple hours from our home( we are only about 20 minutes from the port of San Pedro ), it is a lovey town, and there is always the Mission there if you like that sort of thing, we are going to the little zoo they have , you will enjoy Santa Barbara. Astoria , we hope to do the trolley to town (if we can get on). and Seattle we have been all over downtown and seen all the sight before , so we are doing the wine country tour there, look forward to seeing some outer areas. This should be a very nice relaxing cruise, good time to be lazy. :)

Cori

[redtop101]

We are also on this cruise. I have checked with Princess and the ship will be docking at Pier 91 in Seattle. This is not the pier that is in downtown Seattle but is at Smith Cove, about 3 miles north of the downtown core.

 

We have booked the ship's whale watching tour in Santa Barbara. This is supposed to be one of the best areas on the west coast to see whales, dolphins, sea otters, sea lions etc. I did a search for private tours, but the one that was recommended (Condor Express) only run 1 your leaving at 10.00 am. Sapphire Princess doesn't arrive until 11.00 am.

 

Victoria is a beautiful City - quite British and Victorian in nature. Great waterfront & downtown area within a reasonable & scenic 20 minute walk from the ship.The beautiful Empress Hotel offers an afternoon tea, the BC legislature building and BC Provincial museum are also at hand. Butchart Gardens are highly recommended, having been converted from a former quarry with easy walking paths throughout.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[lamchops]

We're on the same cruise! This is our 4th coastal and the only new port for us is Santa Barbara.

 

 

Astoria: Hope that the seas are good or this stop may be cancelled as we won't be able to dock. It's a 20 minute walk into town as the lineup for the trolley will be insane. It's a quaint little town with a few sites. Wine tasting at the wine store is an option as Oregon makes some of the finest Pinot Noir. We're considering renting bikes to get around as we are there till 6pm and plan to be back by 5pm.

 

 

It looks like we'll be sharing the town with passengers from the Celebrity Century and as they arrive first, we're scheduled to anchor and tender ashore. With 4,000 passengers ashore, Astoria won't be so quaint as their population is just over 9,000.:(

Pre-booking an excursion may be an option to get off quickly and avoiding the crowds in town.;)

 

http://www.portofastoria.com/cruise_schedule-2013.html

[flipflopgal]

Thanks to all of you for the info & advice.

 

On my own I have learned that in Victoria we have the last opportunity of the year to view the tug boat show in the harbor at 10:45 am so I plan on that.

 

Astoria looks like everything is doable on foot or trolley.

 

Unfortunatley the Emerald Hop on Hop off in Seattle stops running the day BEFORE we arrive. So it is only available via the ships excursion which is outrageously priced. And as noted above we do not dock at the more convenient downtown pier, so takis look to be required here. I am considering booking the Boeing factory here, especially if its a rainy day anyway.

 

ALso sorry to hear about how crowded Santa Barbara may be, as this was another port like AStoria where everything looks to be very accessible on foot.

 

And in San Fran hopefully we can find the ferry to Sausalito on our own & enjoy that.

 

Thanks again all, to my fellow cruisers let hope for smooth sailing !

[jorgfam]

Astoria is a great port to adventure on your own. The town is built for tourism. Lots to do and see. You can do most things by walking or trolly or bike or a combination there of. I love wondering around this town. I always find something new and different.

 

You might have to grab a cab to get to the Astoria Column, but it's worth it. The view is incredible, but as far as my kids are concerned it's all about flying the little balsa planes off the top. They really got their exercise that day, they went up and down that spiral staircase at least 6 times.

 

The downtown/waterfront area of town has a nationally recognized Martine Muesum - http://www.crmm.org/‎ . The Bar Pilots museum is incredible. The Flavel House Muesum and Grounds is a step back in the past. If you don't want to take the time to tour the house, stop by the carriage house and check out the displays of the history of the area.

 

Tons of shops and galleries, my favorites are Forsythea on 10th st and RiverSea Gallery on Commercial. Cargo on 11th St is a fun place for that hard to find gift or just the bizarre.

 

Oregon is considered Beervana so don't miss trying out a beer flight at one of the (4 at last count) local Micro Breweries. Fort George Brewery is right next door to Fernhill glass, so stop by there and watch the glass blowers at work.

 

Astoria is also a foodie's paradise. Many top end chefs have made their homes in Astoria and the food shows it and the variety of restaurants is amazing.

 

If your into wine there are a couple wine shops that offer tasting and a good selection of Oregon wines, but for a unique experience head to Shallon Winery on Duane St. They only allow 6 people in at a time and it is for about 20-30 minutes. The tasting is run by the owner/winemaker and his personal touch on introducing his wines makes this a special experience. Ever had wine given to you in a mini ice-cream cone? Sound weird but it actually really works with the chocolate wine.

[YubaSutter]

We are on the Sapphire Sept 28 coastal stopping in Astoria, Seattle, San Fran & Santa barbara. Can anyone tell us how close the ship actually docks to the towns where we can get ferries/shuttles or tours on our own ? Would rather not take the ships tours if not necessary. Can we get from the dock at San Fran to a ferry to Sausalito on foot for example ? And then into town for some sightseeing ? Same for Seattle & Astoria & Santa Barbara, are they accessible from the ship ?

 

Thanks so much

 

Chris

 

PS, happy to hear any recommendations for must do things too.

PPS Have been to Victoria twice before so will be OK there ( plus ship offers shuttle to town ) thanx again

 

FYI, San Francisco is not San Fran. It is also not Frisco. We call it San Francisco or The City.

[ellbon]

When ever I have been to Astoria, Seattle or Santa Barbra it has been in my own car. However I can tell you that Gray Line do operate some excellent tours in San Francisco. A few years back we had a wonderful tour of the Sonoma Valley with Terrific Tours.

http://www.terrifictours.com/

 

thanks this one ssems better for me. just sent in the form for this winter.

[ellbon]

FYI, San Francisco is not San Fran. It is also not Frisco. We call it San Francisco or The City.

 

there is only one CITY and it is NYC. i can it San Fran too.

 

get over it please!

[YubaSutter]

there is only one CITY and it is NYC. i can it San Fran too.

 

get over it please!

 

Your wrong. It is rude to call it San Fran. Kinda like calling NYC, New Yo.

[LHARTWICK]

thanks this one ssems better for me. just sent in the form for this winter.

 

ellbon: Have you taken the Terrific Tours wine country tour yet? If so, how was it? I am seriously considering this one for our SF stop on April 7. Thanks!