Californian Coastal - ports of call

[LabGuy64]

I would suggest you really get an idea of what you want to see and set up any tours ahead of time or you will lose valuable time. also in long beach there is really not much worth seeing except maybe the aquarium of the pacific (if you are interested in sealife)....the Los angeles area is VERY spread out nd with the traffic it takes FOREVER to get any where....if there are things you want to see I would either pick one and head right for it...or at best only things VERY close together..say getting to hollywood from long beach can take from 1 to 3 hours depending on traffic.

 

 

Just booked a Princess cruise this Spring which visits Santa Barbara, LA (Long Beach), San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico - departing and returning to San Francisco.

 

We're used to ports of call around Europe and the Caribbean where local small business tour operators wait at the port entrance to offer trips on a casual walk up basis.

 

Is this typically on offer in the above US ports ? Not too keen on the ship's excursions.

 

This is a whole new experience for us, so expert advice and guidance would be appreciated.

Edited January 22, 2015 by LabGuy64

[WeeCountyMan]

I would suggest you really get an idea of what you want to see and set up any tours ahead of time or you will lose valuable time. also in long beach there is really not much worth seeing except maybe the aquarium of the pacific (if you are interested in sealife)....the Los angeles area is VERY spread out nd with the traffic it takes FOREVER to get any where....if there are things you want to see I would either pick one and head right for it...or at best only things VERY close together..say getting to hollywood from long beach can take from 1 to 3 hours depending on traffic.

 

Thanks

 

LA is the one POC that is going to require some preparation and planning.

 

I think we'll bodyswerve Long Beach and take an organised tour.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Thanks

 

LA is the one POC that is going to require some preparation and planning.

 

I think we'll bodyswerve Long Beach and take an organised tour.

 

There is not much to see in Long Beach, except the aquarium and the Queen Mary. You should be berthed close enough to QM to get a good look at her from the outside. There are tours if you want to view the interior.

 

I would advise an organized tour for a first visit to LA. As another poster mentioned, traffic is a nightmare and the city is so spread out it can be overwhelming for a first-timer in a rental car.

 

I may get flamed for this, but public transit in LA can be slow and even dangerous if you don't know your way around it. I wouldn't advise it.

 

Hope this helps!

[Nancyquilts]

At least last year, access to the QM was free if you were off a cruise ship.

[cpcanuck]

At least last year, access to the QM was free if you were off a cruise ship.

 

Really? Not just Cunard passengers? I sent an email to the Queen Mary ticket info email several days ago and their "promised response to all emails within 24 hours" has yet to be realized. I was trying to get this confirmed prior to purchasing tickets online.

[WeeCountyMan]

There is not much to see in Long Beach, except the aquarium and the Queen Mary. You should be berthed close enough to QM to get a good look at her from the outside. There are tours if you want to view the interior.

 

I would advise an organized tour for a first visit to LA. As another poster mentioned, traffic is a nightmare and the city is so spread out it can be overwhelming for a first-timer in a rental car.

 

I may get flamed for this, but public transit in LA can be slow and even dangerous if you don't know your way around it. I wouldn't advise it.

 

Hope this helps!

 

It does - cheers mate.

[cflutist]

At least last year, access to the QM was free if you were off a cruise ship.

 

That was true for us as well.

 

Links to pictures of our 2014 Coastal Cruise can be found in my signature.

[uncleboo]

hi all

 

taking the coastal calif trip n april

 

where can i find what excursions ship offers so i can compare to my own idas for a tour thank you

[JF - retired RRT]

hi all

 

taking the coastal calif trip n april

 

where can i find what excursions ship offers so i can compare to my own idas for a tour thank you

Go to Princess and do a ghost booking for a Coastal that is coming up soon (but not sold out, of course).

Once you click on a particular cruise there is a tab that says "Ports & Excursions" right below the row with the prices...click on it.

[iceleven]

I absolutely loved the Aquarium in Long Beach. It's quite large and you can take hours to see it all. I was quite impressed and feel it is worthwhile. I also believe there is a link somewhere where you can buy the tickets ahead of time to avoid the lines and get a bit of a discount.

 

http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/visit/discounts

Edited January 24, 2015 by iceleven

[cnamenek]

If you enjoy wine tasting you can also do this on your own - you can go to tasting rooms on the Urban Wine Trail in Santa Barbara (all walking) or when we have stopped there we book through Cloud Climbers - they will pick you up at train station (short walk from pier) and bring you back - that way we got to go into Solvang and some beautiful wineries in the back country.

 

In San Diego we went to the zoo - easy to take a cab there. We have also done the USS Midway - you can walk there.

 

Ensenada we took the shuttle and just wandered around had a quick lunch and went back to enjoy the ship.

 

Carmen

[schlogee]

Really? Not just Cunard passengers? I sent an email to the Queen Mary ticket info email several days ago and their "promised response to all emails within 24 hours" has yet to be realized. I was trying to get this confirmed prior to purchasing tickets online.

 

I emailed them about a month ago and they confirmed that Princess passengers can still do the self-paced tour for free. My mom did it last summer and just had to show her cruise card to board. You have to pay for any of the guided tours. -- I did the ghost tour a few years ago and loved it, if you're into that kind of thing :)

[cpcanuck]

At least last year, access to the QM was free if you were off a cruise ship.

 

I spoke to a customer service rep at the Queen Mary - and she said they no longer do this for cruise passengers. You do have to pay the entry fee.

 

p.s. what this says to me is that I will not be pre-purchasing tickets until I get there in person. Yet again inconsistencies that are hard to sort out.

Edited January 25, 2015 by cpcanuck
added a p.s.

[schlogee]

I spoke to a customer service rep at the Queen Mary - and she said they no longer do this for cruise passengers. You do have to pay the entry fee.

 

p.s. what this says to me is that I will not be pre-purchasing tickets until I get there in person. Yet again inconsistencies that are hard to sort out.

 

Weird - yes, makes sense to wait, see what the person at the desk says that day! The only "catch" she told me about was you had to be docked at Long Beach, not LA/San Pedro - which also seems silly to me.

[IECalCruiser]

Would this be it ?

 

http://www.city-discovery.com/san-diego/tour.php?id=7705

 

Does it go near the port terminal and can it be joined from the ship conveniently ?

A couple of years ago on a San Diego stop there were three trolleys on the pier to pick up Princess excursion passengers. There was a regular trolley stopped on Harbor Drive in front of the pier for those who wanted to do the HoHo independently. Since those three trolleys were dedicated to the Princess excursion they probably operated just as a sightseeing tour rather than a HoHo.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app