California Coastal Cruise - is it worth it?

[Jeter02]

I've done a lot of cruise itineraries with Princess, but have done the California Coastal. (LA, San Fran, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Ensenada).

 

Is the itinerary worth it, or eh?

[VibeGuy]

The only problem with the itinerary is that San Pedro is a decent schlepp from the fun touristic activities of the LA area.   In the other ports, you’re right downtown/in the midst. 
 

The sea conditions north of Santa Barbara tend to be cool and windy and maybe a trifle choppy.  That can limit your enjoyment of activities or inactivities on the open decks. 
 

 

 

[Jeter02]

Just now, VibeGuy said:

The only problem with the itinerary is that San Pedro is a decent schlepp from the fun touristic activities of the LA area.   In the other ports, you’re right downtown/in the midst. 
 

The sea conditions north of Santa Barbara tend to be cool and windy and maybe a trifle choppy.  That can limit your enjoyment of activities or inactivities on the open decks. 
 

 

 

Thanks for info, I'm here to soak in all the great things you can all tell me. It's Cruise Caribbean very very frequently as Im on board now as we speak in St. Maarten.  So herring how the Pacific waters are like besides Alaska is very helpful.

 

 

[LACruiser88]

We enjoy the California Coastal cruises as it allows us to visit our youngest daughter in San Francisco.

 

We'll be onboard the Majestic on the April 9th Ca Coastal voyage with our older daughter and granddaughter.

[RMMariner]

We have taken two California 10 days out of Vancouver, and we are taking another 7 day out of LA in March. All with Princess. 

We enjoy them because they are close to home, and obviously would do them as a quick trip with minimal flying.

 

I do agree with a previous poster, that every cruise we have taken that has cruised off the Oregon coast (several to Hawaii as well) the sea has been quite rough. I don't know if that is just a rough patch of ocean or if we have been unlucky.

 

Once we were south of San Francisco the ocean seemed to become much calmer.

[Jeter02]

28 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

We enjoy the California Coastal cruises as it allows us to visit our youngest daughter in San Francisco.

 

We'll be onboard the Majestic on the April 9th Ca Coastal voyage with our older daughter and granddaughter.

That's the same cruise I'm looking at 🙂

[Jeter02]

20 minutes ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

It's tough to say without knowing what interests you.  I like them because they are convenient for me.  But if you're the kind of guy that really likes Caribbean cruises (for the ports), then you would probably be much better off with a Mexican Riviera cruise.

Open to pretty much anything. The reason for the Carribbean sialings is living 10 mins for the port in Ft. Lauderdale. Not having to pay for flights is a huge saver of course. Those are definitely relaxing enjoy the ocean type of cruises.

 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, Jeter02 said:

I've done a lot of cruise itineraries with Princess, but have done the California Coastal. (LA, San Fran, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Ensenada).

 

Is the itinerary worth it, or eh?

 

Ask me in three months.  I have a California Coastal in April on the Majestic Princess.  I THINK it'll be worth it for me, but who knows?  The relaxation of restrictions in Cali is definitely helpful.

[skynight]

We found the ports interesting. Mostly not tropical. Another notch on our cruisr belt.

[Astro Flyer]

1 hour ago, Jeter02 said:

I've done a lot of cruise itineraries with Princess, but have done the California Coastal. (LA, San Fran, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Ensenada).

 

Is the itinerary worth it, or eh?

For me to sail from my homeport of LA this is my order of preference: Hawaii, CA Coastal & last being the Mexico which for me is meh and primarily like seadays.

 

I can drive to the CA ports but enjoy cruising there to enjoy a day in SB, SD and even some SF overnights. As written while a sea it is cool but that doesn’t affect my enjoyment because I’m not a sun worshiper. 😉

 

Is it worth it? Definitely yes for me but you might feel differently.

 

Edited February 23, 2022 by Astro Flyer

[Jeter02]

4 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

For me to sail from my homeport of LA this is my order of preference: Hawaii, CA Coastal & last being the Mexico which for me is meh and primarily like seadays.

 

I can drive to the CA ports but enjoy cruising there to enjoy a day in SB, SD and even some SF overnights. As written while a sea it is cool but that doesn’t affect my enjoyment because I’m not a sun worshiper. 😉

 

Is it worth it? Definitely yes for me but you might feel differently.

 

I like the way you ordered it I would also say Hawaii would probably top my list if I lived on the west coast. Love everything about Hawaii and would go back in a heartbeat. But thank you for the comparison of the California coast to the Mexican Riviera.

[Honolulu Blue]

31 minutes ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

You realize it is late February at the moment?

 

Yes.  It's February 23.  My cruise starts on April 23 and ends on April 30.  I can't be expected to have answers before the cruise ends.

[Astro Flyer]

2 minutes ago, Jeter02 said:

I like the way you ordered it I would also say Hawaii would probably top my list if I lived on the west coast. Love everything about Hawaii and would go back in a heartbeat. But thank you for the comparison of the California coast to the Mexican Riviera.

When we’re on the Mainland we enjoy cruising to Hawaii because we can island-hop for the day without flying. 😎 NCL sails within Hawaii but anytime we check pricing it is at a premium.

[Chelly]

I have done two California Coastals on Princess, RT Los Angeles.  One time in late March, one time in April.  If you have never been to San Francisco, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Ensenada, the cruise is definitely worth it.  On each cruise the weather was warm and sunny.  But, if you like tropical weather, you could be disappointed.  Be prepared for daytime temps in the 60's.  (This was my experience in the two to four years before COVID.)

[TheRabbit]

43 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

For me to sail from my homeport of LA this is my order of preference: Hawaii, CA Coastal & last being the Mexico which for me is meh and primarily like seadays.

 

I can drive to the CA ports but enjoy cruising there to enjoy a day in SB, SD and even some SF overnights. As written while a sea it is cool but that doesn’t affect my enjoyment because I’m not a sun worshiper. 😉

 

Is it worth it? Definitely yes for me but you might feel differently.

 

I'll second this one. 

First time we did the Hawaii round trip we checked a few days before getting back LA to see if we could stay on and go again.

CA coastal also come in other flavors such as repositioning from to Vancouver. These pick up a few rarer ports. RT out of LA is also nice if you do the planning. 

Mexican itineraries are as Atro Flyer said, mostly sea days now.

[Damikaan]

We loved our California coast cruise! We did the one with Canada rather than Ensenada. Our favorite activity was going to Alcatraz in San Francisco. It was easy to rent a car in Santa Barbara and spend the day exploring the area and enjoying the amazing weather. I am happy to go on any cruise but not a huge beach person, so my favorites have been Alaska, New England, and the California coast.

[cruisefan2012]

Ask me in October 2023 when I get back from my Crown Princess California cruise from Vancouver 

Visiting San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara!!

 

It had be better be worth it !! I`ve spent a small fortune and I`m not even on the ship yet 

 

The pull for me was getting to visit San Francisco & Los Angeles, Not as worried about San Diego & Santa Barbara though........... I work as a cashier in a supermarket in a small town in central England... Princess Cruises allow me to think I can see the big world beyond the UK & Europe.... I highly recommend the Baltics and Norwegian Fjords......... I`m still trying to get to Iceland though and in 2023 when I`m 40......"The plan" is to sail from Sydney to New Zealand and I`ve got it booked on Royal Princess ..... so thank you Princess Cruises for the amazing itineraries - I cant wait for my 2nd cruise with you from Vancouver to California (having previously sailed from Vancouver to Alaska on Star Princess in 2018 

[FlaMariner]

For us, that itinerary would be ranked last in desire.

 

Perhaps San Diego & Ensenada but I've heard that Santa Barbara does not want ships docking, San Francisco has lost its glamour, mystique and appeal for obvious reasons (crime, poop on the sidewalk, dodging shoplifters, etc.).  Los Angeles....been there, done that...not impressed. 

 

(Our last visit to San Fran was cut short due to Her Majesty's demanding to leave early due to what she saw in the park by our hotel....the St Francis Hotel.....sad situation, from our personal experience)

 

If I wanted to cruise on the west coast, I'd head to Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii or head to Australia or Japan.....I wish we saw this differently. 

 

 

[SusieKIslandGirl]

I think if I were flying in from the East coast for this cruise I'd be tempted to do a B2B just to make the long flight worthwhile. While not an overly exciting cruise we did enjoy it for the relaxation it provided.

[Jeter02]

49 minutes ago, SusieKIslandGirl said:

I think if I were flying in from the East coast for this cruise I'd be tempted to do a B2B just to make the long flight worthwhile. While not an overly exciting cruise we did enjoy it for the relaxation it provided.

That's exacy what I do when I travel from FL to Alaska. 2 weeks or more. 

[Mike45LC]

I tend to choose only two types of itineraries:  ports I want to see (such as Europe) or R&R (warm weather sun).  Having lived in L.A. for about 30 years, I have been to Santa Barbara and SF and SD more times than I can count.  So I have never considered the CA Coastal Cruise -- not warm R&R and not interesting ports.   (I have sailed L.A. to SF and beyond to Alaska on a repositioning cruise.   We spent the day in S.F. with some of my family who live in S.F., making that a great port visit.)

 

Living in L.A. (and later, in Las Vegas), I have sailed the Mexican Riviera itinerary almost every year for sun/warm weather/ beaches, easy access [drive instead of fly, no airline hassles and stress], good food, and R&R.  Much the same reasons why the OP does Caribbean cruises!  But I would do the CA Coastal only if it were a back-to-back with the Mex Riv cruise.

 

[pris993]

1 hour ago, FlaMariner said:

For us, that itinerary would be ranked last in desire.

 

Perhaps San Diego & Ensenada but I've heard that Santa Barbara does not want ships docking, San Francisco has lost its glamour, mystique and appeal for obvious reasons (crime, poop on the sidewalk, dodging shoplifters, etc.).  Los Angeles....been there, done that...not impressed. 

 

(Our last visit to San Fran was cut short due to Her Majesty's demanding to leave early due to what she saw in the park by our hotel....the St Francis Hotel.....sad situation, from our personal experience)

 

If I wanted to cruise on the west coast, I'd head to Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii or head to Australia or Japan.....I wish we saw this differently. 

 

 

Sadly, I agree with you.  I live south of San Francisco, born there, at the moment it has seen a better day.   I am retired, only go into San Francisco to get on a ship and do so by taxi door to door.   I did do this cruise (California Coast) once a few years back, only because I wanted to visit Santa Barbara.  Not really interested in LA and the area around the port is not much better than San Francisco.  I have been to Mexico about 10 times in past 20 years round trip out of San Francisco since SF is my home port.  Have enjoyed San Diego, Monterey, Catalina Island and various Mexican ports over the years.  Mostly enjoy being at sea.  Two-three days down and two days back - weather cool at sea unless in Mexico.  

 

Weather in the spring on the California coastal is cool and can be raining.  Fall is a better time of year weather wise on the California coast.

 

I am planning a 15-day Holiday cruise to Hawaii this December out of San Francisco.  First time doing the Hawaii cruise out of San Francsico round trip. Did a similar cruise around Hawaii to Vancouver.  Weather cool after we left Hawaii, but Pacific was not rough at all.   Sometimes the sea can be rougher if you are traveling north along the coast due to currents. 

[PrincessLuver]

We do mostly long international cruises but did hop on the new Discovery California coastal because we got a Mini suite for $399pp and out OBC totaled $600.   We will love visiting all the cities because each are unique in their own California way.....we have seen plenty of homeless living in parks by our cruise hotels  in Fort Lauderdale and feel much safer in San Francisco then lots of the places we have been in Florida......

Edited February 24, 2022 by PrincessLuver

[rj59]

The CA coastal cruise has a lot of highlights. Sailing under the Golden Gate is one. San Diego has tons to do as well. Santa Barbara has nice beaches and a main street in downtown that's fun to stroll on, and before Covid they had a cheap tourist bus that went from the pier along the main drag. In San Pedro you could go to Long Beach or Santa Monica or some other spot. Personally, I love renting an electric bike and exploring the beach, or even riding along in SF. It's also nice not to get pestered by vendors, as you do in Mexico and Caribbean ports. While it may be cooler on the water, it's a very port-heavy cruise, so there aren't many sea days, and I'd take any California coastal city in March or April over unpleasantly hot heat in a Mexican city.  I looked at those cruises, but instead decided to go for an April 5-night out of SF on Ruby, with stops in Ensenada and San Diego, which is extremely cheap right now.

[suekel]

I'm looking forward to ours in April.  We're doing it as a B2B with Mexico.  Hd a bunch of FCC and thought it would be nice to only pay for one flight.  We're doing a Sonoma Wine Tour for our SF day, the rest we'll just wander on our own.  I've never been to Santa Barbara but I hear it's beautiful  My husband has spent a lot of time in San Diego so I'll follow his lead.