Santa Barbara

[In Toronto]

We have just been informed that our itinerary has changed from a stop in Monterey to Santa Barbara.  

So, now I need to look at our day in Santa Barbara.

 

Any information on this port would be of help.

 

Will we tender?   How far from the port is the harbor with the small boats and a walk along the shoreline?   How far is the walk to the courthouse?   Perhaps we need to bus it?  We really enjoy a coffee and pastry or perhaps a light lunch in an outdoor venue.  We will be in Santa Barbara end of April so hoping we will have warm weather.  Anywhere we can get wifi?  

 

Thanks for any help.  We do not want to take a tour.

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

Santa Barbara is a tender port.

[princeton123211]

17 hours ago, In Toronto said:

Will we tender?   How far from the port is the harbor with the small boats and a walk along the shoreline?   How far is the walk to the courthouse?

As Bruce said you will tender and the tender will land you at Cabrillo and Bath St downtown. Easy to walk to many things right there. The courthouse is a bit of a hike including crossing under the 101 Freeway-- something like a 30 minute walk but you could easily take an Uber and be there very quickly-- really just depends on how much time and effort you want to devote to it. 

 

17 hours ago, In Toronto said:

We really enjoy a coffee and pastry or perhaps a light lunch in an outdoor venue.

Plenty of cafes and restaurants within easy walking of where the tender drops you. A really special lunch idea would be to head up to San Ysidro Ranch (this would be an Uber ride each way). Stunning gardens in the hills above but plenty of options in town. 

 

17 hours ago, In Toronto said:

We will be in Santa Barbara end of April so hoping we will have warm weather.

It might be a bit brisker than you are anticipating. That time of year might get into the low 70s but can be in the 50s and 60s. You are by the sea so its a bit cooler-- warms up a bit more inland. Mornings and early evening you might want to bring a light jacket or sweater. 

[In Toronto]

Thank you both so much for the information.

 

princeton123211:  San Ysidro Ranch looks wonderful.! Unfortunately, well beyond our means.  

 

Re: weather, I guess that I am surprised at the temps in April.  I have a friend who spends the winters in California and I have seen her on FaceTime in shorts and T-shirt in February.  But, she is in Palm Springs!  Coast temps obviously much different.

Not a problem, will just know what to expect.

 

I think that we will walk around as far as we can manage (we are older and my husband is a walker but, unfortunately, I have back issues) and will probably stick closer to the dock.

 

How long is the tender ride?

 

 

 

[princeton123211]

34 minutes ago, In Toronto said:

I have a friend who spends the winters in California and I have seen her on FaceTime in shorts and T-shirt in February.  But, she is in Palm Springs!  Coast temps obviously much different.

Not a problem, will just know what to expect.

Yep- totally different climates. Desert vs the coast. Even in Los Angeles the temperature in the same city can vary greatly-- can be cool and foggy in Santa Monica at the sea and sunny and hot further inland. 

 

36 minutes ago, In Toronto said:

How long is the tender ride?

Will depend from ship to ship and day to day but not long-- 10-15 minutes max. 

[In Toronto]

Thanks for all the information.  We are looking forward to the port.

 

[Daycare Provider]

Welcome to the rain.... we have had record amounts of rain this winter.  More rain is on the horizon.  If I were you take a look at a weather app for possible bad weather.  We have never had this kind of weather.  I live two hours north of Santa Barbara along the coast.

[Daycare Provider]

On 3/8/2023 at 2:25 PM, In Toronto said:

Thank you both so much for the information.

 

princeton123211:  San Ysidro Ranch looks wonderful.! Unfortunately, well beyond our means.  

 

Re: weather, I guess that I am surprised at the temps in April.  I have a friend who spends the winters in California and I have seen her on FaceTime in shorts and T-shirt in February.  But, she is in Palm Springs!  Coast temps obviously much different.

Not a problem, will just know what to expect.

 

I think that we will walk around as far as we can manage (we are older and my husband is a walker but, unfortunately, I have back issues) and will probably stick closer to the dock.

 

How long is the tender ride?

 

 

 

 

[In Toronto]

2 hours ago, Daycare Provider said:

Welcome to the rain.... we have had record amounts of rain this winter.  More rain is on the horizon.  If I were you take a look at a weather app for possible bad weather.  We have never had this kind of weather.  I live two hours north of Santa Barbara along the coast.

I have actually heard of your bad weather.  It has been reported here on the news several times.  So sorry about this.  A lot of destruction also, I believe.  Nature can be nasty.

 

Hopefully this all stops soon for you.  Thanks for responding.

[squadron]

On 3/8/2023 at 6:30 AM, CruiserBruce said:

Santa Barbara is a tender port.

I like Santa Barbara - be sure to walk out to end of boardwalk.  If you have a rental car the Danish village (forgot name is nearby)  My cruise for Sept Pacific Coastal on Radiance dropped SB and gave us LA.  Am not happy about it and may cancel.  Monterey is  also a bit of a ? mark.  City seems to be wanting to limit ships.

[CruiserBruce]

22 minutes ago, squadron said:

I like Santa Barbara - be sure to walk out to end of boardwalk.  If you have a rental car the Danish village (forgot name is nearby)  My cruise for Sept Pacific Coastal on Radiance dropped SB and gave us LA.  Am not happy about it and may cancel.  Monterey is  also a bit of a ? mark.  City seems to be wanting to limit ships.

The Danish village is Solvang.

 

Monterey has done all it can to limit ships, but it doesn't have the final say.

[lasekeye]

On 3/17/2023 at 6:04 PM, squadron said:

I like Santa Barbara - be sure to walk out to end of boardwalk.  If you have a rental car the Danish village (forgot name is nearby)  My cruise for Sept Pacific Coastal on Radiance dropped SB and gave us LA.  Am not happy about it and may cancel.  Monterey is  also a bit of a ? mark.  City seems to be wanting to limit ships.

It seems that for our Sep Radiance sailing has changed again?  Monterey is out, Ensenada is out and Santa Barbara is in again!

[Tapi]

Here are some photos from our stop in Santa Bárbara. As soon as we got off the tender, we came across an information table set up, so we asked about getting to the Courthouse and the Santa Bárbara Mission. She told us to take the electric shuttle into town and we’d be dropped off somewhere near the Courthouse, so we did that.

 

She also said that we’d need a cab to get to the Santa Bárbara Mission because it was too far away, but after looking it up on a map, we decided to walk. It was a pretty long walk, but we had absolutely beautiful weather and mild temperatures. We thoroughly enjoyed it. 
 

After that, we returned to the downtown and browsed around the shops. We then walked along the beach before returning to the ship. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing day. 

[In Toronto]

Thanks for the review of your day.  Looks lovely!