Oregon, Seattle and Victoria

[bridog22]

Had all my excursions planned for Mexico and now I have no clue what I'm going to do for the Pacific North West cruise. Please HELP...there's very limited threads about those ports.

[elleluv]

We've had Astoria as a port twice.... absolutely love it... DH and I were talking about the changed itinerary the other night and we both agreed that we would FAR prefer the stop in Astoria to San Francisco...

 

Last year we rented a car and drove down the cost to Ecola State Parks, had a picnic, went for a walk... the scenery there is stunning!

 

There have been a couple of movies that have filmed there that I can think of right off hand... remember Goonies from way back when? and more recently Twilight.

Astoria has the best, by far, group of volunteers I've ever seen who come out when a ship is in port and provide information... they seem genuinely happy to have the cruise ships in port.

 

Here's some Astoria information I provided to a traveling companion last year:

 

We rented a car from Enterprise and are planning to go to the Astoria Column and then for a drive down the coast. The car rental is about $50 and they’ll pick us up at the pier. We dock at Pier 1…

 

Other options are:

 

Trolley - http://homepage.mac.com/cearl/trolley/

$1 per person per trip or $2 for all day hand stamp (2008 pricing)

 

40-45 min round trip – you often end up waiting quite some time for the trolley if you get off and want to get back on

 

Flavel House –

444 8th Street (can walk from Trolley stop)

$5 per person

Tea is available

 

Maritime museum

 

Astoria Column (free)/Shuttle (2008 rate) $5 per person for all day

Take shuttle from port to downtown… take additional shuttle from downtown to the column – beautiful view!

 

 

Hope that helps... Enjoy your time in Astoria... :)

[bridog22]

That does help a lot...thank you for the info. Hopefully we can get more responses to help out the rest of the cruisers going on this trip.

[robntawn]

briddog22,

 

Come on over to the Roll Call thread for this sailing. We've got quite a few posts regarding excursions!

[elleluv]

Victoria:

 

We rented a car from Budget for about $50 and visited Butchart Gardens ($25 admission - 2008 rates)

 

Butterfly Gardens next door ($11 admission - 2008 rates)

 

 

Victoria is also a beautiful port to wander around and see the sights...

[Putterdude]

Check out the West Coast Departures board and the Canada board, there is a ton of information there...perhaps a little less so on Oregon.

[Ginnylou]

Don't forget the great popcorn vendor! :D

[trixietx]

In SF walk around Fisherman's Wharf, take the trolley and tour Alcatraz prizon. I love SF and there are plenty of things to do.

We loved Pike Fish Market in Seattle and spent the day walking around there.

I can't help you with Astoria, we haven't been there.

Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[sweetcruiser106]

We cruised a similar itinerary a couple of years ago on Radiance and if we had not already made plans for Alaska on Rhapsody, we would be all about doing one of these cruises. Mariner is an absolutely beautiful ship. You will have a great time. I agree with the poster who said to rent a car in Astoria. The areas along the coast just south of Astoria are absolutely stunning. Visit Cannon Beach and Seaside. Also, consider going as far as Tillamook County (time permitting) for the cheese. The cheddar cheese is wonderful. In Astoria itself, the Columbia River museum is fascinating. In Victoria, try to leave room in your budget for tea at the Empress. It is expensive but well worth it in my opinion. Burchart Gardens are beautiful and Victoria is really a charming city. Also make sure while you are docked in Victoria to take a look off your balcony or up on deck and admire the Olympic mountains across the strait. One of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I really haven't been to Seattle yet except to catch a plane home, but we will be there in July and a couple of places on our short list are Pike Place Market and the Aquarium. Have a great trip.

Anne:)

[greatdanemom]

In Victoria we enjoyed the horse drawn trolley tour. You go through both the downtown area and residential areas. The gardens everywhere were just beautiful to see. It's obvious the people there take great pride in the appearance of their city. Such a beautiful port to see!

[candhmama]

I was in Astoria last June with my dd's class on their 5th grade field trip. I have not been there on a cruise so I am not sure on times and shore excursions from the ship, but here are the things we did.

 

The maritime museum http://www.crmm.org/ this is pretty interesting, quite a bit to see.

The Astoria column http://www.astoriacolumn.org/ amazing views from up here, doesn't take a lot of time

Fort Stevens State Park http://www.astoria-usa.com/fort-stevens-state-park.shtml This took most of our day, there is a lot here to see, it just depends on whether it is something that interests you.

Fort Clatsop http://www.nps.gov/lewi/ This is where Lewis and Clark lived after they got to Oregon (the fort is a replica but in the genereal area) this is also an interesting place to check out, but again it just depends on your interests

Somene else mentioned Tillamook, there is the Tillamook cheese factory you can walk through, there isn't a lot to look at but it is free and there are some free cheese samples. I LOVE their cheese and they have wonderful ice cream you can get there too. It is about 1.5 hr drive from Astoria. It is a pretty drive and there are lots of neat little coast towns along the way Seaside is a popular place. Manzanita has a nice beach.

I hope this helps

[OKH]

I don't know where exactly the cruise goes, but BC consistently has some of the highest rated diving in the world.

[debkaysmith]

We visited these ports last October and loved them. In Astoria we wandered around the little town popping into the Astoria Brewing Co. for a delicious lunch and ample sampling; visited a wine boutique for tasting (I think it's called Cellar on 10th); stopped in to a couple of shops for chocolate and also ice cream from Tillamook which is absolutely delicious. The welcom in this town is unbelievable and the trolley takes you up and down the shopping district. We were there on a particularly rainy day and it didn't interfere with our enjoyment of this town! In Victoria we visited Butchart Gardens which are amazingly beautiful and have wandered through their city shopping and visiting the pubs. You won't want to miss the Victoria Creams at Rogers Chocolates. The Empress Hotel also has a lovely afternoon tea you may want to try. Seattle has many offerings from the Space Needle to shopping to the Pike Place Market and original Starbucks to the Music Project and a wonderful Aquarium and Science Center as well. A truly glorious city super-close to the port. Enjoy!!

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

I have a question about Seattle. Does anyone know where the fishing vessel The Northwestern docks? Its the crab boat on Deadliest Catch and its home port is Seattle. It would great to see it and grab a few pictures.

 

TIA

 

***

[jmf123]

Victoria:

 

We rented a car from Budget for about $50 and visited Butchart Gardens ($25 admission - 2008 rates)

 

Butterfly Gardens next door ($11 admission - 2008 rates)

 

 

Victoria is also a beautiful port to wander around and see the sights...

 

I definitely recommend seeing the world famous Butchart Gardens in Victoria, and we also very much enjoyed the Butterfly Gardens (I thought it was called the Butterfly Farm) nearby. The beautiful butterflies even landed right on our hands as we walked among them, and we got some great photos. These were both offered on one excursion through the ship.

[armymichelle]

I live in Victoria. You dock right across from a very nice park. Its a bit of a walk into town,b ut its flat, and the buses are right near by 225 and keep yoru transfer you can go both ways for an hour and a bit.

 

The Buchart guardens are fabulous, but a bit of a jaunt up there (again, you can take the bus). There are lots to do around the inner harbour (thats where you can walk to from the ship), parliment buildings, undersea gardens (fun to go to), harbour tours, sailing tours, cradgerrich castle, Royal Roads gardens (did you know the Queen was going to "stay" here during WWII?) but a bit further, Maritime museum at CFB Esquimalt, just relaxing. Lots of shoppin nearby.

[armymichelle]

My email is armyprincess@live.ca. Feel free to email with any victoria questions.

[bruce-r]

Had all my excursions planned for Mexico and now I have no clue what I'm going to do for the Pacific North West cruise. Please HELP...there's very limited threads about those ports.

 

Here are a couple of websites to check:

http://www.portofastoria.com/

has a section for cruises including possible shore excursions.

 

http://www.oldoregon.com/

-->official website of the Astoria & Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce

 

Astoria Trolly

looks interesting, even for a local (like me).

 

Order a free

North Oregon Coast

visitors brochure.

 

 

 

I don't know where exactly the cruise goes, but BC consistently has some of the highest rated diving in the world.

Yes, it does, but it pretty much requires a drysuit.

[bridog22]

Awesome information...thanks.

[dirtgirl]

The Underground Tour in Seattle is a must see, IMHO. We did it privately a few years back. You need to get there early to get tickets, as it is VERY popular.

 

Victoria has the Provincial Museum, Wax Museum, Parliament Buildings, and Empress Hotel all in the Inner Harbour area. There is also Craigdarroch (sp) Castle which is a short distance from the Inner Harbour. Many like Butchart Gardens, but gardens aren't my thing.;)

[rubrrick]

I have a question about Seattle. Does anyone know where the fishing vessel The Northwestern docks? Its the crab boat on Deadliest Catch and its home port is Seattle. It would great to see it and grab a few pictures.

 

TIA

 

***

 

Tia, my guess would be that it would be docked in Ballard, an area of Seattle. That is where most of the crab boats and fishing boats dock. It's just inside of the locks that seperate the salt water part of Seattle from the fresh water lakes.

 

And yes, I came down here from Seattle, where I was born and raised!

 

Rick

[Coralc]

The Ballard locks are kind of cool. Especially if the salmon are spawning. I grew up in Seattle, too. It's kind of like a super mini Panama canal. :)

[rubrrick]

The Ballard locks are kind of cool. Especially if the salmon are spawning. I grew up in Seattle, too. It's kind of like a super mini Panama canal. :)

 

 

The world just keeps getting smaller!!;) And we all called them the Ballard locks.......but the true name is the Hiram Chittenden Locks.

 

Rick

[Coralc]

As I recall...they take the boats in to Lake Washington to get the barnacles off of them and dock them? I wonder if Gatun lake does the same thing? I never thought about that. Interesting. Sorry. O/T. :) And we always called them the Ballard locks.

[zephyr17]

As I recall...they take the boats in to Lake Washington to get the barnacles off of them and dock them? I wonder if Gatun lake does the same thing? I never thought about that. Interesting. Sorry. O/T. :) And we always called them the Ballard locks.

 

Everybody does. But the sign does say Hiram Chittenden Locks.