Astoria - Cannon Beach and Seaside

I'm looking at a Royal Caribbean excursion that goes from Astoria to Cannon Beach (and some rock formation whose name eludes me right now) and Seaside. What are these places like? Is there interesting architecture or anything like that? Any feedback or observations would be great.

Thanks!!

I'm looking at a Royal Caribbean excursion that goes from Astoria to Cannon Beach (and some rock formation whose name eludes me right now) and Seaside. What are these places like? Is there interesting architecture or anything like that? Any feedback or observations would be great.

Thanks!!

Haystack Rock and it's cool. Cannon Beach is a neat town, lots of small shops. Good Beach. Eat at Mo's if you can, great clam chowder!

Seaside is fun too. More shops and the Beach.

You could rent a car and do all that plus even go to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Just an idea.

The rocks formations are intriguing, and in general the Oregon coast is quite spectacular - but I prefer the parts further south. Seaside and Cannon Beach are both very forgettable towns in terms of architecture - shops with arts & crafts, restos (I'm also partial to Mo's chowder), but it's the sea rather than the towns you'd be visiting this neck of the woods for.

Tillamook does offer a well-organized tour - large windows look into the factory so you can see the cheese being made, interesting if you haven't seen industrial scale cheesemaking. Unfortunately even their strongest cheddar is a rather bland affair, aged just 3 years - and it's at least twice as old as any of their others. A step up from the likes of Black Diamond, but still very much a mainstream supermarket product range.

Personally I'd be visiting Cape Meares or some of the other great whale-watching/lighthouses along the coast highway if I rented a car in Astoria.

Have you looked into Astoria itself? Far more historically interesting and a lot more to do than either Cannon Beach or Seaside.

At Seaside find and checkout the salt works used by Lewis & Clark's expedition to make salt (via evaporation) to preserve meat for the journey home. Also near Astoria is Fort Clatsop where they spent the winter and is very interesting. Makes me shudder thinking of sitting in those small cramped cabins listening to the endless rain for months on end. Wait a minute...that's my little apartment near Seattle I was thinking of. ;p Reading the winter chapters from the Journals prior to the cruise would set the stage well. The Astoria Column is really cool too but hard to get to due to location on top of the hill. Great view from the top.

Some photos of Cannon Beach and Seaside here. This was on a road trip, not a cruise excursion.

Astoria on a coastal cruise in 2015 here. More photos again on our road trip in 2016

Some photos of Cannon Beach and Seaside here. This was on a road trip, not a cruise excursion.

 

Astoria on a coastal cruise in 2015 here. More photos again on our road trip in 2016

Thanks very much!! The pictures look great!!

Thanks very much!! The pictures look great!!

You are very welcome! Thank you for the kind words and have a great trip!

I'm looking at a Royal Caribbean excursion that goes from Astoria to Cannon Beach (and some rock formation whose name eludes me right now) and Seaside. What are these places like? Is there interesting architecture or anything like that? Any feedback or observations would be great.

Thanks!!

have someone show you how to use gmaps streetview.

Have you looked into Astoria itself? Far more historically interesting and a lot more to do than either Cannon Beach or Seaside.

I also very much prefer Astoria, especially if you are interested in history. Just over the Columbia into Washington is a very interesting museum about Lewis and Clark. And on the Oregon side is Fort Clatsop.

Cannon Beach is a lovely beach however.

We spend a lot of time on the Oregon Coast - at least four or five trips a year from our home near Seattle. Oregon is unique in that the entire coastline is accessible to the general public. When you drive the coast highway there are an abundance of coastal parks and pullouts with phenomenal views. It's very different from other U.S. coastlines - we think more rugged, with its high cliffs and sea stacks (ie haystack rock in Cannon Beach.)

The Astoria area is flatter because it's where the mighty Columbia River flows into the ocean. As you drive south, the coastline geology becomes more dramatic the further you drive.

We like Astoria and will be there again early May. It's an unique coastal small town and is certainly an interesting port day; however, if you want to experience the Oregon Coast, I would rent a car and drive south, stopping at viewpoints and a park or two. If it's a nice day, pick up a picnic lunch and enjoy lunch with a great view. If you enjoy walking, the beaches are hard packed sand at low tide and easy for a beach walk.

PNW Traveler -- I would totally agree. if renting a car, I think driving down the coast and taking in the beach scenery, walking the beach, etc. is very uniquely Oregon and beautiful.

I think I was just reacting to the thought of a ship's tour to the towns of Cannon Beach and Seaside (I may have mis-understood). While those towns are okay, if you want to do a town, I'd pick Astoria.

There is a steam train to ride along the Oregon coast too, at Garibaldi Maybe?