Tell Me This Isn't True

[Merion_Mom]

Does Celebrity have these two cruises linked? According to many posts, this pair would violate the PVSA, sailing from one US port to another without stopping at a distant foreign port, even though you are changing ships in Vancouver. Do investigate to make sure that you can do these two cruises.

 

The problem is that if the two cruises can be considered one cruise, you would start in San Diego and end in Anchorage. This would be transporting from one US port to another.

 

Visiting US ports during the course of a cruise is fine as long as your cruise doesn't end there. People boarding in Miami/FLL on the cruises you mentioned would not be allowed to terminate their cruise in Key West.

 

Switching ships alone (much less cruiselines), breaks the chain of conveyance that the PSA is set up to prohibit.

 

No problems on that score.

 

 

:)

[donaldsc]

He is 100% right if you want to see stuff in depth and if you want flexibility. He is 100% wrong if you want to see ocean, a very tiny little bit of any single location, and want to run around like crazy to see a city is 6 hours.

 

You have to decide. If it were me, I would ditch the cruise for that itinerary.

 

DON

[Chip and Dale]

I met someone last night from San Francisco who was trying very hard to convince me to cancel my 5-nite cruise out of San Diego to Vancouver. (From Vancouver we are boarding Celebrity for a 7-nite Alaska)

 

The itinerary is very simple on the Radiance:

San Diego

Day at Sea

San Francisco

Day at Sea

Victoria, BC

Vancouver

 

He said one day in San Francisco is not enough to really see anything and we should rent a car and drive down the coast so I have the flexibility to see what I want (redwoods and drive up through the wine country), then drive to Vancouver instead.

 

My husband was almost convinced. I still want my cruise and Jr. Suite Aft!

 

Convince my hubby why the cruise is a better choice. :confused:

 

I have done both! The person who told you about SF and driving the PCH in CA is absolutely right it is to die for. We did it in 2005 and had 19 days and it was no where near enough. We rented an anniversary edition TBird for a few days in SF and then a Mustang (for the trunk space) to drive the PCH from there down to south of LA. We did not have time to make it to San Diego which we really wanted to do, but we did see the Winchester House in San Jose, San Luis Obispo and the Hearst Mansion which we would highly reccommend. We drove a couple of days into wine country. We went to Disneyland which is very different from Disney World and we would also highly reccommend seeing it if you go to CA. We simply cannot wait to go back to California and will start once again in SF, spend a week there and take day trips, go to Carmel again, my niece now lives in Fresno so we will go there, we will drive the PCH again in absolute awe, there is no way to describe the feeling and what you see in a convertible. The day in SF on the cruise will give you a taste of what an incredible city it is. Also not to be missed is Victoria. I'm not only Canadian, but we have family in Victoria and love the city, and Vancouver is incredible as well.

 

The bottom line is if you can take a couple of weeks or more do as much as you can in California, but honestly a week is not nearly enough to do more than SF and the area alone. I personally would not cancel the cruise to drive all the way up to Vancouver, long drive and you wouldn't have much time to see CA. I'm not sure how far up you can drive the coastal highway beyond California, but it takes 2 or 3 times the amount of time to go a mile on the PCH than it does on an inland highway. Worth it but you have to take your time with all of the twists and turns.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

I'm soooo envious

Dee

[elfie]

You won't get the whole City experience in a day, but SF is a small big city and you will have a great experience in a day.:)

[Merion_Mom]

Of course "one day isn't enough to see San Francisco".

 

But it is hardly enough time to see Rome or Athens or St. Petersburg or ..................... (fill in the blank), and yet TENS OF THOUSANDS of people cruise there every year.

 

Unless there is something else happening in your lives to prevent it, I would say that you ought to take your cruises as scheduled and plan a separate vacation - 2 weeks! - to California.

 

:)

[ladymacwilly]

Between Fisherman's Wharf, the cable cars, Golden Gate Park and Muir Woods, (Which does have some old growth redewoods and is only 11 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge), http://www.nps.gov/muwo/ I think you can have a wonderful experience. Then the nice part is after running around all day you have those relaxing days at sea. Besides, sailing up the Pacific Northwest is spectacular and traffic between San Diego and San Francisco rather sucks until you get to San Louis Obispo. After SLB, it just takes two to three times longer driving to SF. You on the other hand get the advantage of sailing by Big Sur with a vantage point few ever see.

 

Save CA for another time and enjoy you day in San Francisco. Make a plan and have a blast!

[J & G]

The two experiences are very different. Try the 'appetizer platter' (cruise) to see what areas you want to return to......then order the 'entree' (land vacation to one or more cities along the way).

 

We plan to do the opposite coast that same way.....cruise Boston to Nova Scotia, then decide where we want to spend more time. This works great for us.....and sometimes we find that one person's opinion of an area does not match ours......in cases like that, we are glad we are only there long enough to see the highlights....or vice versa.

 

Having said all that, we love San Francisco, the wine country, the Pacific Coast Highway, Monterey Bay, the whole enchilada.....

[skandls]

Are you and your husband planning on the same 5 days to drive from San Diego to Vancouver? That will be a whole lot of driving and you won't have much more time to see the sights in California then you will on the cruise.

 

The cruise will not allow enough time to see any of the northern California wine country. You will have time for a nice day in the city of San Francisco. There are hop-on bus tours available from Union Square. That will give an overview of the city. A very short walk from the pier and you will be able to catch a street car or bus. SF has very good public transit. Just be careful (especially on crowded buses pickpockets are common.)

 

If you like the wine country plan another vacation of at least a one week. The central coast area has many wineries and you can visit Santa Barbara and maybe Hearst Castle. In the north Napa, Sonoma, Mendicino all have great wineries. If you have even more time add a night or two at Yosemite. We have a large state - the drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco without traffic is about 8 hours.

 

If you are staying a day or two precruise in San Diego - I believe there are tours to Temecula - one of the smaller wine regions in the state.

[Royal Addiction]

We forced ourselves to do something besides a cruise in 2009, and went to California--San Fran for 5 days and Carmel for 4, with driving around, climbing on rocks in Carmel (the most beautiful place on earth), marvelling at everything in San Francisco, going to the zoo, riding a bike over the Golden Gate, standing in a cell at Alcatraz, touring the Hearst Castle, etc. We prefer to be active than sit whether on a cruise or land tour. We were pleasantly surprised that we LOVED the California trip EXCEPT for the food and having to constantly take out our wallet to buy meals. That's the ONLY part we didn't like.

 

HINT to Royal Caribbean: Do a more lengthy cruise of the California/Oregon coast. I'd be there in a heartbeat!

[Lovincruisin1321]

Wow and thanks for all the responses!

 

I read each of them to my husband and he loved the advise and humor, especially the one of shooting him and what the wife wants! Lol

 

I agree, we agree that the cruise is a taste platter. Also, five days trying to rush around, drive and hotel stops sounds exhausting.

 

We like the idea of Fisherman's Wharf and the Hop On Hop Off. I can't imagine not liking SF, so we are in total agreement to put a longer vacation for that area on the Wish List.

 

What does the wife want? Well, the DH does too!

 

Can't wait for the Jr. Suite Aft! Never have been in a Jr. Suite nor Aft!

Can't wait for Bingo on Sea Days as I am sipping champagne and meeting fun folks!

Can't wait to soak in the hot tub and again meet totally new people!

Can't wait to be wined and dined!

Can't wait for the entertainment!

Can't wait to just relax and have fun!

 

What's really exciting??? Is at the end of 5 nites, we get to board Celebrity and and go to Alaska!

 

I promise to write a review about everything and take lots of photos of ports and the ship.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

p.s. Yes, this 5-nite I have already paid in full. Now working on paying Celebrity!:):):)

[auntiea]

Are you and your husband planning on the same 5 days to drive from San Diego to Vancouver? That will be a whole lot of driving and you won't have much more time to see the sights in California then you will on the cruise.

 

That was my thought. True, a cruise would not give you enough time to see much of SF, driving from SD to Vancouver would not allow for much time either. It is over a 1,250 miles drive. Now while it could be done, I don't think it would be very relaxing.

 

As others have said, one or two days is not going to be enough time to really see the city. So unless you add several days to the trip for the drive you really aren't going to get that much more from driving. A few hours here or there, but not that much.

[storm1of4]

Well San Fransico is absolutely fantastic. you'll need more than one day.. However, take the one day you have and enjoy it! SFO IS WONDERFUL!! Then enjoy your cruise. Next year Plan for 3 days days in SFO and another cruise and keep going back until you are satisfied. I went to SFO on my Honeymoon for a week then a week in LA. LA was Ok SFO great. Went back the next 5 years. That was 20 years ago!

[storm1of4]

Wow and thanks for all the responses!

 

I read each of them to my husband and he loved the advise and humor, especially the one of shooting him and what the wife wants! Lol

 

I agree, we agree that the cruise is a taste platter. Also, five days trying to rush around, drive and hotel stops sounds exhausting.

 

We like the idea of Fisherman's Wharf and the Hop On Hop Off. I can't imagine not liking SF, so we are in total agreement to put a longer vacation for that area on the Wish List.

 

What does the wife want? Well, the DH does too!

 

Can't wait for the Jr. Suite Aft! Never have been in a Jr. Suite nor Aft!

Can't wait for Bingo on Sea Days as I am sipping champagne and meeting fun folks!

Can't wait to soak in the hot tub and again meet totally new people!

Can't wait to be wined and dined!

Can't wait for the entertainment!

Can't wait to just relax and have fun!

 

What's really exciting??? Is at the end of 5 nites, we get to board Celebrity and and go to Alaska!

 

I promise to write a review about everything and take lots of photos of ports and the ship.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

p.s. Yes, this 5-nite I have already paid in full. Now working on paying Celebrity!:):):)

 

Your doing the right thing

[Beach4me]

Can't wait for the Jr. Suite Aft! Never have been in a Jr. Suite nor Aft!

Can't wait for Bingo on Sea Days as I am sipping champagne and meeting fun folks!

Can't wait to soak in the hot tub and again meet totally new people!

Can't wait to be wined and dined!

Can't wait for the entertainment!

Can't wait to just relax and have fun!

 

p.s. Yes, this 5-nite I have already paid in full. Now working on paying Celebrity!:):):)

 

Not only will you enjoy this itinerary and the taste of each port that it provides, I think you will really enjoy the Radiance. And, sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge is one of those things that I think everyone should do!

 

We just sailed into/out of San Francisco on the Radiance 10 days ago - and it was fabulous! Glad you made the decision you did! Enjoy!!

[Jasperdo]

If you would be allotting the same 5 days for the drive as the cruise, you would not have enough time to justify driving. I've driven the entire coast numerous times: up Ca. Highway 1, and along US Highway 101 through Oregon. It is an incredibly beautiful drive, but also a slow drive. You would want to take the time to stop and see the sights. Five days to drive the coast from San Diego to Vancouver is not nearly enough time to see it properly. That's not even counting San Francisco. You would have no time at all to see San Francisco if you drove.

 

So, I have to go along with most of the other responses here. Take the cruise, and try and come back and do a longer Road Trip up the coast another time.

[mlk58]

I'm a lifelong Californian, and I think you definitely made the right decision! Enjoy!

[TahoeBob]

I met someone last night from San Francisco who was trying very hard to convince me to cancel my 5-nite cruise out of San Diego to Vancouver. (From Vancouver we are boarding Celebrity for a 7-nite Alaska)

 

The itinerary is very simple on the Radiance:

San Diego

Day at Sea

San Francisco

Day at Sea

Victoria, BC

Vancouver

 

He said one day in San Francisco is not enough to really see anything and we should rent a car and drive down the coast so I have the flexibility to see what I want (redwoods and drive up through the wine country), then drive to Vancouver instead.

 

My husband was almost convinced. I still want my cruise and Jr. Suite Aft!

 

Convince my hubby why the cruise is a better choice. :confused:

The part about not being to see SF in one day is true, but on the other hand you are looking at a 1400 mile drive.

From SD to SF is about a 9 hour drive if you stay on the main highway. Part of the drive up the coast you could run into very heave fog and that is very stressful to drive in when you can not see more than 30 feet in front of you.

 

 

It can be a very slow drive. North of SF on highway #1 is a beautiful drive but a extremely windy road.

 

One time I was behind a RV who would not pull over north of SF and it took over 1/2 hour to go only 20 miles.

 

There are some very wonderful things to do when driving up the coast, (Hearst Castle, Santa Barbara, Cambria, Santa Cruz, SF, Wine country, redwoods etc.) Thats a weeks vacation in it self and you are not even out of California yet. you have only covered about 800 miles so far with Oregon and Washington to go.

 

I don't know all the great things Oregon and Washington have to offer in way of sights but the way I look at it by the time you get out of California you will not have enough time to find out.

 

IMHO way to much driving, to much to see, and not nearly enough time to enjoy what is offered. I would tale the cruise and relax.