California Costal ?

[5fathom]

Considering booking 7 day California Coastal Cruise Oct 1, 2011. LA, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, San Diego, Ensanada and back to LA. Also thinking about a couple days Princess pre cruise at LAX Marriot. Would appreciate comments from anyone familiar with this cruise. Being from mid-west we are not sure of weather that time of year along the coast. Thanks for the help. By the way we are veteran cruisers and not newbies. :):)

[fabby50]

We are booked on that cruise - it is a fairly new route for Princess from what I understand. Being from California, I have been to the cities on the route many times and lived in Santa Barbara for 7 years. It is all "home territory" for us.

 

Weather in October in Calif. is unpredictable. If it's a rainy year, it can be downpouring, if a dry one, probably summer temperatures for you. Or - could be cloudy and foggy early, clearing later in the day. It's like fall everywhere, no real way to tell.

 

There is a roll call started for this cruise. You can join that and there may be a meeting and greet going.

 

If you have any questions about the ports, feel free to ask. Maybe we'll meeting aboard -

[5fathom]

Thanks for the roll call tip ! Three pages already.

[echotumi]

kinda like a sea day with out moving ,

[Pam in CA]

One thing about the LAX Marriott that's very convenient is that you can rent a Hertz car at LAX and return it at the Marriott. So if you are planning on renting a car and doing sightseeing, it's convenient. The Princess stay at the Marriott is a good deal if you are planning to stay one night. It's not if you want to stay two nights since the rate is per-person/night and includes transfers. If it were me, I'd book the hotel on my own for the first night and at the Princess rate on the second.

[Coral]

One thing about the LAX Marriott that's very convenient is that you can rent a Hertz car at LAX and return it at the Marriott. So if you are planning on renting a car and doing sightseeing, it's convenient. The Princess stay at the Marriott is a good deal if you are planning to stay one night. It's not if you want to stay two nights since the rate is per-person/night and includes transfers. If it were me, I'd book the hotel on my own for the first night and at the Princess rate on the second.

 

The LAX Marriott is not a bad place to stay. The going rate per person is still cheaper then what I paid at Crown Plaza (and I know the Marriott LAX rate is per person) but when all is said and done by the time I paid for transportation to San Pedro - LAX Marriott through Princess would have been cheaper when you factor in transportation.

 

Given the 2 choices, I probably prefer the LAX Marriott over Crown Plaza in San Pedro. I wasn't overly impressed with Crown Plaza.

 

The LAX Marriott has a very nice tour desk if you want to get out and do a tour.

[San Diego Cruizer]

Actually , being a native Californian ( So Cal) I find October to be our lovliest month!! It can still be quite warm at that time and almost never rains. I think weather wise you won't find a greater month to Cruise!

[IECalCruiser]

We have been through four Octobers in SoCal. The temps in most ports should be in the 60's. Another thing we learned in SoCal is that 60's and sunny is quite pleasant and like having 70's and cloudy in the Midwest. We have learned from our Mexican Riviera and Hawaii RT cruises that the seas along the coast will probably be in the 50's so temps on sea days can be cool and there can be wind. There will also be some moderate waves, more movement than the Caribbean. Not always the best for lying out in the sun. The Sapphire does have a covered, heated pool area for those days. There may be fog in the morning along the coast but it should burn off. I believe one stop at Santa Barbara was canceled due to fog because it is a tender port. That being said, we are booked on the September 24 cruise and are looking forward the cruise. For us Ensenada is a stationary sea day.

[hobo1937]

We are also booked on this cruise....prior to moving to So Nevada we lived in the SF area for 20 years...mid sept to mid oct is typically the best time of year there...less fog and nice temperatures. Hope you can join us.

[gertz]

Generally a cruise like this sells out.

To give you an example we are booked on a similar 7 day coastal cruise on the Sapphire this May 7th. It has been sold out for a very long time.

We are also booked on a 10 day coastal from SFO, Catalina, MR, San Diego, & SFO next April 3, 2012 on the Star and it will probably sell out early also.

Marriott is just fine IMO convenient, food is ok, drinks are high but big.

[Astro Flyer]

In May '09 we sailed this itinerary on the Sapphire as a replacement cruise for the Mexican Riviera. The change was necessary due to the restrictions in effect due to the H1N1 scare. We also live in So Cal & enjoyed this cruise tremendously! :D

 

Having lived in the area many, many years...October is one of our favorite months. It's generally very pleasant with some hot days but also some feeling of Autumn, much nicer than in May. Although that hasn't prevented us from this May's 7-day from LA to Vancouver.

 

Santa Barbara: We're not too far from here so we took a nice walk around town. State Street isn't too far away & along the way there are some local wine tasting rooms. In October, thick fog shouldn't be as much of a problem like it did for us in May '09 when tendering was delayed by hours. They offer several wine tours into the Santa Inez valley & there's a trolley bus that's a HOHO although it could be crowded with 2,600 passengers in town.

 

San Francisco: The pier used was a short walk from Pier 39 which is basically an outdoor mall. On our way to Pier 39 we passed boat tours to Alcatraz which were much cheaper than those offered onboard. It was about a 10 minute walk to get on the cable car to see more of the city & Coit tower was visible from the pier. They may also offer wine tours to Sonoma which unfortunately we did get to experience.

 

San Diego: San Diego is a very easy town to tour, just like Santa Barbara, & many things are a short walk from the pier. At the pier just south of where you get off the ship is the USS Midway Museum (www.midway.org). If you've never been on an aircraft carrier it's a great experience & they have aircraft on static display. I spent 2 years on her & during the tour (self guided with headsets to describe the locations) saw places even I had not seen before. Across the street was a tourism trailer where we bought a daily pass for their Red Trolley railway around San Diego. We visited Old Town which is the refurbished original area of San Diego...it looks like an Old West movie set only with businesses inside.

 

Ensenada: About a 10-15 minute walk to the main street depending on which pier your ship is tied up. Not much here although some people purchase medications without needing a prescription, leather, silver, beer...none of which interest me because I'll get beer onboard. I felt safe walking around town & you'll see a lot of vendors although not too persistent after a simple "No thanks" because nearly everyone speaks English.

 

I know that our 7-day LA to Vancouver booked early however currently your LA roundtrip shows all but the top 2 full suite categories are available.

 

We enjoyed the Sapphire even though some of the options onboard other Princess ships won't be available until after it's long drydock in January 2012. So there won't be an International Cafe, Sanctuary or MUTS & while we enjoy the Sterling's Steakhouse specialty restaurant it's location (aft sectioned off part of the Horizon Court buffet seating) & menu is nicer on those ships with a Crown Grill. But obviously none of this matters to us as we're sailing her in May.! :D

[Sillyjilly]

Actually , being a native Californian ( So Cal) I find October to be our lovliest month!! It can still be quite warm at that time and almost never rains. I think weather wise you won't find a greater month to Cruise!

 

Gotta agree. Doesn't usually cool down until Nov.

[DougH]

In general the first half of October is also the best weather of the year in San Francisco. After about the 3rd week you take your chances that it may turn cooler/wetter.

[Gramps25]

This may seem like an odd question but for those that have stayed at this property, is there a grocery store of any kind near by?

 

Thanks,

Ken

 

PS-I am already booked on the 10/1 cruise but trying to decide on a place to stay the night before.

[triple7tahoe]

This may seem like an odd question but for those that have stayed at this property, is there a grocery store of any kind near by?

 

Thanks,

Ken

 

PS-I am already booked on the 10/1 cruise but trying to decide on a place to stay the night before.

Out the back door Or side door on swimming pool side there is a"7/11" type place on the far corner. Out the front and left, about three blocks there are a couple of "mini-marts". The nearest stores of any size are about a mile away towards the airport and then North.

[Gramps25]

Thank you for the information. Very helpful.

[Essiesmom]

For a pre-cruise adventure, detour to Long Beach and stay at the Queen Mary Hotel. EM

[fabby50]

The area around the airport is not very "people friendly". Mostly hotels and car lots. If you don't ren a car, there is a shuttle that runs past most of the hotels (the Marriott included) - I think they call it the cable car or the trolley or something like that - you can ask at the desk, that will take you to several outlying areas with restaurants, shopping, etc. They will give you a map of the route and I think it runs by everything every 1/2 hour.

 

As a poster above suggested, you could stay at the Queen Mary and take a shuttle to the port. The hotel was sold a couple of years ago and they are finishing refurbishing most of the cabins. They have a fantastic brunch on Sunday, several restaurants, and a lot of things to do in the general Long Beach area, including the aquarium. We go there frequently - I grew up about 5 minutes from there in Huntington Beach. Any questions, holler.

[Astro Flyer]

Being from mid-west we are not sure of weather that time of year along the coast.

Concerning the weather in San Francisco, Mark Twain said that "the coldest winter he spent was a summer in San Francisco".:D Being a humorist, it's an exaggeration but it can get cool when the fog rolls in even in October. :rolleyes:

[kath00]

Actually , being a native Californian ( So Cal) I find October to be our lovliest month!! It can still be quite warm at that time and almost never rains. I think weather wise you won't find a greater month to Cruise!

 

Exactly. I don't know where one poster got torrential rains?!?! I've lived in CA all my life (from San Francisco to San Diego) and October is the NICEST month. The weather is dry and warm (70s-80s) and the coastal fog is gone (usually in May and June). I don't recall it ever raining in October! Seriously. It's the perfect time to do the Coastal. We are on the Sept one and again the following April.

 

Cannot wait to sail under the Golden Gate!!

 

Katherine

[kath00]

Concerning the weather in San Francisco, Mark Twain said that "the coldest winter he spent was a summer in San Francisco".:D Being a humorist, it's an exaggeration but it can get cool when the fog rolls in even in October. :rolleyes:

 

Very rare to have fog in October. Usually it's May through July. Usually October is sunny and warm, even for San Francisco. More than likely mid 70s in San Francisco and warmer as you go further South.

 

Oh, and the Summers are FREEZING. Not only does the fog roll in but the wind kicks up. I literally wear my winter coat in May, June and some of July! 50s and super windy. Interestingly, about 30 min south of SFO, around the Stanford area, it's sunny and in the 90s in the summer! Go figure.

 

K

[ASeaPrincess1]

I just booked this cruise last night.

 

I would really love if it went to Canada instead of Mexico, like the "Swine Flu" cruise I took on RCI.

If I could have, I would have booked the repo in May, but there's nothing left!

LA, SF, Astoria, Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver.

I think that itinerary or one similar (leave out a few ports) would be amazing as 7-day RT.

It can be done. Whaddya say, Princess?????

 

Either way, it will be a great cruise, and I already know a few people going on it.:)

[ASeaPrincess1]

Love your ship!:D:D

 

 

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[Astro Flyer]

I just booked this cruise last night.

 

I would really love if it went to Canada instead of Mexico, like the "Swine Flu" cruise I took on RCI.

If I could have, I would have booked the repo in May, but there's nothing left!

LA, SF, Astoria, Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver.

I think that itinerary or one similar (leave out a few ports) would be amazing as 7-day RT.

It can be done. Whaddya say, Princess?????

 

Either way, it will be a great cruise, and I already know a few people going on it.:)

I guess that you consider "inside" the same as "nothing left"...Ha, ha ;)

[Astro Flyer]

Very rare to have fog in October. Usually it's May through July. Usually October is sunny and warm, even for San Francisco. More than likely mid 70s in San Francisco and warmer as you go further South.

 

Oh, and the Summers are FREEZING. Not only does the fog roll in but the wind kicks up. I literally wear my winter coat in May, June and some of July! 50s and super windy. Interestingly, about 30 min south of SFO, around the Stanford area, it's sunny and in the 90s in the summer! Go figure.

 

K

I should have stuck with Mark Twain's words only & known that I'd be wrong on the October SF weather...sorry. :o