Thoughts from those who've taken the Californian Coastal Cruise

[NOSaints1]

Looking at 2019 there's three choices island, emerald and royal. We're in our mid 30s what would be our best choice

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[polmcs]

Looking at 2019 there's three choices island, emerald and royal. We're in our mid 30s what would be our best choice

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I'd opt for the Royal! ;) Newer ship, much bigger but never felt too crowded to me and yes the balconies are smaller, but the buffet was the best out of all the Princess ships I've sailed on and although I hate buffets with a passion, I pretty much went there exclusively for lunch and breakfast, which for me, is totally unheard of. :)

[NOSaints1]

How does the O/N work in San Francisco?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[SadieN]

My vote is for the unusual ports.

The two ports not regularly visited-Nanaimo and Astoria.

Astoria is easily walkable. Check out the Maritime Museum, Bowpicker, Josephson's Smokehouse and the many Brewpubs in the area. Take a ride on the trolley and watch how they turn it around.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Lulubelle45]

I've done 3 coastal though none on Princess. Having sailed all in late September or late October, the weather was actually fair each time. Never made it to Astoria, as it was to stormy to dock (winds, no rain) have always stopped in Victoria rather than Nanaimo. SF was great but on our cruise without the US port prior, we had to clear customs in SF which meant EVERYONE had to disembark, took about 3 hours to clear the entire ship. I'm looking forward to doing the Reviera as that would be new to me

 

Sent from my SM-G903W using Forums mobile app

[AZbeachboy]

I have been on the Mexican Rivera four times. Mostly to recharge. We only get off now if we have others with us that have not been there before. Why this trip. I don't vacation anywhere I cannot get to the pool or beach. Alaska is not for us.

[comcox]

I've done 3 coastal though none on Princess. Having sailed all in late September or late October, the weather was actually fair each time. Never made it to Astoria, as it was to stormy to dock (winds, no rain) have always stopped in Victoria rather than Nanaimo. SF was great but on our cruise without the US port prior, we had to clear customs in SF which meant EVERYONE had to disembark, took about 3 hours to clear the entire ship. I'm looking forward to doing the Reviera as that would be new to me

 

Sent from my SM-G903W using Forums mobile app

 

I hadn't thought about the customs issue for my cruise. On my prior Pacific coastal it was non-stop LA to Vancouver and we had customs at Canada Place Pier. But this time I'm on the Oct. 1st Ruby sailing from Vancouver to Astoria, SF, Santa Barbara and then LA. Will we go through a immigration inspection in Astoria and then customs in LA?

[tonit964]

I have been on the Mexican Rivera four times. Mostly to recharge. We only get off now if we have others with us that have not been there before. Why this trip. I don't vacation anywhere I cannot get to the pool or beach. Alaska is not for us.

 

 

On a couple of our Alaska cruises, the temps in Skagway and Juneau were right around 83 degrees. The pools and slides were in full swing and I was laying out in the warm sunshine. Even in Ketchikan, it was really warm.

 

You really should go at least once, it's breathtakingly beautiful!:)

[Cruise2End]

I'd opt for the Royal! ;) Newer ship, much bigger but never felt too crowded to me and yes the balconies are smaller, but the buffet was the best out of all the Princess ships I've sailed on and although I hate buffets with a passion, I pretty much went there exclusively for lunch and breakfast, which for me, is totally unheard of. :)

 

We second the vote for Royal. Of our 18 cruises with Princess, this is the ONLY ship where the buffet was impressive! We generally avoid the buffet completely when possible.

[Lulubelle45]

I hadn't thought about the customs issue for my cruise. On my prior Pacific coastal it was non-stop LA to Vancouver and we had customs at Canada Place Pier. But this time I'm on the Oct. 1st Ruby sailing from Vancouver to Astoria, SF, Santa Barbara and then LA. Will we go through a immigration inspection in Astoria and then customs in LA?

All 3 of my Pacific Coastal started in Vancouver to LA x2 (NCL)and San Diego (HAL). Only on my last cruise was this an issue. Vanc- Victoria- SF- LA. Was told the reason for customs in SF was because it was the first US port following a Canadian port. The other Pacific coastal missed Astoria due to weather, but San Fran wasn't effected. It didn't have a Canadian port stop so customs was in LA. The San Diego one stopped in Victoria then customs in San Diego no other ports

 

Sent from my SM-G903W using Forums mobile app

[Lulubelle45]

I hadn't thought about the customs issue for my cruise. On my prior Pacific coastal it was non-stop LA to Vancouver and we had customs at Canada Place Pier. But this time I'm on the Oct. 1st Ruby sailing from Vancouver to Astoria, SF, Santa Barbara and then LA. Will we go through a immigration inspection in Astoria and then customs in LA?

You are jot stopping in Canada first so should be in LA

 

Sent from my SM-G903W using Forums mobile app

[neverbeenhere]

How does the O/N work in San Francisco?

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

O/N is the acronym for Over Night?

 

They "park" the ship at the pier, you can party until the cows come home, then come home before you leave the next day. You can turn the ships turnstiles as many times as you would like, off and on can become your motto.

[wizard-of-roz]

We love the Mexican Riviera and either get off the ship at the ports and enjoy the Mexican people and their wares or just stay on the ship and have that "it's all mine, with no lines" feeling!

We also love the Calif. Coastal's because although we do live in this wonderful state, seeing it from the ocean's point of view is a whole other adventure. The Calif. Coastline is absolutely spectacular and can hold its own when compared to the South of France and Monaco.

I could cruise under the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge a million times and never tire of it's beauty!

We've don't it in all kinds of weather and there's ALWAYS more sunshiny days than not. :D

[ROCruiser]

California Coastal!

 

We did the Wine Country Coastal cruise LA to Vancouver in 2015. Loved it! The experience of going under Golden Gate Bridge was unforgettable. Astoria is actually one of our favorite ports.

[WarEagle76]

We've done several of each and enjoy both itineraries and the choice usually depends upon what we are in the mood for when we book. We were on Ruby Princess in May from LA to Vancouver and stopped in Astoria. We took the Mt. St. Helens tour which we found both educational as well as beautiful for the scenery.

[Lady Arwen]

We just booked the California Coastal on The Royal for May 4, 2019. We love Royal (this will be our third time) and we have never done this itinerary before. Love that we fly home to Toronto from Vancouver.

[Adventures ahead]

My vote is for the California Coastal. San Francisco is on our bucket list and hotels there are expensive!!

 

We're thinking of booking the 10-day RT from Vancouver in 2018. I posted on the West Coast Departure board with little response, so was happy to see this discussion. My question...

 

April 25 (includes Monterey, Star Princess) vs Sept 24 (substitutes San Diego, Emerald Princess). Both O/N in SF and the other ports are the same. We've sailed on both ships before. Might the Sept 24 sailing have better weather and/or seas? Unpredictable with climate change, but interested in people's experiences.

[capriccio]

>>Astoria, OR. A little research and I'm still none the wiser.<<

 

 

LOL! I don't think that you are alone. It is not a destination that I understand at all and I'm not really sure why so many ships stop there. If the port time is long enough I would just use the stop to go to Seaside or Cannon Beach. They are little coastal towns right on the beach about 30 minutes away.

 

We had one of our most interesting Princess excursions ever in Astoria. We went to Mount St. Helens. It was a fascinating trip, especially if you are of a certain age and remember the volcanic eruption in the1980 or have an interest in geology and volcanolgy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_St._Helens

[Cruise Raider]

We just booked the California Coastal on The Royal for May 4, 2019. We love Royal (this will be our third time) and we have never done this itinerary before. Love that we fly home to Toronto from Vancouver.

 

We've booked that one as well. I don't think there is a roll call for it as of yet ... well, maybe there is.

It will be my first time on the Royal so am very glad to hear you say you love her. We've done similar itineraries to this one and stopped at all of these ports in the past, many of which we've been to several times. I love them all!!

[Cruise Raider]

My vote is for the California Coastal. San Francisco is on our bucket list and hotels there are expensive!!

 

 

 

I mentioned this, I think, on another thread. I read an article that outlined the most expensive and least expensive cities in the US for tourists. San Francisco topped the list with an average of spending at nearly $600 per day for tourists. This included lodging, food, transportation and entertainment. Yes ... it is so pricey but well worth the visit.

The least expensive, by the way, was Las Vegas ... but the article didn't take gambling losses into account ... I am sure! :D

[davekathy]

We like the Canada/Pacific Coastal cruises. Took our first one September 2015, second September 2016, third will be 17 September 2017 and the fourth booked for 2 September 2018. We've left from Vancouver to LA and did a RT from Seattle. Great intiineries.

[BritinSoCal]

Thanks to everyone who responded with their thoughts and suggestions as to my original question. As I said there's no wrong or right cruise - vacations are all about (or at least should be) personal choices.

 

As it turned out, the date of the Pacific Wine Country Cruise on the Star didn't quite pan out and so we're going to take a MR cruise from San Pedro aboard Emerald and just leisurely recharge our depleting batteries, looking forward to spending a day walking the blue line to Mazatlan's Centro Histórico...

 

San Francisco can again wait 'til Christmas, while we still feel BC is an experience best enjoyed in late summer...

[SingerEsq]

We have done several Mexican cruises, and have enjoyed virtually all of them. We have also taken short California coastal cruises and a 7 day California coastal cruise. Both are great, but if you're ok with possibly being on the ship more than on shore, the California coastal is just fine. We take these coastal cruises when we want to unwind, kind of like going to a hotel in the desert for a long weekend ... and you kind of just want to enjoy the hotel. Not really hell-bent on seeing sights, but if we get out and about, so be it. However, there is nothing like sailing into and/or out of San Francisco. We always get up early when we're coming into the bay, and stay up late for outbound. Either way, you will have a great time, especially if you enjoy ship time.

[Alaska Newbie]

My vote is for the California Coastal. San Francisco is on our bucket list and hotels there are expensive!!

 

We're thinking of booking the 10-day RT from Vancouver in 2018. I posted on the West Coast Departure board with little response, so was happy to see this discussion. My question...

 

April 25 (includes Monterey, Star Princess) vs Sept 24 (substitutes San Diego, Emerald Princess). Both O/N in SF and the other ports are the same. We've sailed on both ships before. Might the Sept 24 sailing have better weather and/or seas? Unpredictable with climate change, but interested in people's experiences.

 

We are booked on this cruise celebrating our 40th anniversary while on the ship 🚢

[calimn]

My vote is for the California Coastal. San Francisco is on our bucket list and hotels there are expensive!!

 

We're thinking of booking the 10-day RT from Vancouver in 2018. I posted on the West Coast Departure board with little response, so was happy to see this discussion. My question...

 

April 25 (includes Monterey, Star Princess) vs Sept 24 (substitutes San Diego, Emerald Princess). Both O/N in SF and the other ports are the same. We've sailed on both ships before. Might the Sept 24 sailing have better weather and/or seas? Unpredictable with climate change, but interested in people's experiences.

 

 

 

September in California is beautiful (been in the Bay Area 13 years). April is definitely cool, and will be cool in the evening if outside for sure. Very little humidity here and the Pacific Ocean is always 53 - 57F so sets the tone. So-Cal is also better in Sept. To sum it up: I would not hesitate to book Sept - would think hard about April.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums