Star Princess 27 September - teens

[CherylFP]

Hi. We’re looking at booking this cruise that leaves San Francisco and goes to Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego and Ensenada. We would have four teenagers and I’m wondering if there would be other teens on Board. We’re from New Zealand so am not sure if American school holidays are at that time or would this cruise be all older people. In this case would our teens be bored or does the ship still cater for this age group.  Also would it be possible to take  the teens to Magic Mountain or Unicersal Studios on the day the ship is in LA. It arrives at 7 am doesn’t leave until 9 pm. Many thanks for any feedback. 

[Cruiserkenn]

There will be fewer teens on this cruise than there would be during the summer.

Still,  this would be a great time to go!  Everything is less crowded.  Teens, as well as teachers and college professors, are in school.

 

i am not from the Los Angeles area, so I can't advise on going to Universal Studios and Magic Mountain on your own.  

 

I had a great time on my New Zealand cruise, and I know you will have a great timeon your cruise🙂

[jeromep]

My family did a similar version of this cruise a few years back.  We had a great time.

 

The U.S. school year starts at different times in different places, but by late September just about every school has started a new year.  Generally speaking, most schools and colleges are back in session for the next academic year by Labor Day (first monday of September).

 

You won't find many youth on board a cruise this time of year, but there will be some.  When we did our similar cruise my daughter was 22 months and so not old enough for kids clubs, but we saw the kids clubs in action and there were youth on board.  I suspect that youth centers and activities on board will be going, but attendance will be light.  You'll want to register your kids for the youth program ASAP; you can generally do that through the cruise personalizer on the Princess web site.  While Princess is aware of the ages of all the members of your party thanks to your booking information, they don't assume that your youth will be attending any kids program unless you register them for the program.  I'm not sure how the cruise personalizer applies or if it is available to folks that are from overseas.  If you booked through a travel agent you may want to check with them about pre-registering your kids for youth programming now.

 

I did a little research and found your itinerary.  LA is supposed to be 7am to 9pm.  That is a pretty long day.  I want you to keep in mind that the greater LA area is huge, public transit kind of sucks, everything is spread out, and everyone drives there.  This means that transit times from the pier to just about anyplace in LA or the suburbs could take quite a while.  Look up the available itineraries.  I'm reasonably certain that Princess offers some sort of theme park package with bus travel to and from the pier.  This may be your best option considering the difficulties, or at least time consumption, of getting around LA, and ensuring that you get back to the ship in time for departure.

 

My family visited Disney for the first time last February, and my advice about these large theme parks is that you get the most bang for your buck and most enjoyment if you have the flexibility to stay at or near the park for multiple days and decide to visit parts of the park each day.  We didn't do this, and tried to take in Disney's California Adventure park all in one day.  We had fun, but knowing that there were hotels on property and there were travel packages that included multiple day passes to the parks made a lot more sense than the way we chose to visit Disney.  I think the same would apply to Universal Studios.  So, if you do go to a theme park while in LA on the cruise, be prepared for a very fast, breakneck visit.

 

Ensenada in Mexico is a port included on the trip to make the cruise legal in terms of the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA).  Because almost no cruise ships are U.S. flagged, there are additional regulations associated with foreign ships transporting passengers between U.S. ports, having to visit foreign ports in order to avoid fines.  This is a complex piece of ancient legislation, and this is not the place to discuss it in detail, just know this is why the trip visits Ensenada.  Ensenada, for many west coast sailings, is included because it is a deep water port very close to the U.S. and keeps the sailing "legal".  Ensenada isn't a tourist destination by any means.  I would use the Ensenada port day to get a discounted spa treatment, enjoy the pools on the ship with less crowds, or decompress after your exciting day in LA.  If you do want to get off the ship in Ensenada, definitely book an excursion through the cruise line.

[Cruise Raider]

2 hours ago, CherylFP said:

Hi. We’re looking at booking this cruise that leaves San Francisco and goes to Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, San Diego and Ensenada. We would have four teenagers and I’m wondering if there would be other teens on Board. We’re from New Zealand so am not sure if American school holidays are at that time or would this cruise be all older people. In this case would our teens be bored or does the ship still cater for this age group.  Also would it be possible to take  the teens to Magic Mountain or Unicersal Studios on the day the ship is in LA. It arrives at 7 am doesn’t leave until 9 pm. Many thanks for any feedback. 

 

I've done this cruise during the normal US school year (late Aug - Dec and Jan- mid June) and there were zero teens (or kids in general) onboard.  It will most likely be an older crowd.  

However, the Star Princess does have an indoor and an outdoor pool area with a huge movie screen, an area to shoot hoops,  ping pong tables,  fun games in the piazza.  Not sure what they've done with the mini golf.  It was looking raggedy last time I was on her but, still could be fun.  

I have to agree with others that Los Angeles has some horrendous traffic.  Magic Mountain is a bit far, IMO.  There are many tourist sites in the greater LA area that are much closer.  I could suggest some but, ultimately, only you know your kids.  And, I would just get an Uber for travel around Los Angeles.  

The weather should be quite pleasant.  A week later, there is a similar itinerary that goes from LA roundtrip on the Royal ... which is a much nicer ship but then, it depends on if you want to spend more time pre / post cruise in SF or LA.  SF is more expensive but also has some great attractions and you dock right in the middle of town.  San Pedro, in LA ... there is nothing to see within walking distance.  

 

 

 

[Thrak]

Under "normal" circumstances it's about an hour from the San Pedro cruise port to Universal Studios. Having said that, there really isn't such a thing as "normal" circumstances in LA. If it was my trip I would go ahead and book the excursion - whether through Princess or on my own. If Princess offers an excursion it will be "safe" but certainly a lot more expensive than doing it on your own. I believe the Universal Studios hours are 10 AM - 6 PM. This should allow plenty of time to get there and to return to the ship. Google Maps says it's about 32 - 38 miles from the cruise port to the park depending on the route.

 

Magic Mountain is a bit farther but not all that much greater distance. Again, traffic can vary greatly but the Magic Mountain hours are (currently) 10:30 AM - 6 PM. Google Maps says it's about 57 - 59 miles from the cruise port to the park depending on the route. 

 

If you decide to do this I would pick one destination or the other - definitely not both. They are not in the same direction from the port. You are fortunate to have such a long day available.

 

Note: I don't live in LA and someone else may well show up here to tell me I'm full of baloney. If so, I will bow to their local knowledge.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Thrak