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The Official Visiting Santa Barbara Thread


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We will be in Santa Barbara on Sunday, Oct. 4th. We are scheduled to port from 7 AM - 5PM. We would love to rent a car for the day and drive up to Solvang and maybe stop at a couple of wineries on the way back. Unfortunately all of the rental car companies either have abbreviated hours or are closed on Sundays. Any other suggestions on alternate transportation to Solvang? Is there a local car rental agency with better Sunday hours?

 

Just curious, why Solvang? It's 45 minutes to an hour each way depending on your driving style and the number of cars on the 154. If you're interested in wine tasting, the Urban Wine Trail is in the Funk Zone and has a lot of different wineries, a couple of breweries and quite a few restaurants.

 

That said, if you want to see Solvang, and not just wine taste, there are companies that do wine tours, including ones that leave from Santa Barbara. You can check the Visit Santa Barbara website for contact information for the 10+ companies that have wine tours that pick up from Santa Barbara.

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Just curious, why Solvang? It's 45 minutes to an hour each way depending on your driving style and the number of cars on the 154. If you're interested in wine tasting, the Urban Wine Trail is in the Funk Zone and has a lot of different wineries, a couple of breweries and quite a few restaurants.

 

 

 

That said, if you want to see Solvang, and not just wine taste, there are companies that do wine tours, including ones that leave from Santa Barbara. You can check the Visit Santa Barbara website for contact information for the 10+ companies that have wine tours that pick up from Santa Barbara.

 

 

We had heard that Solvang was a quaint town to see. But the urban wine trail sounds like a better bet for us. Thanks for the tip.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just wondering if anyone has tried the Princess winery tour - either 1/2 or full day? My DH and I really want to tour one of the vineyards (vs just doing a tasting) and we're in port 7am-6pm, which seems reasonable. But after contacting several tour companies, everyone requires a minimum number of guests or gets back too close to sailaway. Tried gauging interest on our roll call - but it's very small/quiet. No response.

 

So it's either a private tour or cruise ship tour: since both are priced about the same, thinking I might as well have the extra security of guaranteed on-time return, right?

 

If anyone has taken it, would love your opinion.

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  • 3 weeks later...
From what I understand, the trolley tour through the ship isn't hop-on hop-off, but it also is reserved for cruise passengers, so there's no chance you'll be stuck waiting at any given stop for an empty seat on the regular trolley. The ship tour runs six trolleys in three different runs and from what I've heard it's booked full most of the time. The regular (non-ship) trolley tour has a pickup spot by Stearns Wharf, but there's a chance you'll end up waiting for a while to get a seat because it is hop-on hop-off.

 

Update, Yep it's blocked on cruise dates

 

http://www.sbtrolley.com/santa-barbara-cruiseship-tour-days.php

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Hi - We will be in port in early September for the day. Is there any Santa Maria style BBQ places in Santa Barbara or somewhere closer than driving to Santa Maria? We will have a rental car and were thinking of driving up to Solvang but also wanted to experience tri-tip and all that. Any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

 

Just outside of Solvang is the Hitching Post in Buelton, famous for their Santa Maria Tri Tip BBQ. The HP became very well known after it was featured in the film Sideways. It is one of my favorite places to go, especialy on the weeknights when they have the hamburger special.

 

in Santa Barbara there is a new restaurant called Barbareno. It has a modern trendy flare to it, but it features a wood fired grill with Santa Maria style tri=tip. I was there a few weeks ago and sat next to David Crosby and listened to him talk about music for an hour.

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Just wondering if anyone has tried the Princess winery tour - either 1/2 or full day? My DH and I really want to tour one of the vineyards (vs just doing a tasting) and we're in port 7am-6pm, which seems reasonable. But after contacting several tour companies, everyone requires a minimum number of guests or gets back too close to sailaway. Tried gauging interest on our roll call - but it's very small/quiet. No response.

 

So it's either a private tour or cruise ship tour: since both are priced about the same, thinking I might as well have the extra security of guaranteed on-time return, right?

 

If anyone has taken it, would love your opinion.

 

I will say you are correct, the one benefit of the tours offered by the cruise ships is that they will not leave without you. When we do take people from the cruise ships we caveat it with the fact that we cannot be responsible if you somehow miss your departure. Anything from the 101 freeway being closed because of a brush fire, or some sort of major accident, to simply our vehicle breaking down unexpectedly. Thankfully that has never happenbed to us ;) but as they say you never know.

 

As SBant mentioned in another thread the Funk Zone has some great wines and it is walking distance from the pier. Santa Barbara Winery, Kunin, Municpal Wine Makers, and Pali are all solid wineries to visit. Pali has some very well scored wines, and Seth Kunin makes some of my favorite Syrah. A short Uber ride away will take you to Whitcraft, Carr, and Au Bon Climat. Also, if you are a wine geek as they say, I would recommend a private tasting at Sanguis. They make Rhone style wines and have a very unique winery in downtown SB. http://www.urbanwinetrailsb.com/wineries/

 

That said, if you want to see the countryside and experience a visit to a vineyard and a working estate winery than a tour is your best option.

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Thanks for the all the info on this thread. I'm on a Thanksgiving cruise that will be in Santa Barbara on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Will the courthouse and other places be closed? Not sure if we'll stay in Santa Barbara or visit Solvang yet since I'm still gathering information.

 

Also, while gathering info, I came across this scavenger hunt and was wondering if anyone has done this or something like it:

 

http://www.urbanadventurequest.com/tours/things-to-do/santabarbara/default.aspx

 

Sounds like a fun way to see the sights.

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My best guess is they won't have as many tours of the various buildings, but they will be open. The individual courtrooms may be closed, but the bell-tower should be open. You can call to be sure.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks for a great thread. We're trying to spend a few hours on the cheap on Monday, Oct. 12.

 

I see the shuttle that can be had for 25 cents each for seniors. Apparently you can take the waterfront or the downtown. Where would you go to just walk around, maybe get a bite, see the sights and shop a little? It's been decades since we've been there and we just can't remember the town.

 

Jim

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On the waterfront, at Cabrillo and State Street, is Stearns Wharf and is the most popular walking/shopping area on the water. On Sundays they have an artwalk all along the waterfront that is very nice. If you take the shuttle up State Street you can jump off at the Paseo Nuevo Mall and there is a ton of shops, restaurants, and bars nearby. The mall is about four to five blocks up State Street and the shuttle driver should be able to tell you where it is. The shopping area is so big you can't miss it. ;)

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On the waterfront, at Cabrillo and State Street, is Stearns Wharf and is the most popular walking/shopping area on the water. On Sundays they have an artwalk all along the waterfront that is very nice. If you take the shuttle up State Street you can jump off at the Paseo Nuevo Mall and there is a ton of shops, restaurants, and bars nearby. The mall is about four to five blocks up State Street and the shuttle driver should be able to tell you where it is. The shopping area is so big you can't miss it. ;)

 

Thanks for the info. Sounds like either way or both would work.

 

Jim

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Thanks for the quick reply.

 

I looked at the Hertz on State St., but it said....

"PLEASE NOTE: There is not a vehicle rental office at this location. This vehicle may need to be coordinated for pick-up and/or drop-off."

 

So I wasn't sure if it was a 'real' agency???

 

Good to note about the San Marcos Pass (I presume this is hwy 154?) over the mountains...we were going to drive that way up and HWY 101 on the way back. Why is it so dangerous? I see it is not a divided highway..used to those. Curvy? Bad weather? Insane drivers? Animals? We have divided highways here that have accidents monthly, if not weekly...doesn't stop us from driving on them...Now...if it because of gang violance and we'll end up driving through a shooting..then we may have to rethink our plans! (Just joking)....

 

Kind of makes the difference on our decision.

 

Thanks.

I have driven it and it is just scary because it can be steep, has drop-offs, is narrow and curvy. It is quite a climb to get over that pass. It is rather rural and unpopulated, being a mountain. You do pass the gate of what used to be Ronald Reagan's vacation retreat, which they sold. Inconspicuous, but where he went all the time as president. There are some nice views. The weather is just typical southern California weather, usually not a problem. No gang shootings (no gangs up there!) and I didn't notice any insane drivers. But Highway 101 is more convenient and not scary. Also has nice views. And I think Highway 101 is faster, if I remember right.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 years later...

This is an old thread, but it has useful information nonetheless. Here are some updates for those who may be interested.

 

Trolley tour tickets purchased online no longer may be used when a ship is in port.

https://www.sbtrolley.com/santa-barbara-cruiseship-tour-days.php

 

Here you can find visitor information for cruise passengers, including a map of the Santa Barbara waterfront (scroll down).

https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/waterfront/events/cruiseship.asp

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  • 2 weeks later...
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  • 6 months later...

Hi, We tend to want some physical activity when we get ashore. The only active shore excursions on our ship are a couple kyak options. Are there any other great physical things you can recommend? We like renting bikes, zip lining, ropes courses, and things like that. 

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On 4/9/2019 at 10:58 AM, Peckishpixie said:

Hi, We tend to want some physical activity when we get ashore. The only active shore excursions on our ship are a couple kyak options. Are there any other great physical things you can recommend? We like renting bikes, zip lining, ropes courses, and things like that. 

Our March cruise planner is showing Princess offering a bike tour with wine tasting. So there must be a local provider....you’d get the best of both worlds😉.  Try checking Victor ?

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On 4/12/2019 at 9:03 PM, knbcruisers said:

 

Our March cruise planner is showing Princess offering a bike tour with wine tasting. So there must be a local provider....you’d get the best of both worlds😉.  Try checking Victor ?

I meant Viator

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