Grand Princess 7 Day Coastal Cruise SF - Ensenada - SF 11/8 - 11/15

[Poptart235]

I'd like some advice from folks who have taken this cruise during this time of year. What was the weather like? I'm worried about packing! Also, any tips for excursions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thank you!

-Cheryl:)

[pris993]

I have taken this cruise in Sept/Oct. Fall on the California coast is usually mild, I would expect cool mornings/evenings, i.e., 50's... warmer mid day, up to 70/75. That being said weather is unpredictable, this year Mexico is having a hurricane as I write which is not common, even though it is still hurricane season til December.

 

I have taken a 10 day cruise to Mexico in early December... with very nice weather, warmer past San Diego, into Mexico. We have taken about 6 cruises out of San Francisco to Mexico over past 10 years in fall and spring. I always plan to pack jackets and dress in layers for the California portion of the cruise.

 

San Francisco - itself, in November can be very nice in the 50-60s, or windy, foggy, rainy, it is hard to say. Most years we don't see much rain til January or February... we have been in a draught so would guess it will be nice. For folks not from San Francisco, it sometimes seems cold, I am a native.

 

Hope this helps. Happy cruising.

[Mibele]

As for excursions - In Santa Barbara you can't go wrong with whale watching that time of year. Also, they have a great zoo which is a nice walk (if you are up for walking that is!) down at the east end of the beach. In LA, if you aren't from the area, there is a great tour at the Warner Bros. lot - it's about 2 1/2 hours and the best part of it is that it's the only truly working studio tour. Universal has a tour of their backlot, but it's part of the theme park and it's a set route. The WB tour is different every time depending upon what is filming on the lot. They generally take you into one of the sound stages and if there is filming on the backlot portion, they do let you see it from a distance. They have a great new addition to the tour too where you can see the green screen technology of how they film movies and they take you through the mill store where they build sets and props for the shows. I'm a little biased as I work on the lot haha! But it is a great option when in LA.

 

Ensenada - I have been there so much I don't usually get off the ship unless I want to walk into town and pick something up. Not much to do there. They have a blowhole called La Bufadora - which is one of three in the world (the other two are on Kauai and in Australia). It's nice to see once . . . once . . . lol

 

Have a fantastic trip!

[shredie]

Have you joined the Roll Call? Those people will have lots of ideas.

Edited October 24, 2015 by shredie

[2pbears]

We will be on this cruise with you. We have done this itinerary before and overall have had nice weather. That said, plan to have a jacket for sailaway from San Francisco. Even on a nice day in the City it most likely will be chilly out on the bay in the late afternoon. The first day or two you will probably want to have long pants and a sweater. After that, capris or shorts should be fine. Then the final day returning home to San Francisco you will probably want to get the long pants out again.

 

We have a very active Roll Call for this cruise and have a Meet and Greet and a Wine Tasting Party planned. Please join us.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2116748&page=20

[Sea Hag]

We did this cruise two years ago and will be on the 11/8 sailing coming up. The weather two years ago in November was fine. Shorts and teeshirt weather for Santa Barbara, Long Beach, and San Diego. You should bring some warmer clothes for layering, and you should bring rain gear.

[Susie51]

This is one of my favorite times to cruise. Because I live in CA, we have done road trips along the coast many times. The suggestions for clothing are a good guideline. I would include a jacket or sweatshirt with a hood. In the evenings out on deck it can be chilly.

 

Thank you for the tip about WB studio tour.

[2pbears]

I'd like some advice from folks who have taken this cruise during this time of year. What was the weather like? I'm worried about packing! Also, any tips for excursions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thank you!

-Cheryl:)

 

I just noticed that you had also asked about excursions for this cruise. If you enjoy wine tasting Princess offers a wine tasting excursion in Ensenada which takes you to two different wineries out in the valley. We did this a few years ago and enjoyed it so much we will be doing it again next month. It is a relatively inexpensive half day tour in a city where we would probably otherwise remain onboard the ship. One of the wineries also gave each of us a bottle of wine.