East coast couple have questions about possible west coast cruise

[Cruiser1862]

Hi fellow RC cruisers. We’ve done all of our cruises to the Caribbean.  We are scheduled to go next spring on the Allure. We were thinking ahead to 2023 and thought we’d take a trip to the west coast, (Napa, San Francisco)where we’ve never been. I thought maybe we should take a cruise to Mexico ports from LA since we love cruising. 
 

I’d appreciate any opinions on visiting these ports, the ship (Navigator of Seas) etc. Are waters rougher than I’m used to?  Are the ports nice to visit?  Thank you. 

 

[karmamule]

As fellow east-coasters we're getting very familiar with many Caribbean destinations and are intrigued by the change of pace too. Will be interested to see replies, thanks for posting this!

[billslowsky]

Depends on where you go. The three and four night cruises are essentially the same itineraries that Carnival has run out of Long Beach for years.  Party cruises, lots of drinking, bachelorette parties.  Outstanding people watching.   

 

Catalina Island is very nice.

 

Ensenada is a dump.

 

[Jimbo]

Look for a Pacific Coastal Cruise from a California Port, Mid May and then tie it in with a cruise to Alaska leaving from Vancouver.

 

B2B  for only having to fly out to the West Coast one time from the East Coast.

 

You can do a B2B on the same ship.

 

This will give you an idea, 2023 isn't out yet but here is one for May 2022

Celebrity Milliennium

• • Day 1: San Diego - California
  • Tue May 03 2022 | Depart 04:00 PM
• • Day 2: Santa Barbara - California
  • Wed May 04 2022 | 08:00 AM To 05:00 PM
• • Day 3: Catalina Island - California
  • Thu May 05 2022 | 08:00 AM To 06:00 PM
• • Day 4: At Sea
  • Fri May 06 2022 |
• • Day 5: San Francisco - California
  • Sat May 07 2022 | Arrive 08:00 AM
• • Day 6: San Francisco - California
  • Sun May 08 2022 | Depart 05:00 PM
• • Day 7: At Sea
  • Mon May 09 2022 |
• • Day 8: Astoria - Oregon
  • Tue May 10 2022 | 08:00 AM To 05:00 PM
• • Day 9: Seattle - Washington
  • Wed May 11 2022 | 11:00 AM To 09:00 PM
• • Day 10: Victoria - British Columbia
  • Thu May 12 2022 | 08:00 AM To 05:00 PM
• • Day 11: Vancouver - British Columbia
  • Fri May 13 2022 | Arrive 07:00 AM
• Then the Alaska leg:

• • Day 1: Vancouver - British Columbia
  • Fri May 13 2022 | Depart 04:30 PM
• • Day 2: Inside Passage (Cruising)
  • Sat May 14 2022 |
• • Day 3: Ketchikan - Alaska
  • Sun May 15 2022 | 07:00 AM To 03:00 PM
• • Day 4: Icy Strait Point - Alaska
  • Mon May 16 2022 | 09:00 AM To 07:00 PM
• • Day 5: Juneau - Alaska
  • Tue May 17 2022 | 07:00 AM To 09:30 PM
• • Day 6: Skagway - Alaska
  • Wed May 18 2022 | 07:00 AM To 04:00 PM
• • Day 7: Hubbard Glacier (Cruising)
  • Thu May 19 2022 | 07:00 AM To 11:00 AM
• • Day 8: Seward - Alaska
  • Fri May 20 2022 | Arrive 05:00 AM

Edited September 14, 2021 by Jimbo

[crzndeb]

Sorry, no can do that B2B because it starts and ends in a different US port, with no distant foreign port stop. There are no distant foreign ports on West Coast, so not allowed under PVSA. They can, however, change ships, and then it’s fine. If above was a RT from Vancouver, no problem.

 

But back to original question…

The Pacific can be a bit rougher, but not crazy. Normally the first sea day leaving may be cooler, depending on time of year. The Mexican ports are fun, but you won’t get the same crystal blue water like Caribbean. If you have never been, it’s worth trying it once, and see if you like it.

Edited September 14, 2021 by crzndeb

[Rogueperson]

I'm normally a caribbean/atlantic cruiser, but I've done 3 west coast cruises.  Well 2 and a Panama Canal full crossing.

 

I did not notice any real difference between the water.  I've had rough waters in the Atlantic more often than in the Caribbean, but that doesn't mean I haven't had rough waters in the Caribbean.  I think this is often dependent upon weather.

 

As for the Ports.  If you go down to Cabo or Puerto Vallarta, I love those ports.  They are similar to Cozumel as they're Mexican Port towns.  San Diego is wonderful to visit.  I wished I had known more about Balboa Park before I took the tour.  You can spend the entire day and then some there.  Victoria is a great port call.  Its a quaint little island town with a lot of personality.

[Jimbo]

2 hours ago, crzndeb said:

Sorry, no can do that B2B because it starts and ends in a different US port, with no distant foreign port stop. There are no distant foreign ports on West Coast, so not allowed under PVSA. They can, however, change ships, and then it’s fine. If above was a RT from Vancouver, no problem.

 

 

Easy fix, spend 1 or 2 nights In Vancouver then jump on either a Holland America ship or Royal Caribbean ship on May 14th or May 15th. Round trip from Vancouver.  for the  Alaska Leg.

Edited September 14, 2021 by Jimbo

[billslowsky]

2 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Easy fix, spend 1 or 2 nights In Vancouver then jump on either a Holland America ship or Royal Caribbean ship on May 14th or May 15th. Round trip from Vancouver.  for the  Alaska Leg.

They asked about going to Mexico.  It's the other direction.

[Jimbo]

37 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

They asked about going to Mexico.  It's the other direction.

Then I would advise them to do either a Panama Canal Cruise either East to West , or West to East if they want the shorter flight home and if they have the time for a 14 or 15 night cruise.

 

Flying all the way for just a 7 day cruise is not worth it.

Edited September 14, 2021 by Jimbo

[Ashland]

We are so excited for RCI to come back to our west coast. Booked the 7 nighter Mexican Riviera as soon as it was available for Jan 2022. I also booked the Panama Canal October 2022...Love sailing from San Pedro.

[Sunshine3601]

3 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Then I would advise them to do either a Panama Canal Cruise either East to West , or West to East if they want the shorter flight home and if they have the time for a 14 or 15 night cruise.

 

Flying all the way for just a 7 day cruise is not worth it.

we feel the same, I was looking at doing one of the sailings on Navigator to try some new ports but the cost of RT airfare and doing a 7 night cruise just isn't worth it to me.    Maybe if we did a b2b or as you have suggested try the pacific coast sailings maybe combined.

[billslowsky]

3 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Then I would advise them to do either a Panama Canal Cruise either East to West , or West to East if they want the shorter flight home and if they have the time for a 14 or 15 night cruise.

 

Flying all the way for just a 7 day cruise is not worth it.

Again, they said they were going to tour the Napa area before going on a cruise.

[neverbeenhere]

7day Navigator is a fine cruise as it’s the traditional west coast cruise out of LA.(San Pedro) 

 

Navigator 3 and 4 nighters are great party/get away cruises. The ports-who cares, we’re there for the ship on these cruises. 

[Jimbo]

33 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

Again, they said they were going to tour the Napa area before going on a cruise.

Can do the same before getting on the ship and go west to east through canal...or do Napa after the cruise...one way or the other it's doable.

[billslowsky]

2 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Can do the same before getting on the ship and go west to east through canal...or do Napa after the cruise...one way or the other it's doable.

 

 

SMH...

 

[neverbeenhere]

27 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

 

 

SMH...

 

Hey, Carnival has some nice west coast Mexico cruises, plus one could take a Princess or Celebrity to Hawai. Maybe even a cruise to Australia. 😇

[Merion_Mom]

Princess has very nice west coast cruises.

[billslowsky]

53 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

Hey, Carnival has some nice west coast Mexico cruises, plus one could take a Princess or Celebrity to Hawai. Maybe even a cruise to Australia. 😇

I've done Carnival out of Long Beach.  The traffic is terrible, but between the Queen Mary and the cruise terminal, there's some history.  The ships they sailed (Imagination and inspiration) were scrapped since last year and replaced with larger ones.  Real party boats!

[zekekelso]

I’ve wanted to cruise ever since I was a kid watching the Love Boat sail to Puerto Vallarta each week. Never been, but it’s high on my bucket list of places to sail someday. 

[Coralc]

They're fun! We can fly down in the morning without the expense of a hotel. The Pacific Ocean is rougher in my opinion. And during much of the year the passage down to Mexico is not all that warm. Cabo is always fun, and we have had land vacations there. PV is a nice port stop for excursions, shopping and food. Mazatlán is more of an industrial port. But the shopping is great in the Golden Zone, and we always finish our port stop at Senor Frogs (and have a very fun time) and then race back to the port in the little gas powered shuttles.  We enjoy cruising as much as the east coasters and we are excited to have cruises in our own time zone again. We are looking forward to Navigator! 

Edited September 15, 2021 by Coralc

[zekekelso]

25 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

I've done Carnival out of Long Beach.  The traffic is terrible, but between the Queen Mary and the cruise terminal, there's some history.  The ships they sailed (Imagination and inspiration) were scrapped since last year and replaced with larger ones.  Real party boats!

Party Boats? Carnival? Get out of here...

[Lou33]

If you're going to Napa and San Francisco, why not consider a cruise that leaves from San Francisco?  Princess has 10 day Mexico cruises leaving from San Francisco.

[Jimbo]

If you have the time, make it a 3 week vacation with an itinerary like this one,,,,Look for one in 2023, once more itineraries come out like this one.

18 night cruise.

• Ship: Caribbean Princess
• Destination: Panama Canal
• Departure Port: San Francisco
• Depart: Apr 26, 2022
• Arrival: May 14, 2022

• • Day 1: San Francisco California
  • Tue Apr 26 2022 | Depart 04:00 PM
• • Day 2: At Sea
  • Wed Apr 27 2022 |
• • Day 3: At Sea
  • Thu Apr 28 2022 |
• • Day 4: Cabo San Lucas Mexico
  • Fri Apr 29 2022 | 08:00 AM To 06:00 PM
• • Day 5: At Sea
  • Sat Apr 30 2022 |
• • Day 6: Puerto Vallarta Mexico
  • Sun May 01 2022 | 07:00 AM To 05:00 PM
• • Day 7: At Sea
  • Mon May 02 2022 |
• • Day 8: At Sea
  • Tue May 03 2022 |
• • Day 9: At Sea
  • Wed May 04 2022 |
• • Day 10: San Juan Del Sur Nicaragua
  • Thu May 05 2022 | 07:00 AM To 06:00 PM
• • Day 11: Puntarenas Costa Rica
  • Fri May 06 2022 | 07:00 AM To 07:00 PM
• • Day 12: At Sea
  • Sat May 07 2022 |
• • Day 13: Fuerte Amador Panama (For Panama City)
  • Sun May 08 2022 | 07:00 AM To 06:00 PM
• • Day 14: Panama Canal Full Transit New Locks
  • Mon May 09 2022 | 06:00 AM To 06:00 PM
• • Day 15: At Sea
  • Tue May 10 2022 |
• • Day 16: Aruba
  • Wed May 11 2022 | 07:00 AM To 05:00 PM
• • Day 17: At Sea
  • Thu May 12 2022 |
• • Day 18: At Sea
  • Fri May 13 2022 |
• • Day 19: Ft Lauderdale Florida
  • Sat May 14 2022 | Arrive 07:00 AM

[billslowsky]

7 hours ago, zekekelso said:

Party Boats? Carnival? Get out of here...

The 3 nighters in particular, regardless of cruise line, like those out of Miami.  Royal's 3 nighters out of LA will be partying locals, equipped with cheap rooms and a booze package.  Just watch out for the ones wearing the sash and tiara bouncing off of the hallway walls.  Gotta love 'em!

[Cruiser1862]

I appreciate all of the suggestions and now have much more to consider. 
 

Originally, we wanted to fly to California and tour Napa, San Francisco and some other areas.  A cruise came up as an add on. We would only do a week or longer…not interested in a 3 or 4 night cruise. 
 

We have mostly cruised Princess and will look into their offerings. We like the idea of getting on the ship in San Francisco.  We thought we’d try to go RCI because we could book a future cruise with them on our next Allure cruise, plus we like RCI more. 

Thank you for all of your answers!