How about West Coast?

[rl2thnurse]

We have traveled many times to the Caribbean. However, this year is a special anniversary & we are looking for something different. Any ideas on the best cruises from west coast? We are not really interested in Alaska at this time. However, have thought about visiting wine country or San Diego before or after cruise...any thoughts? Thanks!

[lindnet]

Come and join us on the Carnival Spirit! Of course I don't know when your anniversary is. :D

 

But the Spirit sails an 8 day out of San Diego and visits Acapulco, Manzanillo, and Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa. From what I hear, it's a great ship with a great itinerary!

[newmexicoNita]

I don't know of any CAranival cruises that really do the west coast except Mexico. Depending on what time of the year you are thinking of sailing, the Mexico Riv can be a bit nippy the first 2 or 3 days, but it is pretty good itinerary. Some of the ships, NCL included do a repo cruise in fall and spring that will start or end in LA cruising San Francisco, plus up or down from Vancouver.

 

Nita

[sparkscruiser]

My favorite ship so far! I've been on the Pride and the Miracle, but just loved the Spirit. The itinerary is fabulous as well. I highly recommend it. You can stay just across the street at the Holiday Inn before you leave.

[luv2cruz44]

Hey lindnet,

 

We too are from Redding and going on the Spirit (our fourth time) the week before you with friends from Redding that are taking their first cruise. Small world, isn't it??

[lindnet]

Hey lindnet,

 

We too are from Redding and going on the Spirit (our fourth time) the week before you with friends from Redding that are taking their first cruise. Small world, isn't it??

 

Wow, it IS a small world!! Too bad you're not going with us, it would be fun to have fellow Redding-ites on the ship!!

 

A few years back I sailed on the Norwegian Dream out of New Orleans, and I ended up meeting a whole group of people on board from Redding. Stuff like that is amazing to me! :D

[nomorebocci]

hi we are booked out of San Diego down to Cabo San Lucas and back. Sounds like fun Carnival Elation 11/26-Dec. 1. Very inexpensive.

[luv2cruz44]

Lindnet,

 

On our first cruise on the Spirit, we were a group of 7, all from Redding and ran into another couple from Redding who had actually won their cruise from a radio station. Our date was picked as we are snowbirds and had to have something that corresponded with when we were going to be in an RV park for at least 2 weeks.

[grandma bev]

We have traveled many times to the Caribbean. However, this year is a special anniversary & we are looking for something different. Any ideas on the best cruises from west coast? We are not really interested in Alaska at this time. However, have thought about visiting wine country or San Diego before or after cruise...any thoughts? Thanks!

Good thinking. Mexican Riviera is quite different from the Caribbean. Wine country and/or San Diego is a good choice, too. So much to do in San Diego, and so easy to get around to varied attractions - we can spend as much as a week there and find something new each day. No, we're not connected with the Chamber of Commerce. :-) We're booked on the Spirit for the Christmas/New Year's Eve cruise. First time with Carnival.

Bev

[mrdood]

We are looking at San Diego or Long Beach for our next big family bash...

[rl2thnurse]

Come and join us on the Carnival Spirit! Of course I don't know when your anniversary is. :D

 

But the Spirit sails an 8 day out of San Diego and visits Acapulco, Manzanillo, and Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa. From what I hear, it's a great ship with a great itinerary!

Gosh! Linda, I am sure we would have loved to join your group, but it looks like you are leaving next week. Please let me know about the cruise. It looks like it would be really a fun time. Roni

[rl2thnurse]

Good thinking. Mexican Riviera is quite different from the Caribbean. Wine country and/or San Diego is a good choice, too. So much to do in San Diego, and so easy to get around to varied attractions - we can spend as much as a week there and find something new each day. No, we're not connected with the Chamber of Commerce. :-) We're booked on the Spirit for the Christmas/New Year's Eve cruise. First time with Carnival.

Bev

Bev, thanks for the info. We are looking at probably April possibly May. Do you know how the weather is generally in April?

[mjbearit]

We have traveled many times to the Caribbean. However, this year is a special anniversary & we are looking for something different. Any ideas on the best cruises from west coast? We are not really interested in Alaska at this time. However, have thought about visiting wine country or San Diego before or after cruise...any thoughts? Thanks!

On March 5 we are taking the Spirit down on the Acapulco, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Manzanillo trip. Sounds like a blast. We live in San Diego so we will just have one of the kids drive us down to the pier and kick us out of the car! ;) I believe they do the same trip or similar out of Los Angeles as well. San Diego is a good town for tourism. If you stay for awhile and rent a car so that you can drive around a bit it really opens up the places you can go and things you can do. If you are primarily interested in the downtown area we have pretty good public transit in our light rail and bus systems.

Wine country is great too! We love it up there, but it is not really something you would be able to do from San Diego. It takes about 14 hours to drive or 16 hours by bus to get there from here. If you want to do Wine Country I would recommend doing a cruise out of San Francisco, but then I think you are somewhat limited to the Alaska cruises (I'm not positive on this!) and you said you really didn't want to do that one, so come on to San Diego! Start packing, we leave on Mar 5th! ;)

[crzndeb]

Temecula has great wineries and it's only about an hour north of San Diego. Just stayed at the Charon Winery B&B for a night in Oct. and spent the next touring the other wineries in the area. It was great fun. They have lots of wineries in Temecula. So, you really could do both from San Diego.

 

I have to agree with the Spirit cruisers. I will be going on the 9 day in Oct. and it will be my 3rd cruise on her. She's is really a great ship.

[sassyredhat]

 

Weather in Mexico is starting to get warm, but comfortable, in April. Probably in the 80's or high 70's. Cabo will be the warmest port.

We have been there in April, May, and early June.

I am a hot weather wimp, so we try to go early in the year. :)

 

Pat

[rl2thnurse]

Thanks soooo much for the info! I wish we could leave with you in 3/5..that would put us there ON our anniversary. As it is, new vacations do not start until April so we will have to postpone for a month. I am certain you will have a great time...I DO wish we could go with you!

 

Since you live in SD, could you give me an idea about the weather in June. A friend mentioned something about "June Gloom"? If we don't come in April that would probably be the next choice. Thanks again for info. Roni

[rl2thnurse]

Thank you! Sounds like the Spirit is the way we need to look. Temecula sounds good. Thanks for the name of the B & B. roni

[rl2thnurse]

uh-oh! I am a cold weather-whiney! I like 80-90....but, will adjust as needed. Roni

[binkey36]

We have traveled many times to the Caribbean. However, this year is a special anniversary & we are looking for something different. Any ideas on the best cruises from west coast? We are not really interested in Alaska at this time. However, have thought about visiting wine country or San Diego before or after cruise...any thoughts? Thanks!

 

Actually, if you sail the Spirit out of San Diego, you can enjoy San Diego AND wine tasting. We have wonderful wineries and vineyards in the Temecula Valley, which is about 45 miles from San Diego. The Spirit itinerary is a very good one, for Mexico. The 12 day Hawaii cruise is also good.

[Wennfred]

We are looking at San Diego or Long Beach for our next big family bash...

 

San Diego has the Worlds Famous Zoo which you can spend a whole day there and you also have Sea World for your family bash.

 

 

 

Fred

[Beave8920]

Come and join us on the Carnival Spirit! Of course I don't know when your anniversary is. :D

 

But the Spirit sails an 8 day out of San Diego and visits Acapulco, Manzanillo, and Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa. From what I hear, it's a great ship with a great itinerary!

 

:) Strongly Agree!!!! Great 8 day cruise!

[sparkscruiser]

June gloom - I used to live in Orange County and yes, June can be somewhat gloomy. It's the marine layer - but it burns off usually by noon. No matter when you go though, you will love the Spirit.

[Kurbanfan]

San Diego has the Worlds Famous Zoo which you can spend a whole day there and you also have Sea World for your family bash.

 

 

 

Fred

 

And let's not forget the wild animal park! My fav......

[suzbcruiser]

My DH and I did the 8 day Spirit a few years back at the beginning of April. The weather on Sea Days was a little brisk, low 70s. At the ports, the weather was gorgeous, mid 80s. It was my DH's first cruise and it definitely got him hooked. As for Temecula Valley wine country, you can always stay at the Pala Resort and Casino. They do a wine country tour. One of my favorites is Thornton Winery, have a glass for me!

[terri910]

We took the Spirit's 8-day out of San Diego the first week in December a couple of years ago and the weather was only "cool-ish" (not cold) in San Diego.

 

By the next morning we were near the southern tip of Baja (and, in fact, had to make a medical emergency stop in Cabo to evacuate the person to a hospital)...this was EARLY in the morning (barely light out) and it was already warm. The rest of the cruise (except when we pulled into San Diego the last morning) was nice and warm....tropical, even!

 

I worried about the temp of the water, too, because I love to snorkel, but won't go into the Pacific at home (southern California.....got spoiled after our first trip to the Caribbean)...the water was great everywhere we stopped. Great marine life when we snorkeled at the stop in Manzanillo. Loved Zihuatanejo. Probably wouldn't get off the ship again in Acapulco, unless it was to find some really good Mexican food nearby (but glad we've toured it once...just don't feel the need to do it a second time).

 

As someone else suggested, I would recommend staying at the Holiday Inn that is directly across the street from where the Spirit docks. It's only a block away from the Amtrak station (if you have Amtrak service from where you are), and a short taxi ride from the airport. When you awake in the morning, the hotel has shuttles, but we just walked across the cross walk and we were there.