What It's Really Like Cruising the California Coastline

by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 12:20 PM ET, Wed April 5, 2023

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California cruises, Celebrity Solstice

When one typically thinks of cruising, it’s often to warm, sunny islands surrounded by gentle turquoise waves and vibrant coral reefs — but I had the fortune to cruise somewhere a little different this March: the coastline of California onboard Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Solstice ship.

The itinerary sailed from Long Beach, California (located right near Los Angeles), to the port cities of San Diego, Ensenada in Mexico, San Francisco and Santa Barbara before returning to Long Beach.

There were a few special features about this itinerary: it was originally planned to visit Monterey, too, but that destination changed when the city effectively banned cruise activities for the foreseeable future. We ended up spending two days in San Francisco instead, including overnight.

While it was an unexpected itinerary change, I had fun experiencing my first overnight stop while on a cruise — and good timing, too, as our first day in San Francisco was marred by repeated rainstorms and two rounds of unexpected hail. The second day had much better weather.

So What’s It Like Cruising Along California?

Well, for one, it’s a lot less warm, especially in late March and early April. That being said, I was incredibly lucky to enjoy several days in which I could don a swimsuit and enjoy sunning on the pool deck.

The day in Ensenada, Mexico was perfect for this. It was generally in the sixties each day, except for our first day in San Francisco, which was in the forties. Besides that day, we were also spared of rain for most of the cruise.

The Pacific Ocean is also typically rougher than the gentle Caribbean Sea. Those who are more prone to seasickness while on Caribbean cruises should bring along anti-nausea medication and sea sickness bracelets, which make a difference.

I usually have very little sea sickness while onboard a cruise ship, but there were times, especially when I was sitting at the back of the ship, when I began to feel its effects.

While the seas were rougher, we generally went a lot slower getting to our next ports, which eased a lot of the worst of it. We usually sailed at a speed anywhere between eight to eighteen knots. In the Caribbean, cruise ships often sail around 20 knots or more, since there is generally more distance to cover between ports.

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Key Takeaways

I was curious how different it would feel visiting mega-cities instead of small island destinations while on a cruise, but it was a wonderful way of seeing these destinations for the first time, even though there is still more to discover for next time. While many other cruisers I talked to were residents of California who chose to cruise the coast to see their state in a new way, there were others who were from farther away and had never visited these destinations before.

They, like my family and I, had chosen a cruise along California’s coast for the convenience of it: we can enjoy visiting all of multiple popular destinations without having to worry about transiting to a different city or packing and unpacking our suitcases more than once.

Another key takeaway is that California cruises require an entirely different packing list than the Caribbean. Rain ponchos, gloves, waterproof boots, a variety of layered clothing items, as well as a few pairs of shorts, sunscreen and at least one swimsuit should all be on the packing list, as are the things that help you best combat seasickness.

California is such an interesting state to cruise: while most of the destinations remain in the same state and country, they also remain completely unique. Walking through San Francisco’s Chinatown is as different to succulent-filled Santa Barbara as Philipsburg, St. Maarten is to Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

While the season for California cruises is ending, with many of the cruise ships, including the Celebrity Solstice, heading northwards to begin the Alaska cruise season, the memories I’ve made will last a lifetime, and there’s one phrase I know will keep me buoyed until my next time at sea: It was totally worth it!

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