CRUISE NEWS: Princess offers more of West Coast than ever

IF you had a look at the flood of daily emails in my inbox under cruising, you would find that most are related to Europe or the Caribbean, and why not? That's where the majority of cruisers will spend their dollars over the next few years, and cruising follows the money.

That's why it's refreshing to see Princess Cruise Lines -- while focusing on Europe -- has looked over its shoulder and is devoting at least part of its attention to the West Coast.

Generally, West Coast cruises mean repositioning. Ships travel the popular route from southern Florida through the Panama Canal, along the Mexican Coast to southern California (or the other way around). Once they leave southern California, with some exceptions, it's usually full speed ahead to (or from) the northwest at the start or end of the Alaska season.

You will still be able to get those three- and four-day sampler cruises up and down the coast, but now Princess is giving you some added choices.

According to the line, that means offering more of the West Coast than ever, including Hawaii and the South Pacific, plus some changes for Mexico.

New in 2012 is a round-trip Los Angeles itinerary that features Catalina and an overnight in San Francisco. Jan Swartz, Princess Cruise's executive vice-president, points out both California cities are great bases for a variety of destinations to the north, south and west.

Here is a sample of the enhanced choices for 2012 and 2013:

-- From Los Angeles, the Sapphire Princess will sail new seven-day round-trip cruises on a California Coastal itinerary. On the list of ports are an overnight in San Francisco (hello, Napa Valley and Sonoma), Santa Barbara, Catalina, San Diego and Ensenada.

Outside of wine country, San Francisco offers a lot of choices once you're off the ship. Monterey and Carmel lie south of the city, where you'll be entertained day and night: Golden Gate Park, cable cars, Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square for shopping. The sailings for this cruise are departing Oct. 8 and Oct. 13 next year, and March 30, April 6, April 13, April 27 and May 4, 2013.

-- If you're a wine connoisseur, there's a sailing for you on May 11, 2013. The Sapphire Princess will leave Los Angeles and port in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Astoria (craft beers), Seattle and Victoria. I think oenophiles on that one would probably like to see an overnight in San Francisco.

-- Cruising from southern California to Mexico is hardly new. What is new is that Princess has added Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, two ports earlier cancelled because of concerns for passenger safety, according to the line. The fact that Princess is going back to the traditional Mexican cruises (with Cabo San Lucas added) must indicate those concerns are diminished. Mind you, the sailings are still a year away: Six trips are scheduled from Nov. 17, 2012, and April 20, 2013.

-- Lots of Hawaii is on the schedule from both Los Angeles and San Francisco. From L.A., Golden Princess and Sapphire Princess offer 14-day cruises departing on Wednesdays and Saturdays, respectively. The season runs from Sept. 26, 2012 to April 24, 2013. A couple of other departures (Oct,. 20 and March 26) will include stopping in Tahiti and Samoa.

San Francisco has 10 departures to Hawaii from March 19, 2012, to April 25, 2013.

-- Postmedia News

Visit portsandbows.com for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Phil can be contacted directly at portsandbows

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 26, 2011 D2