Port Profiles | Portipedia

On a Mexican Riviera cruise from San Diego, my family and I spent one week after our cruise to discover all that this sunny Southern California city has to offer cruise passengers. True, most cruise passengers add only two nights before or after their cruises from San Diego, but friends who had been here told us that two days was not enough, so we decided to go the distance and try to see it all.

We were surprised to find such a varied destination. During our stay, we traveled from San Diego’s cosmopolitan city center to charming Coronado across the San Diego Bay, also known as the Big Bay, from beautiful Pacific coastline to true Southwestern desert — only 90 minutes away. We visited theme parks that our kids loved — LEGOLAND California and SeaWorld San Diego, and then toned the pace down at Balboa Park, with its world-famous San Diego Zoo. Moreover, we enjoyed our week of activities in San Diego’s perfect climate, with average daytime temperatures of 70F and most days sunny.
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For families, there is no better cruise port than San Diego. Only a few minutes from the cruise terminal is Balboa Park, the nation’s largest urban cultural park. Encompassing 1,200 acres, Balboa Park is second only to the Smithsonian in size and is often referred to as the “Smithsonian of the West.” The Park is home to 85 cultural institutions, including 15 museums that range from anthropology to science, from classic to contemporary art, performing arts venues, art galleries, botanical gardens and the San Diego Zoo, home to 4,000 animals representing 800 species on 100 acres. Balboa Park is the perfect destination for families. Continue Reading »

For pre- and post-cruise vacationers, San Diego offers a variety of day trips, all within San Diego County. The seaside resort of La Jolla is only 15 minutes north of the city center. Borrego Springs, a tiny desert town that is home to the largest state park in the contiguous United States (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park) is only 85 miles east of San Diego.

Suggestions for accommodations in these destinations: La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, 12 miles north of downtown San Diego. The original structure of this 90-room resort was built in 1927 and resembles a Spanish-style hacienda. Residing on 14 acres, the resort is one of only two beachfront properties in the exclusive La Jolla Shores section of La Jolla.

Borrego Springs is home to the AAA-Four Diamond La Casa Del Zorro Desert Resort. Families will enjoy one- to four-bedroom casitas, each with fireplace, private pool and/or spa. The 42-acre resort is situated in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

San Diego’s biggest attraction is the harbor itself, known as The Big Bay. You could design a pre- and post-cruise vacation around the Big Bay itself and have a perfectly satisfying experience — with no need to rent a car. If you’re staying a few days or more, you’ll have a good choice of hotels: No fewer than 13 line the Big Bay’s 34 miles of waterfront.

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We were on a quest. Not to see and experience all of the wonderful attractions that were the reasons I chose to bring my family to San Diego for the kids’ spring break vacation. No, the Grizzles and the Grizzlettes had something much more important in mind. We were on a quest to find — steady yourself reader — shoes that roll. Not skates, but something very much like them, one of the latest California fads, Heelys (company tagline: “Freedom Is A Wheel In Your Sole”).

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In the past several years, San Diego’s cruise ship calls and passenger counts have more than tripled, making the Southern California city the West Coast’s fastest-growing cruise port.

Why the surge in popularity? First, San Diego is possibly the West Coast port with the most varied cruise itineraries. More than 100 cruises set sail from the downtown cruise terminal. Among the regular offerings: Mexico (from five days to 15 days); Sea of Cortez cruises; 14-day and 15-day Hawaii; and Panama Canal cruises of 12 days or more.

Moreover, San Diego may just be the world’s most convenient port of departure. Abundant airlift brings 62 percent of all cruise passengers from destinations worldwide. Plus, the airport, cruise terminal and city center all are within five minutes of one another.

Add to that the many attractions within close reach of the cruise terminal, and San Diego makes one perfect port.

Q. How do I get from the airport to the cruise terminal?

A. Cruise lines typically provide transfers from the airport to the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal, located at 1140 North Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego. By taxi, it takes only about five minutes to get from the airport to the cruise ship terminal.

Q. Where can I find long-term parking for the duration of my cruise?

A. Parking and shuttle services are available within a half mile of the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal. Directly across the street from the terminal, Lane Field has ample parking. Expect to pay around $12 a day. For current rates please call (619) 230-1435. Many hotels also offer long- term parking at reasonable rates.

Q. What hotels do you recommend for pre- and post-cruise?

A. Click here.

Q. How do I get around downtown?

A. San Diego offers good public transport, and you’ll find no shortage of taxis at the cruise port, but the best way to explore is to walk. The cruise terminal is convenient to hotels, restaurants, shopping areas and the city center. You can also hire a pedicab on the Embarcadero and let someone pedal you to Horton Plaza, Gaslamp or Seaport Village. Or to see many of San Diego’s major attractions, hop on Old Town Trolley Tours for a two-hour tour. Jump aboard at the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal and get on and off as many times as you like while making the complete loop. Shuttles run every 20 minutes. Attractions include: Seaport Village, Gaslamp Quarter, Horton Plaza, Coronado, Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo and Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.

If you’re planning a cruise in the Baltic Sea, you’re likely old enough to remember such events as the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), U.S. President Ronald Reagan and congressional conservatives characterizing Russia as the Evil Empire (1982) and the Cold War, which lasted until late 1991. Thus, visiting St. Petersburg for the first time may hold a mix of emotions for you — the intrigue of seeing one of the world’s greatest cities combined with apprehension of visiting a former enemy state.

But the world has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades, and Russia, or at least the city of St. Petersburg, is both welcoming and increasingly hospitable. Sure, the city could use infrastructure improvements (such as new highways to alleviate city center traffic and new cruise terminals, both of which have been promised for 2008), but even with its imperfections, 303-year-old St. Petersburg leaves visitors smitten. Continue Reading »

Peterhof, a magnificent 18th century European palace and gardens, features more than 150 fountains and four cascades. Head to the suburbs of sprawling St. Petersburg to visit the region’s impressive palaces and parks. From the cruise terminal, you can get to Peterhof, a magnificent 18th-century European palace and gardens (inspired by Peter the Great’s visit to Versailles in 1697), by bus or hydrofoil. Take the hydrofoil if possible, 30 minutes each way as opposed to about an hour each way by bus, advises tourist guide Tatiana Ivanova. She recommends that time-pressed cruise passengers Continue Reading »

Like any big city, St. Petersburg has some seedy sides, but you’ll steer well clear of those as you set out to see the main attractions. Even so, before disembarking your ship, you may be warned to watch out for pickpockets and petty thieves. Tourist guide Dmitry Ruchkin told The Avid Cruiser that St. Petersburg’s reputation isn’t deserved and that crimes against tourists are rare. The local English-language newspaper reported that St. Petersburg had 792 registered crimes against foreigners last year, compared to more than 30,000 in Paris. Of course, it should be pointed out that Paris receives considerably more international visitors each year than does St. Petersburg. Continue Reading »