October 20, 2016

  • Cruise Tour

    On the last full day I was in Santa Barbara, we went for another walk along Shoreline Drive, this time to view the cruise ship that was "in port".  During the summer season, Santa Barbara has becoming one of the stops for the coastal cruises, taking the place of one of the Mexican stops they used to make.  As the political situation and the potential for violence in the coastal Mexican towns, this has become a viable stop, offering the opportunity for tours of Southern California history, or Santa Barbara wine country, or simply shopping.  They have had as many as 32 visits in a summer season as the ships make their way from Ensenada to San Francisco and back.

    IMGP0713-001

    Local sailboats find it great fun to sail out to the cruise ships to see what they can see!

    IMGP0714-001

    IMGP0715-001

    Because the pier is relatively small, people are shuttled from ship to shore on tenders -- as I shot the above photos, there were tenders close to the ship.  The next few shots show the tenders between the landing and the ship.

    IMGP0718-001

    IMGP0719-001

    The pier is tucked in behind the marina on the left side of the next shot -- between the pier and the breakwater, there is a nice beach, with a spot where the tenders land.

    IMGP0720-001

    IMGP0727-001

    IMGP0722-001

    On the walk back to the car, we noticed a seagull sitting atop a garbage can -- he deigned to glance at me long enough for me to catch the next two shots!

    IMGP0725-001

    IMGP0726-001

Comments (10)

  • The cruise ship looks big and awesome. Don't think I'd like a cruise. Just doesn't sound appealing.

    • I have done 2 cruises, both to places I couldn't go on land (Panama Canal, Antarctica. If I can get there on land or by air, I prefer that, because i'm not limited to walking through sites behind a boatload of people. I flew to Alaska several times, joining the boat people for their tours, but staying an extra day after the boat left so I could go back to the places I really wanted to see -- that worked well for me. I'm toying with the idea of a trip to Galapaagos -- fly to the islands, then board a boat to cruise around them. If i go to Costa Rica instead, I'd probably fly and do a land trip, although I'd love to do the Canal in the opposite direction!

  • Those cruise ships are unbelievably big! good shots of the seagull. I especially like the first one where he is turning his head to look at you.

    • That one probably carries 2,000 people up and down the west coast! Thanks -- I'm glad you like the seagull shots!

  • I bet that is a great boost to the local economy! I've never been on a cruise - someday... The gull looks like he was bored or maybe just being nonchalant about the photo being snapped!

    • The ships pay a "docking fee," even though they weigh anchor off the end of the pier -- and then there are tours and shoppers -- it does help the economy. The gull was very patient -- I actually took 2 or 3 other shots too, then realized that a different angle would show him off better!

  • Makes me want to go on a cruise.

  • We really want to take a cruise someday. Great seagull shots ~

    • Mr. Seagull was fun -- I took several shots, then realized that a side view would be more interesting, and would have a better background. The gull sat still, but turned to look at me for one shot! A cruise is wonderful when you want to go somewhere that you can't get to by land. Alaska (there are not consistently roads that go from one of the coastal cities to the next), Panama Canal, and the Antarctic were good examples of that, though I flew to the various places I went in Alaska. The big advantage is that you don't need to pack each night to go to the next place!

Comments are closed.

Post a Comment