Californians to Benefit as More Ships Ply West Coast’s Waters

Cruise lines have increased their West Coast sailings to spur more business and combat a decline caused partly by the Sept. 11 attacks and the recession.

For Californians the cruise lines’ strategy is an advantage because many departures are from nearby cities--Los Angeles, San Diego or San Francisco--easily reached by automobile, bus or train.

Here is a sampling of cruises departing next year from the West Coast.

* Besides its regular year-round departures from San Pedro, the port of Los Angeles, Carnival Cruise Lines has added an April 21 sailing of the Carnival Spirit from Ensenada, Mexico, to Honolulu, a 12-day Pacific cruise that will include calls at several Hawaiian ports.

The line’s Ecstasy continues three- and four-day round-trip voyages that depart Mondays and Fridays from Los Angeles. The three-day cruises call in Ensenada, the four-day at Catalina Island and Ensenada.

* Los Angeles-based Crystal Cruises will send the Symphony on a 13-day round-trip cruise to the Mexican Riviera, departing Jan. 4 from Los Angeles, followed by a Jan. 17 departure on a 100-day Circle Pacific journey, sailing round trip from Los Angeles.

For travelers with plenty of time, money (prices start at $6,435) and a yen to get to London without boarding an airplane, the ship will sail April 27 from Los Angeles for a 16-day Panama Canal transit to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., followed immediately by a transatlantic crossing to Southampton, leaving May 13 and arriving May 22.

Closer to home, the Crystal Harmony will repeat its popular round-trip summer sailings from San Francisco to Alaska, beginning July 4. The 12-day itineraries include calls in Victoria and Vancouver in Canada, and the Alaskan ports of Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and Ketchikan. Other departures are July 16 and 28, Aug. 9 and 21, and Sept. 2.

* Holland America Line has doubled its Mexico sailings for 2002. Mexico will replace South America on the fall sailings of the Ryndam, which will make 12 round-trip sailings from San Diego. Departing Oct. 19; Nov. 2, 16 and 30; and Dec. 14, the ship will sail the Gulf of California, calling in Loreto, La Paz and Cabo San Lucas in Baja California.

Seven-day Mexican Riviera sailings are scheduled to leave Oct. 26, Nov. 9 and 23, and Dec. 7 with calls in Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan in mainland Mexico and Cabo San Lucas in Baja California.

Three previously scheduled 10-day cruises to Mexico will continue, departing San Diego on April 24, May 4 and Oct. 9 and calling in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, La Paz, Loreto, Santa Rosalia and Cabo San Lucas.

The Statendam will sail 10-day itineraries round trip departing from San Diego on Jan. 7, Feb. 16, March 13, April 7, Oct. 21, Nov. 15 and Dec. 10.

Alternating with these departures are eight round-trip cruises from San Diego to Hawaii and Mexico that will call in Hilo on the Big Island; Honolulu; Nawiliwili, Kauai; Lahaina, Maui; and Ensenada. Departure dates for the 15-day sailings are Jan. 17, Feb. 1 and 26, March 23, April 17, Oct. 6 and 31 and Nov. 25.

The Statendam also offers a three-day sailing from San Diego to Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 9, and the Ryndam will make a three-day sailing from San Diego to Vancouver on May 14.

Bus or rail transportation (on Amtrak) to San Diego for Holland America sailings from Los Angeles and other Southern California cities costs an additional $35 per person.

Holland America’s Amsterdam will spend the summer sailing round trip to Alaska, departing every Saturday from Seattle from May 18 to Sept. 21.

* Princess Cruises has added 66 sailings to Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, Canada and New England, and the Panama Canal. It also will add a ship on its Alaska route this summer, making a total of six vessels offering northern sailings.

From Los Angeles, a series of round-trip Sea Princess sailings to the Mexican Riviera will depart every Saturday from Dec. 29 to March 2, calling in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. On March 9, the ship will leave on a 10-day round-trip Mexican Riviera cruise, adding Acapulco and Zihuatanejo.

Star Princess will make a seven-day repositioning cruise, leaving Los Angeles on May 5 and calling in San Diego, Santa Barbara, Monterey, San Francisco and Seattle before arriving in Vancouver for Alaska sailings in the summer.

Regal Princess, which will be based in San Francisco for the summer, will depart on 10-day round-trip Alaska sailings from May 29 to Sept. 6.

* On Jan. 20, Radisson Seven Seas Navigator will depart Los Angeles on its first-ever around-the-world cruise, a 105-day journey to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The same ship will also sail from Los Angeles on May 29 on a 12-day Alaska cruise that will end in Vancouver.

* Royal Caribbean International’s Grandeur of the Seas is scheduled to leave Los Angeles on seven-day round-trip sailings from Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera, departing Sundays from May 19 to Sept. 8.

RCI has scheduled four cruises from Ensenada to Hawaii this winter and spring: the Legend of the Seas on April 26, Radiance of the Seas on April 29 and Vision of the Seas on Feb. 17 and May 12.

* Seabourn Sun, the former Royal Viking Sun, will leave on its last world cruise from San Francisco on Jan. 9, a 102-day sailing that will end in Fort Lauderdale. After the cruise, the ship will be turned over to Holland America to become the Prinsendam.

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Shirley Slater and Harry Basch travel as guests of the cruise lines. Cruise Views appears twice a month.