Koningsdam - Classic California Coast from San Diego

Where this cruise calls, day by day

6 ports and 2 sea days over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   San Diego, CA

   United StatesDepart

   San Diego is one of the easiest cruise arrivals in the country: the B Street and Broadway piers sit directly on the downtown Embarcadero, with the aircraft carrier USS Midway permanently moored a few hundred yards along the same waterfront. The Gaslamp Quarter is a flat ten-minute walk. It works as both a turnaround port for Mexico runs and a pleasant one-day call.

   • USS Midway Museum, with the flight deck and hangar open to walk
   • Balboa Park's museums and the San Diego Zoo
   • Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, the original Mexican-era settlement
   • The ferry across the bay to Coronado and the Hotel del Coronado

   Getting ashore

   Docks downtown at the B Street or Broadway Pier; the Gaslamp Quarter, Midway and Little Italy are all walkable.

   Best months

   Year-round (Sep-Oct warmest and clearest; May-Jun often grey until afternoon)

2. Day 2

   Catalina Island, CA

   United StatesPort

   Catalina sits 22 miles off the Los Angeles coast and feels a century removed from it. Ships anchor off Avalon and tender in to a small harbour town of pastel buildings where private cars are so restricted that residents wait years for a permit and most people drive golf carts. The round Casino building on the point never held gambling - it is a 1929 ballroom and theatre.

   • Tour the Catalina Casino's Art Deco theatre and ballroom
   • Glass-bottom boat or semi-submarine over the kelp forest at Lovers Cove
   • Descanso Beach Club and the coastal path around the bay
   • Zip line or an interior Hummer tour into the island's bison country

   Getting ashore

   Tender only into Avalon; the town is compact and entirely walkable from the tender landing.

   Best months

   May-Oct (Sep-Oct warmest water and clearest; winter swell causes tender cancellations)

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4

   San Francisco, CA

   United StatesPort

   Arriving here is the point: ships pass under the Golden Gate Bridge and berth at Pier 27, on the Embarcadero within sight of Coit Tower and a walk from the Ferry Building. It serves as a turnaround port for Alaska and Hawaii sailings and an occasional day call. Fog can swallow the bridge entirely even in July, so the famous approach is not guaranteed.

   • Alcatraz Island, which sells out weeks ahead and cannot be booked on the day
   • The Ferry Building marketplace and the Embarcadero waterfront
   • Cable car from Powell Street over Nob Hill
   • Golden Gate Park, the Presidio and the view back at the bridge from Fort Point

   Getting ashore

   Docks at Pier 27 on the Embarcadero; Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building are walkable in either direction.

   Best months

   Year-round (Sep-Oct warmest and least foggy; Jun-Aug is peak fog season)

5. Day 5

   San Francisco, CA

   United StatesPort

   Arriving here is the point: ships pass under the Golden Gate Bridge and berth at Pier 27, on the Embarcadero within sight of Coit Tower and a walk from the Ferry Building. It serves as a turnaround port for Alaska and Hawaii sailings and an occasional day call. Fog can swallow the bridge entirely even in July, so the famous approach is not guaranteed.

   • Alcatraz Island, which sells out weeks ahead and cannot be booked on the day
   • The Ferry Building marketplace and the Embarcadero waterfront
   • Cable car from Powell Street over Nob Hill
   • Golden Gate Park, the Presidio and the view back at the bridge from Fort Point

   Getting ashore

   Docks at Pier 27 on the Embarcadero; Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building are walkable in either direction.

   Best months

   Year-round (Sep-Oct warmest and least foggy; Jun-Aug is peak fog season)

6. Day 6 · At sea

7. Day 7

   Ensenada

   MexicoPort

   Ensenada is on most California itineraries because US law requires a foreign stop, and the town knows it. The port is a working commercial harbour with a short shuttle or walk to Avenida López Mateos, a strip of cantinas, curio shops and pharmacies. It is far better than that sounds if you leave the strip - the Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico's serious wine region, starts about an hour inland.

   • La Bufadora, the sea geyser 45 minutes south
   • Valle de Guadalupe wineries
   • Hussong's Cantina, open since 1892
   • Fish tacos at the Mercado Negro

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock; the main tourist street is a 15-20 minute walk, or a short shuttle from the terminal gate.

   Best months

   Apr-Oct is warm and dry; winter here is cool, grey and windy - this is Baja's Mediterranean end, not the tropics

8. Day 8

   San Diego, CA

   United StatesArrive

   San Diego is one of the easiest cruise arrivals in the country: the B Street and Broadway piers sit directly on the downtown Embarcadero, with the aircraft carrier USS Midway permanently moored a few hundred yards along the same waterfront. The Gaslamp Quarter is a flat ten-minute walk. It works as both a turnaround port for Mexico runs and a pleasant one-day call.

   • USS Midway Museum, with the flight deck and hangar open to walk
   • Balboa Park's museums and the San Diego Zoo
   • Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, the original Mexican-era settlement
   • The ferry across the bay to Coronado and the Hotel del Coronado

   Getting ashore

   Docks downtown at the B Street or Broadway Pier; the Gaslamp Quarter, Midway and Little Italy are all walkable.

   Best months

   Year-round (Sep-Oct warmest and clearest; May-Jun often grey until afternoon)