Just returned from sailing on the Celebrity Infinity Pacific coastal with port stops in Monterey, Ensenada, San Diego, Catalina Island and Santa Barbara. Wonderful port stops, and even though we had to tender the majority of the timing, the tenders were quick and always available, no lines. :) We were surprised there was not a whale watching excursion in Monterey, but right off the port we booked our own excursion on Chris' Whale Watching and were not disappointed. Saw over 40 whales up close and personal. fantastic!
If you have a port stop in Santa Barbara highly recommend renting a car and driving to Reagan Library and Air Force One in Simi Valley. Takes a little over an hour to drive there but well worth the drive.
We took a watercolor painting class which was great fun! highly recommend I had never painted in my life and I would say the majority of the class were newbies, and we all were impressed with the final results.
Our first cruise in an ocean view room. The room was nice, but I was disappointed with the TV and viewing choices. The TV was the worst thing about our trip. There was only one movie on the viewing channels and every other movie was a charge. I did miss a movie theatre or outside TV viewing. I think this should be fixed. Also the TV channel changing was very difficult. You have to be at a certain angle to change the channel and it takes forever.
We took the local bus to the San Diego Zoo. About a 5 minute walk from the pier. The zoo was fantastic! We were very lucky that it was a weekday and not crowded at all.
One of the highlights of our trip. Took the tender to the pier and Chris' Whale Watching is right at the pier. You can go online and sign up ahead of time to make sure they have enough room (highly recommend). About a 40 person boat. Cost was $37.00 per person. We saw 40+ whales!! Our own whale show!
We took the bus that was at the pier and paid $3 RT for bus ride. Then we paid $15 RT to be taken to the straw market and blow hole.
We rented the golf carts at a spot that was right off the pier. You walk across the street. $40/hour. It was great fun driving all over the island. The island has lots of golf carts going all over the place. Loved it. Golf carts are available that seat 6.