For residents of California and Washington State, a repositioning cruise along the west coast from Vancouver to Los Angeles or San Diego can be an inexpensive and exciting vacation with very few hassles. Southern Californians simply fly one-way to Vancouver and then drive or take ground transportation from the disembarkation port to their home. Washingtonians transfer to Vancouver and then fly back from Southern California.

One-way airfare is around $150, per person, and transfers are usually available through the cruise lines.

Parliament Building Victoria B.C.

For less than $500 per person, you can enjoy the cruise experience and all that goes with it – beautiful views of the coast, dining out each evening, dancing, seeing a Broadway-style show, and testing your luck in the casino.

Celebrity Millennium is a striking ship with a 25,000-square-foot spa, a demonstration kitchen, wine cellar for private dining, and a digital music library. For those who want a nice long cruise with several port visits, Millenium has a ten-night voyage that leaves from Vancouver on September 17 and calls at Nanaimo and Victoria on Vancouver Island before arriving in Seattle. After a day at sea, she arrives in San Francisco and overnights there, sailing at 8PM on Thursday, September 23. This gives passengers the opportunity to have dinner in San Francisco. The next day, she calls in Monterey, then spends a day at sea before spending a day at Catalina Island. Passengers leave the ship in San Diego on September 27.

Princess has two west coast repositioning cruises this September. The 1,900-passenger Coral Princess sails from Vancouver on Saturday, September 18 and spends two days at sea before arriving in Los Angeles on Tuesday, September 21. During the time at sea, cruisers can play mini-golf or use the sport court, enjoy entertainment in the three showrooms, get a treatment in the spa, or just enjoy some time by the pool. Sabatini’s and Bayou Café and Steakhouse provide alternatives to the main dining room.

Golden Princess leaves Vancouver the next Sunday, September 26 and does the same itinerary, arriving in Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 29. This 2,600-passenger vessel, a sister ship to Grand Princess, has a central piazza with a coffee house and wine bar, the Crown Grill Steakhouse, and an adults-only Sanctuary for relaxing.

Golden Gate Bridge

With a bowling alley, ten restaurants, a dozen bars, rock-climbing wall, and sports bar with games by day and cool lounging beds in the evenings, Norwegian Pearl has more than you can likely do in just five days. She sails from Vancouver on September 19 for Astoria, Oregon. Passengers can explore Astoria or visit the nearby Oregon beach towns. After a day at sea, she calls at San Francisco, and then spends another day at sea en route to Los Angeles, where she docks on September 24.

Cruisers who want a little more time to enjoy NCL’s Freestyle Dining and amenities can board Norwegian Star in Vancouver on October 2 for a 6-night cruise that visits Victoria, Astoria, and San Francisco. Norwegian Star was 14 lounges and bars, a two-level Mandara spa, 24-hour fitness center, and driving range.

Read about West Coast cruises on Holland America here.

Parliament Building Victoria B.C. image Flickr: WriterGal39
Golden Gate Bridge image Flickr: chadh

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A Pacific coast repositioning cruise makes a wonderful, early fall getaway, especially if you live on the west coast yourself. Once the weather in Alaska becomes too rough for cruising, the ships head south to sail in the Caribbean, Mexico, or Panama Canal.

For residents of California, Washington, or Oregon, these repositioning cruises are a terrific value and a hassle-free way to enjoy everything that cruising has to offer – good food, entertainment, cool amenities, and a complete escape from the same old routine.

Victoria’s Inner Harbor

This September, there are five Holland American ships sailing down the Pacific coast from Vancouver to California. Known for their classic-style cruise ships, impressive art collections, and excellent service, Holland America also has innovative new programs and amenities that will make your days at sea stimulating and enjoyable.

The flagship of the line, Rotterdam VI, features one of the most exciting additions to Holland America ships in recent years – the Culinary Arts Center. This state-of-the-art exhibition kitchen is where you’ll go for cooking classes, wine tastings, demonstrations, and more. It’s a great facility that’s been a big hit with passengers. And it’s now available on all Holland America cruise ships.

Rotterdam VI leaves Vancouver on Sunday, September 19 and spends two days at sea before arriving in San Diego on Wednesday morning, September 22. Which means that you can have a relaxing mini-vacation and still be back at work by Thursday. At press time, Southern California residents could fly one-way to Vancouver for less than $200, and cruise fares were as low as $199 per person. So it’s very affordable.

Their Ryndam adds an extra day to the voyage, so if sea days are your thing, it’s a great choice. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the two pools, one of which is under a retractable glass dome, tennis, the spa, sauna, and steam bath. Like Rotterdam VI, she sails from Vancouver on September 19, but she doesn’t arrive in San Diego until Thursday, September 23 – giving you an extra night to enjoy a Broadway-style show in the Vermeer Show Lounge.

Bay Area residents can board Zuiderdam in Vancouver on Saturday, September 25 and disembark in San Francisco on Tuesday, September 28. With one of the highest space-per-guest ratios in the Holland America fleet, Zuiderdam is a delight. The huge spa has a hydrotherapy pool, aroma therapy rooms, a sauna, steam room, and eleven treatment rooms. You can arrange to be pampered to your heart’s content. A variety of dining options make it possible eat in a different restaurant every night of your cruise.

Holland America’s Ryndam

On Sunday, September 26, Statendam sails from Vancouver bound for Victoria, British Columbia. Victoria is a charming town, that’s very British in feel. Passengers can explore the Provincial Museum with it’s impressive totem poles and coastal art, visit the beautiful Empress Hotel on the Inner Harbor, or go for an optional tour of Butchart Gardens. She arrives in San Diego on September 30, following two days at sea.

Like Zuiderdam, Osterdam has lots of extra room and extensive spa facilities. And with two port calls and two sea days, her fall repositioning cruise offers a good balance of sightseeing and relaxing. Osterdam sails from Vancouver on Monday, September 27, so consider spending the weekend there before boarding the ship. She calls at Astoria, Oregon the next day. From there, you can take a side trip to Cannon Beach or Seaside. Passengers will have two days to enjoy the ship’s amenities before calling at Catalina Island. There’s plenty to do on Catalina, and in the surrounding water. Go for a snorkeling trip, take a glass-bottom boat ride, or do some shopping in Avalon. Osterdam arrives in San Diego on Saturday morning, October 2.

Victoria’s Inner Harbor Image Flickr: dbaron
Holland America’s Ryndam Image Flickr: wch14

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It’s been a long, wet winter, and a vacation sounds pretty good right about now.   But there’s not a lot of discretionary income left over this year, and it’s hard to take much time off from work because things are so busy.

If any of this strikes a chord with you, we have just the solution — a repositioning cruise from California to Vancouver, British Columbia.  Fares start $149, and that includes all your meals, transportation, accommodations, and entertainment.   And if you watched the Winter Olympics, you know that Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Vancouver

At press-time, one-way fares from Vancouver to LAX were running under $150, so the total cost including airfare runs as little as $300.  Dollar for dollar, a repositioning cruise is a terrific way to get out of Dodge and add some excitement to your life without breaking your budget.

Holland America Line (HAL) is offering four west coast repositioning cruises this spring, and their cruise ships are some of the nicest at sea.

Their 1,432-passenger Zaandam sails from San Diego on Wednesday, April 21, 2010.  You can tour San Diego or visit the world-famous Zoo in the morning, and then board the ship in the late afternoon.  San Diego is a beautiful city to sail in and out of, and you’ll likely be treated to a spectacular sunset as you leave.  If the weather’s fine, you can enjoy a dip in the pool or one of the spas before dinner.

In addition to the main dining room, Zaandam serves Pacific Northwest specialties like Dungeness crab cakes in the intimate, reservations-only Pinnacle Grill.  During your days at sea, you can watch cooking demonstrations in the innovative Culinary Arts Center, see a movie at the Wajang Theater, or enjoy a treatment in the spa.    If you’d like to get some exercise, there’s a jogging track, fitness center, and sports court.  At night, enjoy a show in the lounge where hydraulic lifts and a revolving stage add to the excitement or have a quiet drink in the Crow’s Nest.

Catalina Island

The first morning, you call at Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island.  You’ll have a full day to explore the island.  Rent a bike or golf cart to get around.  You’ll spend the next two days at sea before arriving in Astoria, Oregon.  In Astoria, you can take a biking tour, go to Cannon Beach and Seaside for shopping, or enjoy a wine-tasting and cooking demonstration.  The next day, you’ll call at Victoria, British Columbia where you can see Butchart Gardens in springtime splendor, have high tea at the legendary Empress Hotel, or visit a local brewery.  You’ll disembark in Vancouver the morning of Tuesday, April 27.  Fares for this cruise start at $299 per person.

Cruisers who choose the 1,316-passenger Amsterdam will leave from Los Angeles on Thursday, April 29, 2010.  One of Holland America’s flagships, Amsterdam has an old-world, traditional ambience that seasoned cruisers appreciate.  With no port calls, this cruise is perfect for those who just want to get away from it all and enjoy some quiet time at sea.  Passengers disembark in Vancouver on Sunday, May 2.  Fares start at $149.

HAL’s  beautiful Ryndam has a wide, teak promenade deck that’s lined with old-fashioned deck chairs.  It’s a lovely, traditional cruise liner with a three-story atrium and a grand staircase.  Ryndam sails from San Diego on Wednesday, May 5th and spends two days at sea before arriving in Victoria.  She sails from Victoria at midnight, so guests can enjoy Victoria at night when the Empress Hotel, Houses of Parliament, and other buildings on the Inner Harbor are all illuminated.  Passengers disembark in Vancouver on Sunday, May 9.  Fares start at $199.

Statendam

With a fountain that cascades 26 feet down through the three-story atrium, the 1,258-passenger Statendam is a beautiful ship with excellent service.  She sails from San Diego on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 and arrives in Port Angeles after two days at sea.  In Port Angeles, you can tour spectacular Hurricane Ridge or go wine tasting at 15 Olympic Peninsula wineries.  Statendam arrives in Vancouver on Sunday, May 16.

Find more Holland America repositioning cruises here.

Vancouver Image Flickr: PoYang_博仰
Catalina Island Image Flickr: GeeSeeBee
Statendam Image Flickr: axiepics

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