Tag Archives: San Francisco

Princess Cruises Expands with Year-Round Sailings from Los Angeles

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According to a press release, Princess Cruises has added a series of new summer season cruises sailing roundtrips from Los Angeles in 2023.

Between May and August of next year, Princess Cruises will mark year-round sailings from Los Angeles aboard the Emerald Princess, a MedallionClass ship, to Mexico, Hawaii, and the California Coast, with cruises ranging from five to 16 days.

Guests on the Emerald Princess can use their Medallion wearable device to enable contactless boarding, geolocation, and other services. At the same time, all bookings include onboard dining and entertainment, as well as a variety of shore excursions, according to Princess Cruises.

The company has also launched a deal that offers $1 deposits and $50 onboard spending money per person, for guests that complete their reservations by July 19, 2022.

Summer 2023 Itineraries:

Mexican Riviera with La Paz – 7 days – Stops in Cabo San Lucas, La Paz and Ensenada – Departure dates June 24, 2023, and July 29, 2023

Hawaiian Islands – 16 days – Stops in Hilo, Honolulu, Maui (Lahaina), Kauai (Nawiliwili), and Ensenada – Departure dates: May 4, 2023, June 1, 2023, July 6, 2023, and August 5, 2023

Classic California Coast – 7 days – Overnight in San Francisco – Stops in San Diego and Ensenada – Departure dates: May 20, 2023, June 17, 2023, and July 22, 2023

Cabo San Lucas Getaway – 5 days – Overnight in Cabo San Lucas – Departure date: May 27, 2023

West Coast Getaway with San Francisco – 5 days – Stops in San Francisco and Ensenada – Departure date: July 1, 2023

Koningsdam Set to Resume Service, Kicking Off First Season on the West Coast

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Holland America Line is resuming service on the West Coast today, as the Koningsdam welcomes guests back in San Diego.

After a 19-month operational pause, the 2016-built vessel is starting a week-long California Coast voyage.

Debuting in the region, the Koningsdam is set to visit three ports during the cruise, including Catalina Island and San Francisco, where an overnight stop allows the guests to explore further. Before returning to its homeport, the 2,650-guest ship also pays a visit to Ensenada, a popular cruise port in Mexico.

Now sailing from San Diego every Sunday, the Koningsdam is also offering Mexican Riviera itineraries through the end of the year. The seven-night cruises include call in three ports: Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta.

From January, the vessel’s program will see the addition of longer voyages to Hawaii, with visits to Honolulu, Hilo, Lahaina and more.

Inspired by Holland America Lines’ Dutch roots and heritage, the Koningsdam was named to honour His Majesty King Willem-Alexander, the first king of the Netherlands in over a century.

With the word koning standing for “king” in Dutch, the name is also meant, according to the company, to celebrate the majestic ship.

As the first vessel in the Pinnacle-class, the Koningsdam ushered a new era for Holland America Line, debuting a new design approach and several new features.

With interiors created by Adam D. Tihany and Bjørn Storbraaten, the 99,500-ton ship was conceived to blend a fresh, contemporary styling with the line’s renowned classic elegance.

The iconic Queen’s Lounge, for instance, was completely reimagined for the ship, becoming an elegant theatre and entertainment venue that spans two floors. 

Also debuting was an updated culinary vision for the fleet, with new dining and eatery concepts, including the Grand Dutch Café, another nod to Holland America Line’s heritage, and a place to grab Dutch-themed snacks and beverages.

Following the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Eurodam, which resumed service in July and August, respectively, the Koningsdam is the third Holland America Line vessel to restart guest services.

Three additional vessels are welcoming the guests back for the company through the end of December, including the 2018-built Nieuw Statendam.

San Francisco Group Blames Ships For Dead Whales

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A diseased subadult male grey whale lies dead on a beach at Angel Island State Park near San Francisco, California, Picture was taken April 8, 2021. Photo by The Marine Mammal Center/Handout via REUTERS

by Rich McKay (Reuters) – Four dead gray whales washed ashore on San Francisco Bay area beaches in nine days, with experts announcing that two of the giant aquatic mammals died from ship strikes and an investigation is ongoing Saturday on the other two.

Biologists with the non-profit Marine Mammal Center in California said in a release Saturday that two dead whales washed ashore in the Bay area on Thursday, joining two more that were discovered dead in area beaches since March 31.

Of the four animals, two died from blunt force trauma from ship strikes, the center said.

“It’s alarming to respond to four dead gray whales in just over a week because it really puts into perspective the current challenges faced by this species,” Padraig Duignan, director of pathology at the center said in a news release.

Other common causes of gray whale deaths include starvation and complications from becoming entangled in deep sea fishing lines nets and other equipment, the center said.

The center’s experts were joined by biologists from the California Academy of Sciences to perform the necropsies.

Climate change can affect water temperatures which impacts on the availability of food for the whales, which can grow to nearly 50 feet long and migrate about 10,000 miles every year between feeding grounds in the cold, north Pacific waters and breeding grounds in warm-water lagoons of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula.

The species is not currently considered endangered but is protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the United States.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries division track whale populations. Its last published study in 2016 found a population of 27,000 gray whales. Data from a 2020 study is still being analyzed, according to the NOAA website.

Related Book: Handbook of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the World by Mark Carwardine