We are interested in a cruise to the West Coast starting Oct. 12th to Oct. 19th. starting in L.A., at sea, San Francisco, at sea, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Ensenada and back to L.A.

How warm is it during that time of the year? Could you wear shorts and t-shirts, and may be go swimming somewhere or would it be too cold for that? How about rain? Having only one week vacation it would be the best way for us to visit San Francisco and San Diego since we have to fly from Montreal to L.A.

We usually cruise to the Caribbean where it is always warm even in December.

Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks.

All should be fairly warm that time of year, but not Caribbean warm............you'll be able to wear shorts and t-shirts, but bring a jacket.

Thanks tenthumbs.

I always wanted to visit the San Diego Zoo. Since we probably will have time to do only one excusion per city, would you say that this is a good choice or if there is something better to see. Any suggestions for San Francisco?

Your swimming will be in the heated pool on the ship -- not in the Pacific. Even in July the water is too cold for many visitors - only marginally warmer in LA than in SF.

But October in general is one of the best months along the coast weather-wise. No fog and it shouldn't rain - but an early storm is always possible.

The California coast/Pacific Ocean couldn't be more different than the Caribbean/southeast US/Atlantic coast. We aren't tropical by any measure. It will be warmer the farther south you go.

we were posting at the same time. The San Diego zoo is great - some prefer the Wild animal park.

There are TONS of things to see/do in SF. Mostly depends on what interest you.

Go to The World Famous San Diego Zoo.

SF. in itself is a fabulous destination, walking the neighborhoods, Saturday Farmers Mkt at the Ferry Building, ferry boat over to Sausalito, day trip to Muir Woods or wine country.

SF. Would a visit to Alcatraz be a good choice?

Bring a light jacket that can handle a bit of breeze and some light rain will be fine. My wife is a "cold person" and would pack much warmer than me. I'd do shorts, she wouldn't.

We thought Alcatraz was a really interesting site. Although there are fewer tourists here in October than in June, it is prime convention season, so if you decide Alcatraz is on your list, I'd suggest making an advance reservation. There's only one way to get there and that's on the official national park service boat.

http://www.nps.gov/alca/index.htm

Alcatraz is great - but you really must book in advance. Leaving it to the day, you'll likely strike out.

Your cruise line should have shore excursions and these can sometimes be more fun than going it alone.

If you want to get on shore on DIY, then one of the important things to find out is how long your cruise ship will remain in any port. You may not have a full day, even though the brochure might say that "abc day" is in SF, and "def day" is in Santa Barbara.

Sounds like a fun cruise. Which cruise line?

We would be on Princess Sapphire.

Tried to check their shore excursions but it keeps saying "Updating excursion list - Please wait..." but nothing happens.

Sorry, I didn't realize this would be an excursion from a cruise ship. Alcatraz is not the way I'd spend a partial day here. Instead, I'd walk along the Embarcadero, walking toward theVallejo steps, cut over to Coit Tower, come down the other side, and go to North Beach, Upper Grant Ave and Chinatown, then back to the cruise ship.

I like sf's ideas but somehow I'd put a cable car in there. In October, the line should be shorter to board.

I agree, and I'd also add the curvy part of Lombard Street.

I agree with sf7307 and 5alive for activity suggestions. The weather in October is usually warm and pleasant but it is likely to be chilly in the mornings and evenings. Bring a sweatshirt and/or jacket. Also it is possible to have some rain at that time of year. Or not. We were involved with an outdoor music festival for many years the first/second weeks of October, and we did have rain a few times. Not heavy or serious, but a lightweight rain jacket could be necessary. I'd just go buy one in SF if needed.

As far as going to the San Diego Zoo the ship excursion is $75 for a 7 hour tour. I don't know if I want to spend that many hours there, if I get tired I would have to wait until the end, like it or not. I think the price of admission is $40-$45. Would it be a problem finding a taxi going there and back? This way we could leave whenever we want and do other things if we want. It would also be cheaper that way. Shouldn't cost $60 in taxi or would it?

We have booked on the same cruise. We are flying up from New Zealand and are very interested in the comments you have received
Did you book on the cruise?

We did an Alaskan cruise a few years ago, and shared our dining table with a Canadian couple. It was their second cruise, and they decided not to buy the cruise line's shore excursions because you can buy the same thing on the wharf from tour vendors at a cheaper price.
Something to think about