Santa Barbara

We wake early to the sound of the announcement that we are able to go ashore.  Today we are in Santa Barbara and we are also tendering ashore.  Again we are in no real rush to go ashore, relaxing takes priority.  I catch up on my blog and Bernie heads to the Horizon Court for some breakfast.

We don’t even head down to the tender until 10:30 and we head straight to the gangway with our elite perk of priority tendering ashore.  Although it helped having this perk today our tender is very slow to fill and head out. 

The tender ride is around 20 minutes cause they can’t go very fast in the harbour and then when they get the breakway they really need to slow down.  Not to mention all the paddle boarders in the water that they need to watch out for.  But it is a lovely day and we enjoy the ride.  But my recommendation is if you don’t want to wait long for tenders go early (I recommend go before 9:30). 

Once ashore we are lead down the pier and at the end of it we are greeted by numerous volunteers that can offer maps, answer question and lead us where we need to go.  Here is also where you will find your tour if you have one booked with Princess.  They have great signs all along the road there with big letters identifying where you meet. 

You can easily also get on a hop on hop off bus here too, pick up a taxi, or take one of the shuttles (for a small fee, I believe it is .50) that will take you uptown. Here is a website that talks all about transportation click

But for us we decide to walk and who comes up behind us but Michelle and Mark, and since they know this area we walk with them.  We walk along the water to State Street, which has a beautiful pier that you can walk out on.

We turn left and head inland on State Street making a quick detour at the train station to check out the huge fig tree.  

We travel under the highway underpass and once we come out the other side there are lots and lots of shops, restaurants, cafes, galleries, you name it to see.

I see a Starbucks and we all head in for a drink.  Fueled with my espresso we can continue on. 

We detour off State Street to head over to a sushi restaurant a friend recommended on Bath Street called Sushi Teri.  It is easy enough to find and we enjoy a meal of sushi.

After leaving the restaurant we continue walking up Bath Street to Victoria where we turn right and visit the Santa Barbara Public Market, which is like no market I have ever seen.  Not very big and very high end, but looks like a great place to come for a meal.

We walk around and start to head back down State Street but I am fading, in fact I feel like I have hit a wall.  I guess the lack of a restful sleep last night is catching up with me.  So we agree we will just head back to the ship.

intersection at the beach on State Street with the pier

Once we arrive at the tender pier there is a line but it is not horrible and it seems to be moving.  The time is 2:15.  A lot of the line is under cover and that helps keep us out of the sun, but it is not hot hot but certainly beautiful weather.  Don’t forget to wear sun screen though.

We are back on board around 3 pm and I head right to the cabin where I crawl into bed and crash for two hours and when I wake I feel rested and comment “that is just what I needed”. 

I can hear the Captain coming on making announcements but I don’t know what is being said.  There are quite a few announcements but I am just too lazy to get up to hear what is being said, even too lazy to get the remote.