# Looking for a cruise between Seattle and Southern California **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2025, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227 "2025-03-28T00:36:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/1 "2025-03-28T00:36:54Z")
Or vice-versa. Please note the word “cruise” in the title. If it involves planes, trains or automobiles please take it elsewhere-We would like to travel by ship. Doing an online search is next to impossible because the see the word “Seattle” and give me pages of Alaska cruises, interspersed with trips from Southern California to the Caribbean (and other non-west coast destinations.) Does what we want actually exist? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/2 "2025-03-28T01:41:07Z")
Try looking up Los Angeles to Vancouver if that could potentially work for you. Some friends went last year. I think the cruise line is Celebrity. ETA: The second to last stop is Victoria where you can catch a passenger ferry to Seattle. ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/3 "2025-03-28T01:45:41Z")
Foggy uninteresting route…do Seattle to Alaska and back …superb ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/4 "2025-03-28T01:48:13Z")
Will it allow me to disembark in Seattle before going on to Canada? > [@MacDoc](#): > > Foggy uninteresting route…do Seattle to Alaska and back …superb Don’r want, and not looking for, Alaska cruise. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/5 "2025-03-28T01:49:50Z")
I doubt it stops in Seattle but check my edit above. AFAIK, You can always disembark a cruise early. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/6 "2025-03-28T01:53:39Z")
For the purpose of this discussion let us assume that I do not wish to get a passport and thus I want to go no further than Seattle on one end of the trip, and no further than San Diego on the other end of the trip. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/7 "2025-03-28T02:00:37Z")
My understanding is that the availability of such cruises is limited due to the [Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Vessel_Services_Act_of_1886). With some exceptions, only US flagged, manufactured, and staffed vessels can transport passengers directly between US ports. And there are precious few of those. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/8 "2025-03-28T02:02:41Z")
That explains quite a bit-Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/9 "2025-03-28T02:10:00Z")
It’s a gorgeous drive tho along 101…one of the best in the world. This might work for you > **[Oregon & Washington Rivers Cruise | American Cruise Lines](https://www.americancruiselines.com/cruises/columbia-and-snake-river-cruises/columbia-and-snake-rivers-cruise)** > > Explore captivating landscapes aboard our Oregon & Washington Rivers Cruise. Immerse yourself in rich history as we navigate the Columbia and Snake Rivers. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/10 "2025-03-28T02:11:14Z")
Also not what I am asking about at all. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/11 "2025-03-28T02:13:46Z")
I think what you’re looking for is a “repositioning” cruise. The ships that cruise Alaska in the summer and Mexico in the winter will take passengers when they’re moving between locations in the spring and fall. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/12 "2025-03-28T02:15:26Z")
Did some research on that, and there are three problems: 1. The ships from Southern California do not even have a stopover in Seattle on the way to Vancouver. 2. You have to pay the full amount up front. 3. Even if a way is found to sneak off early in Seattle, they will not allow me to take the luggage with me. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/13 "2025-03-28T02:16:44Z")
Are there any repositioning cruises between Seattle and Southern California? ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/14 "2025-03-28T02:17:57Z")
Suggest you are out of luck if that 9 day cruise in the Pacific Northwest is not of interest. Don’t understand what kind of experience you are after. So perhaps the conclusion - boring - not offered off shore cruise does not exist. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/15 "2025-03-28T02:20:45Z")
Just looking for 4 to 7 days at sea on a ship, without need of passport, mostly. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/16 "2025-03-28T02:30:16Z")
You generally don’t need a passport to go on a cruise in North America (including canada and most/all of the caribbean) if you’re starting and ending in an American port. It’s recommended that you have one, in case, for example, you get left at a destination and need to get home. It depends on the cruise line too, but most of them will let you on board with a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship and a state ID like a license. So even with a stop in Vancouver you’ll be fine. I looked up a cruise like you wanted on [cruiseplum.com](http://cruiseplum.com) and there were none with that itinerary. If they existed, it’d probably only be once per year when the Alaska cruises are returning down south. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/17 "2025-03-28T02:33:59Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Just looking for 4 to 7 days at sea on a ship, without need of passport, mostly. I think you’re SOL ("S\*\*\* Outta Luck) on that one. IME nobody offers strictly US to US cruises. And most any cruise which goes elsewhere than US will require a passport. With a small exception for Canada as long as nobody in DC has thrown a tantrum recently. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/18 "2025-03-28T02:36:40Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > With a small exception for Canada as long as nobody in DC has thrown a tantrum recently. And that’s not a bet I would be willing to take at this time. Can you blame me? ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/19 "2025-03-28T02:36:41Z")
Well those North West river cruises are cruise ships on a big river with scenery on both sides instead of open sea. Terrific itinerary. We always cruised close to shore ( Inside Passage, Baltic Cruises ). If we were still cruising in North America we’d certainly consider that and no passport needed. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2025, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227/20 "2025-03-28T02:37:49Z")
One more time: That is a lovely solution…to someone _else’s_ problem, even if you take into account the greatly increased costs, the lack of an ocean and the far too frequent stops. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-cruise-between-seattle-and-southern-california/1016227.md?page=2)