Cruising California’s famously scenic Highway 1—windows down, wind whipping your hair, music cranked as the road plays peekaboo with the rugged coastline—is a bucket list road trip for people from around the world, and for good reason. But there’s another equally compelling way to travel the California coast—and it’s not on wheels.
This past spring, my longtime friend Lisa and I boarded the Discovery Princess for a weeklong round-trip cruise from Los Angeles, with port stops in San Francisco; Santa Barbara; San Diego; and Ensenada, Mexico. Although we both live in Southern California, the Classic California Coast cruise was the perfect way to catch up while enjoying a fun “road trip” by sea. Here are 7 things that make this trip easy and relaxing.