Take Me Back is a phrase my friend Heidi and I have spoken to each other several times since we sailed on a Princess Cruise a few years ago. We have such fond memories from our cruise, from the food and friends to the destinations we were taken to during our 4 days onboard. Memories of a lifetime!

Princess Cruises recently announced that one of their newest, most elegant ships – the Royal Princess – will be setting sail on the West Coast from Los Angeles for the first time in 2019. The ship’s itineraries will include sails to the Mexican Riviera, California Coast, Hawaii, and Alaska.

If you didn’t already know (or could have guessed), the Royal Princess was officially named in 2013 by a real life princess – Her Royal Highness, Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge.

The California and West Coasts

Something that always impressed me about Princess Cruises is their attention to detail when it comes to selecting ports and experiences to offer their travelers.

One of the stops on our West Coast cruise was in Santa Barbara. Being from Florida, I haven’t spent a lot of time on the West Coast so this cruise was especially enticing for me because of its destinations. Seeing another side of the country with all the comforts of cruising was a highlight of my experience.

Santa Barbara is absolutely beautiful and rightfully earns the reference as the “American Riviera”. Boats, mountains and palm trees greet us as we take tenders from the cruise ship into the port, it’s a welcoming sight to see.

One of the excursions offered while in Santa Barbara was a wine tasting experience at a family owned local winery. An opportunity to experience wine country is always something I look forward to and this excursion did not disappoint. The winery we spent the afternoon at was Fess Parker Winery where we tasted a sampling of wines paired with the most amazing menu of food cooked by a local chef.

This wine tasting excursion was one of the most memorable parts of my cruise. It was such a treat to be completely immersed into the scenery, the wine and the food for an afternoon.

Additional stops on the Royal Princess along the West Coast include Cabo San Lucas, San Fransisco and Vancouver. Vancouver has always been on my travel bucket list!

Beautiful view of Vancouver skyline with Stanley Park at sunset, British Columbia, Canada.

The Royal Princess

This month, the Royal Princess will undergo a multimillion dollar program of refurbishments, including upgraded luxury beds as well as new equipment in their spa and gym. Their Camp Discovery Youth and Teen Centers will welcome new experiences for younger travelers.

Check out this incredible overwater SeaWalk on the Royal Princess – a 60-foot long glass walkway standing 128 feet above the ocean!

The post Royal Princess Sailing The West Coast In 2019 appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

This post is part of a series sponsored by Princess Cruises.

One of the many fun parts of cruising is the getting off the ship to explore whatever destination your ship docks at. The West Coast Getaway Princess Cruise I sailed on earlier this fall hugged the California Coast and took us to Santa Barbara and Ensenada wine country. I am smitten with wine country and loved seeing new (to me) places and of course experience their food and wine.

One of our ports during our cruise was Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is just north of Los Angeles and commonly referred to as the “American Riviera”. How enticing does that sound? We docked off shore and took tenders into the port where there were plenty of boats (big and small), people, mountains and palm trees surrounding us.

Really gorgeous. The sky was perfectly blue for us that day as we drove through Santa Barbara and into the Santa Ynez Valley on our wine tasting excursion to family owned Fess Parker Winery where we would be spending the afternoon enjoying local wine and food.

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Allison arrived to meet me at the CIA in Napa Valley Thursday afternoon in this fun yellow cutie.

Meet Lucy.  (and Allison).

Here we are in front of our room at Meadowood.

Lucy did not come accessorized.
We had to pick up a little flower for her along the way (which became a nice souvenir for Gina).

First stop on the wine tasting adventure, Hall Wines

for some

(they were good…but not sure about crazy good).

After a not so substantial parking lot breakfast of trail mix, half a cereal bar and a plum followed by a wine tasting, lunch was definitely a priority.  Bistro Don Giovanni’s came highly recommended and we couldn’t wait to check it out.

This place was awesome!  The atmosphere was bustling but charming.  It was described to us as very “Napa”.  Everyone who worked here was super friendly…both owners stopped by our table to chat and ask how we were doing…it was a fun place to people watch too.

Carrying these name cards around with us may have helped in the friendly people department.  Everywhere we went, everyone knew our name!

Oh…and the food?  Unbelievable!  We enjoyed some appetizers and a big bowl of vegetable and farro soup (perfect for the chilly day)…

Bruschetta – Fresh grilled bread topped with white bean puree and sardines caught in Monterey Bay.  First time eating sardines for both of us and we loved this!

Carpaccio – Thinly sliced filet of beef, capers, arugula, parmesan and a bistro breadstick.  Melted in our mouths…I may have to learn how to make this at home.

Autumn Ravioli – can’t remember exactly but I believe the pasta was made out of butternut squash or pumpkin and filled with ricotta.  It was in a sage and butter sauce.  Heavenly.

Why oh why did I not take pictures of the food???

Next on the agenda was a random stop at Sawyer Cellars.  A small quaint farmhouse with delicious wine.  We both ended up going home with a couple of bottles here.

The wine taster was fun and kept us entertained while he gave us a little history of the property.  Oh and I have to mention how unbelievably “grapey” it smelled there.  It hit us the minute we walked in the building.  We asked about it and he said it was the fermentation of the grapes that we smelled (it’s “crush” season in Napa right now)…I had a huge moment of deja vu bringing me back to my very young days in NY where my grandpa used to make wine in our garage every year.  I am on a mission to find some pictures of that, it was always fun and what I would do to get my hands on some of that wine again!

Sawyer Cellars farmhouse:

After some quick texting back and forth with Allison’s parents, we ended up at Del Dotto Estate Vineyards.  Allison’s dad visited there and raved about it…we had to go.  So glad we did.

This place was GORGEOUS.  Del Dotto has two locations, one in St. Helena and one in Napa.  Our Friday afternoon visit was to the St. Helena location.

Everything about it was beautiful, they really have a nice set up.  Lots of tasting tables scattered throughout the rooms with a very Venetian feel to it.  And their little complimentary breadsticks were good too.  Addictingly good (maybe it was the wine?).  I think I may have eaten a whole basketful, dipped in olive oil….along with some chocolate.  Good stuff and VERY good wine!

What’s unique about Del Dotto is the caves.  They have cave tours held at both locations.  We were told the cave at the St. Helena location is the “Vegas” version of the old cave at the Napa location.  We opted to visit the ancient cave and booked ourselves a tour for first thing the next morning.

(the “fancy” cave at Del Dotto Vineyards St. Helena)

Dinner Friday night…

and where we slept…

Saturday morning we started with a much more substantial breakfast from Bouchon Bakery

(pumpkin brioche, almond croissant, regular croissant and some much needed coffee…)

and a run in with Thomas Keller’s garden scarecrow on our sunrise walk through Yountville (gotta love the East Coast/West Coast time difference…probably the only time I get out of bed that early with that much gusto!)

(isn’t he so stinkin cute? he was nestled in a field of corn, alongside the road, in a big garden used for The French Laundry and Bouchon restaurants)

After our walk and breakfast, off we went to the ancient caves of Del Dotto.

We had a few issues finding the place but if you ever find yourself “lost in Napa” you will quickly realize that there is no way to stress while driving around aimlessly in wine country.  It’s just too beautiful.  We were meeting up with our friends Bonnie and Steve and finally caught up to them in the dark cave…

(Allison, Bonnie and myself with our wine taster Chris…he knows his stuff!)

The wine tasting in the cave was a little different…we focused on the oak barrels more than the wine itself.  All the barrels were made from different oaks, and in turn brought different flavors to the wines.  It was so interesting!  I would love to do a tour like this again…hopefully one day Larry and I can sneak off to Napa together for a weekend.  🙂

Wine tasting notes:  It is VERY okay to share wine tasting flights.  It’s economical and Allison and I realized it was essential to split the tastings in order to maintain our stamina if you know what I mean.  And go ahead and eat the complimentary crackers and bread sticks. And toss the wine in the dump bucket if you aren’t that into it.  And don’t forget to drink your water.  These are all very important wine tasting survival tips.

Next up:

Connie recommended visiting her family friends at Reynolds Family Winery.  So glad we did.

Driving into this place, I immediately became awestruck.  The grounds are beautiful, their home is beautiful and it is exactly how I picture it to be to “live in Napa”.  There were pumpkins and colorful flowers everywhere and it felt very homey in the tasting room.  Lots of family pictures and a fat happy cat lounging on the cushy chair.  I just loved it.

Just a typical backyard in wine country…

We ended our tastings at Regusci Winery.  Another small family owned winery…very quaint and charming.

We really enjoyed their wines, especially their Zinfandel.  It was one of my favorites of the entire trip.  Allison and I both took home a bottle…wish we could have fit more in our luggage!  (13 bottles might have been enough…that was a fiasco in itself…oh my.)

The Regusci family dog, Trixie.  She took a liking to me and stayed by my side after we met.  Such a sweet girl (I think she might be 11 years old…).

It was definitely time for lunch at this point.  We made our way to Bouchon and had the most unforgettable meal.  The bread, the service, the atmosphere, our plates of food…it was all more than wonderful.  It was honestly the perfect way to end our trip.

Allison ordered Croque Monsieur and I had the Tartine du jour (Halibut salad served open faced over crusty Thomas Keller bread)…and of course lunch was complete with some crispy Pommes Frites and Heirloom Tomato Salad.  Sigh…just thinking about it is making me so hungry and almost sentimental.  🙂

Until we meet again wine country…I will miss you.

Cheers!!

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