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Tourists find sunny, comfortable weather in America Riviera DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESSThe Majestic Princess visits Santa Barbara Wednesday.
A sailboat cruised by a much larger cruise ship anchored Wednesday a short distance from the Santa Barbara Harbor, and there was little doubt that the giant vessel lived up to its name.
The Majestic Princess was in town.
Passersby looked with interest at the cruise ship from the harbor area.
And tourists from the ship, including those from other countries, visited the harbor area, Stearns Wharf and lower State Street, bringing a festive atmosphere to Santa Barbara as they checked out restaurants and stores. Some took photos of each other on the pedestrian promenade on State Street, with Santa Barbara in all its glory behind them.
For the first time since the pandemic started in 2020, cruise ships began visiting Santa Barbara on March 16 when Majestic Princess made its first visit of this year. The ship returned March 30, and Wednesday’s stop marked its third visit.
Other ships that have visited so far have included the Koningsdam and the Discovery Princess.
The next cruise ship in Santa Barbara will be the Ruby Princess, in its first visit this year, on Monday.
By May 20, a total of 17 visits by cruise ships will have taken place, according to the city of Santa Barbara. As usual, cruise ships visit this area in the off season, bringing many visitors from around the world to State Street in support of Santa Barbara’s tourism industry.
The tourists on Wednesday came a week after the heat wave and found comfortable, moderate temperatures.
The high at the Santa Barbara Airport was a moderate 71, and the National Weather Service said highs would remain in the low 70s today through Saturday in the American Riviera.
Elsewhere in Santa Barbara County, highs were moderate. The weather service is predicting conditions to remain that way through Saturday, varying from the mid-60s in Santa Maria to the low 70s in Santa Ynez.
The weather service also said it will be sunny today and Friday, but clouds will roll in Saturday.
email: dmason@newspress.com
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