San Francisco, California

We stayed the weekend before our cruise and booked tours independently. The first one was through "Tower Tours". This was a 2 part tour. They picked us up at the hotel then brought everyone to their main office. From there we had to walk to the pier to catch the boat to Alcatraz. This was my only real complaint. The walk was about 5 or 6 blocks long, minimum. If you're elderly or have a disability, the walk wouldn't be an easy one. If they offered rides to the pier it wasn't made known to me. Then we had to exchange our ticket for a different one once at the pier, which again wasn't made clear. After moving into two different lines we were finally ready to board, nearly missing our scheduled time. Alcatraz itself was a great tour. My hat's off to the park service for keeping this site in pristine condition. Very informative. The other part of tour consisted of agm inner city tour. After walking back to the office we then boarded a bus. The driver was fantastic. Very funny and knowledgable we went by several great places. Golden gate bridge, fisherman's wharf, China town, and the Presidio to name just a few. Unfortunately we didn't have much time at any one and only few offered stops to get out and stretch or take pictures. This really should be a full day tour instead of being crammed into 4 or 5 hours. We were then dropped off at our hotel. The next day we went to the "aquarium of the bay". Another great place to visit, then hung out at pier 39, which is right next door. A carnival type atmosphere and a fun place stroll and look for deals or people watch. With great sight lines of both Alcatraz and the golden gate bridge along with the famous pier 39 seals. A great day overall.

Visited: Nov 18, 2019

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If they had offered ten stars then thats what I would have given. Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge into the bay with Sausalito to the left, Alcatraz dead ahead, San Francisco with its cable cars to the right. Yes, heavenly. The ship ties-up next to a tram stop from which you can turn left and travel inexpensively into the city (six minutes) or, turn right and visit the various Pier 39 attractions and find the terminus for the cable car (five minutes). Take a tour, cross the bridge, visit Sausalito, go to Alcatraz, ride the cable car...fill your boots!

Visited: Jan 02, 2017

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Always love visiting San Francisco. Lots to do. Visit to Alcatraz was worth it, but a little chilly on the water in the Pacific. The Bay Bridge is stunning at night as they have added synchronized lighting. Sausalito was worth the visit.

Visited: Sep 29, 2017

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it is Great if you stay near fisherman’s wharf or china town. I heard there is some dangerous areas in the city. Chinatown is great for shopping and so is fisherman’s wharf.Gherdelli square is cool and I liked walking around the area. Lombard street is a sight to see. In and out burger has a good burger if you never ate one. the sail away here is is the best I have ever done.

This an an amazing port for embarkation and debarkation! The security check went so fast. The desk that we got our cruise cards from was super efficient and fast as well. For our sail away on the Grand Princess we sailed UNDER THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE. 5/5 stars