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Amtrak to San Francisco


pelpot
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Was wondering if anybody has had experience traveling by Amtrak (we are coming from Fresno taking Amtrak to emeryville station then by Amtrak bus to fisherman’s wharf). We are planning to walk from the wharf to the cruise terminal (terminal 27?).I was wondering if this is doable with our luggages with us . We are also leaving the day of the cruise with ETA in SF at 1100am. Any feedback and suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

 

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Never done Amtrak to SF, but have done it cross country a couple of times. They're pretty good about keeping on schedule, but if there's a problem the schedule is shot.

One of our trips there was an accident on the tracks further up the line and we had to get off, go to catch a bus, get on bus to get past the problem then back on train. It added hours to our journey. I'd recommend that you leave the day before and stay in a hotel overnight...just in case.

I've also done Amtrak from LA to Monterrey, CA which involved a bus transfer. It wasn't too bad.

As far as luggage, there are racks in each car for you to store your suitcases. Never had a problem with anyone messing with them.

You want to make sure that the suitcases you take are easy to drag around. Don't take more than you can comfortably handle.

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I've taken Amtrak all over the country and it is the long distance / overnight trains that are prone to delays, mostly because they run on freight company tracks and often they must pull onto a siding to let freight trains pass. Regional trains like the San Joaquin line you are considering run very tight to schedule.

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I am glad this got moved here...as the Princess board was not the best place for it.

 

I agree the regional trains do far better than the long haul trains with on time performance. But, if you have a 4 or 5pm sailing, and the requirement to be on board 90 or 120 minutes prior to sailing..knowing Amtrak's history...

 

Could you come up at a more reasonable hour the day before, and spend a night in a hotel in the city? I would feel much more comfortable.

 

Walking from Fisherman's Wharf to Pier 27 is the least of your worries. A little reading here would reveal that is a flat, pretty easy, maybe 20 minute walk.

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Thanks to all for your reply. I suppose we can arrive a day before and spend a night in SF. We thought we could save us a couple hundred dollars by just leaving the day of the cruise but was not sure if that was a good idea or not.

 

 

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you will go from Fresno to Stockton for a train change to the capitol corridor train and then to EMY ( Emeryville ) Then you'll board the Amtrak bus to SFW

( Pier 39 / Fishermens Wharf. Pier 27 is about 1/3 mile on flat land. Nice walk. Or you can grab Lyft from EMY to Pier 27. About $25,00. Look for the Lyft Calculator on line to check your costs if you want to do Lyft. I don't do Uber so have no info on them.

We took Lyft yesterday from Pier 27 to EMY and it was 16.00 plus a 10.00 tip. ( optional )

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OOPS...you'll stay on the San Joaquin train. Not the Capitol Corridor. You can also go all the way to Oakland and take Lyft from there. This is a really easy process for you. We have done Amtrak often. A great way to commute to the city.

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Also, no need to stay in the city for a night. Amtrak is great for being on schedule. We've never had an issue.

 

Remember those test taking rules about the words "never" and "always"? You have been successful, as have I in the half dozen or so trips I have taken on the Capitals...but then a person decides to stop a train with his/her body...or their car...

 

I look at this like flying into a port...best to fly in the day before, even relatively short trips.

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I would not take a chance on arriving in San Francisco (or any port for that matter) on the day your ship sails. The price one pays for a hotel would pale in comparison to what it would cost you to fly to wherever the ship's first port is. (And, I am assuming that the cruise line would allow you to embark once the cruise as begun.)

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I suppose we can arrive a day before and spend a night in SF. We thought we could save us a couple hundred dollars by just leaving the day of the cruise but was not sure if that was a good idea or not.

 

I'm assuming you have been to San Francisco before since you live in Fresno. If sightseeing in the City is not a priority, I suggest you take Amtrak to Emeryville a day early and spend the night on that side of the bay.

 

For example, the Hilton Garden Inn in Emeryville is much less expensive than anything you're likely to find in San Francisco, and it also offers a free shuttle that would pick you up at the Emeryville Amtrak Station. The next day you could take the free shuttle to the nearest BART Station (Ashby Avenue) and then take BART to Embarcadero Station in SF ($4.45 one way or $1.45 for seniors). From there you could walk or take Uber to Pier 27.

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I’ve taken Amtrak several times into Emeryville and then taken the bus to the pier. It’s an easy walk with luggage as long as you can walk about 1/2 mile. It’s better if it’s not raining g but, I’ve done it in the rain and it wasn’t too bad. We just walked faster and the sidewalk was not as crowded.

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I took an Amtrak Cascades train from Seattle to Vancouver on the day of a Cruise and was lucky to get on board. A freight train load shifted hitting the bridge into Vancouver. We had to get bussed into the cruise terminal and only made the ship because it was a chaotic 3 ship day in Vancouver.

 

We will not arrive into the port on the same day as departure unless absolutely unavoidable.

 

Stay the night before and save yourself the potential headache and hassle.

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Thanks everyone for all the advise! Editrix. If we book a hotel in Emeryville as you suggested, we may take Lyft to the port if it is only $25-30. I think it will be much more convenient with all our luggages in tow, a little bit concerned about the traffic though. We may also consider staying in a hotel closer to the port the night before to do a little sight seeing in SF, any recommendations for hotels near the cruise terminal?

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Thanks everyone for all the advise! Editrix. If we book a hotel in Emeryville as you suggested, we may take Lyft to the port if it is only $25-30. I think it will be much more convenient with all our luggages in tow, a little bit concerned about the traffic though. We may also consider staying in a hotel closer to the port the night before to do a little sight seeing in SF, any recommendations for hotels near the cruise terminal?

 

There are recommendations and links in this earlier thread.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=55088050&highlight=san+francisco+hotels#post55088050

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My goodness.......One who worries this much about a short commute may want to consider staying home or leave a month early! I hope there isn't a Amtrak strike or a hotel strike or a protest for whatever reason or a snow storm or war or a boycott or a flat tire or a oil spill in the harbor or the ship run aground or, or or....!

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My goodness.......One who worries this much about a short commute may want to consider staying home or leave a month early! I hope there isn't a Amtrak strike or a hotel strike or a protest for whatever reason or a snow storm or war or a boycott or a flat tire or a oil spill in the harbor or the ship run aground or, or or....!

 

Well...just today, the ACE Train, which operates on some (but not all) of the same tracks, had a major mechanical problem...might have impacted Amtrak's operations...

 

The OP might be doing a Hawaii 15 day cruise. If they miss the sailing, they don't catch up for 5 days. A 10 day Hawaii, at least 2 days.

 

If you have thousands of dollars invested in a cruise, isn't there any common sense actions you can take to prevent problems?

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Took Amtrak a few times from Stockton to Bakersfield. Yep, most times no problem. Except that one time when the train hit a car and we sat for four hours.

 

To bad the MegaBus doesn't stop in Fresno or even anywhere close.

 

Totally agree about staying on the East Bay side the night prior, it's much cheaper.

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OP - Have you considered doing a one way car rental from Fresno to San Francisco. Some might have free shuttles to the pier.

 

Good point, we had that planned last year but canceled. I had a O/W from Stockton to SF, just two blocks from the pier, for $100. I was going to drop everybody off at the pier and then walk back from the rental car drop off.

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As a former engineer (student) that ran the trains that you are talking about I would take 711 to Emeryville and than take the Bus to SF. The time that my wife and I took a Capitol from Sac over 1/2 the bus was going to pier 35 (27 was still being built) so the stopped at the pier for us, they were very accommodating. The San Joaquins do ten to run pretty close to schedule and if you take 711 you are scheduled to get to Emeryville a few minutes past 10 so you have plenty of time for the bus....I would not hesitate to take the train...

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