Alaskan Cruise out of San Francisco May 30

Hey guys,

My partner and I have just signed up for a 10 day cruise on the Grand Princess leaving out of San Francisco on Thursday May 30.

We arrive in the city on May 26 for a few nights of exploring.

Did not know if anyone else out there was considering the same itinerary or possibly already reserved their room.

We did an Alaskan cruise a few years ago out of Seattle and had a great time - also met some good people at the LGBT gatherings on the ship.

Look forward to meeting new friends this time around. ;)

Let us know.

Rich and Bri

Hey guys,

 

My partner and I have just signed up for a 10 day cruise on the Grand Princess leaving out of San Francisco on Thursday May 30.

 

We arrive in the city on May 26 for a few nights of exploring.

 

Did not know if anyone else out there was considering the same itinerary or possibly already reserved their room.

 

We did an Alaskan cruise a few years ago out of Seattle and had a great time - also met some good people at the LGBT gatherings on the ship.

 

Look forward to meeting new friends this time around. ;)

 

Let us know.

 

Rich and Bri

Hey guys - my name is Brian and I will also be on the May 30 sailing of Grand Princess with six other friends. I live about 30 minutes outside of San Francisco so if you need any hints about what to do during your stay, give a shout. Hope to keep in touch and see you on board...

We are arriving on Sun May 26 to celebrate my bday and will be in San Francisco through the sailing on the 30. I will be visiting the area for the first time and so we will do some touristy stuff but always open to suggestions for dinner, possibly bar and any other ideas you might recommend. Staying at the Hotel Palomar on Fourth St and Market. Hope to meet up with you and your friends onboard. We have a had good success meeting new friends and staying connected to them from previous cruises. Hit us back ...

Hey guys - first happy birthday! Nice way to celebrate with a cruise - you'll have to be sure to tell Princess so they can make a fuss over you ;)

Looking forward to meeting up with you on board...let me put my thinking cap on about ideas for dinner, etc. Of course you will check out Castro - and there are plenty of bars up there along with some nice smaller restaurants. If you ride the cable cars down to Fisherman's Wharf, there's the Buena Vista which is famous for Irish Coffee. But as I say let me think up some things and I'll post them here for you in a bit...

Thanks it's the big 40 for me. We are doing a walking tour of Castro before walking around a bit ourselves. Based on your suggestion we will also add the Buena Vista hotel. We are considering Beach Blanket Babylon if time permits as well.

As for the excursions still looking at options but should be landing on a few in the weeks ahead. We did an Alaskan cruise in 2010 and loved it. Glacier Bay was phenomenal and we got some great pics.

You sound like a frequent cruiser. We just started a few years ago so this will be our 4th in 5 years (usually one a year). Do you and your friends travel often as a group? Believe it or not, being from Florida we have never done a cruise out of Florida and into the Caribbean. We tend to prefer cooler climate when vacation given the Florida humidity. :D

Well happy big 4-0. I was there a while ago and believe me it's not bad :)

So I did some quick research regarding stuff to do in SF...you'll have your hands full. I actually live outside the city about 40 minutes, so I'm in the burbs and when people come to town, I have to resort to research :)

First of all, if you haven't already, check out this website - lots of things to do and places to eat from the lgbt perspective -

http://www.sanfrancisco.travel/lgbt/

If you do head to the Buena Vista, you can combine that with some time at Fisherman's Wharf - it's all within walking distance. There's a restaurant at Ghirardelli Square called McCormick & Keleto's, 900 North Point Street. Beautiful place with great views of the bay and Golden Gate - you can imagine yourselves sailing that way on the 30th! It's a little bit touristy, but I've been there a number of times with friends and it's a cool place for locals too.

The Hotel Palomar looks sweet - and you're within walking distance of a lot of things. Yerba Buena gardens is about six blocks and has some nice things including the Martin Luther King memorial. There's also the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art across the street. You are also right near Union Square which is great for shopping and restaurants. Also nearby is the Westfield San Francisco Center, which is also another SF landmark shopping area.

The Ferry Building is at the foot of Market Street and was refurbished a few years ago and turned into an upscale food hall. Nice place to browse around and there is a Farmer's Market there some days if you want to pick up some fresh food. The Slanted Door restaurant is also there - upscale Vietnamese. Never eaten there but have had apps at the bar - try the vodka/ginger drink. Yum!

Check out Golden Gate Park, and if you're into museums the California Academy of Sciences and the deYoung Museum are both there - if you like to walk, the Park is a great place. I think you can also rent bikes and skates there if you're into either of those. At the Presidio, there's the Disney Family Museum...if you're a Disney geek, you gotta check it out, plus there are some spectacular views of the Golden Gate from inside the building.

Another great place for views is at the top of Twin Peaks - if the weather is clear, you can view the whole city and both bridges from up there. It's a tourist hot spot for photos. And then you can always cross the Golden Gate bridge (car, bike, walk) and if you go by car, head up to the Marin Headlands for even more spectacular (and famous) views of the city and the Golden Gate.

So this is the first time that I've traveled with this group of people. I'm actually friends with one of the group and the rest are all his friends. I do cruise frequently - I try to get in one longer and one shorter one each year - and have done it by myself a few times, but usually I have one friend or another along. My ex and I are still friends (he's going to take me to the ship and come on for the Bon Voyage Experience lunch) and he and I sometimes travel together. He would switch places with you and do the warm weather stuff - he's not fond of Alaska.

So there's a whole bunch of stuff for now - let me know if there's more I can feed you :) I'm not sure what your evening arrangements are on the ship, but this group is doing 5:30 dinner, which is really early for me so I might be looking for alternatives (without of course horning in on your time). I'm always looking for people to do Chef's Table or the alternative restaurants with - so if you're interested let me know and I'll see if I can get a group...

Thanks for all the suggestions. We are combing through them to land on a few great spots to partake in. Hope you and your friends are getting excited about the cruise. We have never done Haines or Sitka and our Victoria stop in 2010 was greatly reduced in time due to rough sea weather getting there. Really looking forward to the sea days and i enjoy just hanging out, relaxing and not doing much. ;)

Thanks for all the suggestions. We are combing through them to land on a few great spots to partake in. Hope you and your friends are getting excited about the cruise. We have never done Haines or Sitka and our Victoria stop in 2010 was greatly reduced in time due to rough sea weather getting there. Really looking forward to the sea days and i enjoy just hanging out, relaxing and not doing much. ;)

Hey guys - you're welcome and I hope they are helpful! I was talking to a co worker a couple of days ago about places to eat and she said that she's been to the Fifth Floor restaurant in your hotel and she said it was pretty excellent. So there's another recommendation for you :)

I too am one for sea days and hanging out - I love to read so it's my time to catch up, get a massage, workout a bit (not too much, it's vacation after all) in the gym, have a mid-day cocktail and don't forget the daily nap :) Sitka is a pretty cool place - there's plenty to do around town and the excursions there are nice. Haines reminds me of the Alaska town from that TV Series Northern Exposure. Very non-touristy and unspoiled Alaska. Although when Grand Princess drops 2600 passengers there, it might change it a bit :) But it's a nice place to visit too.

I don't know if the friends are getting excited but I am - looking forward to a nice getaway.

Talk soon -

Sounds like a fun time will be had by all. We have been on the Carribbean and Golden Primcess. Like the layout and size. I think this ship is slightly smaller but still a good size. As long as it has a gym and a movie theater I am good.

Grand Princess is the sister to Golden Princess, so you'll be right at home. They don't have a dedicated movie theater but they do show movies in the main theater and in the Vista Lounge. And then there's always MUTS up on the top deck which might be a little uncomfortable given the cold Alaska weather...but I think they have blankets ;)

How's the SF planning going? Have you decided what's on tap?

San Francisco planning going well and almost locked in. Will do a handful of tourist things to include Buena Vista hotel, Chinatown, Beach Blanket Babylon tour into muir woods/wine country.

I am surprised we have to heard from more of us trvalleing in this itinerary. Here's hoping we get a good crowd to show up. :o

Well the thread has been looked at 295 times, so we'll see how many of those people show up ;)

I forgot about Beach Blanket - it's a great show...you'll love it - totally camp :) It's in the North Beach are of the city and there are a lot of good restaurants up there, so depending on what time you go, you can have dinner too. I love Muir Woods - it's really a wonderful place - if there aren't a lot of people around it can be very tranquil and relaxing. Hopefully you'll hit it on a good day. And of course you can't beat a trip to the wine country ;)

We will have to plan a time and place to meet when we get to the ship. Not many days left so I hope you guys are packing :D

I'm on the Grand Princess June 29, 2013 sailing out of San Francisco. Traveling solo....I hope you have a good time and can give me some tips when you get back. :)

We did an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle a few years ago and had a great experience. Now looking forward to San Francisco for a few days first and a few new ports.

Been on three Princess cruises in last 4 years and continue to come back for more.

Stay in touch ...:D

I did an Alaska cruise on NCL out of Seattle too about 10 years ago. Pretty much the same ports, but the Grand Princess is 10 days instead of the 7 day cruise I took on NCL. Should be fun.

Hey Bri and Rich - just checking in to say 'hello' and to wish you a bon voyage. I would imagine you'll be heading for SF soon. Travel safely and I will see you on board...we'll have to figure out a way to meet up...

Anyone have feedback about the cruise? We are gonna be on the 9 July sailing. Any tips to share?

I didn't meet up with my friends from this thread from Orlando (in fact I wasn't able to get to any of the LGBT events) but otherwise it was a great cruise. Ship is beautiful, had a great cabin, the weather was great...seas were a little bumpy but all in all a good trip.

Anything specific you're wanting to know?

No, nothing specific bdjam.

Sounds like it was enjoyable.

Guess we better get packing!

Hope you enjoy the trip - Alaska is beautiful!