11 hours in port-no ship offered tours

[4x4bob]

In October we will be taking a 5 day cruise down from Vancouver BC to Los Angles.

 

The ship, Ruby Princess, will stop at San Francisco at 0800 hours and depart at 2200 hours (11 hours). And, no ship offered tours are listed and it is 97 days out.

 

Has any one else seen this before?

 

Bob

[Mary Ann 2]

We stopped in San Francisco on a Coastal cruise last March and there were plenty of excursions. It must just be a glitch or they just have uploaded them yet. I wouldn't worry. There is so much to see and do there and most of it is achievable on you own with a train/ trolley/ bus pass. Fisherman's Wharf is just down from where you will dock. The ferry to Alcatraz is nearby too. We had just been there and done all this the year before when we sailed to Alaska, so we booked an independent excursion to Napa wine country and had a great time.

[elliair]

You really don't need Princess to tour San Francisco. There's Pier 39 down the street from the Princess pier. You can get tickets to Alcatraz, take a ferry to Sausalito, there's nice restaurants and shops, or take a ferry over to Angel Island and walk to the top for a 360 degree view of the area. Then there's Fisherman's Wharf which is in walking distance from Pier 29. If you dare venture through the homeless camps, there's the Ferry Building with shops and street vendors. Just head south on The Embarcadero. You can catch the cable car down at the Fisherman's Wharf as well. We took the Coastal Cruise once and it stopped in San Francisco for 11 hours. We stayed on the ship, I use to live in San Francisco so we already seen enough, and most of it has changed for the worse.

[BritinSoCal]

As a repeat visitor to San Francisco, I'll concur with the above. Trust me, you don't need a ship's tour. SF is arguably the most European of US cities, reasonably compact (if somewhat hilly!), with great public transport and doable by foot. Word of advice though, if you want to visit Alcatraz, tickets are available from on a 90 days out basis, so book them as soon as they're available and only from the official source: https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Did the hop on hop off bus tour and loved it. We booked it through the cruise line but you can also book it on your own. Check it out on line.

 

 

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[sewgood]

In October we will be taking a 5 day cruise down from Vancouver BC to Los Angles.

 

The ship, Ruby Princess, will stop at San Francisco at 0800 hours and depart at 2200 hours (11 hours). And, no ship offered tours are listed and it is 97 days out.

 

Has any one else seen this before?

 

Bob

I have seen it before on one cruise where Princess were rather slow putting the tours on thier site even though it was a port they often went to. I wonder if they were reviewing their choices.

[Pam in CA]

I’d worry more if no tours were available within thirty days of sailing. While sometimes, tours are offered in ports many months in advance, Princess usually says they’re available within 75 days of sailing.

[fishywood]

You can always view the generic list of recently offered excursions for most ports on the Princess website.

 

San Francisco: https://www.princess.com/excursion/exlistfordestination.page?portid=SFO&t=L&exType=S

 

Of course no guarantee as to which ones will be offered on your particular date. Nor that the prices will be the same.

And perhaps some of the tours outside the city may be up in the air due to the fires (those of you in California would have a better idea that I could)

[-Lew-]

The ship, Ruby Princess, will stop at San Francisco at 0800 hours and depart at 2200 hours (11 hours).

Your itinerary on the Princess website shows you in port from 8:00am to 11:00pm...15 hours.

[skynight]

In October we will be taking a 5 day cruise down from Vancouver BC to Los Angles.

 

The ship, Ruby Princess, will stop at San Francisco at 0800 hours and depart at 2200 hours (11 hours). And, no ship offered tours are listed and it is 97 days out.

 

Has any one else seen this before?

 

Bob

No tours needed. Fisherman's Wharf right there as is pier 39. Chinatown area right up the street. Cable cars nearby. Trolley also close by that can take you to the tea garden in Golden Gate Park.

Check out these free walking tours at: http://www.sfcityguides.org/

We took a few of them and they were really nice. There are some that start right near your dock.

[Cruise Raider]

In October we will be taking a 5 day cruise down from Vancouver BC to Los Angles.

 

The ship, Ruby Princess, will stop at San Francisco at 0800 hours and depart at 2200 hours (11 hours). And, no ship offered tours are listed and it is 97 days out.

 

Has any one else seen this before?

 

Bob

 

That's very odd. But you know, you will dock right there in town and there are a ton of things to do and see without booking a ship sponsored tour in SF. You are just minutes (walking distance) away from Fisherman's Wharf in one direction or the Ferry Building in the opposite direction ... and all the attractions in between or just beyond.

If you've never been before, I highly recommend going out to Alcatraz. You can buy the tickets online through their official site 90 days ahead of time. You will save money to boot. The pier for the Alcatraz tours is within walking distance (5-7 minutes ... all flat) from either cruise ship pier.

 

https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

 

If you are not interested in Alcatraz, be sure to check Groupon (and sites like that) for some pretty good discounts on excursions and such. We got a great discount and took the HOHO bus once and even though we live here, we learned a lot about the City. It's a good way to get an overview of the area. If you like a spot in particular, you can always hop off and catch the next bus that comes by to get back.

The pier is also within walking distance of Muni and/or BART - public transportation options that will take you to different parts of the city. The cable cars are also within walking distance.

 

One of my favorite places is Muir Woods / Stinson Beach. Or, take a tour out to the Napa Valley is wine tasting is more to your liking.

 

Whatever you choose to do, you will not need a ship's tour to get you there.

[Colo Cruiser]

Too early?

[Micahs Grandad]

I would do it on my own and take cable cars

[TheRabbit]

No tours needed. Fisherman's Wharf right there as is pier 39. Chinatown area right up the street. Cable cars nearby. Trolley also close by that can take you to the tea garden in Golden Gate Park.

Check out these free walking tours at: http://www.sfcityguides.org/

We took a few of them and they were really nice. There are some that start right near your dock.

Boat to Alcatraz is also right in the area, though you may need to pre order on line as they do sell out.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We spent some time in SF a few years ago when our daughter was going to college her freshman year in Northern Cal. It was such an easy city to come up with things to do and see. You can walk from where your ship is docked to the Fisherman's Wharf, to the Exploratorium, to catch a cable car and go to plenty of other places.

[4x4bob]

To those who took the time to reply, Thanks.

 

Just printed out a map of the Hop on/Hop Off bus. Also will be discussing some of the above suggestions with the Wife.

 

Bob