Could Not Get Help

[mcrcruiser]

We cancelled a Alaska cruise from San Francisco  because there were no Primcess people that could help us . Many phone inquiries are directed off shore to the Phillipines & although nice people they do not have knowledge when it pertains  to parking & transport conncetions for Handicapped people 

 

 In general we found that there is inadequate cruise parking structures & then transport to the ship on pier 27 Embarcadero . Thus ,we won't drive from San Diego to San Francisco with hotel ,meal & das expenses which are quite high to a city that has inadequate parking for cruises . It is a shame that such a beautiful city has such bad   accommodations in their parking structures & then extremely high parking prices . 

 

 In general ,we see this lack of parking a determent to the future of cruises starting from San Francisco 

[TRLD]

46 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

We cancelled a Alaska cruise from San Francisco  because there were no Primcess people that could help us . Many phone inquiries are directed off shore to the Phillipines & although nice people they do not have knowledge when it pertains  to parking & transport conncetions for Handicapped people 

 

 In general we found that there is inadequate cruise parking structures & then transport to the ship on pier 27 Embarcadero . Thus ,we won't drive from San Diego to San Francisco with hotel ,meal & das expenses which are quite high to a city that has inadequate parking for cruises . It is a shame that such a beautiful city has such bad   accommodations in their parking structures & then extremely high parking prices . 

 

 In general ,we see this lack of parking a determent to the future of cruises starting from San Francisco 

Cheaper to fly, stay by the air port and Uber to the ship.

 

Even when we drive we stay at a hotel by SFO with a park and stay rate and Uber to the ship.

 

Too much smash and grab type theft to park in San Francisco. We know too many friends that drove in SF with all car windows intact only to leave with one smashed out. Anywhere along the embarcadero is problematic these days.

[cr8tiv1]

I am sorry that you had to cancel your cruise from San Francisco.  There will be one from Los Angeles/Alaska/Los Angeles.  

 

But I don't understand how you can fault Princess for the lack of infrastructure by the City of San Francisco.  I would not expect any agent to be knowledgeable regarding a foreign city.  I could not help you with your other thread and referred you to a local.  (I think that was you). 

 

Good luck in finding a port that will be more user friendly. 

 

 

[walkingsoon]

One possible solution, if your main concern is certainty in preplanning transfers for someone with handicap issues, might be to fly in the night before and use the Princess hotel pre-cruise deal. Expensive, but you should get met by a representative at luggage claim and delivered, with minimal effort on your part, to the hotel that night and the ship the next day.

 

I wouldn't expect Princess to be able to give you hard answers about stuff that is out of their control. I also note that pre-cruise mishaps and failings are a common complaint even on the high end luxury cruise lines.

 

For Alaska, might I suggest that you look at 14 day itineraries out of Vancouver on Grand or Sapphire rather than the 11 day out of San Francisco on Crown? A much better experience, imo. 

[Ombud]

4 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We cancelled a Alaska cruise from San Francisco  because there were no Primcess people that could help us .

 

Why not fly to SFO take an uber to the port OR fly to SFO and use the Princess shuttle to the pier like everyone else? Princess actually even has ppl that will help you board the shuttle & escort you through any of their ports ..... SF included. It's no different than any other city. IE: Fort Lauderdale / NYC / New Orleans .... 

 

 

Edited May 11 by Ombud

[karatemom2]

If you really want to drive to San Francisco and leave your car parked there in a safer and more accessible parking area, you might consider parking at one of the long term airport parking lots and getting a taxi or Uber from there to the port. Lots of options for parking at SFO that may be more accessible for you. 

[Cruise Junky]

Park at the airport and take an Uber. Problem solved. 

[Ombud]

It must be difficult to only be able to cruise where one can drive to the port. 

 

 

Edited May 11 by Ombud

[cr8tiv1]

14 minutes ago, Ombud said:

It must be difficult to only be able to cruise where one can drive to the port. 

 

At some point (age is one of them), just getting on a cruise is the fun.  Don't need to get off at any port.  I'm reaching that point that getting on in San Pedro is more appealing than flying to a foreign county to do a cruise.  

 

OP has lots of options.  If they want to do Alaska, ships sail from San Francisco AND Los Angeles.  I don't know if Holland or Celebrity do anything out of San Diego.  

 

OP has restrictions.  One requires a scooter.  Not sure how portable his/her is.  Need to get in on a plane and then into a vehicle.  Those are huge challenges.  

 

I won't park my car outside (I have a closed garage).  I can't imagine leaving my car in a parking structure for many days.  This is no different than taking a cruise from New York, or Florida, or....

[Torfamm]

18 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We cancelled a Alaska cruise from San Francisco  because there were no Primcess people that could help us . Many phone inquiries are directed off shore to the Phillipines & although nice people they do not have knowledge when it pertains  to parking & transport conncetions for Handicapped people 

 

 In general we found that there is inadequate cruise parking structures & then transport to the ship on pier 27 Embarcadero . Thus ,we won't drive from San Diego to San Francisco with hotel ,meal & das expenses which are quite high to a city that has inadequate parking for cruises . It is a shame that such a beautiful city has such bad   accommodations in their parking structures & then extremely high parking prices . 

 

 In general ,we see this lack of parking a determent to the future of cruises starting from San Francisco 

If you must drive, one option is renting a car for a day at departure and return and not having to worry about parking it. 
 

As for information on parking facilities, it’s generally the port that has the most accurate information available rather than individual cruise lines. I assume you checked their website and the homeport board here on Cruise Critic? 

Edited May 11 by Torfamm

[Mark_K]

19 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We cancelled a Alaska cruise from San Francisco  because there were no Primcess people that could help us . Many phone inquiries are directed off shore to the Phillipines & although nice people they do not have knowledge when it pertains  to parking & transport conncetions for Handicapped people 

 

 In general we found that there is inadequate cruise parking structures & then transport to the ship on pier 27 Embarcadero . Thus ,we won't drive from San Diego to San Francisco with hotel ,meal & das expenses which are quite high to a city that has inadequate parking for cruises . It is a shame that such a beautiful city has such bad   accommodations in their parking structures & then extremely high parking prices . 

 

 In general ,we see this lack of parking a determent to the future of cruises starting from San Francisco 

It’s unfortunate it hasn’t worked out for you, but from your post it sounds like you find the whole San Francisco port situation unsuitable for you. So, even a different cruise line, or a more helpful Princess, wouldn’t have mattered.

 

Princess does have an Alaska cruise next summer (2025) round trip from San Pedro.  You might want to look into that.

 

 

Edited May 11 by Mark_K

[san diego sue]

If you live in southern California, driving to the port a great option. We live in San Diego and have always driven to San Pedro. My most recent cruise I decided to use a car service instead of driving. With the cost of parking in San Pedro, the savings by not having to park,the car service wasn't so expensive.So next summer when Princess does round trip to Alaska out of San Pedro will be wonderful for me and no flying.