San Francisco/Astoria/Victoria/Vancouver/Seattle??

[torontoflo]

This will be my first time to all of these places listed in my title. I need some help with things to do. We usually do RCCL excursions just for convenience but are up for any suggestions. We aren't really the type to rent a car and drive around on our own so tours, etc are usually our favorites. I am most confused on San Francisco and Astoria things to do (especially best way to get around within the city). We are debating on staying longer in Vancouver and then heading to Seattle (flight is the next day) or heading to Seattle first thing and doing things there. Any help is appreciated. =)

 

Megan

 

RCCL Radiance Pacific Northwest 5/07

RCCL Mariner Eastern Caribbean 6/05

Carnival Fantasy Bahamas 1/05

RCCL Voyager New England/Canada 6/04

Carnival Pride Western Caribbean 5/03

[LeftcoastBC]

San Fran. Very busy city in the core and I recommend a tour of some sort. Pick the spot you want to see most and do it seperately by cab ?. There is a lot to see and your time likely will be limited. Chances are is will be foggy.

 

Astoria is a small real fishing town. There will be buses off the dock to get you into several stops in town. It's small town shopping. Neat Maritime Museum. To get out onto the West coast take a tour but a vehicle rental would be best.

 

Victoria. Bus available on the dock to get you into town. But it really is a nice easy walk of about 20 minutes through a good residential area.

The downtown/harbour area has a lot of sites and things Legislature Building the Empress Hotel, museum. etc. All sorts of tours can be arranged in a building that sits in the Corner of the Inner Harbour. Butchart gardens are grreat. Whale watching is good here. (Orcas.)

 

Vancouver/Seattle

Both cities are great. On the water stuff to do and sea... great restaurants (toss up who's got the best) you'll have to make your choice. I lean to Vancouver with it's closer mountains. If it's a nice day & Grouse mountain is clear thats a good trip. You can do that on transit quite easily, and get a seabus ride too. The little shuttle boats around Granville island and the island itself. Stanley park........ how long did you say you were staying??

 

Leaf Fan ??

[celticheart47]

If your flight leaves Seattle the day after you dock then I think I agree with LeftcoastBC and would spend the time in Vancouver. I am assuming you will be taking a shuttle to Seattle. That is a 3-4 hour trip and that is not including the boarder crossing. The shuttle goes to SeaTac so you will have to get back into Seattle and then back to the airport for your flight. Not much time for sightseeing. Too bad the cruise doesn't end in Seattle because the dock is right in the heart of downtown and close to lots of things to see and do.

[TealDiana]

Torontoflo - San Francisco is a great place to visit and almost anything you like is available. There is great shopping downtown (Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Macy's) and there are city buses from the pier. Pier 39 (a tourist spot with shops and restaurants) is within walking distance as is Ghiradelli Square. There are tours to Alcatraz or you can take a ferry to Sausalito and visit restaurants (Sam's has a signature alcoholic "pink lemonade") and many upscale shops. North Beach has wonderful Italian food and is also available by bus. There's almost too much to choose from! If I can help with questions, feel free to email me at GrnEyedDiana@aol.com.

 

Diana

[zuccarc]

Can anyone tell me the best way to get from the airport to the cruise pier and how long it will take?

[MVPinBoynton]

Megan,

We did most of those ports in 2005. You can see what we did in our review on our website www.thepreismans.com . You should have a nice time, since they are all nice places to visit.

[melika091900]

Can anyone tell me the best way to get from the airport to the cruise pier and how long it will take?

 

 

the airport is about 30 minutes from the pier, since its more in south san francisco,

the best thing is to rent a shuttle,

bayporter.com is a good company to use ,

or you can take BART to the embarcadero station and either walk to the pier ( probably about 6 blocks ) or get a taxi from there,

http://www.bart.gov/index.asp

 

theres barts link

have fun

[realent]

This will be my first time to all of these places listed in my title. I need some help with things to do. We usually do RCCL excursions just for convenience but are up for any suggestions. We aren't really the type to rent a car and drive around on our own so tours, etc are usually our favorites. I am most confused on San Francisco and Astoria things to do (especially best way to get around within the city). We are debating on staying longer in Vancouver and then heading to Seattle (flight is the next day) or heading to Seattle first thing and doing things there. Any help is appreciated. =)

 

Megan

 

RCCL Radiance Pacific Northwest 5/07

RCCL Mariner Eastern Caribbean 6/05

Carnival Fantasy Bahamas 1/05

RCCL Voyager New England/Canada 6/04

Carnival Pride Western Caribbean 5/03

 

Are you on our May 12th sailing on the Radiance??? We have quite a roll call going if you are. Come join us! We are busy discussing shore excursions both with the ship and without....Come take a look!

[Smokeyham]

Can anyone tell me the best way to get from the San Francisco Airport to the cruise pier and how long it will take?

 

You might try SuperShuttle.com. How long it will take really depends on traffic. If it is later in the afternoon then traffic can be very heavy. Allowing an hour from the airport to the dock would be a good idea. Also, remember that if you use a shared-van arrangement then they may wait to help fill up the van.

[sharpie13]

Can anyone tell me the best way to get from the airport to the cruise pier and how long it will take?

 

You may also wish to check with limo.com Sometimes their rates are surprisingly good. Recently, for our Dawn cruise, Supershuttle was being a bit uncooperative so we booked a limo at $35 per person, round trip including gratuity.

[sharpie13]

Does anyone know which side the ships dock on in Vancouver and Victoria? I know that in Seattle most of the sips dock on the Starboard side, and the only ship I saw in Astoria was docked on the port side. Just curious if its worth booking a cabin a specific side.

 

Thanks for your indulgence.

[Sykll]

Just completed a coastal cruise and we docked on the starboard side in all ports.

[sharpie13]

Just completed a coastal cruise and we docked on the starboard side in all ports.

 

Sykll, thanks for the info :cool:

[calikak]

In Seattle, the art museum just reopened and I hear it's very nice. It's an fairly short walk from the Bell Street Pier (use the elevator in Pike Place to get up the hill). There's also the underground tour (easily accessed by the Waterfront Streetcar replacement bus, which is free), the aquarium (an even easier walk from Bell Street Pier), or the tours out to the moutains are also nice if you have time. There are also a couple of companies that do harbor tours, those are fun too.