The ship had shuttle buses to take you into town. I then walked down a few blocks to meet up with the tour guide at a local cafe. Very easy and safe, a nice little town.
We did this itinerary once and really enjoyed it. In La Paz, I took an independent tour to snorkel with whale sharks; best excursion ever! (La Paz VIP tours) I really like Loreto, I didn't take an excursion, just walked around the town, which is very nice, interesting and safe. I would do that itinerary again if possible.
We've boarded at Pier 27 many times and find it easy, even though my husband needs wheelchair assistance for boarding. If boarding hasn't started by the time you're through check in there is an Elite/Suite waiting area with refreshments.
We have cruised out of San Francisco many times on Princess They are very good with wheelchair assistance both in the terminal and getting on the ship. And the reverse when you are disembarking. Just ask when you get to the terminal.
We stay there as well. I like that I can get something easy to eat in the morning (included buffet) without having to go out to a regular restaurant. There are a lot of good restaurants nearby for dinner the night before.
My husband also uses oxygen 24/7. He has an Inogen POC for around the ship and rents a room concentrator for in the room. We use Special Needs at Sea, and like Scootaround, they deliver to your room and pick it up on return. I just reserved for our B2B2B for Nov/Dec, 32 days, and the cost was $474. They require a letter from your doctor saying how much oxygen is needed ie: 3 liters during the day and 5 at night. We've only flown Delta and they required a form and approval in advance and a checkin at their counter before flight. You might want to check with your cruise line for their requirements. Happy Cruising!!!
I would also recommend the Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39 area. There are a lot of chain hotels around and not too far from the cruise terminals. I've not seen any of the city hotels that have shuttles so taxi/Uber to terminal.
If you are on Princess, you'll probably be at the Pier 27 terminal. It's very nice but the only separate waiting section is for Elite and full suite passengers. (maybe also Platinum but I'm not sure). If you are on Carnival you may be using Pier 35 but since I've never boarded from there I can't speak to their waiting areas. Happy sailing!
I just go to You Tube and put in the name of the ship. there are usually a lot of videos for that particular ship by everyday cruisers. I don't watch anything produced by the cruise line. You can put in the name of the port and get good videos that way as well. Happy cruising!
@RGEDad What time did you arrive? Perhaps that was the reason? We've cruised many times from Pier 27 and never had that problem. We usually arrive before 11AM. since we need to checkout of the hotel by then. Maybe it's less busy then. I wonder if the previous cruise was a little late getting in? We usually do the latest disembark since we don't need to get anywhere right away so it's usually pretty cleared out by then and easy to get a cab. I'm sorry you did not have a better start to your cruise. Sometimes something like that will put a damper on your whole day.
Just now received an email with an itinerary change. We are on the Ruby in December for the r/t S.F. to Hawaii. The Lahaina stop has been changed to Kona.