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Hello! I am hoping I have posted this in the correct area - if not please let me know and I will resubmit.

We are off on the Grand Princess April 14 from San Francisco for 15 nights with one night pre-cruise at Parc 55. When we return we are spending four nights at the Argonaut Hotel Fisherman's Wharf area.

We have a few questions we are hoping some more experienced West Coast travellers/residents will help us with. Many thanks!

1. I have been looking at a Hop on / Hop off bus that also included Alcatraz - a must for my husband - there is a one day and a two day pass. Your thoughts - one day enough or two day? We aren't super big tourist people but do like to see the different areas and were thinking this would be a good way to do that.

Also is it necessary to pre-book?

2. Sonoma/Napa - we love wine and have spent a lot of time touring the Niagara wine areas and are wondering if we should spend a day doing the Sonoma/Napa area? Don't really like the idea of being on a bus for a day but it seems the best way to see that area. Again, is there any advantage in pre-booking?

3. Any other suggestions? We mostly want to walk about and enjoy the sights but are open to any suggestions.

Again, our thanks!!!

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Alcatraz takes a while to see it. They suggest you be at the dock about a half hour before your reserved time on the ferry. It takes about half and hour to get there. Then the same times are reversed getting back. Once you get to the island there is plenty to see especially if you take one or more walking tours provided by the park which I highly recommend.

 

I like to stay at the wharf in that it is close to where the cruise ships dock and we like to eat at Scoma's. . There is a cable car station very close to the wharf. From there you can ride the car to Union Square which is close to Chinatown, Also North Beach isn't too far away.

 

It has been years since I have been in Napa. It is about 50 miles from SF so figure a little over an hour under the very best traffic conditions. I would plan at least 90 minutes by car. So figure around 3 hrs getting there and back. Go by bus it should be longer. If it were me I would rent a car and just drive over there. If you go by bus you are restricted to their timetable. You may want to spend more time in a specific winery. If you go by bus the upside is you can drink more wine and not have to worry about driving especially in SF. I don't know how long you want to spend wine tasting. But you should be able to do it if you want to spend most of the day touring Napa. If going by bus tour I would RSVP ahead of time

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Alcatraz is a 3-4 hour excursion in itself. Plan on a morning or afternoon. So a two day hop on-hop off pass would give you more flexibility.

(I am assuming you are referring to a one or two day pass on the Ho-Ho, not the actual Alcatraz admission itself. There is no two day pass for Alcatraz- and a half day is all you really need to see Alcatraz.)

But you could save yourself the cost of a day's ho-ho fare, if you do Alcatraz on your own. If you are doing Alcatraz by yourself, you should pre-book up to 90 days in advance. Tickets sell out fast! The official website is http://www.alcatrazcruises.com. Tickets are $37.25 each. Compare this to the cost of the ho-ho tour with the Alcatraz feature.($119) Is it worth it to you? The boats to Alcatraz are down the street from the Cruise Terminal (0.2 mile- 5 minute walk) at Pier 33.

After doing Alcatraz in the morning, you could stay in the Fisherman's wharf area visiting Pier 39, Gharadelli Square, and riding the Cable Car to Union Square. (The Cable Car is not included in the price of a HO-HO ticket).then take a trolley along Market Street to the Ferry Building and then walk along the Embarcadero back to the cruise terminal. Then on Day 2, you could ride the Ho=Ho bus to see the things further out, including the GG Bridge vista, Golden Gate Park,the Palace of Fine Arts, Alamo Square and wherever else the Ho-Ho bus goes or Day 2 for your Napa Valley trip.

The Napa Valley is a day trip on it's own. But the Ho-Ho people say they can visit 2 Sonoma Wineries in a half day. OK, whatever. I prefer the Napa Valley over the Sonoma Valley any day. Also pre-book if you want to do this.

If you have an evening in SF, go see Beach Blanket Babylon and eat dinner nearby in North Beach, like at Original Joes.

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Alcatraz is a 3-4 hour excursion in itself. Plan on a morning or afternoon. So a two day hop on-hop off pass would give you more flexibility.

(I am assuming you are referring to a one or two day pass on the Ho-Ho, not the actual Alcatraz admission itself. There is no two day pass for Alcatraz- and a half day is all you really need to see Alcatraz.)

But you could save yourself the cost of a day's ho-ho fare, if you do Alcatraz on your own. If you are doing Alcatraz by yourself, you should pre-book up to 90 days in advance. Tickets sell out fast! The official website is http://www.alcatrazcruises.com. Tickets are $37.25 each. Compare this to the cost of the ho-ho tour with the Alcatraz feature.($119) Is it worth it to you? The boats to Alcatraz are down the street from the Cruise Terminal (0.2 mile- 5 minute walk) at Pier 33.

After doing Alcatraz in the morning, you could stay in the Fisherman's wharf area visiting Pier 39, Gharadelli Square, and riding the Cable Car to Union Square. (The Cable Car is not included in the price of a HO-HO ticket).then take a trolley along Market Street to the Ferry Building and then walk along the Embarcadero back to the cruise terminal. Then on Day 2, you could ride the Ho=Ho bus to see the things further out, including the GG Bridge vista, Golden Gate Park,the Palace of Fine Arts, Alamo Square and wherever else the Ho-Ho bus goes or Day 2 for your Napa Valley trip.

The Napa Valley is a day trip on it's own. But the Ho-Ho people say they can visit 2 Sonoma Wineries in a half day. OK, whatever. I prefer the Napa Valley over the Sonoma Valley any day. Also pre-book if you want to do this.

If you have an evening in SF, go see Beach Blanket Babylon and eat dinner nearby in North Beach, like at Original Joes.

 

 

Alcatraz on your own - early AM and prebook ASAP.

Beach Blanket Babylon for sure.

Neighborhood Italian food: Bella Trattoria on Geary.

DeYoung Museum/Academy of Science/Hall of Flowers - all in Golden Gate Park.

Eat at Slanted Door in the Ferry Building and Foreign Cinema in the Mission.

No on Napa- Far more interesting and overall better wines in Sonoma County (check out Martin Ray in Santa Rosa). Not familiar with which wine tours out of SF would be best but it won't be a HOHO bus.

 

 

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Edited by Flatbush Flyer
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Very difficult to impossible to get to Alcatraz without an advance reservation. There are 2 hop on-off buses and they both originate at Fisherman's Wharf. Probably best way to see SF but a warning: certain stops such as Union Square are so popular there are very long lines to get back on the bus. Not uncommon on a busy day to wait for 3-4 buses to come and go before you can get on. Same with the cable car. At Union Square waits up to 3-4 hours to get on one on a busy weekend.

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Very difficult to impossible to get to Alcatraz without an advance reservation. There are 2 hop on-off buses and they both originate at Fisherman's Wharf. Probably best way to see SF but a warning: certain stops such as Union Square are so popular there are very long lines to get back on the bus. Not uncommon on a busy day to wait for 3-4 buses to come and go before you can get on. Same with the cable car. At Union Square waits up to 3-4 hours to get on one on a busy weekend.

 

 

 

Would wait at Union Square be that,long on a Thursday?

 

 

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Will be in SF Sept 22 from 7am -11pm I would like to see the redwoods and perhaps union square and/or Sausalito.

Is this doable

 

 

 

The closest "redwoods" are in Muir Woods which, if I understand recent changes correctly, now require a reservation for parking. How tour companies are handling this is below my pay grade. Sausalito is on the way.

However, 9/22 is a Saturday and this time of year is the highest of "high season" for perfect weather.

 

 

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Find a tour company to take you to Muir Woods in the AM. you can DIY to Sausalito by taking a ferry over and back. With the time left, you could taxi or Uber over to Union Square or take the cable car from Fisherman's wharf to Union Square. It's doable, but you need to be organized.

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I was thinking of renting a car and reserving parking. You can reserve about 4 months in advance. We have the National Park pass. Where is the best rental car place from the cruise pier? Is there a problem with parking in Sausalito or union square. I was bummed when I saw that we are there on a Saturday. Oh well, need to make the best of it. Ship docks at 7am.

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I was thinking of renting a car and reserving parking. You can reserve about 4 months in advance. We have the National Park pass. Where is the best rental car place from the cruise pier? Is there a problem with parking in Sausalito or union square. I was bummed when I saw that we are there on a Saturday. Oh well, need to make the best of it. Ship docks at 7am.

 

 

 

I have zero idea about where to rent a car in the SF port area though Enterprise probably will pick you up and nearby big hotels may have a car rental desk.

 

Parking in Sausalito on a Saturday can be a challenge. Be happy you're not there during the Sausalito Art Festival (Labor Day weekend).

 

I'm not a big Uber/Lyft fan. But, that may be an alternative option.

 

For the future: think about doing California's north coast over a few days in autumn. For example, I'd recommend Wednesday or Thursday through Monday on the weekend after Labor Day. That's when WineSong is held at the Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg (google it). Arrange lodging at the Albion River Inn in Albion (including dinner at least one of the nights) and do some wine tasting in Philo (request a vineyard tour at Navarro winery. On the way up from SF, wine taste off Hwy 101 in Sonoma County (Martin Ray in Santa Rosa for sure) and head to the coast using Hwy 128 (plenty of Redwoods). On the way back, do the scenic coastal drive down Hwy 1.

I love NorCal!

 

 

 

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I was thinking of renting a car and reserving parking. You can reserve about 4 months in advance. We have the National Park pass. Where is the best rental car place from the cruise pier? Is there a problem with parking in Sausalito or union square. I was bummed when I saw that we are there on a Saturday. Oh well, need to make the best of it. Ship docks at 7am.

 

There's always a major parking problem in the Union Square area. Union Square is built on top of a parking garage. There are a few multi storied parking garages a block or two from Union Square, Sutter-Stockton is the largest. There is also major street construction on the east side of Union Sq. with street closures and lane reductions. They're building a new subway line with a station under Union Sq.

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Alcatraz is a 3-4 hour excursion in itself. Plan on a morning or afternoon. So a two day hop on-hop off pass would give you more flexibility.

(I am assuming you are referring to a one or two day pass on the Ho-Ho, not the actual Alcatraz admission itself. There is no two day pass for Alcatraz- and a half day is all you really need to see Alcatraz.)

But you could save yourself the cost of a day's ho-ho fare, if you do Alcatraz on your own. If you are doing Alcatraz by yourself, you should pre-book up to 90 days in advance. Tickets sell out fast! The official website is http://www.alcatrazcruises.com. Tickets are $37.25 each. Compare this to the cost of the ho-ho tour with the Alcatraz feature.($119) Is it worth it to you? The boats to Alcatraz are down the street from the Cruise Terminal (0.2 mile- 5 minute walk) at Pier 33.

After doing Alcatraz in the morning, you could stay in the Fisherman's wharf area visiting Pier 39, Gharadelli Square, and riding the Cable Car to Union Square. (The Cable Car is not included in the price of a HO-HO ticket).then take a trolley along Market Street to the Ferry Building and then walk along the Embarcadero back to the cruise terminal. Then on Day 2, you could ride the Ho=Ho bus to see the things further out, including the GG Bridge vista, Golden Gate Park,the Palace of Fine Arts, Alamo Square and wherever else the Ho-Ho bus goes or Day 2 for your Napa Valley trip.

The Napa Valley is a day trip on it's own. But the Ho-Ho people say they can visit 2 Sonoma Wineries in a half day. OK, whatever. I prefer the Napa Valley over the Sonoma Valley any day. Also pre-book if you want to do this.

If you have an evening in SF, go see Beach Blanket Babylon and eat dinner nearby in North Beach, like at Original Joes.

Where is original Joe's? Love eating there

 

 

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Just a quick Google search...Union and Stockton Sts.

 

 

 

Original Joe's "original" location was on Taylor Street in the Tenderloin. It now sits in the former building occupied by Fior d'Italia (before it was destroyed by fire). Fior d'Italia then moved to Mason Street.

 

 

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Original Joe's "original" location was on Taylor Street in the Tenderloin. It now sits in the former building occupied by Fior d'Italia (before it was destroyed by fire). Fior d'Italia then moved to Mason Street.

 

 

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Last time I went it was on Taylor. Thank you

 

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