Pier info for San Franciso

[GrammyKati]

Does anyone know how far the Embarcadero is from the pier Princess uses for her California Coastal cruise. My DH and I will both be using power chairs and wanted to see if we can do any sightseeing on our own.

Thanks for any info you might have for us.:)

[Corgiboy]

It is close to a lot. Google maps can show you. I don't know if you are departing from the pier, or just a port stop.

It would depend on how much time you are there. The Embarcadero stretches along the waterway for quite a ways. Very beautiful to just stroll (or in your case ride?) along. Also depends on day of the week you are there and what events might be going on. San Francisco always has some sort of festival, activity it seems.

[SkiCruise]

The new Princess pier is in a great location, about midway between the historic Ferry Building (now the site of an upscale "foodie mall") and in the other direction Pier 39 - a very touristy but popular place to visit. Further past Pier 39 is Fisherman's Wharf, also packed with tourists, perhaps a bit far on power chairs.

 

Close to the pier is the excellent Exploratorium, an interactive science-oriented museum where I can cheerfully spend an entire day - great for any cruisers with kids or "inner 8-year-olds". Also close by is the Tcho chocolate factory, where they give tours - not a major attraction compared to the others, but the chocolate is great!

 

The entire length of the Embarcadero, from Ferry Building to Fisherman's Wharf, is a wonderful wide walkway with superb views of the bay, and can be casually strolled in less than an hour. San Francisco is a great walking city, so more ambitious walkers might also consider heading "inland" towards destinations such as Union Square for upscale shopping, or North Beach for a bite of Italian food, or Chinatown for souvenirs and touristy ambiance. None of these destinations is especially far from the pier, but they are slightly uphill and cruisers who aren't good walkers might prefer sticking to the flat walk along the waterfront.

[shredie]

It's basically across the street.

[pegpowell]

The Embarcadero is the street that Pier 35 (current pier) and Pier 27 (new pier) are located on.

[Luvsprincess]

Close as in if I check in and leave the ship for a bit...is stores within walking distance?

[SkiCruise]

Kind of depends what you mean by "a bit", "stores" and "walking distance".

 

The stores that are closest to the pier are tourist trap shops at Pier 39, or really nice gourmet food/cooking stores at the Ferry Building. These are each within a dead-flat 15 minute walk for someone in average health, but in opposite directions from each other.

 

Fisherman's Wharf also has lots of tacky shops, a bit further past Pier 39. This is the direction to go if you are after an "I stayed at the Alcatraz B&B" t-shirt.

 

It is quite a bit further to get to the main SF shopping district surrounding Union Square, probably a 45 minute walk each way for most folks, you might be well-advised to hop into a $5-6 cab ride for that if time is limited or if you aren't a good walker.

 

The shopping around Union Square is great if you are into big department stores and pricey boutiques. (Macy's, Sak's, Neiman-Marcus, Barney's, Nordies, Bloomies, Coach, Niketown, etc, etc, etc).

[Jojiboy]

In addition to what SkiCruise mentions about shopping there is also the stores and restaurants located at the Embarcadero Center. It's less than a five minute walk from the Ferry Building.

 

 

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[GrammyKati]

Thank you all for your replies. We are looking forward to our cruise.

[Luvsprincess]

Is there anywhere that I can get a case of water close by to bring on the ship?

[gcvt]

Is there anywhere that I can get a case of water close by to bring on the ship?

 

There's a Safeway and a Trader Joe's about four blocks from the pier.

[SparkleBee]

the food market at the Ferry Building is wonderful! high-end and delicious. the touristy stuff might be "touristy" but it's great fun and not to be missed. you can usually see the sea lions at Pier 39. what a racket they make!

[crosj]

Is pier 27 open?

[#1Nanna]

I am a bit confused. Does anybody know which pier Princess will be using Jan, 2015? We will be on the Star.

[RNGALNG]

I am a bit confused. Does anybody know which pier Princess will be using Jan, 2015? We will be on the Star.

 

You should be in their new home/pier 27 and not at pier 35. However, everything mentioned before is still the same. You will still be in the same area, just a little closer to the Ferry building and further from pier 39. When you leave the ship, you would turn left to head to the ferry building and to the right to head to pier 39 and Fisherman's wharf.

 

The walkways to both areas are wide - room to wheel to your heart's content. However, as you move on towards Fisherman's Wharf, the walkways get more narrow. It can be crowded and tough in wheeled chairs.

 

Most of San francisco is very accessible for strollers, wheelchairs and scooters. The Ferry building is all on one level, no stairs if you use the main entrance. Pier 39 is on multiple levels but they do have ramps and elevators.

 

Someone asked about grocery stores and where to get water. Besides the Safeway and across the street from them the Trader Joe's - a nice 10 -15 minute walk from the ship, you can find a Walgreens closer to Fisherman's wharf.

 

The city has hop on-hop off busses, I think I saw only one that is handicap accessible, that you can get tickets for in the FW area. Always fun to travel quickly through the city that way to see what you might want to go and stop back at later in the day. Tickets usually are for a 24 hour period of time.

 

Along Embarcadero, there is the F Train. That is a fun trolly bus that takes a circle around part of the city too. If you go to the Walgreens, you can purchase a one day pass that will get you on the F train, city busses, and the cable cars. The F train has a stop in front of Walgreens. Having the pass is so much easier than having to fork over cash each time you get on public transit.

 

If it is cable cars you are looking to go on, yes, there is one in FW but that one is always mobbed with tourists. The wait can sometimes be up to 2 hours, depending on the time of year. So, go to Trader Joe's and keep walking a block past it to Bay and Taylor. You can get on another car that will take you to the same end spot and the wait won't be as long. It is also better to take it early in the day - not as many tourists out then. So do that first thing in your day.

 

San Francisco is a wonderful city! I love to visit every year, so much to see and do! Enjoy your cruise!

[SkiCruise]

Good advice from RNGALNG on taking the cable car early in the day, and from the Bay and Taylor terminus. This cable car will take you directly to the Powell St. turnaround, which is smack in the middle of the primary SF shopping district.

 

But don't count on a Cable Car round trip - the wait for a return ride can be brutal. You may decide to tough it out. But if not, your other primary options are: (a) walking ~45 minutes, (b) $5-6 cab ride, or © walking uphill along the cable tracks from the Powell St. area, and hopping aboard an already loaded cable car.

 

This last option seems like it should not work, but it sometimes does. It is easier if you are not in a group, you definitely aren't going to get 4-5 people onto a car this way. If it doesn't work after a couple of tries, you can always bail out and walk or take a cab. Oh, and remember that only some of the cars will go to Bay and Taylor, the rest will split off and go clear to the other end of Fisherman's Wharf, a much longer walk back to the pier. The way you can tell which car is yours: there will be a sign on the car saying "Powell-Mason". Do not take a "Powell-Hyde" car, unless you are looking for the extra walk through Fisherman's Wharf.

[Luvsprincess]

Wondering if anyone ever embarks, drops stuff off in cabin and then leaves for a few hours to walk around. Is it that close by (walking?)

[jwm51]

Wondering if anyone ever embarks, drops stuff off in cabin and then leaves for a few hours to walk around. Is it that close by (walking?)

 

From the current pier, Pier 39 (tourist/amusement park) is 2 piers north...You'll know it from all the people in front!:eek::D

 

BTW piers are odd numbered north of ferry termnal, even numbered going south of this, The north end of Embarcadero is Fisherman's Wharf, south end is AT&T Park (home of SF Giants!)...:D

 

If you have the time, catch the F line (SF MUNI) at the piers...It will take you to San Francisco Center which is a little less pricey than Union Square. OR go to Target around the corner from the Center!:eek::cool:

 

Have a wonderful trip! As you can tell, I LOVE my city!!!:D

[bigenna]

Thank you so much for all that valuable information.

Are there moderately priced hotels near the pier too as we will be getting off the Star, spending one night and boarding the Grand? Would be nice to have someplace close.

 

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[SkiCruise]

A downside of having a Pier so nicely located for visitors is that the few hotels nearby tend towards not-so-moderate pricing. Any hotel titled "the Fisherman's Wharf --------- Hotel" is pretty much guaranteed to come with a too-high price.

 

The best bet you've got for a hotel is this: if you are in town on a weekend, book a hotel in the Financial District. If you are in town on a weekday, especially during a non-summer/non-holiday period, you may be able to find a deal on a leisure-oriented hotel. But either way it is not going to be walking distance from the pier.

 

But there are a TON of hotels within a $5 cab ride of the pier. The Financial District in particular is loaded with nice hotels which often offer great deals on weekends. They try to make their money by charging exorbitant prices for parking, which won't be a worry for you!

 

Just one example, I've seen weekend rooms at the Hyatt Regency offered for $99. This is a great deal: the hotel is bayfront, directly across the street from the Ferry Building, but way too far to schlep your bags from the peir unless you are a very light packer.

 

Expedia and Trip Advisor are going to be your friends on this search, but you definitely are going to want to look further afield than the immediate pier area. Since you are going to get in a cab anyway, the difference between a $4 cab ride and a $6 cab ride could save you $50 on the hotel room, and you'd likely get a nicer room.

 

One plug I guess - I like all of the hotels that Kimpton runs in SF. They tend to take older buildings with some character, and turn them into very pleasant, high service, and just slightly quirky hotels.

[bigenna]

Thanks so I cruise I will check that out. We will be there on a Monday.

 

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[RNGALNG]

I have stayed in a few hotels in SF. My favorite is near the Safeway and Trader Joe's. It is the Tuscan Inn, a Best Western property. Pricy and the rooms are small. But it is close to the pier and shopping and tons of people watching!

 

This past winter, I stayed in two different Holiday Inns during my travels, one near Fisherman's Wharf and the other uptown on Van Ness. Both were very accommodating. I preferred the one on Van Ness over the FW unit. We were there over New Years and into January. The prices of the two places ran anywhere from 275/night down to 170/night, depending on day and holiday.

 

There is also another less heard of cable car line that is almost empty on it's run, we found this winter. It's line runs on California. The start/stop is near the Ferry building. It will run up California and just happens to end at the block where the Holiday Inn was located. So, if it is just a ride on a cable car you want, this might be the easiest of the three lines that run.