Port of San Francisco to Alaska

[shiner6]

First of all, I wish to thank all of you for all of the helpful tips you provide. I am new to Princess and have read just about every tip I could find on this board. Despite this, I remain somewhat confused about a few things. I apologize if my questions are redundant.....

1. My boarding time for San Francisco departure which I received from Princess states, "arrive at terminal at 1pm for check-in at 1:30". The posts I have read for the DR state that it will be open from 12 to 1:30. Does this mean I will not be able to enjoy this sit down meal as I had been planning?.::confused:

2. My TA booked the wrong transfers---I am flying out of Oakland-not SF and Princess does not offer Oakland as a transfer. The best I am able to do is find a shuttle service which arrives around 2:30 (my flight does not depart until 7pm). This means we will have to shuffle around the pier upon disembarking, for a few hours with all of our luggage and a child (not appealing, but we are already reducing our luggage in order to keep stuff at a minimum due to this unfortunate event).

3. Since we are now very limited in our luggage, I have to make a decision about Formal attire. Hubby does not have room for dinner jacket, can he get by with a shirt and tie? Should we just plan on skipping the formal nights?

4. Will laundry opportunities be available throughout the cruise, or is it suspended while in Alaskan waters? Obviously, this is of extreme importance to me now. Can you comment on the ship's drycleaning services?

5. Since we won't have room-we are not bringing our boots or Parkas-instead we will waterproof our tennis shoes and layer our jackets as advised in previous posts. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated:

[Colo Cruiser]

The arrival time is a suggestion, arrive at around 11:00 and boarding should start at Noon. Enjoy your lunch in the DR! :D

Sometimes on Alaska cruises the laundry is shut down due to Eco rules.

You might bring gloves and hats!

Edited April 1, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[trbarton]

First of all, I wish to thank all of you for all of the helpful tips you provide. I am new to Princess and have read just about every tip I could find on this board. Despite this, I remain somewhat confused about a few things. I apologize if my questions are redundant.....

1. My boarding time for San Francisco departure which I received from Princess states, "arrive at terminal at 1pm for check-in at 1:30". The posts I have read for the DR state that it will be open from 12 to 1:30. Does this mean I will not be able to enjoy this sit down meal as I had been planning?.::confused:

2. My TA booked the wrong transfers---I am flying out of Oakland-not SF and Princess does not offer Oakland as a transfer. The best I am able to do is find a shuttle service which arrives around 2:30 (my flight does not depart until 7pm). This means we will have to shuffle around the pier upon disembarking, for a few hours with all of our luggage and a child (not appealing, but we are already reducing our luggage in order to keep stuff at a minimum due to this unfortunate event).

3. Since we are now very limited in our luggage, I have to make a decision about Formal attire. Hubby does not have room for dinner jacket, can he get by with a shirt and tie? Should we just plan on skipping the formal nights?

4. Will laundry opportunities be available throughout the cruise, or is it suspended while in Alaskan waters? Obviously, this is of extreme importance to me now. Can you comment on the ship's drycleaning services?

5. Since we won't have room-we are not bringing our boots or Parkas-instead we will waterproof our tennis shoes and layer our jackets as advised in previous posts. Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated:

 

Since I live in San Francisco lets see if I can help. From my experience in San Francisco the staggered boarding times were never enforced so If you arrive around 12 noon you should be fine. You don't say what times your flight arrives in Oakland??? Any chance of changing your flight to and from San Francisco? Can your T/A make a change that way the shuttle won't be a problem.

 

Going from and two Oakland can be easy if you don't have a lot of luggage. From the airport there is a shuttle bus called "Air BART" which will take you to the Coliseum Station and you can take BART to San Francisco and if you get off at the Embarcadero Station you can get a taxi from the Hyatt Regency to pier 35. Make sure to ask the driver to NOT us the Embarcadero which is the street that runs along side the cruise terminal as the traffic just creeps.

 

Have you considering a shuttle company like "Supper Shuttle" that go all over the Bay Area?

 

Your hubby can rent a jacket or tux from a company that supplies them to the cruise ships.

 

I have never used the dry cleaning but have read good reports. There are self service laundry on decks that you can use yourself that I think are open till around 10 pm.. If you look at the deck layouts you will see them. I have never seen them closed on any cruise including Alaska.

 

For rain I suggest an umbrella. It can be cold in Alaska so be sure to have lawyered clothing.

 

Let me know if you have any additional questions.

 

Tom:)

[ggprincess2004]

The laundry room does close, depending upon location in Alaskan waters, but it is mostly open. Ask your cabin steward when it will be closing to make sure you can get things clean before it closes - it will reopen again most likely within 24 hours.

 

I think, but am not sure, that it is closed when in Glacier Bay, and may be closed in other areas. It really wasn't a problem for us on our Alaskan cruises, I remember it was closed a few times, but it was such a non-event for us, I don't remember which areas, outside of Glacier Bay, meant it was closed.

[shiner6]

Thanks, I booked super shuttle, price was very reasonable! I will look at renting for hubby but he is very hard to fit, most of his suits are altered. I will pack light and plan on doing some laundry.

 

 

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[timetravler]

No parka needed at all in Alaska. I have done this cruise 3 times. I bring a lightweight jacket, a waterproof poncho that folds up real small( LL Bean), a knit hat and gloves, and sometimes a warm scarf. I don't even bother with an umbrella but they might come in handy, especially in Ketchikan.

Each deck has a do it yourself laundry. So bring quarters, and some of you favorite detergent and dryer sheets. I'm pretty sure they close when in Glacier bay, but are open the rest of the time from about 7am to 10pm.

Dry cleaning is reasonable on the ship, but rarely have I used them. I think only once for a tie and for a couple of silk shirts.

Often they will have specials for your laundry if you don't want to do it yourself. They list that info in the patter. I am elite so one of the best perks is Princess doing our laundry for free. But before I became elite I did laundry every 3 days or so.

BTW in San Francisco, they just built a brand new port which is much better then the old one. It will be opening very soon, like this month I think.

When I have a late flight I just hang out at the airport and people watch. Looks like you may have to do that. Dragging luggage around in the city is not a good idea.

[thinfool]

A sport coat and slacks will be fine for your hubby. In fact, for an Alaska cruise, he would likely feel overdressed in a tux.

 

Same for you. Many, many female passengers have opted for dressy slacks and sparkly tops for formal night.

[IECalCruiser]

No boots or parkas required in Alaska. Layers work well and I bring a sweater, a fleece vest and a lightweight waterproof jacket with a hood. It is good to have waterproof shoes and lightweight gloves. That is the same a we brought for South America. We have cruised in Alaska in July and September. We have had windy/rainy days and sunny/mild days.

[trbarton]

No parka needed at all in Alaska. I have done this cruise 3 times. I bring a lightweight jacket, a waterproof poncho that folds up real small( LL Bean), a knit hat and gloves, and sometimes a warm scarf. I don't even bother with an umbrella but they might come in handy, especially in Ketchikan.

Each deck has a do it yourself laundry. So bring quarters, and some of you favorite detergent and dryer sheets. I'm pretty sure they close when in Glacier bay, but are open the rest of the time from about 7am to 10pm.

Dry cleaning is reasonable on the ship, but rarely have I used them. I think only once for a tie and for a couple of silk shirts.

Often they will have specials for your laundry if you don't want to do it yourself. They list that info in the patter. I am elite so one of the best perks is Princess doing our laundry for free. But before I became elite I did laundry every 3 days or so.

BTW in San Francisco, they just built a brand new port which is much better then the old one. It will be opening very soon, like this month I think.

When I have a late flight I just hang out at the airport and people watch. Looks like you may have to do that. Dragging luggage around in the city is not a good idea.

 

Sorry to disappoint you. The new terminal won't be open until September of this year. Check the SF port schedule to see the new terminal schedule.

 

Tom:)

[JJ2sail]

The California Welcome Center located on Level 2 at PIER 39 offers luggage storage between the hours of 9 am to 7 pm. The cost is $5 per bag. There are no lockers available on the property.

[bdjam]

The California Welcome Center located on Level 2 at PIER 39 offers luggage storage between the hours of 9 am to 7 pm. The cost is $5 per bag. There are no lockers available on the property.

 

This is a good suggestion for the day you're disembarking. The Oakland Airport ain't much (if you're flying Southwest, at least the terminal is a little nicer) and hanging around until 7:00 would really be boring. If you can leave your luggage at Pier 39 you could spend a nice day on the waterfront, head over to Alcatraz, take a city tour, take a cable car and/or trolley ride and still make it to Oakland in time for your flight, especially if you use SuperShuttle. Note that if you are flying Southwest, the security line at Oakland for that terminal is infamous...give yourself plenty of time to get through.

 

I would avoid trying to BART from the pier to Oakland, especially if you're looking after a child as well as luggage. As described, there's a lot of transferring around you'd have to do and if you're not on the right BART train, you will have to transfer at one of their stations to get on a train into SF. Do a shuttle or get a town car - it's worth the money.

 

 

[kubies]

Cruising out of SF and under the Golden Gate is cold and windy. Don't pack your warm clothes, wear them:)

[iceleven]

San Francisco can be chilly all year around. In fact, we find our Alaska trips in July warmer in Alaska than it is in SF. I say this because your husband could wear a sports jacket for flight (folding it into upper cabinet if too warm on plane) and also for the (not so) "formal" nights for dinner. There have been cruises where he chose to not even wear a jacket and was easily accepted into the dining room with a nice shirt, tie, and slacks. Alaska tends to be casual and family-oriented.

 

JJ2sail - This is very useful info, and something I was not aware of:

The California Welcome Center located on Level 2 at PIER 39 offers luggage storage between the hours of 9 am to 7 pm. The cost is $5 per bag. There are no lockers available on the property.

 

My husband and myself are avid nature fans and spend most of our time outside on deck (on sea days) watching for wildlife in the sea and the air with binoculars. We tend to pack for colder weather because spending so many outdoors can become quite chilling but there is so much "tech" clothing now that is super light-weight yet warm and water-proof. I highly suggest a hat, scarf, and gloves but not thick or heavy-type.

 

We loved all our Alaska trips (4 in all) and have cruised three different lines. Favorite for us was the Westerdam (Holland America) but we do love cruising out of our home port of San Francisco so Princess won us over for the convenience...besides, it's a longer cruise, to boot.

 

Some people prefer Princess over HAL for the entertainment or activities but we always find the very early mornings and activity-intensive port days exhausting and never feel we are missing out on any ship entertainment.

[shiner6]

oh my, thank you so much everyone, this is why I love this forum, I learn something new and beneficial every time I logon! now, I can relax and enjoy planning the rest of my trip

 

 

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[cvpends]

Sorry to disappoint you. The new terminal won't be open until September of this year. Check the SF port schedule to see the new terminal schedule.

 

Tom:)

 

Darn! I was planning to cruise in and out of there this summer :(

 

Well, at least I get to cruise in and out of my home port :D

[cvpends]

Lots of good suggestions here! I especially like this one:

 

The California Welcome Center located on Level 2 at PIER 39 offers luggage storage between the hours of 9 am to 7 pm. The cost is $5 per bag. There are no lockers available on the property.

 

And this:

 

This is a good suggestion for the day you're disembarking. The Oakland Airport ain't much (if you're flying Southwest, at least the terminal is a little nicer) and hanging around until 7:00 would really be boring. If you can leave your luggage at Pier 39 you could spend a nice day on the waterfront, head over to Alcatraz, take a city tour, take a cable car and/or trolley ride and still make it to Oakland in time for your flight, especially if you use SuperShuttle. Note that if you are flying Southwest, the security line at Oakland for that terminal is infamous...give yourself plenty of time to get through.

 

I would avoid trying to BART from the pier to Oakland, especially if you're looking after a child as well as luggage. As described, there's a lot of transferring around you'd have to do and if you're not on the right BART train, you will have to transfer at one of their stations to get on a train into SF. Do a shuttle or get a town car - it's worth the money.

 

 

...except I would take BART. Your kid may find it to be the highlight of your adventure :) I've taken BART with luggage and kids several times with no troubles.

 

And this one is brilliant:

 

Cruising out of SF and under the Golden Gate is cold and windy. Don't pack your warm clothes, wear them:)

 

Last June we left a chilly Bay Area for a cruise to Alaska, where they were having a heat wave :rolleyes:

[DRS/NC]

One more tip: make sure your outer layer is a wind-break material, esp. for Glacier Bay (one of the most fabulous places on earth!). Cutting the wind will keep you much warmer.

 

Have fun! I've had 3 Alaska cruises & hope for another!

[shiner6]

One more tip: make sure your outer layer is a wind-break material, esp. for Glacier Bay (one of the most fabulous places on earth!). Cutting the wind will keep you much warmer.

 

Have fun! I've had 3 Alaska cruises & hope for another!

 

 

Thanks, I bought a weather eater jacket from Eddie Bauer for each of us!

 

 

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[USNUZULOOSE]

The California Welcome Center located on Level 2 at PIER 39 offers luggage storage between the hours of 9 am to 7 pm. The cost is $5 per bag. There are no lockers available on the property.

 

This was so awesome! It saved my feet and back..I recommend them.

[pompeii]

We went to Alaska at the end of May last year, and our lightweight down jackets were invaluable! Mine is from Patagonia, but my husband found one at BJ's for a very reasonable price. The type that stuff into the pocket, weigh almost nothing and take up no room, but are very warm. They were especially perfect on Glacier Bay day!