Alcatraz tours

[Jokare]

For our upcoming cruise in two weeks of the Pacific Coast we have a Hop on Hop off booked thru Princess in San Francisco.  We were thinking of adding on the Alcatraz tour which is not thru Princess which has a lot of availability.  I noticed the Hop On tour mentions Alcatraz but I don't know what that means as are we just able to drive by and see, or if we also book the independent tour are we actually double booking the tour. Thanks for your help.

[Mike45LC]

Alcatraz is an island, so I really doubt that the Hop On, Hop Off will take you there.  Although they partner with a boat tour in some cities, so maybe!

 

There are/were boat tours that go to Alcatraz with tours of the prison.  I haven't taken one in over a decade, but I recall that it was a nice tour.  Your post will likely encourage me to take another Alcatraz tour next summer.

 

[Jokare]

Yeah that's the one we're going to take.  Thanks for the quick response and that's what we thought also.

[EDDY0827]

If you are serious about visiting Alcatraz and your cruise is in 2 weeks, you need to immediately try and book tickets. there is a good possibility that they are sold out. No chance of a walk-up especially if you visit on a weekend.

Edited October 9, 2019 by EDDY0827

[screamingreen]

You'll be able to see the island from the bus but typically the HOHO bus doesn't include individual tours. We were just there September 25th on our Coastal Cruise. It was the last stop on our Princess tour and it included the Alcatraz tour. We were able to walk back to the port from there when we were finished. Many, many people there. Heard you can never purchase same day tickets for the Alcatraz tour.

[Astro Flyer]

24 minutes ago, Jokare said:

Yeah that's the one we're going to take.  Thanks for the quick response and that's what we thought also.

 

22 minutes ago, EDDY0827 said:

If you are serious about visiting Alcatraz and your cruise is in 2 weeks, you need to immediately try and book tickets. there is a good possibility that they are sold out. No chance of a walk-up especially if you visit on a weekend.

 

In May we directly booked the Alcatraz boat to tour the location which was much cheaper than through Princess & hopefully there’s still availability to reserve it.  It’s a short walk from the cruise ship terminal.

 

Their website shows you can purchase tickets at their Pier 33 ticket booth but “Please note that same-day tickets may not be available. We strongly recommend booking tickets in advance”.

 

https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

 

https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/frequently-asked-questions/

Edited October 9, 2019 by Astro Flyer

[Jokare]

Thankyou all. I had checked before posting that they had 100-200 tickets available for all hours so using your replies we booked the Alcatraz tour.  Also noticed on there website they do sometimes have "day of" tickets online. BTW we must be the only ship in port that day as its very available for booking.

[bostonfred]

On ‎10‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 6:35 PM, Astro Flyer said:

In May we directly booked the Alcatraz boat to tour the location which was much cheaper than through Princess & hopefully there’s still availability to reserve it.  It’s a short walk from the cruise ship terminal.

 

Their website shows you can purchase tickets at their Pier 33 ticket booth but “Please note that same-day tickets may not be available. We strongly recommend booking tickets in advance”.

 

https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

 

https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/frequently-asked-questions/

 

Good to hear about ticket booth...change in arrival time in S.F. Messed up our plans. We don’t arrive until 3:00 as opposed tp noon. So, my wife really wants to see redwoods and Sausalito and that will be second day. First day was supposed to be Alcatraz, but with late arrival I had to cancel earlier reservations. Night tour day two is also sold out. Maybe if we are cleared by 3:00 we can run over to pier 33 ticket booth...can always dream. Funny how when we decide what to do, I always get outvoted One to one....in marriage ties lose😉😉

 

 

Edited October 11, 2019 by Host Kat
Moved message to correct area on post.

[xlxo]

On 10/9/2019 at 3:49 PM, Jokare said:

We were thinking of adding on the Alcatraz tour which is not thru Princess which has a lot of availability.

Be aware there are two types of Alcatraz experiences.  One will circle the island by boat, the other more desired experience allows you to walk on the island.  The walk on can be hard to secure tickets on the same day.

[bostonfred]

Thanks, hopefully a couple of seats available either afternoon..definitely want to get onto the island

[pink845]

We did Alcatraz as a walk up and had no problem at all getting tickets.  This was last year but unless things have changed (like 2 million people showing up on any particular day) we would not book tickets to Alcatrez in advance.  If it is raining, not going to be much fun crossing over.  

[oldbluff]

I, on the other hand, always recommend booking this in advance, especially for weekend days.

 

Most of the seats on the boats that shuttle you to the island are covered.  There is some outside walking at the beginning and end of the tour, so you will want a hat/jacket/poncho/something so you don't get too wet/cold until you are inside the prison.

 

It is a marvelous tour.  If you are able to take the night tour at some point, that adds another layer to the experience.  Especially if the island is shrouded in fog at night.