San Francisco Airport to BART

[Cruisedreamer1]

We just booked an Alaskan cruise leaving from San Francisco and wanted to try going from the airport to Bart and down to the Embarcadero where the cruise ships dock. Has anyone tried this? How difficult is the transfer to the BART station? Cost? Which Pier does Princess use? Thanks.

 

Any other suggestions for getting to pier from airport?

 

Thanks.

 

[CruiserBruce]

Some reading would be beneficial. Using BART is recommended all the time here, but be aware it involves either some walking (a pretty flat just over a mile), or a short cab or Uber ride. I think the BART fare is around $6pp. Other methods commonly recommended here include taxi/Uber and shuttles.

 

BART is actually, physically, in the San Francisco airport, near the International Terminal. There are 3 other Terminals, #1, 2 and 3. #3 is closest, so if you fly in on United, you will be pretty close to the BART station. Terminal 2 is the longest walk...maybe a mile tops, probably less. Terminal 1 is a bit shorter.

 

There is a primary Cruise Ship Terminal at Pier 27. Occasionally when there are more than one ship is in, Pier 35 (the old cruise Terminal) is used as a backup.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

Also look at the SFO map for the Air Train it might cut down on the walking between terminals.  

[franktown]

BART is great but I would rather UBER with cruise luggage.  

[DougH]

The BART station is located right in the SFO airport and is accessible by Sky Train. Take the Embarcadero exit and from there it is about a 2 block walk down to the waterfront then a 15-20 minute walk to the pier. It is flat with wide sidewalks but is a fair distance. Other option is to get off  downtown and go to one of the nearby hotels and get a cab from there to the pier

[Milhouse]

We did a 24 layover in San Fran this June and we took BART to the Civic Center station when we popped out and grabbed an Uber the rest of the way to the hotel.  

Points to note (some of which may or may not be applicable):

We found the ride into town on BART reasonable/convenient/relatively comfortable. 

We used the BART app to buy our tix to save a couple of dollars.  I think it's only in pilot for this year; not sure if it will continue next year. Somewhat confusing process as we showed our tix on my phone to person manning booth and went thru a manual gate.  

Didn't find an escalator/elevator at the Civic Center station so had to haul our luggage up a bunch of stairs.

Was pretty easy to get an Uber for the rest of the way.  

We walked from the Ferry Building to Fisherman's wharf (without our luggage).  Pretty reasonable walk as it's flat with  generally wide sidewalks.  YMMV depending on how cumbersome your luggage is.

[Rusty10]

From the Oakland airport to Embarcadero is $10.45.   From the SF airport to Embarcadero is $9.45. From Embarcadero to pier 27 is a 15 minute walk.  The road is wide and flat. 

[MarkBearSF]

17 hours ago, Milhouse said:

We did a 24 layover in San Fran this June and we took BART to the Civic Center station when we popped out and grabbed an Uber the rest of the way to the hotel.  

Points to note (some of which may or may not be applicable):

We found the ride into town on BART reasonable/convenient/relatively comfortable. 

We used the BART app to buy our tix to save a couple of dollars.  I think it's only in pilot for this year; not sure if it will continue next year. Somewhat confusing process as we showed our tix on my phone to person manning booth and went thru a manual gate.  

Didn't find an escalator/elevator at the Civic Center station so had to haul our luggage up a bunch of stairs.

Was pretty easy to get an Uber for the rest of the way. s.

One note. As a San Franciscan, who works near Civic Center, I would NEVER recommend to a visitor with luggage that they exit BART at Civic Center Station. The cops do a pretty good job of keeping things under control on Market Street these days - but, the Civic Center area, especially between Civic Center Plaza/7th St and Taylor/6th St is among the highest crime areas in the city.  

I walk down Market St with no real concern from the Civic Center Station to my part time job at the Golden Gate Theatre on Market & 6th/Taylor/Golden Gate - but that's as a tall, 250+ lb guy, who is used to the city, and not visitors with cruise luggage.

In general, our crime rate is quite low, and the walk from Embarcadero Station to the Cruise Terminal is totally safe. But I would not transfer to Uber on any BART station between Balboa Park and Civic Center. (the two worst stops being 16th St Mission & Civic Center).

[oakridger]

I agree with MarkBearSF.  BART is fine from SFO but get off at the Embarcadero station Drumm St. exit and either walk to pier 27 or get a cab/UBER at the Hyatt Regency which is right outside the Embarcadero BART.  I don't recommend Civic Center or Powell street exits!

Edited November 14, 2019 by oakridger
fixed

[Milhouse]

6 hours ago, MarkBearSF said:

One note. As a San Franciscan, who works near Civic Center, I would NEVER recommend to a visitor with luggage that they exit BART at Civic Center Station. The cops do a pretty good job of keeping things under control on Market Street these days - but, the Civic Center area, especially between Civic Center Plaza/7th St and Taylor/6th St is among the highest crime areas in the city.  

 

Good to know.  Thanks for the colour.

I have to laugh when I look back upon it now though.  The area felt pretty non-descript with everyone heading to work compared to some of the sketchier areas we've been to including in Vancouver. 

 

[Philob]

As a born & raised SF resident, I concur with the prior posts about visitors with luggage NOT getting off at Civic Center or Powell Street (unless your staying at the Parc 55) stations.

 

OTH both are actually fine in the middle of the day as long as you keep situation aware & your stuff close or out of sight.  AND NO LUGGAGE!   

 

Three of the city's theater venues are in the located between the two stations, Golden Gate Theater, Orpheum (current venue for Hamilton), and the Warfield.  Add in the HQs for Uber, Twitter, and offices for Dolby Labs in the same area. 

 

Now if your looking for a slightly used iThingy or used $10,000 titanium framed bike/parts (at a huge discount) this is the area to be in 😎

Edited November 14, 2019 by Philob

[jondfk]

On 11/12/2019 at 5:22 PM, Cruisedreamer1 said:

We just booked an Alaskan cruise leaving from San Francisco and wanted to try going from the airport to Bart and down to the Embarcadero where the cruise ships dock. Has anyone tried this? How difficult is the transfer to the BART station? Cost? Which Pier does Princess use? Thanks.

 

Any other suggestions for getting to pier from airport?

 

Thanks.

 

 

I agree with most of what's been written but will add my personal opinions as a bay area native.

 

- Catching BART from SFO is really easy, but there is one trick I'd advise:  Regardless of what terminal you arrive, access BART from the G concourse side of the International terminal!  Access BART from the CHECK IN lobby (THIS IS IMPORTANT) if you do this you'll find a) A level transition from airport to train platform with no escalators, elevator or stairs.  b)  Nearly never is there any wait to purchase tickets or get through the turnstiles.    

- Signs will direct you to take the Airtrain to the terminal G garage (the other end of the platform) - if you do you'll find chaos.  Trust me on this point.  Really!

- At the San Francisco end, as already written, exit the train at Embarcadero station.  Use the Drumm Street exit.  To orient yourself, look for the Bay Bridge which should help you find the waterfront.  Cross the Embarcadero since the walk is easier (no cross streets) on the water side.  As others have said the walk to pier 27 is about 15 minutes walking at a moderate pace with luggage.  The ride in an Uber or taxi will take the same 15 minutes if you're arriving at peak time (10AM - noon) as traffic along Embarcadero is terrible when a ship is in port.

- Princess nearly always uses pier 27, only if their are two Princess ships in port would I expect you to use pier 35.  The Port of San Francisco posts a pier calendar a year ahead so you can check there well in advance.  If you happen to use pier 35 I would definitely take a taxi / Uber from BART.

- Likewise, if you travel 'heavy' take a taxi.  We take 3 wheel bags between us and it's doable even for my wife who is challenged with long walks.

 

Hope this and the other inputs are of some assistance. 

[mississauga]

How long is the BART ride to /from SFO? Any tips on taking BART from the pier to SFO? We did BART from the pier to SFO many years ago and it worked out ok but cannot remember the details plus things may have changed. TIA

Edited January 3, 2020 by mississauga

[VentureMan_2000]

On 1/3/2020 at 5:46 AM, mississauga said:

How long is the BART ride to /from SFO? Any tips on taking BART from the pier to SFO? We did BART from the pier to SFO many years ago and it worked out ok but cannot remember the details plus things may have changed. TIA

You need to walk, or take a street trolley, to the Embarcadero BART station -- its 1 mile between the cruise terminal and the station.  

The BART ride is about 35 minutes and costs about $10 per person.  Street trolleys cost less than $3.  

[mississauga]

15 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

You need to walk, or take a street trolley, to the Embarcadero BART station -- its 1 mile between the cruise terminal and the station.  

The BART ride is about 35 minutes and costs about $10 per person.  Street trolleys cost less than $3.  

Thank you!

[Philob]

10 hours ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

You need to walk, or take a street trolley, to the Embarcadero BART station -- its 1 mile between the cruise terminal and the station.  

The BART ride is about 35 minutes and costs about $10 per person.  Street trolleys cost less than $3.  

The street trolleys (F Line) that runs along the Embarcadero are not very luggage friendly.  They are restored historical street cars from different cities that rattle down Market Street, Embarcadero, to Fisherman's Wharf.

Edited January 15, 2020 by Philob

[VentureMan_2000]

Good point.  Yeah, if you have more than one piece of luggage each, or have oversized luggage, or there are many in the group, the Trolley street car may not be viable.  

Personally, I would walk to the pier if you do not have any mobility issues.  It's a very pleasant 1 mile walk along the beautiful water front.  There are no hills and the walkways is very wide -- like 20 feet wide.  You have the Bay on one side, and many parks you on the other.

 

[wheezedr]

1 hour ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

Good point.  Yeah, if you have more than one piece of luggage each, or have oversized luggage, or there are many in the group, the Trolley street car may not be viable.  

Personally, I would walk to the pier if you do not have any mobility issues.  It's a very pleasant 1 mile walk along the beautiful water front.  There are no hills and the walkways is very wide -- like 20 feet wide.  You have the Bay on one side, and many parks you on the other.

 

Would agree as we have done the walk on many occasions both with and without luggage.  Only reason to avoid the walk is if it is raining heavily.  Then I would taxi or Uber instead.  The F Trolley is not designed for luggage at all, as these are historical transit cars