Hornblower Cruise in San Diego

[damiross]

We are taking the San Diego Harbor Cruise. According to Princess, it is a 15 minute walk to Hornblower.  Looking at the map, it appears the Hornblower office is located right next to the cruise dock.  Am I looking at the right Hornblower?

 

Also, anybody taken the SD Harbor Cruise?  What did you think of it?

 

I found out "fer shure" that Princess uses OBC for excursions.  Is there any way around that?  I wanted to pay for it and keep the OBC for other stuff.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

[1emerald1]

I would buy your tickets directly from Hornblower, and perhaps you may even to get a AAA discount.  Yes, the Hornblower is more like a 5 min or less walk.

[Rick&Jeannie]

As you are checking out to pay for an excursion, there *should* be a checkbox (pre-checked) that says "Use OBC".  Just uncheck that and you should be good to go.  You have to really be looking for it!

[damiross]

2 minutes ago, 1emerald1 said:

I would buy your tickets directly from Hornblower, and perhaps you may even to get a AAA discount.  Yes, the Hornblower is more like a 5 min or less walk.

This is what was amazing.  I checked the Hornblower site.  The fares were actually higher.  

 

I printed out the travel summary.  I had forgotten that Princess had given us OBC so (1) the excursion isn't costing us anything and (2) I withdraw what I said about not wanting to use the OBC.

[damiross]

2 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

As you are checking out to pay for an excursion, there *should* be a checkbox (pre-checked) that says "Use OBC".  Just uncheck that and you should be good to go.  You have to really be looking for it!

I looked for it on this and another excursion.  It must really be hidden!  I couldn't find it.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Did you book through a TA or direct?  That *might* make a difference.  I always book direct.

[mtnesterz]

24 minutes ago, damiross said:

Also, anybody taken the SD Harbor Cruise?  What did you think of it?

San Diego is not too far a drive for us and we've taken in the attractions in the harbor area, though not ported there, since Princess ports in LA. While it is a relaxing boat ride, it's important to consider that you've just gotten off a ship and might be more up for dry land things. The tour boat is not allowed near the Navy facilities, so not much to see that you couldn't make out from shore with binoculars.

There is also the USS Midway, a tall ship used to be there, maybe still is and some interesting small boutique shops south of the port, still walking distance for most people. If you like animals, there's the zoo. Many things to do there. It's whatever you like.

[damiross]

3 minutes ago, mtnesterz said:

 If you like animals, there's the zoo. Many things to do there. It's whatever you like.

We like animals.  We don' like the very steep prices the zoo has.  The entrance fee starts at about $65 per day per person!

[Mike&Nancy]

4 hours ago, damiross said:

We are taking the San Diego Harbor Cruise. According to Princess, it is a 15 minute walk to Hornblower.  Looking at the map, it appears the Hornblower office is located right next to the cruise dock.  Am I looking at the right Hornblower?

 

Also, anybody taken the SD Harbor Cruise?  What did you think of it?

 

I found out "fer shure" that Princess uses OBC for excursions.  Is there any way around that?  I wanted to pay for it and keep the OBC for other stuff.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

We did this in October of '22.  It was quite a walk to get there, and 15 minutes sounds close.  I remember commenting to my DH that this trek could've been deceiving to some people, and I hoped they were adaquatly warned.  It must depend on where exactly Hornblower docks.  🤷‍♀️

 

Unfortunately, we had a cool, foggy day, and they ended up cutting our tour short, but offered the next one for free (different direction, so no fog.)  I'd give it another try, but I was not impressed that day, lol. 

[brisalta]

6 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

San Diego is not too far a drive for us and we've taken in the attractions in the harbor area, though not ported there, since Princess ports in LA. While it is a relaxing boat ride, it's important to consider that you've just gotten off a ship and might be more up for dry land things. The tour boat is not allowed near the Navy facilities, so not much to see that you couldn't make out from shore with binoculars.

There is also the USS Midway, a tall ship used to be there, maybe still is and some interesting small boutique shops south of the port, still walking distance for most people. If you like animals, there's the zoo. Many things to do there. It's whatever you like.

 

The zoo is great! It is a world famous zoo.

[brisalta]

6 hours ago, damiross said:

We like animals.  We don' like the very steep prices the zoo has.  The entrance fee starts at about $65 per day per person!

 

A well kept zoo is very expensive to run. It is well worth the visit if you can spend multiple hours there.

[damiross]

9 hours ago, brisalta said:

 

A well kept zoo is very expensive to run. It is well worth the visit if you can spend multiple hours there.

My belief is that the zoo, like many museums, have become entertainment venues and not educational places.  They feel they can charge more because of the entertainment they offer.

[talkorpi]

I did the Hornblower harbor tour while I was in San Diego last year (not on a cruise though).  The cruise dock is a couple piers away so it is really that close.

 

I would make sure you knew which tour you were doing - there are three different Hornblower harbor tours - North Bay, South Bay, and Full Tour.  The Full Tour just means you board for one of them and stay on for the other.  The North Bay tour goes toward the ocean.  This has a view of Coronado Island aircraft carriers, Point Loma sumbarine base, and the Sea Lion dock.  The South Bay tour passes under the Coronado Bridge and sails down the Naval Base, giving you a look at the ships docked while the capitan explains what the purpose is of each class of ship you see.

 

I really enjoyed this experience - we did the full tour and it was worth every penny.  It was also the highlight of my time in SD and I much preferred doing this to my day spent at the Zoo.  Based on my quick glance at the Princess website it looks like the excursion they offer is for the two hour cruise which is the best deal.  I think you should book it - you will have a fabulous time!

 

Another tip - I'm not sure how long you may have being docked in SD, but if you really want to cram in as much as possible, you might be able to save money using a Go City Citypass.  For example, you can bundle the Hornblower Tour with the Old Town Trolley hop on/hop off, the Maritime Museum, the USS Midway, or other attractions, and it is $90 for both tickets which can save you a lot of money.  Of course YMMV and you may not have time for multiple attractions if you are docked for just a few hours, but if you want to check it out, I think it would be a good option: https://gocity.com/san-diego/en-us/products/explorer

Edited March 27, 2023 by talkorpi

[ericosmith]

I've done the 2 hour tour a couple of times and really enjoyed it.  I've gotten them half price through Groupon:

 

https://www.groupon.com/deals/gl-hornblower-san-diego-9

 

 

[damiross]

10 hours ago, ericosmith said:

I've done the 2 hour tour a couple of times and really enjoyed it.  I've gotten them half price through Groupon:

 

https://www.groupon.com/deals/gl-hornblower-san-diego-9

 

 

I am trying to figure out which cruise I'm taking.  On the Hornblower and Groupon pages, there's a two hour tour for $40 (less 50% for Groupon).  The Princess tour is $30.

 

In any case, I actually have a 100% discount because I'm using OBC credit given to me.

[wcflats]

Don’t understand why you would pay for a cruise when you are already on one?

[damiross]

4 minutes ago, wcflats said:

Don’t understand why you would pay for a cruise when you are already on one?

A couple of ways to look at this.

 

The San Diego cruise is an extension of the big ship cruise. It's like travelling across the USA in an RV.  There are some places where you need to use a smaller vehicle to get to.  The Royal Princess is the RV and Hornblower is the smaller vehicle.

 

The San Diego cruise is a tour that just happens to use a boat for the means of transportation.  "Cruise" doesn't really describe the tour but there really isn't a better word to use. 

[Mike45LC]

9 hours ago, wcflats said:

Don’t understand why you would pay for a cruise when you are already on one?

A lot of people pay for a boat excursion while in port.  A real lot.  Sail boats, power boats, whale watching, zodiacs, etc.  Feel free to reject all such excursions for yourself, and let the rest of us go our own way without your approval, understanding or permission.