Is Pier 35 in San Francisco still a problem?

[Napagirl]

We sailed the Ruby in April 2022 and we had to board at pier 35. It was a mess I'm sorry to say. The line was about three to four hours long. We're looking at another cruise departing from SF and it's from the same pier - ugh! Have they worked things out? There didn't seem to be adequate space and whatever they needed for boarding, as I don't think that pier was intended for that purpose. 

[bjkTX]

We departed from Pier 35 on a cruise 10 years ago and it was a miserable mess.  If it was still a mess when you sailed in 2022 I'm betting it still is 🙂

[Mary Ann 2]

We sailed out of SF on the Caribbean Princess the end of April 2022 and there was only a line because people arrived at 10am and they didn't let people in until closer to 11am. The line was just to the end of the building and moved swiftly once they opened the doors. That must have been just weeks after your cruise, so there is not always a line.

[theloo]

How do you tell which pier Princess is using?  I thought they used Pier 27.

[Kay S]

I think 35 is in use only when there is no room at the new terminal.  

[Calnev1]

11 minutes ago, theloo said:

How do you tell which pier Princess is using?  I thought they used Pier 27.

Yes, I think this thread needs a bit of context.

 

There are two cruise terminals in San Francisco.  The old terminal is at Pier 35, and the new terminal is at Pier 27.  The new terminal at Pier 27, which opened about nine years ago, is much nicer than the old terminal.  SInce Pier 27 can only take one cruise ship at a time, when there are two cruise ships in San Francisco the second ship must use Pier 35.  On any given day, there is usually only one cruise ship docked in San Francisco, so most ships that come to SF will be using Pier 27.  But if you are unlucky, you may find your ship at Pier 35.

Edited May 3, 2023 by Calnev1

[Ombud]

Took less than 15 minutes to get to the Elite lounge at Pier 27 2 weeks ago. The issue in April 2022 was so many ppl did NOT do ArriveCAN before getting to the pier. I was in the 1st 50 then and most ahead of me were trying to do it when entering slowing everything down. So different 12 months later

 

So I don't think it was the pier-- definitely ppl who didn't do ArriveCAN at home as asked

Edited May 3, 2023 by Ombud

[theloo]

12 minutes ago, Calnev1 said:

Yes, I think this thread needs a bit of context.

 

There are two cruise terminals in San Francisco.  The old terminal is at Pier 35, and the new terminal is at Pier 27.  The new terminal at Pier 27, which opened about nine years ago, is much nicer than the old terminal.  SInce Pier 27 can only take one cruise ship at a time, when there are two cruise ships in San Francisco the second ship must use Pier 35.  On any given day, there is usually only one cruise ship docked in San Francisco, so most ships that come to SF will be using Pier 27.  But if you are unlucky, you may find your ship at Pier 35.

So, I was trying to find out which pier for a 12.22.23 sailing on the Crown Princess.  I found this website Port of San Francisco 2023 Cruise Ship Schedule (Updated 2-15-23) https://sfport.com/files/2023-03/2023 San Francisco Cruise Schedule 20230307.pdf

but it seems to show the Ruby Princess in SF (pier 27) on that date.  Where else can I look?

[Calnev1]

18 minutes ago, theloo said:

So, I was trying to find out which pier for a 12.22.23 sailing on the Crown Princess.  I found this website Port of San Francisco 2023 Cruise Ship Schedule (Updated 2-15-23) https://sfport.com/files/2023-03/2023 San Francisco Cruise Schedule 20230307.pdf

but it seems to show the Ruby Princess in SF (pier 27) on that date.  Where else can I look?

Interesting.  I am pretty sure that schedule is wrong.  For one thing, it shows the Ruby Princess and Crown Princess competing for pier space in SF in November and December of 2023.  But the Ruby leaves SF in October for Fort Lauderdale, and is sailing out of Fort Lauderdale the entirety of November and December.  In fact, I think the Crown Princess is the only cruise ship in SF on December 22.  So the odds are it is sailing out of Pier 27.

[theloo]

6 minutes ago, Calnev1 said:

Interesting.  I am pretty sure that schedule is wrong.  For one thing, it shows the Ruby Princess and Crown Princess competing for pier space in SF in November and December of 2023.  But the Ruby leaves SF in October for Fort Lauderdale, and is sailing out of Fort Lauderdale the entirety of November and December.  In fact, I think the Crown Princess is the only cruise ship in SF on December 22.  So the odds are it is sailing out of Pier 27.

You're right.  The schedule was out of date.  I found a newer one that shows Crown on 12.22 at pier 27.

[SCX22]

The crowd handling at Pier 35 has improved since the re-start.  Cruised the Ruby to Mexico in October 2023 and it was about 45 minutes from drop off to stepping on the gangway.  

 

Not crazy about Pier 27 either.  More aesthetically pleasing, but the logistics aren't there.  The lines on embarkation day stretch all the way to the Embarcadero sidewalk (unless you arrive super early or super late).  The area for security line isn't large enough and is on the 2nd floor.  Port handlers have to constantly start/stop the line at the terminal door to not overwhelm the 2nd floor, which is why passengers are left to wait in the elements.  Dropping off baggage can also take a while because you have to wait for a porter with enough space on their baggage cart to take your bags.  Didn't incorporate baggage conveyors in the design so passengers didn't have to rely on porters.  Turning into the compound to drop off/pick up takes forever because you have to drive over the sidewalk, which requires the police to halt pedestrian traffic. 

 

Not to mention the Embarcadero is a mess on turnaround days no matter which pier you leave from because it was never meant to handle such a large influx of cars.  Better off walking to the port if you can.

 

[justafem]

We did that B2B in April 2022 at pier 35, yup it was a cluster.  We waited for hours outside just to get into the building for the first leg, then it was reminiscent of a 1970's airport lounge.  

 

Funniest part was when we were walked off the ship for the second leg and watched a drug bust going down.  DEA, FBI and SFPD and SFSO with 2 people in cuffs and a (small) pile of white bricks.  Exciting!  

 

That was my only experience with 35.  

 

And YES!  I absolutely agree about the traffic on the Embarcadero on cruise days.  We get there really early, before they close down the light, so it's not terrible.  But as the day goes on, it gets more clustery.  And it's worse on Carnival.  Don't understand why Carnival has such a hard time loading pax, but they sure do.  The little things matter, which is why we cruise Princess as often as possible. 

[cruisequeen4ever]

It was fine in December. 

[Napagirl]

To answer the question of how to know which port - I looked it up on sfport.com. Sounds like it will be the luck of the draw on whether or not there's an hours long line. During our last cruise we heard some folks say they sat at a restaurant near the line and watched until it went down. lol 

 

It was a bummer for sure but my main concern was for our travel mates who might not be able to stand like that for hours at a time. We'll figure it out.
 

Many thanks to all who shared!

[ParadiseSue]

On 5/2/2023 at 5:16 PM, Napagirl said:

We sailed the Ruby in April 2022 and we had to board at pier 35. It was a mess I'm sorry to say. The line was about three to four hours long. We're looking at another cruise departing from SF and it's from the same pier - ugh! Have they worked things out? There didn't seem to be adequate space and whatever they needed for boarding, as I don't think that pier was intended for that purpose. 

I also would like some sort of explanation,  we even got emails that  morning advising us to be OK n time. Lol

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 5/2/2023 at 9:19 PM, theloo said:

So, I was trying to find out which pier for a 12.22.23 sailing on the Crown Princess.  I found this website Port of San Francisco 2023 Cruise Ship Schedule (Updated 2-15-23) https://sfport.com/files/2023-03/2023 San Francisco Cruise Schedule 20230307.pdf

but it seems to show the Ruby Princess in SF (pier 27) on that date.  Where else can I look?

 

The Port of SF is AWFUL at managing their site and information. On the link below, click on the "2023 Cruise Schedule" button and that pulls up a schedule dated 4-20-2023.

 

https://sfport.com/maritime/cruise

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 5/2/2023 at 10:54 PM, SCX22 said:

The crowd handling at Pier 35 has improved since the re-start.  Cruised the Ruby to Mexico in October 2023 and it was about 45 minutes from drop off to stepping on the gangway. 

 

And you came Back From The Future to tell us how it was? 😁🤣

[theloo]

I eventually found that updated list showing the correct ship on the correct date and pier 27.