Why is Princess the only Cruise line that sails out of San Francisco?

[oskidunker]

Would be great if Viking would do this. I think Princess fills their ships. Would seem to be a no brainer but there must be other factors

[CCWineLover]

32 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

Would be great if Viking would do this. I think Princess fills their ships. Would seem to be a no brainer but there must be other factors

Cost?  Difficulty with local politics, rules, red tape?

[duquephart]

8 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Cost?  Difficulty with local politics, rules, red tape?

 

Crime?

[ropomo]

Oceania has cruises that start and end in San Francisco. 

[oskidunker]

1 hour ago, duquephart said:

 

Crime?

Crime is worse in Puerto Rico and Columbia

[oskidunker]

1 hour ago, ropomo said:

Oceania has cruises that start and end in San Francisco. 

The only cruise on Oceania leaving from San Francisco is a 20 day to New York. If there are others, please let me know. 

[Baron Barracuda]

My ta's web site has 8 pages of SF departures.  Most are longer sailings across a variety of brands but Carnival Miracle shows a number of shorter itineraries.

 

We did a 23 night Panama Canal sailing on X's Infinity from SF a few years back.  Remember boarding was a breeze.

[ropomo]

Changed mind

Edited May 16, 2023 by ropomo

[oskidunker]

I wonder if they would let you board in SF?

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/alaska-cruises/los-angeles-to-vancouver-REG240501/?sr=%2Fcruise-finder%23time_frame%3D2024-5%26marketing_region%3Dalaska%26sort%3Dfeatured%3Adesc%26page%3D1%26pageSize%3D10

[BootsyGhost]

3 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

Crime?

🙄

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Would be great if Viking would do this. I think Princess fills their ships. Would seem to be a no brainer but there must be other factors

 

I have sailed into/out of San Francisco a number of times, and it is a spectacular arrival & departure. For a West Coast coastal cruise it is a great port of call, but it has some negatives as a TAR port.

 

At present, I believe the Princess ships operating from San Francisco are doing Alaska cruises, which means lots of seadays from San Francisco to/from Alaska, which are in the notoriously rough waters of the North Pacific. If I want to cruise Alaska, my preference is to spend time in those waters, not pound through the Pacific Ocean. Alaska cruises from Seattle get lots of pacific ocean time, San Francisco cruises get even more.

 

When cruising to Mexico, it also requires an additional day N'bd & S'bd over San Pedro.

 

These additional sea days are not what many pax, especially younger and newer to cruising pax wish to experience. With fuel being the largest cost factor on a cruise ship, the extra distance adds significant costs, or reduces the surplus.

 

 

[SantaFe1]

7 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

I have sailed into/out of San Francisco a number of times, and it is a spectacular arrival & departure. For a West Coast coastal cruise it is a great port of call, but it has some negatives as a TAR port.

We are doing Viking’s Pacific Coastal Explorer cruise in April 2025, which includes San Francisco as a port of call on the way to,Vancouver.  So, Viking does go there now, I guess, although there are only three such cruises scheduled.  We are looking forward to the “spectacular arrival and departure.”  We’ve been to SF many, many times as native Californians, but never approached from sea.

Edited May 16, 2023 by SantaFe1

[Torquato]

I very much doubt that crime is a primary reason or even a top 10 reason. Since the Sunday after thanksgiving 2022, we’ve been on four cruises with Princess out of San Francisco. Crime was not a concern at all and the atmosphere around the cruise port was “we’re going on a cruise” festive. 
 

My take is that San Francisco has a very finite number of destinations for recurring cruises (Mexican Riviera, classic California coast, Pacific Northwest , and Alaska come to mind) that  limit passenger volume.

This has to do with distance to the nearest foreign port (Ensenada or Victoria/Vancouver) that adds days to the itinerary, and seasonal factors like the relatively short Alaska season. Repositioning is also a factor. 

[Torquato]

5 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

I have sailed into/out of San Francisco a number of times, and it is a spectacular arrival & departure. For a West Coast coastal cruise it is a great port of call, but it has some negatives as a TAR port.

 

At present, I believe the Princess ships operating from San Francisco are doing Alaska cruises, which means lots of seadays from San Francisco to/from Alaska, which are in the notoriously rough waters of the North Pacific. If I want to cruise Alaska, my preference is to spend time in those waters, not pound through the Pacific Ocean. Alaska cruises from Seattle get lots of pacific ocean time, San Francisco cruises get even more.

 

When cruising to Mexico, it also requires an additional day N'bd & S'bd over San Pedro.

 

These additional sea days are not what many pax, especially younger and newer to cruising pax wish to experience. With fuel being the largest cost factor on a cruise ship, the extra distance adds significant costs, or reduces the surplus.

 

 

Oops.. I should have read your post before I replied. 

[DrKoob]

4 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Crime is worse in Puerto Rico and Columbia

And Seattle but people still cruise out of here all summer long. Tourist stabbed yesterday in downtown.

[oskidunker]

But people love to pile on San Francisco.demand for houses is higher than most other places but prices are high. Weather is great. But I never go into SF. Live about 19 miles south of there. Not much crime where I live. 

[CCWineLover]

2 hours ago, DrKoob said:

And Seattle but people still cruise out of here all summer long. Tourist stabbed yesterday in downtown.

Yiikes!!  I lived in Seattle nearly 30 years and it has REALLY gotten bad the past several.

https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-downtown-man-stabbed-hotel-crime-violence-crisis-knife-push-attack-drug-use-courtyard-marriott-cherry-street-washington-state-dc-king-county-cell-phone-doctors-homeless-addiction-mayor-bruce-harrell-activation-plan

 

[zalusky]

8 hours ago, ropomo said:

Oceania has cruises that start and end in San Francisco. 

Yea but you would have to sail on Regatta.

[Carolfay]

I sailed Regatta last summer to Alaska.  As I live near Portland, OR, I took Amtrak to Seattle and boarded there.  Very easy.  Outstanding cruise, too.

[DrKoob]

3 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Yiikes!!  I lived in Seattle nearly 30 years and it has REALLY gotten bad the past several.

https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-downtown-man-stabbed-hotel-crime-violence-crisis-knife-push-attack-drug-use-courtyard-marriott-cherry-street-washington-state-dc-king-county-cell-phone-doctors-homeless-addiction-mayor-bruce-harrell-activation-plan

 

It is very dangerous to go downtown. We love plays, concerts and restaurants but drug use is rampant, people urinating and defecating on the streets, being constantly assaulted verbally and sometimes worse.

[Jim Avery]

21 minutes ago, DrKoob said:

It is very dangerous to go downtown. We love plays, concerts and restaurants but drug use is rampant, people urinating and defecating on the streets, being constantly assaulted verbally and sometimes worse.

This is why our last cruise ship stop in San Francisco is our last cruise ship stop in San Francisco.  Sad we have allowed such degradation.

[-Lew-]

On 5/16/2023 at 11:17 AM, oskidunker said:

Why is Princess the only Cruise line that sails out of San Francisco?

 

The following lines cruise out of San Francisco...

 

Princess 
Oceania
Carnival 
Cunard 
NCL
Silversea
Regent
Phoenix
Hapag-Lloyd

[Cienfuegos]

San Francisco and Oakland ports have notoriously difficult labor situations on the docks. One local issue is the requirement that only full time stevedores can operate certain equipment using in loading and unloading ships.  Part time or apprentice dock workers cannot operate them. The port operators have limited the number of union full time positions, which means that some equipment isn't always operated, or can be operated on overtime only.

 

Costs and wildcat strikes over unauthorized work can wreak havoc with cruise ship operators if employees demand adherence to the contract.

 

 

[zalusky]

2 hours ago, -Lew- said:

 

The following lines cruise out of San Francisco...

 

Princess 
Oceania
Carnival 
Cunard 
NCL
Silversea
Regent
Phoenix
Hapag-Lloyd

Is this a porting list or actual embarkation?

[-Lew-]

39 minutes ago, zalusky said:

Is this a porting list or actual embarkation?

 

Each line listed has a future cruise originating in San Francisco.