2nd day in San Francisco

We arrive at noon on Sunday, Sept. 30 and have booked an excursion to Sausalito and Muir Woods. Were thinking about doing the Hop on/Hop off bus the next day, Monday. as we have a full day in port but it is the first day of the Fleet Week Festival. Are we going to be facing massive crowds? Do we need to get out of town?

Monday not so much. It will build as the week progresses. But that is usually a good weather time of the year, so it may be crowded for that reason.

I would go to napa valley

Monday not so much. It will build as the week progresses. But that is usually a good weather time of the year, so it may be crowded for that reason.

So, crowded but not abnormally so for that time of year?

One option is to go to Alcatraz. Pier to get the boat over is near where you dock. Do pre-order tickets on-line to get the time slot you want. There are days no tickets are available.

So, crowded but not abnormally so for that time of year?

Correct.

I'd get out of dodge and perhaps consider Napa or a drive to Carmel/Monterey.

Certain parts of SF are iffy.

We arrive at noon on Sunday, Sept. 30 and have booked an excursion to Sausalito and Muir Woods. Were thinking about doing the Hop on/Hop off bus the next day, Monday. as we have a full day in port but it is the first day of the Fleet Week Festival. Are we going to be facing massive crowds? Do we need to get out of town?

Don't know about Fleet Week, but we used the Hop On/Hop off bus in SF post-cruise a few years ago post-cruise. We were staying at Lombard and Van Ness and there was a stop for HOHO nearby. Handy to get over to the GG Bridge and then down to Golden Gate Park to visit the DeYoung Art Museum and the botanical garden. Do you have ideas of what you want to see in the city? You could then check the routes of the various HOHO companies to see which is best for what you want to see.

Certain parts of SF are iffy.

As are certain parts of just about any large city in the world. Perhaps some suggestions on what tourist areas are iffy?

I've been to SF numerous times, especially considering I live in Michigan. The city sits at the top of a peninsula with SF Bay to the east and north and the Pacific to the west. As long as you stay in the northernmost mile or two, you should be fine. That area is where most of the attractions are anyway. South of there may be fine--I'm just not familiar with it. Also, as many of our trips involved my husband attending a convention, I've gone out sightseeing on my own quite a bit with absolutely no problems.

As are certain parts of just about any large city in the world. Perhaps some suggestions on what tourist areas are iffy?

Sure Bruce.

https://www.dailynews.com/2018/07/19/san-franciscos-mayor-seems-reluctant-to-crack-down-on-people-using-the-city-as-an-outdoor-toilet/

Lot's of negative press about the homeless in SF (Trash, needles, petty theft, feces ) have any you guys currently in SF now had any problems? I love that city hope its still OK

Sure Bruce.

 

https://www.dailynews.com/2018/07/19/san-franciscos-mayor-seems-reluctant-to-crack-down-on-people-using-the-city-as-an-outdoor-toilet/

That is an editorial filled with hyperbole. Not a factual piece.

Here's the "poop map": http://mochimachine.org/wasteland/

Yes, most large cities have problems, but few have the feces and needles problems that SF has. There are literally thousands of news reports from reliable sources commenting on this. I would take a bus/car/train to San Jose and hit the tech museum and other sites. Safer, cleaner, more interesting, and less touristy than SF. Or as Bruce said, Napa or Monterey. Rent a car. The drive to Monterey is beautiful. The beaches are gorgeous, they have a nice art museum, the Monarch butterfly sanctuary has thousands of migrating butterflies, or even be a tourist at the aquarium (better than most any in the world).

Hi there. As a 40+ year resident of the San Francisco Bay Area who works in and commutes to San Francisco every day, I am somewhat perplexed by this "poop" issue. Yes, there are homeless, and it's a tragedy with no good solution. But it's not like one goes trip-trapping down the sidewalk dodging needles and poopoo at every step. I encountered way more #2 in Manhattan this past April.

Fleet week is not the huge event it used to be. There still are sailors in town but the crowds really don't arrive until the weekend, because that's when the Blue Angels perform. If you are lucky you might see some practice flights--though again, I think those are usually more midweek than at the beginning.

I pass HOHO buses on my way to and from work most days, and I must say I don't often see a lot of cheerful-looking passengers on there. Uber and Lyft and Flywheel are your friends, in my opinion.

The tough part is deciding what you DO want to do and see, and that really depends on you. Are you a museum person? The DeYoung Museum and the Palace of the Legion of Honor are closed on Mondays, but SFMoma is open. Visit the Presidio and walk Andy Goldsworthy's outdoor installations if you like that kind of art/nature meld. If you are a foodie, get yourself to the Ferry Building for the marketplace. Watch the light show that is the Bay Bridge at twilight and into the evening. Do you like Alfred Hitchcock movies? Vertigo was set and shot here--go see Lands' End and Mission Dolores. Go to the Exploratorium. Go to Coit Tower. Do a caviar tasting at The Caviar Co, or a cheese tasting at The Cheese School, or a chocolate tasting at Dandelion Chocolate, or a beer tasting at Fat Angel or...you get my drift. If you are a crafty-lady type, get yourself down to SCRAP SF. The wonder and the beauty of San Francisco is that whatever your passion is, there is someone here who shares it and probably has an organization you can visit. Unlike most of the other cities on a West Coast itinerary, San Francisco is small and dense--roughly 7 miles by 7 miles, so you can get anywhere in the city without too much difficulty.

In any case, I would NOT recommend going to San Jose, or driving to Monterey. One thing that is probably not exaggerated is Bay Area traffic. I live 12 miles from my job and my commute is routinely an hour and a half each way. And I work different shifts: 8-5,9-6, and 10-7. There is no such thing as a reverse commute anymore, and you are going to be here on a Monday. Traffic is heavy from 5am to 9pm all week, with minor fluctuations here and there. Don't get me wrong, I love Monterey and the aquarium is world-class. San Jose is a more or less generic big city, the tech museum is great if you have kids to entertain, but you have one precious day. Don't waste it stuck in traffic, unless you really want to feel like a local :-)

Afterward, very helpful post, we're on the same cruise.

We love San Francisco and are going to potter around the City for a day and a half.

Sent from my CUBOT MAGIC using Forums mobile app

It will be busier than normal especially at the waterfront and around the cruise ship pier. Downtown SF is far enough away that it will be a "normal" day there. The Blue Angels usually fly around during Fleet Week and they draw enormous crowds to the waterfront when they fly.

Fleet week is only bad if you have to drive into the city. I would stay in the City, plan to take advantage of the events, and enjoy. I was there years ago when the city got all upset about the Blue Angels flying down Golden Gate Blvd. It was awesome, get over it. Now they just fly around over the bay, still cool but not like right down the canyon between the high rises. Try to get tickets to Alcatraz.

We just spent the weekend at the Hilton Union Square and if the weather is clear and you can figure out when the Blue Angels might be flying, go up to the CityScape bar on the top floor. It has a 360 degree view from bay to ocean and would be a great spot to watch them.

The US Navy fly boys drop in midweek. Practice runs Thursday and Friday afternoons. Airshow starts Saturday and Sunday around noon with the US Navy boys coming in after 2 or 3, Karl the Fog withstanding.

https://fleetweeksf.org/events/

Our NCL Sun cruise finished in SF last year during fleet week. We arrived on the Thurs. morning and took the Alcatraz tour that afternoon. (Prebooking was the only way to do this on this weekend). While going on the boat and touring Alcatraz the Blue Angels and Canadian Snowbirds aerobatics teams practiced overhead. The Friday we rented bikes and went across the Golden gate bridge to Sausilito. While on the bridge the Aircraft carrier was leading the parade into the bay underneath us. We caught the ferry back across to fishermans warf while the Snowbirds performed overhead. Then we biked back to the park along the waterfront to the central viewing area to watch the Blue Angels. I checked the schedule for this years airshow which runs Fri., Sat., and Sunday. The Blue Angels were around 3:15-4:00pm everyday. In fact our flight was delayed out of SF on Sunday because the airways were closed during the airshow. We had a great 3 nights in SF.

We arrive at noon on Sunday, Sept. 30 and have booked an excursion to Sausalito and Muir Woods. Were thinking about doing the Hop on/Hop off bus the next day, Monday. as we have a full day in port but it is the first day of the Fleet Week Festival. Are we going to be facing massive crowds? Do we need to get out of town?

We will be in San Francisco on Oct 1 and 2. This is the beginning of Fleet Week. It's a bit of a repeat cruise for us as our port days two years ago were also during Fleet Week. Our experience is that the beginning of Fleet Week is very quiet. Many of the Navy ships have not yet arrived. Ships are not yet open for tours and events are not numerous. More people will be in the city at the end of the week for the air show and ship tours. The air show is the "big event."

No anticipated "massive crowds" for port days Sept. 30 through October 2.