San Francisco Cruisers

[sfo-john]

Any other San Franciscans going to be on board the QE2 for the Jan 3rd crossing?

[WeHo_Cruiser]

This might be a good question for the NCL board. Was this the ship they used in the "I Love Lucy" episode where she misses the ship? ;)

Hi Everyone-

I live in LA now, but was born and raised in SF Bay Area (East Bay and South Bay). I just found this great web site. This is a huge discussion thread, so if someone has already answered the questions about the SS Independence, please accept my apologies for repeating the info.

 

I sailed on the SS Independence a few years back when she was sailing around the Hawaiian Islands. She was a beautiful old ship. The crew was fabulous, and the food incredible. Our cabin on the Bridge Deck had skylights; you could look up at the forward funnel and see the stars at night while lying in bed. The Independence and her sister ship the SS Constitution were originally built for Atlantic crossings after WWII. Princess Grace traveled on the Constitution to her wedding in Monaco. The I Love Lucy episode was also supposed to have taken place on the Constitution.

 

Sometime after cross-Atlantic ship travel was replaced by jet airplanes, the American-Hawaii Cruise Line purchased both ships. They were refurbished, and repositioned to Hawaii. Unfortunately the SS Constitution could not be maintained due to its age, and she was placed in dry dock and scavenged for parts to keep the Independence going. (I haven’t been able to confirm this, but I heard that the Constitution was supposed to have been towed to the West Coast but the ship sank during the voyage.)

 

When the American-Hawaii line went bankrupt, NCL purchased the Independence. NCL had planned to refurbish the ship and operate it again in the Hawaiian waters as part of its NCL America line (SS Independence is one of the few American-built cruise ships still afloat). The ship was sailed to SF. For some reason (probably money) NCL put its refurbishment plans on hold. The Independence was initially anchored with the “Mothball Fleet” in Suisun Bay out near Benitia. When tidal waters began depositing silt in the bilge of the ship, NCL moved the Independence to the dock in SF. Hopefully NCL will put the ship back in service before it rusts into the Bay. :(

 

My partner and I will be sailing from LA on NCL Star to Mexico on Jan. 28, 2005. Will anyone from the Bay Area be on the ship?

[bepsf]

Doug --

 

You're right, the "Connie" is resting on the bottom 700 miles north of Honolulu, and she had the more illustrious career...

 

http://home.pacbell.net/steamer/consti_1.htm

[Blazerboy]

Brian, I was reading backwards and your post gave me heart palpitations! (See my future cruises below!;) )

 

Happy Holidays to those cruisers from the Bay Area (and those who visit here, as well!

 

Andrew

[aaerobear]

Less than one week now and we will be cruising to South America. We want to wish all of you SFCruisers (and all of the CCLGBT folks) the very best of the holiday season. We will be toasting Christmas in Barbados and NYE in Belem, Brazil.

 

I think the next cruise will be the Noordam cruise to North Africa in August. (unless we can fit a couple in between now and then )

 

Ed/Jeff

[bepsf]

Happy Holidays and Safe Travels to you too, Ed & Jeff!!!

Huggs and Kisses!

:)

 

 

Andrew--

 

You poor dear - you must have been scared silly!

Have another Martini....

;)

[misstalkative77]

hey, i'm a SF local (live in Nob Hill) and want to go see that ship when its in dock... but was that date correct.... 2007???

 

that's over a year from now : (

 

any other ships coming into the area? would love to go check them out.

 

let me know if anyone has info. thanks much--

[aaerobear]

many ships call in SF all year round. In the winter it is mostly Princess though, the Dawn is here every 10 days throughout the season, once summer arrives there are lots of ships to see at pier 35.

 

Ed/Jeff

[FLCruiseGuy]

My partner Phil and I will be cruising on the Dawn Princess on Jan 19th, any recommendations for a place to stay the night of the 18th? We are arriving late (midnight):confused: , so I suspect by the time we get to the hotel, we will be ready to get some rest, instead if hitting the town (since it will be nearly 4am our time):mad: . But we are hoping for a place where we might be able to get a nice breakfast and do some walking and sightseeing the morning of the cruise. Any recommendations would be appreciated, for our short visit to San Francisco :D

[Blazerboy]

I'd try Priceline or Hotwire, and try to get a high star (four) numbered hotel either in Union Square or on the Embarcadero. You'll probably end up in the Hyatt, or something similar, but both the Hyatt Embarcadero (Regency) or the Hyatt on Union Sq.(Grand) are great places from which to explore a little. These hotels are fairly generic, but I got the Hyatt Regency for $99. a night. And either would be a relatively cheap cab ride to the pier. Have fun.

 

Andrew

[BEAV]

I'd try Priceline or Hotwire, and try to get a high star (four) numbered hotel either in Union Square or on the Embarcadero. You'll probably end up in the Hyatt, or something similar, but both the Hyatt Embarcadero (Regency) or the Hyatt on Union Sq.(Grand) are great places from which to explore a little. These hotels are fairly generic, but I got the Hyatt Regency for $99. a night. And either would be a relatively cheap cab ride to the pier. Have fun.

 

Andrew

 

Good advice, Boy of Blazers. If you bid 4 stars in the Union Square East/Embarcadero zone on Priceline, you should be assigned any of the following (all are an easy cab ride to the cruise ship pier 35)

 

Hyatt Regency Embarcadero

Omni

Grand Hyatt

Westin St Francis

 

Or, if you prefer to stay a little closer to Pier 35, the Sheraton at Fisherman's Wharf is the only known 4 star hotel in Priceline's wharf zone.

[misstalkative77]

HI-- this is a response to the guy visiting SF and wanting recommendations for breakfast and sightseeing options.....

 

my 2 favorite breakfast places in SF are:

 

"Mama's" (in North Beach /little italy) *word of caution... there is always a line so expect a wait for about 30-40minutes. it is a pain, but OH SO worth it. yum! afterwards your can walk around North Beach... tons of shops, restaurants and cafes. it has a very european feel with small alleys and artsy vibe.

 

"Rose's Cafe" (in the marina area) *nice cafe in a gorgeous neighborhood of SF. afterwards you can hop over to Union Street for great boutiques, cafes, etc. this is the street where the "pretty people" can be seen :)

 

now that i think about it.... there are soooo many good places i can send you but i need an idea of what you're looking to see "scenic-wise".

 

oh, and the most heavenly lobster and scrambled eggs can be found at the Ritz Carlton dining room if you're looking for a more upscale breakfast.

 

here's a VERY popular website in SF where all the self-described "foodies" of SF converge: www.yelp.com

 

you can get some excellent suggestions there too! enjoy and welcome to our great city---

[misstalkative77]

actually if you want to be close to the pier and within walking distance i have the perfect place for you.....

 

Stay at Hotel Vitale-- its gorgeous and just opened up on the waterfront.

 

then you can walk down the waterfront and have breakfast at Pier 23 Cafe... its great and right on the water! lovely views and good breakfast.

 

The Hyatt (Embarcadero) is also good because its right there across the from the Ferry building and waterfront.

[Blazerboy]

Well, aren't we all the helpful types!:D

 

Michelle, good idea about the Vitale- Run by Chip Conley of Joie de Vivre hotels- he's "family" and the hotels have that upscale boutique and trendy feel that you WON'T find at the Hyatts. Prices tend to be a lot higher, but check hotelres.com (local to Bay Area website) and see if you can get a better rate- friends just got the Palomar (Kimpton Group) for $209 a night for a suite, so it's worth a shot. Chip's hotels are all on there.

 

Ferry Building is NOT TO BE MISSED! :)

 

Andrew

[BEAV]

Prices tend to be a lot higher, but check hotelres.com (local to Bay Area website) and see if you can get a better rate- friends just got the Palomar (Kimpton Group) for $209 a night for a suite, so it's worth a shot.

 

Andrew

 

WOW...that's a great price for a SUITE.....

[FLCruiseGuy]

WOW... thanks for all the great info... I am really looking forward to our visit to your great city. I am sure it will inspire me to come back for a much longer visit... THANKS! :D

[Tedson]

Happy New Year everyone. For NYE, we had a nice dinner at Grissini's at the Hilton, then went over to our friend Larry's and watched the new year arrive on TV. Anyone do anything exciting?

[Blazerboy]

Kathy Griffin at the Alcazar! She was hysterical! Love her. Other than that, a quiet New Year's.

 

Hope everyone else had a good one.

 

Andrew

[bepsf]

Kathy Griffin at the Alcazar! She was hysterical! Love her. Other than that, a quiet New Year's.

 

Hope everyone else had a good one.

 

Andrew

 

Dam - I hate that I didnt know to go see her...

 

She was great on Oosterdam last year....

[aaerobear]

Happy New Year to all from the Regal Princess at sea from Recife to Salvador, Brazil. Hope you all had a great holiday. We are sure enjoying ourselves.

 

BDJAM, we have met your friend and he is a nice guy, had met him before on another cruise.

 

See you all on the 11 of jan.

 

Jeff/Ed

[Blazerboy]

Just a remeinder if we want to plan for the QM2 on Feb. 4th. "Cocktails in front of the Queen" or whatever. Is that still the date that she'll be in port?

 

Andrew

[Tedson]

Isn't that in 2007, Andrew? :)

[Blazerboy]

Oops, well you know me - like to plan ahead...:o

 

Andrew

[bepsf]

I made the same mistake...

:o

 

BTW--

Which "Of The Seas" is drydocked here in SF this week?

[BEAV]

Happy New Year everyone. For NYE, we had a nice dinner at Grissini's at the Hilton, then went over to our friend Larry's and watched the new year arrive on TV. Anyone do anything exciting?

 

Gary and I sat around the old homestead and played checkers. About 10:30pm we popped open a bottle of Cold Duck and called it a night. So how's that for married life out here in the burbs, huh? I'm sure I'm scarying you single, city slickers to death !!!

 

Just a remeinder if we want to plan for the QM2 on Feb. 4th. "Cocktails in front of the Queen" or whatever. Is that still the date that she'll be in port?

 

Andrew

 

Oops, well you know me - like to plan ahead...:o

 

Andrew

 

Well, we all know how quickly your appointment book fills up, now don't we dear !! :D