Grand Princess Delayed Departure SF

[Hazegreyunderway]

FYI

We still sitting at the pier 27 and it’s almost 7 pm. The general announcement at 4 pm was that the ship was waiting for stragglers. Then at 5 pm it was waiting for a “ medical device”.

 

No worries, we have the drink package lol

 

[SiliconCruiser]

Not to worry, it takes 4 days to get to Hawaii.  I'm pretty sure they'll be able to crank it up after the first two days and get back on schedule.😉  The first couple of days can be a little rough though.

[Greg4502]

Coming out of Ensenada a couple of years ago, the water was really rough. We had to slow down to 8 knots, as every time we a swell, it would just rattle the whole ship. Well do the math, no way would we make it back to San Francisco on time. Morning rolls around and we are pulling into port on time.

[suekel]

Last January our cruise on the Grand out of SF got pushed back until 6 waiting for late flights.  Then the weather took a turn and the closed the port.  We went to bed at 1, still in port.  Only issue was not being awake to see sailing under the bridge.  

[MauiLvrs]

10 hours ago, suekel said:

Last January our cruise on the Grand out of SF got pushed back until 6 waiting for late flights.  Then the weather took a turn and the closed the port.  We went to bed at 1, still in port.  Only issue was not being awake to see sailing under the bridge.  

With RADAR and GPS knowing where both ends of the ship are within 9 feet - I don’t get how they close the port due to weather 

[Haboob]

14 minutes ago, MauiLvrs said:

With RADAR and GPS knowing where both ends of the ship are within 9 feet - I don’t get how they close the port due to weather 

Wind can sometimes push a ship harder than the rudder or thrusters.  They try to not put large dents in the ship or drive a tug under the adjoining pier like the Star did a few months ago in San Francisco.

 

 

[satxdiver]

Cruise ships these days are big vertical sides that make excellent sails but unfortunately being pushed sideways instead of forward motion. A tug can only do so much with a huge cruise ship.  So they close the port to prevent collisions due to the wind and in SF due to the fog.  While cruise ships are well equipped, smaller ships are not so they close the port if vis gets too low.   

[Roatanfans]

There are many small boats in the waters around San Francisco.  Also between the Golden Gate and the Farallons is a stretch of water known as the "potato patch".  Even on your best weather day it is always rough there!

[Gwendy]

Sailed into and out of SAN Francisco 4 times.  Never really saw the bridge, foggy every time.  Going to try again in May next year.  Fingers crossed.

[brisalta]

On 11/20/2019 at 10:16 PM, Gwendy said:

Sailed into and out of SAN Francisco 4 times.  Never really saw the bridge, foggy every time.  Going to try again in May next year.  Fingers crossed.

Fog season again...

[Cruise Raider]

On 11/20/2019 at 10:16 PM, Gwendy said:

Sailed into and out of SAN Francisco 4 times.  Never really saw the bridge, foggy every time.  Going to try again in May next year.  Fingers crossed.

 

Oh no, that's too bad!! 

We've done it about 2 dozen times ... it is really a sight to see!!  Will keep my fingers crossed for you for next May!!  

[jennybenny]

On 11/20/2019 at 10:16 PM, Gwendy said:

Sailed into and out of SAN Francisco 4 times.  Never really saw the bridge, foggy every time.  Going to try again in May next year.  Fingers crossed.

Awe, what a bummer, it's beautiful!  We've been lucky and never had fog.  One time we did leave late and it wasn't anything special but seeing SF lit up at night was cool.  We were OK last March, but have not cruised in May.  Hoping you get to experience it this next time!

[Cruise Raider]

1 minute ago, jennybenny said:

Awe, what a bummer, it's beautiful!  We've been lucky and never had fog.  One time we did leave late and it wasn't anything special but seeing SF lit up at night was cool.  We were OK last March, but have not cruised in May.  Hoping you get to experience it this next time!

 

There is just no way to tell this far out.  We once left out of the City in early May and had record heat (93 degrees) and no fog.  As a matter of fact, the entire cruise, except for a couple of days, the weather was pretty pleasant.  

[jennybenny]

10 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

There is just no way to tell this far out.  We once left out of the City in early May and had record heat (93 degrees) and no fog.  As a matter of fact, the entire cruise, except for a couple of days, the weather was pretty pleasant.  

Agreed.  SF weather can be unpredictable for sure! We are local, so we experience that regularly as well. :)

[Cruise Raider]

22 hours ago, jennybenny said:

Agreed.  SF weather can be unpredictable for sure! We are local, so we experience that regularly as well. 🙂

 

We are on the other side of the bay bridge but we can see the southern end of the SF bay from our upstairs rooms.  Since we have such moderate weather here, most homes in our neighborhood don't have AC.  When we see that fog rolling in over the bay, you can oftentimes hear us say, 'our air conditioning just arrived'.  And yes, we love the fog!!