Need Help with San Francisco to Alaska July 2025

[awhitleycrew]

As you can see in my title we don't set sail until next July but this will be our first time cruising where we fly in and out (we always drive 7/8 hours to the port but we can't do that from Arkansas for this one haha)  We will be cruising on the Legend, 10 days to Alaska. 

  

Has anyone used Carnival's transportation on disembarkation day to the airport?  Would you recommend it?  I know we could probably save some money trying to use Uber, Lyft, a taxi, etc but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the whole process and would pay more for everything to be handled for me.

 

We will likely fly in a couple days before the cruise, stay near the airport, visit certain must see areas, then take some type of transportation to the terminal on embarkation day.  It's getting back that has me perplexed.  

Thanks in advance!

[mz-s]

The Carnival airport transfers are dead simple. Don't worry about it!

[mistycruiser]

We've taken Carnival transfers coming and going to the port in San Francisco.  Both ways were fine and easy.  

[VentureMan_2000]

59 minutes ago, awhitleycrew said:

As you can see in my title we don't set sail until next July but this will be our first time cruising where we fly in and out (we always drive 7/8 hours to the port but we can't do that from Arkansas for this one haha)  We will be cruising on the Legend, 10 days to Alaska. 

  

Has anyone used Carnival's transportation on disembarkation day to the airport?  Would you recommend it? 

My brother-in-law did it last year on our Alaka cruise... flew in to SFO and used Carnival's shuttle both to the port and from the port and said it was great.  Going back, he boarded the shuttle and was heading off to SFO airport in 15 minutes after boarding.

He is doing the same again with our Alaska cruise coming up this month.

 

[awhitleycrew]

Thanks! On Carnival's site there's only one review for this transfer to the airport and it's a 1 star so it made me question if it's what we should do.  I have the feeling it's what we will do though!

[Luv2Cruze4]

Just a thought as we did this last August.

We flew into SFO 2 days prior and took an uber to a hotel we had booked at Fishermann's Wharf - very close to the port. SO MUCH to do all within walking distance of our hotel. It was the best decision we ever made. Just something for you to think about.

Edited June 12 by Luv2Cruze4

[jsparents]

The transportation thing to and from the ship will not be an issue.  Just remember the airport is 20-30 min (depending on traffic) from the attractions of SF depending what you are looking to do.  This might alter where you stay.

[awhitleycrew]

Thanks for the advice on staying near Fisherman's Wharf.  I've been looking at that for a possibility of where we stay.  Were you able to walk from the hotel to the port the morning you embarked for your cruise?

[kalmich]

Just a suggestion - don't do your pre-cruise stay near the airport.  It's not that close to the city (about a half hour by car) and there's literally nothing to do in that area.  I would look for a hotel near the Embarcadero.

[Luv2Cruze4]

No, we did take an uber to the port. HOWEVER, it is doable if you like to walk. After disembarkation, my husband and daughter headed to the airport while the rest of us did a walk back to the wharf area (pulling our luggage) to get a few more souvenirs. Probably about 20-25 min.

[csm5986142]

You will have a great time - San Francisco is one of my favorite ports!  We always check both SFO and OAK airports as they are almost the same driving time to the port, and for us OAK is so much simpler and has better nonstop flights for our area.

We flew into OAK (loved the Uber pick up there, so easy and not chaotic and crowded at all like I expected) and out of SFO.

We love to be able to walk to port the morning of our cruise, and that is very doable at this port.  We stayed at the RIU Fisherman's Warf.  We loved both the hotel and the location.  The evening before our cruise we walked down the Fisherman's Warf/Cruise Terminal area for dinner and had a great time.  The morning of our cruise I even had time to take a quick  jog down to the port area before the rest of my family woke up and I felt perfectly safe (another thing I worried about after hearing stories about San Francisco).  

Sorry, back to your original question, we did not use cruise transportation on that trip, but we have in the past.  It's very easy - no complaints.  The only downside for us was having to sit and wait about 30 minutes for all the a passengers to arrive but we always allow plenty of time at the airport so not a big deal.

[tha sista]

46 minutes ago, csm5986142 said:

You will have a great time - San Francisco is one of my favorite ports!  We always check both SFO and OAK airports as they are almost the same driving time to the port, and for us OAK is so much simpler and has better nonstop flights for our area.

We flew into OAK (loved the Uber pick up there, so easy and not chaotic and crowded at all like I expected) and out of SFO.

We love to be able to walk to port the morning of our cruise, and that is very doable at this port.  We stayed at the RIU Fisherman's Warf.  We loved both the hotel and the location.  The evening before our cruise we walked down the Fisherman's Warf/Cruise Terminal area for dinner and had a great time.  The morning of our cruise I even had time to take a quick  jog down to the port area before the rest of my family woke up and I felt perfectly safe (another thing I worried about after hearing stories about San Francisco).  

Sorry, back to your original question, we did not use cruise transportation on that trip, but we have in the past.  It's very easy - no complaints.  The only downside for us was having to sit and wait about 30 minutes for all the a passengers to arrive but we always allow plenty of time at the airport so not a big deal.

How long ago did you cruise from SF?  Can you comment on the crime, drug use, and/or homeless population around fishermans wharf/financial district?  Thanks in advance.

[jandres12]

Don't let the news media scare you about San Francisco. We did the Miracle to Alaska last summer and stayed in Fisherman's Wharf in the Hotel Caza. Walked all over the place with my two children 5 and 9. Walked to Ghirardelli Square, the small beach right in front of it, Francisco Park a few blocks away, up and down Fisherman's Wharf, and ate at a few local restaurants including a fabulous and affordable Korean restaurant right next to the hotel. Never felt unsafe. 

 

The crime you'd have to worry about is property crime, like leaving belongings in a rental car, otherwise perfectly safe while adhering to common sense safety rules that should be followed any urban area. 

Edited June 17 by jandres12

[awhitleycrew]

Great info about the 2 different airports!  I will keep that in mind once I start looking to book flights. 

Also thanks for the info about being able to walk to the port from the Fisherman's Wharf hotels. 

[vadersprincess12]

On 6/11/2024 at 5:42 PM, awhitleycrew said:

As you can see in my title we don't set sail until next July but this will be our first time cruising where we fly in and out (we always drive 7/8 hours to the port but we can't do that from Arkansas for this one haha)  We will be cruising on the Legend, 10 days to Alaska. 

  

Has anyone used Carnival's transportation on disembarkation day to the airport?  Would you recommend it?  I know we could probably save some money trying to use Uber, Lyft, a taxi, etc but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the whole process and would pay more for everything to be handled for me.

 

We will likely fly in a couple days before the cruise, stay near the airport, visit certain must see areas, then take some type of transportation to the terminal on embarkation day.  It's getting back that has me perplexed.  

Thanks in advance!

We are sailing out of SF to Alaska in July as well.  We don't like using the Carnival transfers because you have to sit on the bus until it fills up.  About 6 months ago we decided to set up an Uber account for things like this.  We are in our 60's and used Uber now for 4-5 cruises at different ports.  There are many safety measures in place so we have always felt safe.  We usually get our ride within 5 minutes of requesting it.  One great safety measure is that you can let a friend or family member know about your Ubert trip as it happens if that makes you feel even more safe.

 

We will Uber from the airport to our hotel when we arrive and then Uber the morning of the cruise.

[awhitleycrew]

20 hours ago, vadersprincess12 said:

We are sailing out of SF to Alaska in July as well.  We don't like using the Carnival transfers because you have to sit on the bus until it fills up.  About 6 months ago we decided to set up an Uber account for things like this.  We are in our 60's and used Uber now for 4-5 cruises at different ports.  There are many safety measures in place so we have always felt safe.  We usually get our ride within 5 minutes of requesting it.  One great safety measure is that you can let a friend or family member know about your Ubert trip as it happens if that makes you feel even more safe.

 

We will Uber from the airport to our hotel when we arrive and then Uber the morning of the cruise.

Thanks for this information!  Maybe we can try this as well.  I wouldn't want to wait on the bus for it to fill I'm sure.  This will be our first time to fly into a port so I've got extra planning to do. 🙂 

[Mike45LC]

I agree, stay at Fisherman's Wharf.  I've stayed at several hotels there, and I like the area.  I would not walk to the pier, but we travel with a lot of luggage and my wife is not a lot of help with it.  The hotel staff might be able to help with getting the luggage on board, in which case I might walk.

 

I've stayed in the Embarcadero area before, Most recently the Hyatt Regency (the hotel in "High Anxiety").  I was very disturbed by the homeless sleeping on the sidewalks, and the 7-11 across the street using a pass-through from the sidewalk and not letting customers inside.  I had no confrontations, but it was disquieting.  

 

Enjoy the cruise!

[vadersprincess12]

16 hours ago, awhitleycrew said:

Thanks for this information!  Maybe we can try this as well.  I wouldn't want to wait on the bus for it to fill I'm sure.  This will be our first time to fly into a port so I've got extra planning to do. 🙂 

Uber is easy to use and you can choose the type of vehicle you want to ride in; there are shared vehicles which we don't use but you can choose the size of vehicle and it will be priced accordingly.  You will also get a notification of the color, make, and license plate of the vehicle and the driver's name PLUS a 4 digit code that you must supply to the driver so you both know it's the right ride.  I have to say that because we are in our 60's we were reluctant to try it but with all of these safety measures we've always felt safe and have had absolutely no issues.  Enjoy your cruise, Alaska is beautiful!

[Dede23]

On 6/11/2024 at 5:42 PM, awhitleycrew said:

As you can see in my title we don't set sail until next July but this will be our first time cruising where we fly in and out (we always drive 7/8 hours to the port but we can't do that from Arkansas for this one haha)  We will be cruising on the Legend, 10 days to Alaska. 

  

Has anyone used Carnival's transportation on disembarkation day to the airport?  Would you recommend it?  I know we could probably save some money trying to use Uber, Lyft, a taxi, etc but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the whole process and would pay more for everything to be handled for me.

 

We will likely fly in a couple days before the cruise, stay near the airport, visit certain must see areas, then take some type of transportation to the terminal on embarkation day.  It's getting back that has me perplexed.  

Thanks in advance!

I just got home Tues morning from SF.  Cruised on the Miracle to AK.  We stayed in Fishermans wharf area so its an easy 2 stops on the Trolley or just under a mile walk to the cruise ship terminal.  going home we took the Trolley to the Bart (subway) and for about $11 you can train the train to the airport.  you do need to purchase there card for the train which is $3.   If you are a SR the cost including the card was $4,  There are elevators to go down to the trains, and its one train to the airport.  Once at the airport you take the free airtrain to the terminal you need.  Very easy and reasonable.

 

My favorite port of Haines, just beautiful and not commercial.  We also saw a Bald eagle in Prince Rupert.  Overall a great cruise.