Seattle or San Fran

[Djford75]

Booking a cruise to Alaska next summer.  Other than more sea days, what are the pro's and con's of leaving from Seattle or San Fran?  Never been to either but looking forward to Alaska!!!

 

[CruiserBruce]

Both are beautiful cities. Both are expensive in the downtown area. Sailing under the Golden Gate is a special event. 

 

Check the in port times. Yes, lots of sea days, but, IMO, that's not a negative. 

[royal3]

No real advantage leaving from San Francisco unless you live near there. I would do Seattle.  If you have extra vacation days, do a one way and spend the extra days in Alaska on land.  However, the one way would have to be from Vancouver (N/B) or Anchorage (S/B).  

Edited July 9 by royal3

[sonoma03]

I would choose based on whether you have more interest in spending some extra time in Seattle vs. SF, and which ship or itinerary you prefer.  I think only Princess and Carnival have ships sailing to Alaska from SF, while there is a bigger choice of cruise lines and ships sailing from Seattle.

[Aquahound]

If you're flying across the country to go on an Alaska cruise, I would eliminate San Fran as an option.  Sailing out of both Seattle and San Fran requires an obligatory foreign port that already takes a day away from Alaska.  Adding even more sea days just seems like a waste.  In fact, if you are considering Vancouver as an option, I would eliminate Seattle too.