san francisco port

[lschnauz]

would flying to sfo or oakland be just as convenient to catch the miilenium next may '08 for the r/t from san francisco. am not sure where the port of san fran is. am planning on flying from john wayne to sfo. would appreciate any info.....thank you:) :)

[JLC@SD]

would flying to sfo or oakland be just as convenient to catch the miilenium next may '08 for the r/t from san francisco. am not sure where the port of san fran is. am planning on flying from john wayne to sfo. would appreciate any info.....thank you:) :)

 

According to this schedule the Millenium will be the only ship in on May 5, 08

 

http://www.sfport.com/site/port_page.asp?id=55713

 

So she will probably dock at Pier 35......see this map.

 

http://www.sfport.com/site/uploadedfiles/port/about_us/divisions/real_estate/map02.pdf

 

Here is the schedule for 07 -09

 

http://www.sfport.com/site/port_page.asp?id=31686

[Jim_Iain]

Celebrity would be sailing from the Cruise Ship Terminal which is located adjacent to Pier 39 / Fisherman's Warf area. I am just guessing but I would say San Francisco would be about 15 miles away and Oakland airport would be about 30 Miles away. Both are easy by taxi or Super Shuttle.

 

Oakland may be easier and quicker to get into and out of. Kinda like the ease of flying out of John Wayne vs LAX

 

Jim

[MBZ Girl]

There is also BART transportation available from SFO directly, I don't know if OAK has it right there yet or not, but they BOTH have GREAT public transportation available. Depending on time of day, traffic can be a nightmare and either trip can take an hour or so!!!!!

[MBZ Girl]

There is also BART transportation available from SFO directly, I don't know if OAK has it right there yet or not, but they BOTH have GREAT public transportation available. Depending on time of day, traffic can be a nightmare and either trip can take an hour or so!!!!!

[Guest psuflita]

Definately fly in/out of SFO. More flights, nicer airport, way better ground transportation.

 

A taxi will be about $36-$40 (for the car - not per person)

 

Super Shuttle (shared vans) is around $17pp and you will likely have several stops before you reach the pier.

 

The new BART service is great - you board at the SFO international terminal - take it into San Francisco - you will get off at the Embarcadero stattion. The fare is $5.15pp and takes 33 minutes. The train runs about every 30 minutes . . . go to www.bart.gov for detailed schedule.

 

From the Embarcadero (which is right along the waterfront - great views!) either take a taxi for the mile or so to your pier - or take the above ground light rail which operated along the waterfront. This fare is $1.20 pp and you can't miss it.

 

If you have a little time - do stop in the Ferry building, lovely restaurants and shopping. http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/ And of course, Pier 39 and a visit with the sea lions is always fun. http://www.pier39.com/ If you are arriving on a Saturday morning - enjoy the awesome Farmer's Market!

 

The Pier is just an plain old industrial pier - but it makes boarding your ship all the more magic! Incidentally, sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge remains one of my favorite all time activities. Enjoy!

 

Here is photo of Ferry building with the nifty restored light rail cars.

 

[pegpowell]

One small correction, the fare on the streetcars is $1.50, 50cents for seniors, or $1.25 if you get a discount ticket in the Bart station before going through the pay gate.

[cruzerfornow]

i TOTALLY disagree with flying into SFO from John Wayne, and though there may be more overall flights at SFO there are WAYYYYY more commuter flights into Oakland than SFO and SFO has tons of delays because it is so big with Oakland having very few....total distance between pier is around 5 miles longer from Oakland but other than than it is by far the better choice....I fly to So Cal often, Burbank, John Wayne, Ontario and I avoid SFO like I avoid LAX...like the plague! :D

[aaerobear]

You may like OAK better but you will pay through the nose for a cab into SF. If one doesn't care what they pay for transportation, then I say "go for it" if you do not wish to spend all your travel money on cab fares then head to SFO.

 

If you are just coming here for business and have carry-on, then take BART. If you are going on a cruise and have a lot of baggage, you will have a hard time with BART and MUNI (thats the old trolleys running along the Embarcadero) These old trolleys do not have places for luggage and it would be very difficult to get on and off with lots of bags. The best bet is the SuperShuttle or taking a cab (better if more than one person) I am not sure if there is SuperShuttle from OAK to pier 35, but they must have it to some places in San Francisco.

[nmtraveler]

You can take the ferry from Jack London Square and it goes to the SF Ferry building. goto: http://www.eastbayferry.com/ for more info.

[SharkieRools]

Still need to catch a cab from the ferry building to Pier 35, although the ferry might be a nice alternative to taking a cab all the way from Oakland airport if you choose to fly into there.

 

BART and Muni might be a chore depnding on how much luggage you have as aaerobear points out.

 

If you haven't done so already, sign up on our roll call for this cruise :D :

Millenium May 05, 2008 SF Roundtrip

[shofer]

Depending on when your flight arrives and when the ship departs, you can drop your luggage at Pier 35 w/the porters and take the easy walk around Fisherman's Wharf prior to boarding. Yes, the trip under the Golden Gate is not to be missed and you pass very close to Alcatraz also.

 

We chose to fly in from Chicago a day early just so we could see the city. DH and I had been there twice before but our friends had not so it was a lot of fun being tourists. San Francisco is a great city to visit and so much to see! If it wasn't for the hills, you could walk it easily. Of course this is from a "flatlander".

[Guest psuflita]

Yup, previous posters are right - the taxi cost is good issue, and I take back the light rail recommendation. They are right, if you pack for a cruise like I do - the light rail trains are cute and quaint, but not luggage friendly!

 

I wouldn't recommend the ferry - for the luggage reason, frequency - and because it is 11 miles from OAK airport. That's too much transferring.

 

If it helps, Google maps has ratings . . . over 80 people have rated each airport . . . here ya go:

 

http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2005-26,RNWE:en&q=airport&near=Oakland,+CA&reviews=1&latlng=0,0,15205171641657067469&sa=X&oi=local&ct=reviews&cd=1

http://www.google.com/maps?f=l&abauth=3f7c106a%3Axnfnre_vI2HwHj2aiwGAPjDPOes&q=airport&near=san+francisco%2C+CA&btnG=Search+Businesses

 

Whichever you decide, hope your cruise and experience here is awesome! I had lunch in the Ferry Building today - The Slanted Door is AWESOME!

[Skeezics]

I would fly into Oakland. Too many times I have been delayed by fog and ground control while trying to fly into San Francisco. I flew this route for two years every other week, and could count on two hands the number of times I arrived on time. I now use Oakland.

[Leela]

This is one of those "it all depends" questions.

 

It depends on how much you are willing to spend on a taxi. (Or you could take SuperShuttle, check out their web site.)

 

It depends on the weather.

 

It depends on the time of day. Like, traffic can be really bad coming into San Francisco from the Bay Bridge (and therefore Oakland) at certain times, and it can be really bad coming in from the south (and therefore SFO) at certain times. Or it can be a breeze. Or a tanker truck can crash and melt an overpass and then it's impossible.

 

It depends on if there's a ballgame (at the Oakland Coliseum, or Pacific Bell Park, or both, or worse yet both teams at one of them).

 

If it were me (and I live in San Francisco and go to SNA from time to time for dance competitions in Orange County), I'd fly into SFO and take a taxi, and just make sure I am on a flight that arrives in SFO around 11am. That way if my flight is two hours late I'll still make the cruise on time, and will avoid just about all forms of commuter traffic.

[biggerbearmom]

and always try to fly out of Oakland whenever possible. But if I were taking a cruise out of SF I would definately fly into SFO. Yes there is a higher probability of fog/weather delays but depending on the time of day traffic can be a nightmare in the East Bay & the cost of a taxi would be pretty high. With the amount of luggage that I travel with I definately would skip BART & take a taxi.

[cruzerfornow]

After reading all these even Im confused....:eek:

 

I think the bottom line is..airport wise Oakland is MUCH better...

 

SFO is closer and more convienient once you actually land...

[Iggipolka]

I'd fly into Oakland and take BART to SF. There's a bus that goes from Oakland Airport to BART for $2. From there it's an easy ride into San Francisco. You get off at the first stop. There are plenty of taxi's around that area of town or it's an easy and pretty stroll down to Pier 35. Oakland airport has minimal delays. SFO has frequent delays due to fog.

 

I've taken BART from Oakand to SFO with luggage and back before. Riding BART with luggage is very easy and not a hassle at all. We're cruising on the Mercury next April and are planning on taking BART/taxi to the ship from Oakland. Nice and simple and no worries about traffic.

[skandls]

SFO or Oakland airport depends on the amount of luggage you have. If you are like DH and me we take a lot of clothes on cruises - especially when there are formal nights.

 

I would fly into SFO and take a shuttle or taxi to my hotel or the pier. I would not take cruise luggage on Bart even though there is a lot of room. Just make sure you allow plenty of time - take an early flight so you have lots of options should there be fog or problems at SFO.

 

If you plan on taking Bart from Oakland there is a shuttle bus from the airport to the terminal - it can get crowded and dealing with luggage can be a problem. I don't know how much the 'shuttle' fare to the pier in San Francisco is - the last I remember was about $50pp.

[wvufan]

We concur with Iggypolka. We flew into Oakland, took the shuttle to BART, took that in to the Embarcadero station. We had a hotel at Fisherman's Wharf near the piere and, as it was such a nice day, we just walked it with each of us towing two suitcases, but a taxi ride would have been easy too.

 

We would never consider any other option than Oakland.

 

OOOEEE:D :D Bob and Phyl

[susanp]

In your innocent question about which airport, clearly you've touched on a Bay Area debate! So I could not resist adding my two cents.

 

Think about your return trip as well, and how much time you have. I have found the security lines at Oakland to be much, much longer than SFO, so if you choose Oakland make sure to leave yourself at least an extra hour to get through security. I don't know if it's always like that, but has been the past four times I've been there, twice early AM, once afternoon and once late afternoon/early evening.

At rush hour there is plenty of traffic on freeways near both SFO and Oakland--but accidents on the bridge can slow traffic down much more.

BART from SFO is great, and it isn't bad with luggage, assuming you can handle what you have (with wheels, etc). I have found there is plenty of space to stow my bags next to me, and although going through BART turnstiles can be tricky, it's otherwise just one smooth (and traffic-free--and inexpensive) ride.

 

Having said all that, it is true there are weather delays between Southern CA and SFO with some frequency. However, May, September and October tend to be our fog-free months, so that shouldn't be such a worry.

 

Finally, you could always arrive a day early and enjoy the city!

 

Hope at least some of that helps.

 

Susan