San Francisco is an outstanding port city with great cruise itineraries, and a super selection of pre- and post-cruise attractions and lodging

Imagine spending a vacation touring the fabulous attractions of San Francisco and then boarding a luxury cruise ship bound for another remarkable destination like Hawaii, Mexico, or Alaska.

If you have sufficient time and money to both explore the many sites of San Francisco, and then sail off on a cruise that begins with drop-dead gorgeous views of the City by the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge – that’s a combo vacation that is hard to beat.

How the bayside of San Francisco became a tourist Mecca

Soon after the infamous 1989 earthquake, the City made a very wise decision to remove the always hideous and then dangerous freeway that separated the iconic Ferry Building from the rest of San Francisco. Before that time, except for the stretch between Fisherman’s Wharf west to the old Presidio military installation, the bay front was not a place favored by tourists.

The freeway teardown was the continuation of the amazing renaissance of the San Francisco waterfront that began in 1978, when the ever-popular Fisherman’s Wharf was joined by a new and exciting Pier 39 to its east. West of the piers, in 1994, tourism benefited from the conversion of the beautiful Presidio into public use land.

It just kept getting better

Next, in 2003, the historic Ferry Building was brought back to its original glory and reintroduced as the centerpiece of San Francisco’s waterfront. Taken together, the city did a brilliant job of revitalizing the San Francisco Bay scene. This area, once run-down, is now safe and alive with entertainment, walkers, joggers, and tourists from all over the world.

Embarcadero Avenue, which runs all along the waterfront, offers visitors and residents outstanding views of the Oakland Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, Angel Island, and Alcatraz. Go further west along the water and enjoy Ghirardelli Square and the Presidio National Park.

The Oakland Bay Bridge

Beyond Ghirardelli Square, there is the Marina Green with its vistas of the famous St. Francis Yacht Club, and Golden Gate Bridge. Try your hand at kite flying in sight of the historic Palace of Fine Arts, and Coit Tower.

The icing on the cake is the spectacular Oracle Ball Park – home of the SF Giants – right on the bay, where boaters anxiously wait to fish out home run balls beyond the park’s right field wall in McCovey Cove.

About our cruise

We took a 15-day round-trip cruise from San Francisco to Hawaii on Princess Cruises. For our part, we did a pre-cruise stay at the fabulous Embarcadero Hyatt Regency Hotel at the foot of Market Street and directly across from the Ferry Building. This Hyatt is an iconic venue that is very close to the cruise terminal.

We also stayed one night at the converted officer’s quarters that is now the upscale Inn at the Presidio. This is a must-do if you enjoy luxury accommodations mixed with volumes of fascinating military history.

The Cruise Terminal in San Francisco

And what a terminal it is. Just a short walk to many of the city’s best attractions. The terminal boasts ample room to accommodate today’s jumbo ocean liners and to handle thousands of passengers arriving and departing the terminal.

Cruise lines and destinations

At the time of this writing, familiar cruise lines such as Princess, Carnival, Holland America, Celebrity, Norwegian, Viking, and Oceania all book cruises sailing from San Francisco.

Typical destinations are Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico, and the Panama Canal, but cruises also depart for Asia, the South Pacific, and the world.

Summary

A holiday in San Francisco followed by a round-trip cruise out of the port of San Francisco to another great vacation destination like Hawaii or Alaska is the stuff getaway dreams are made of, and we highly recommend it.

If you go

Click on the title for information about Princess Cruises , the San Francisco Embarcadero Hyatt Regency, and for the Inn at the Presidio.

Happy travels!

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The opinions expressed in our articles are the journalists’ alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any entity.

© Travels with Wayne and Judy Bayliff

Photos © Judy Bayliff

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