San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal

We used the terminal to board our ship, The Holland America Amsterdam for a cruise down to the South Pacific. This is a very well run terminal and they can move 2 ships in and out at the same time. We came from the airport which is just a short cab ride away. They have porters to help you with your bags and they move you along and get you checked-​in in a very efficient manner. The Embarcadero is right in front and it’s great for walking along the water.

Not sure how to post photos, or I would. Visit
and click on the second dot from the right, below the image.

Dropping off family members at Pier B was a simple & stress-​free event despite the construction and many traffic cones in the immediate area. Getting in & out of downtown San Diego was easy, too, because the drop off took place outside of normal rush hour times.
The only downside, besides that I wasn’t going on the 30 day round trip cruise from San Diego to Tahiti, was the porter service at the pier. The porters initially declined to transport the cases of wine advising that it was a new policy effective that very day requiring travelers to handle the wine themselves. That’s a no-​go proposition for my eighty year old family members, but not-​so-​surprisingly, the porters changed their policy when I flashed some cash. Anyone surprised?

Easy to navigate, park, and really friendly port agents!

The San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal is located at 1140 North Harbor Drive on the B Street Pier. It is conveniently perched in downtown San Diego on the Embarcadero, along San Diego Bay. Just as The San Diego International Airport is right there in the middle of all of the city action-​so is this Cruise Ship Terminal.
This Terminal is scheduled for a remodel soon to enable it to accommodate more Cruise Ships because right now only 2 can be docked at one time at the Piers. As the crippled Carnival Splendor shows, the larger Cruise Ships have their bows hanging over onto the sidewalk along
North Harbor Drive. It looks tight and cramped and probably creates a security concern as well.
According to the Port of San Diego website: «The Port of San Diego is building an auxiliary cruise ship terminal on Broadway Pier adjacent to the Port’s primary cruise facility at B Street. For more than 90 years, the Broadway Pier has served in various maritime capacities and is scheduled to reopen with the new passenger facility and public event space in late 2010. The two-​storied building with 52,000 square feet will serve up to 2,600 passengers. Energy-​efficient and renewable energy features are designed to meet the standard of LEED Silver certification. Shore power also will be introduced for both the Broadway and B Street cruise facilities in late 2010.» Maybe they should consider adding a parking garage to alleviate parking quagmires there?
A Construction Update states that this new Cruise Terminal will begin operations at the end of December 2010. None too soon, I must say, as I had to deduct 1 Unilocal Star in this review due to the tight feeling you get when you do depart or arrive here on a cruise. So far I have enjoyed a couple of Mexico cruises, a Canada jaunt and one wonderful Alaska voyage that departed the San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal.
Luckily I had friends or relatives drop me and my son off so no worries about parking. Otherwise expect to put your car in a nearby parking lot for the duration of the cruise. Fortunately, the San Diego Airport is barely 10 minutes away so flying in and just taking a quick cab over is an option. Staying across the street at the Holiday Inn on the Bay is always a good idea as you can literally walk across the street to access the Cruise Ship terminal.
Processing through the Terminal-​either coming on or leaving is fairly efficient. It seems like it’s mostly seniors that work behind the counters there and they are courteous and friendly. You drop your luggage off on the Pier proper and then go inside to process your Passports and documents. There is even a little Café area where you can sip some java and hang out to kill time.
As the Carnival Splendor debacle showed today, the San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal is a blessing to the locals, who now can access cruises that go all over the world from their Bayside front yards. The location in the inner San Diego Bay is protective and there are many amenities, restaurants, tourist attractions, and public transportation nearby, beyond the airport. The San Diego Trolley is 2 blocks away, and Amtrack and The Coaster trains also.
Forget congested San Pedro and ill-​fated Long Beach ports. Come to San Diego and see why the Carnival Splendor was so happy to be tugged into our lovely city today! Well, at least ONE of the reasons!
I reserve the right to return to this Unilocal and bump it up to the 5 Unilocal STARS it truly deserves, once that new part opens up..