San Francisco Cruise Terminal

The lame people they hire to direct traffic and facilitate the immigration process were super rude. Who in the hell do they think they are screaming at people and treating passengers as if they are cattle or less than humans? They are given a little bit of power and all they do is scream, be rude to people and mistreat fellow passengers who just got off the cruise with a vacation glow that is quickly dismantled by rude wanna be security guards. I’ve never been screamed at like that for no reason. Hopefully they can get the proper training to deal with people in a human and dignified way. It’s called decorum people!

Seriously. Who planned this cruise ship terminal? Did they realize that a massive number of people would be coming off the boat at once? And that some might be picked up by family/​people rather than buses? One star for parking lot guys trying to make it work.

Not sure what people are wanting from a cruise terminal. You check luggage at the curb and come through in a matter of minutes to check in and board a luxury cruise ship. Everyone is incredibly friendly and wishes you a lovely time. It’s perfectly fine for that. No complaints here.

Pulling up in front of the terminal was a bit tricky. Our ride had to drive far down the street then avoid being run down my multiple buses and make a quick U-​Turn to get back going west so that we could unload in front of the building. As soon as we pulled up there was someone there to help. The loading staff was very friendly and helpful. What I expected to take 1 to 2 hours (present passport, check, and stand in line to board) actually took less than 25 minutes. They really have their act together. I have been to multiple cruise terminals and this by far has been the best experience I have had.

We live above Sacramento, and took the Vallejo ferry to the pier. This was a wonderful start to our vacation. Having read the other reviews, I’m wondering whether we were just lucky or if it’s a factor of the cruise line. We had absolutely NO problem with the boarding process — in fact, we were on board sooner than the stated time for the boarding process to begin. It was great — we had a spectacular view of the city (one not easily seen from any other view except from a boat/​ship), and took some gorgeous pictures. We’ve known for years that San Francisco is a city for walking, and that parking is a joke, so we avoided the latter and thoroughly enjoyed the former. We loved not having to bother about airports so much that our next cruise is leaving from San Francisco, and we’ll take the ferry to get there. A lovely way to travel.

This terminal in an embarrassment. San Francisco is such a beautiful city, and this is the first thing visitors see upon arriving. I have heard that a new Cruise Terminal is being built. I hope so, because even poor, third world countries have better Cruise Terminals.

Came here for the cruise to Victoria and after seeing how long the line was, it was lucky we went to In & Out before lining up. We took 2 hours to check in. They had a small room that lead up to another small room to another, until finally one could see a counter.
I am a local so know the area. I can just imagine someone else who doesn’t and trying to get a bit to eat.

When I booked a cruise from San Fran to Mexico, I was pretty excited that I didn’t have to fly to the embarkation city, as I already live in SF. However I soon discovered that the San Francisco Cruise Terminal is not currently in the same league as Long Beach or Seattle, et al.
I booked a 12 day cruise on NCL departing on Oct 1. I drove from my residence the morning of and arrived at the cruise terminal around 11:30am for a 4pm departure. Even at that hour the traffic along the Embarcadero was quite heavy. The issue primarily lies on the fact that the piers in SF are along a busy street and there is only an inlet along the Embarcadero to allow passengers to drop off. There is no additional parking. We arrived early enough that traffic and the dropping off of our bags wasn’t so bad. Checking in the for the cruise was a different matter. After giving the porters our bags, we got in line. The line wasn’t moving, and for being so early, we were surprised it was so long, Decided then just to forgo waiting in line and went downtown for some lunch and to generally kill time. Came back around 2:30pm and the line was crazy long! I expected most would have checked in by then, but this was not the case. We didn’t know it at the time, but there had been a computer outage and the line had barely moved in the last few hours. I of course, had no patience for the line, so I hightailed it to the HRC to have a beer and kill more time. That didn’t help… the line was even longer when we returned. I then popped into the Butterfly Bar which is right next to the cruse terminal to wait for the line to whittle down. Once we finally started moving through the line it was quick. However, having traveled out of Long Beach, Seattle and San Diego, among others, it was the least organized and accommodating of the bunch.
The ship set sail at least an hour later than scheduled, but no matter. The views of San Fran from the ship gliding across the bay and especially under the Golden Gate Bridge were beyond spectacular, and completely worth the wait.
On the return home, I arose at 5:30am so I could watch us sail into the Bay and under the bridge. Fabulous!
Then it started to suck. When 2,000+ people arrive into SF at the same time, it creates a huge log jam on the sidewalk outside the pier.
The traffic along the Embaradero is sluggish to say the least. We waited a few hours for our ride because the traffic was so jammed. Next time I will definitely plan to meet at a spot across the street or down the road. It was a total nightmare in-​front of Pier 35. Knowing what I know now, the next cruise shouldn’t be so crazy.
I hope SF will finally take cruising seriously as it expands its cruising facilities. This is a great city to cruise into and out of, and the added revenue it could produce would likely be substantial.
Overall, still glad I was able to leave from SF. Not having to fly to and then transfer to the cruise ship debarkation location is a luxury that I plan on repeating.

Having done 76 cruises, most of them in the last fifteen years, I find our cruise terminal very lacking in amenities and a welcoming feel to passengers. Of course, many of our U. S. cruise ports are this way — I think longingly of that wonderful cruise terminal in Singapore which is almost like a destination itself. It’s rather bleak and grim, to say the least. Thankfully, Pier 39 and the magnificent Bay views are there once you escape the confines of the terminal enclosure. Having sailed both in and out of San Francisco and, on several occasions, disembarking for the day as a cruise passenger, I think our local authorities and terminal workers could exude a bit more warmth and welcome. This is a great city, after all, and tourism is vital to our livelihood.

Looks just like an airport terminal (travelers, luggage’s, passports, etc.), but on a smaller scale and it smells like fish (no pun intended!)! Or phew, maybe that’s just bay water.
I came as a visitor to check out the Topaz, a ship that a friend has been on for the past three months, docked at Pier 35. Standing on the docks, the ship was looking huuuuge! As for the inside… let’s just say I give my friend much respect for living on the ship for 6 months (3 more to go). Atop the ships deck, we caught AWESOME nightly views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, and the harvest moon. Quite a sight!
The cruise terminal has a similar screening process at the security check point as the airport, except you don’t have to take off your shoes. Metal detectors, plastic bins, blah blah blah. Funny how the security guards here all look like Popeye and have scowls on their faces from the minute you walk into the terminal until you get past the check point. At least at the airport they just look at you blankly, trying to intimidate you and size you up. Here, it’s more like — «Who are you? What do you want?». I’m just like, «Chill! I’m only here to visit!»
You will find this terminal at the intersection of Bay and Embarcadero, where parking is pretty easy — there are parking lots across the street ($ 10-​$ 15 for an all day pass) and plenty of metered street parking within a one to two block radius of the terminal. It’s also a good walking distance from Pier 39.
All in all, my visit to the cruise terminal left me smelling like the bay and wanting to go on a cruise around world. Oh, what could be the joys of life at sea…