Guides
Getting to the ship in San Francisco
The schedule tells you when to sail. These guides cover the rest: Pier 27 or Pier 35, parking, getting in from SFO, Oakland or San Jose, hotels the night before, the documents to bring and where each route goes. Each one lists its sources and the date we last checked them.
San Francisco cruise terminal: Pier 27 or Pier 35?
Cruises from San Francisco leave from Pier 27, the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal on The Embarcadero, or from Pier 35, which the Port of San Francisco puts 6 to 8 minutes' walk north. Of the 101 sailings here, 53 show Pier 27 and 4 show Pier 35 on the port's own schedule, which runs to 31 December 2027. Check the row for your date.
Updated 2026-11-03
San Francisco cruise parking: where to park for Pier 27 and Pier 35
The Port of San Francisco provides no temporary or overnight parking at Pier 27 or Pier 35, and points cruise passengers to Metropolis at 55 and 80 Francisco Street, about an 8-minute walk from Pier 27. On 3 November 2026 Metropolis quoted $360.61, fees and taxes included, for the 16-night Ruby Princess sailing of 8 November 2026. BART's multi-day parking and two city garages are the other options.
Updated 2026-11-03
SFO to Pier 27: getting from the airport to your San Francisco cruise
SFO is about 15 miles by road from Pier 27, Oakland about 20 and San Jose about 48, by our own measurement. BART runs from SFO to Embarcadero without a change, $11.80 on 3 November 2026, and the pier is about 20 minutes' walk from there. Carnival sells a transfer from SFO only, from $34.99 a person on 3 November 2026.
Updated 2026-11-03
Hotels near Pier 27
OpenStreetMap shows no hotel within half a mile of Pier 27. The closest we measured is Hotel Zephyr in Fisherman's Wharf, a 14-minute walk, and all 25 city hotels here are within 23 minutes on foot or 4 to 6 minutes by car. None of the 30 runs a cruise shuttle. The 5 SFO hotels have free airport shuttles and are 21 to 26 minutes from the pier by car, without traffic.
Updated 2026-11-03
First cruise from San Francisco: questions and answers
Most cruises from San Francisco leave Pier 27 in the afternoon, and you arrive in the time slot you pick at online check-in. Princess's 16-day Hawaii itinerary has 10 days at sea and its 10-day Alaska itinerary four. Daily gratuities in a standard cabin were $18 a person on Princess and $17 on Carnival on 3 November 2026.
Updated 2026-11-03
Do you need a passport to cruise from San Francisco?
On a Princess or Carnival round trip from San Francisco to Alaska, Hawaii or Mexico, a U.S. citizen can board with a birth certificate and a government photo ID, because the ship comes back to the same port. Azamara and Regent require a passport on every voyage, and so does every one-way voyage. Hawaii round trips stop at Ensenada and Alaska round trips at Prince Rupert because of the Passenger Vessel Services Act.
Updated 2026-11-03
Cruises from San Francisco to Mexico: Ensenada in 4 or 5 nights, Cabo in 11
This schedule has 20 Baja cruises from San Francisco, 4 or 5 nights long, and every one calls at Ensenada. Carnival sails most of them, Thursday to Monday, from spring to early autumn, and Princess adds 5-night trips by way of San Diego. The Mexican Riviera takes 11 nights from here. On 3 November 2026 Baja fares started at $513 per person.
Updated 2026-11-03
Cruises from San Francisco to Hawaii: two weeks, four days at sea before the first island
This schedule has 23 cruises from San Francisco to Hawaii, round trips of 15 or 16 nights that leave between September and April. Ruby Princess sails nearly all of them, and Carnival sails in September 2027 and September 2028. Every trip calls at three or four Hawaiian ports and at Ensenada in Mexico, and fares started at $1,124 per person on 3 November 2026.
Updated 2026-11-03
Alaska cruises from San Francisco: round trips with two sea days each way
This schedule has 45 Alaska cruises from San Francisco, all round trips of 10 to 13 nights that leave between late April and early September. Princess sails Ruby Princess in both years, Carnival sails Carnival Luminosa in 2027 and Carnival Legend in 2028, and every trip stops at Prince Rupert in Canada on the way home. Fares started at $996 per person on 3 November 2026.
Updated 2026-11-03
Short cruises from San Francisco: 4, 5 and 7-night trips, and no 3-day ones
The shortest cruise from San Francisco on this schedule is 4 nights, so there is no 3-day cruise from here. Carnival sails 16 4-night trips to Ensenada, Thursday to Monday, from spring to early autumn, and there are 4 trips of 5 nights and 6 of 7 nights, mostly on Ruby Princess. On 3 November 2026 starting fares were $513 for 4 nights, $769 for 5 and $900 for 7, per person with taxes and port fees included.
Updated 2026-11-03
Cheap and last-minute cruises from San Francisco
The lowest starting fare from San Francisco was $513 per person on 3 November 2026, with taxes and fees included, and the lowest fare per night was $70. Gratuities, drinks, Wi-Fi and parking are extra. In a sailing's last 21 days we print a fare only when a reading from that day or the day before backs it up, so some sailings near departure show Check prices instead.
Updated 2026-11-03
Best time to cruise from San Francisco, month by month
Cruises leave San Francisco in every month of 2027, but the routes change with the season. Alaska runs from late April to early September, Hawaii from mid-September to April, and Carnival's 4-night Baja trips from May to early September. Downtown San Francisco averages a 66°F high in July and 70°F in September and October, on NOAA's normals, so the warmest sailaways come in the fall.
Updated 2026-11-03
Cruise lines that sail from San Francisco
Princess and Carnival are the lines that start cruises from San Francisco regularly, with 57 and 39 sailings on our schedule. Azamara and Regent add a few long voyages. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Holland America, Celebrity, Disney and Virgin Voyages ships call here in the middle of other cruises, and none of their departures from here is on sale through our booking partner.
Updated 2026-11-03
