A banner year for cruise ship traffic

OFFICIAL BCNA NEWS

The Port of San Francisco, which celebrated its 150th anniversary last year, is enjoying a banner year of 75 cruise ship calls — resulting in a record number of 260,000 passengers projected to visit the city in 2014.

Ships are being built bigger and bigger. And more and more of the lines are scheduling overnight stays at our waterfront, giving passengers time to spend in the city.

Among the renowned vessels to call February 5-6 at Pier 35 were Cunard’s current Queen Elizabeth and Costa Deliziosa, registered in Italy.

Let’s hear it for good old Pier 35, now 100 years old, the workhorse on the northeast waterfront.

Pier 35 is still the Port’s primary cruise terminal, while the new state-of-the-art James R. Herman Cruise Terminal is getting ready at Pier 27 for its debut expected to be in mid-September.

A 2.5-acre open space area, the Northeast Waterfront Plaza, is part of the Port’s ambitious project. It will open on the Embarcadero side at Pier 27 for the enjoyment of residents and visitors at about the same time.

The Port has upgraded Pier 35 significantly over an extended period of time and has an experienced ground staff, resulting in quite high percentages in passenger satisfaction feedback, according to Port staff.

​When the modern new cruise terminal opens in the Fall, it will have the title primary.  Pier 35 will continue to serve, but in a secondary role.

Hooooooonnnnnk! All aboard for the 2014 San Francisco cruise ship schedule 

Extra! Ever see a ship in port and wonder what it is or where it came from? Link to the full year’s cruise ship schedule, including docking and departure times, cruise ship lines and names, last port and which pier they’ll pull into.

Full schedule