Pier 27: San Francisco Welcomes New Cruise Terminal

Categories San Francisco is one of the more eclectic cruise ports you will find on west cost cruises. You have many options to discover while in port for the day or over multiple days. From the great restaurants to historic landmarks, San Francisco is always aiming to please the travelers that come to visit their great city and they will start the moment the walk off the ship onto their new cruise terminal.

 

Pier 27, San Francisco’s newest cruise port welcomed its first cruise liner on September 18, 2014. Crown Princess, from Princess Cruises officially opened the new cruise terminal, but the official grand opening ceremony took place Sep 25^th, 2014.

 

Pier 27 is equipped to accommodate the longer and bigger cruise ships that will come into port. This will allow the larger ships to now dock straight in San Francisco and will entice more cruise lines to use Pier 27 when planning their future itineraries.

 

The cruise terminal at Pier 27 is named the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal. James R. Herman is a former port commissioner and President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.

 

This new cruise terminal is approximately 88,000 square feet, with two levels that will include ticketing, security operations, baggage carrousel, and a Customs and Border Protection Area. Also, cruise ships that are equipped properly will be offered shoreside power. This will allow the berthed cruise ships to use this power and turn off their engines.

 

Another excellent aspect of the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal is that it will be environmentally friendly. To make sure everything was up to standards the terminal was certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This will go a long way in making sure the terminal is helping to preserve the environment and be a starting point for other cruise terminals to become green and environmentally friendly.

 

While passengers are waiting to board, they will be able enjoy a scenic view from the terminal to help pass the time. Such landmarks included in the view are Alcatraz, Coit Tower, Bay Bridge and the entire bay.

 

On average the Port of San Francisco hosts 60 to 80 various cruise ships calls and on average about 200,000 cruise guests annually. San Francisco is the mostly used for west coast cruises, including roundtrip Alaska and Mexico cruises, as wells as some repositioning itineraries in the spring and fall.

 

While the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal won’t be the main reason that draws cruisers attention to San Francisco, it will be a vast improvement from the previous pier used for cruise ship calls, in Pier 35. Pier 35 might still used as a backup, but with Pier 35’s inability to hold some of the longer and bigger vessels expect most ships to be docked in Pier 27.

 

If you end up visiting San Francisco and passing through the new James R. Herman Cruise Terminal, please let me know how your experience. Happy travels!