Pre-Cruise Hotels · San Francisco

The Night Before, Ranked

Twenty hotels for a cruise from San Francisco, scored on what gets you to the ship, not on reviews. Pick yours, and let the trip start the night before.

20hotels ranked
52hotels checked
4with a free SFO shuttle
$20a day at Ace, 18 minutes’ walk from Pier 27

Plan the night before

Three taps and we’ll show your best three hotels.

Your sail date
Getting to the port
Your Match

Your three best hotels, live

Change any answer and the picks change with it. They’re built from the same published facts as the ranking below. Nobody pays to be here.

Step 1Getting to the port
Step 2Who’s coming
Step 3The night should feel

Matching weighs your answers against each hotel’s published shuttle, parking, breakfast, pool, beach, kitchen and pet policies.

Your Plan

Your night before, worked out

Five answers, and the page builds the whole thing: the hotel, the ride in, the ride to the ship, what happens to the car, what time to leave, and how you get home. Every figure is one the hotel, the port or the company publishes. Where nobody publishes a number, you’ll see that instead of a guess.

Sail date
Getting here
People
Cruise nights
Leaving a car while you sail?
Flight home, the day you’re back (optional)

Who’s coming and the mood come from Your Match; the plan uses the same answers.

Partner links (transfers, rental cars, luggage storage, lounges) may earn Seabound Journeys a commission at no extra cost to you. They don't change the plan, which is built only from what each company publishes.

The Podium

The top three

No hotel in San Francisco prints a shuttle to Pier 27, so the podium turns on breakfast and the car. The two SFO picks pair free breakfast and a free airport shuttle with a way to leave the car; Harbor Court puts breakfast and a wine hour by the Ferry Building.

The Top 20

The twenty, in order

Filter by what matters for your night. Save the ones you like, or tick up to three to compare side by side — the order is ours, the shortlist is yours.

All 20 hotels

No. 1 · Bayshore Highway, Burlingame

Holiday Inn Express San Francisco-Airport South

Free breakfast, a free SFO shuttle, a pool, and a Park & Fly package to leave the car. The ship is a drive up the 101.

No shuttle statedPark & Fly package: ask termsFree breakfastFree airport shuttle
45/ 100Night-Before
No. 3 · Steuart Street, by the Ferry Building

Harbor Court Hotel

Breakfast and a wine hour in the nightly fee, by the Ferry Building, with Ozumo downstairs.

No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedFree breakfast
43/ 100Night-Before
No. 7 · South Airport Boulevard, South San Francisco

Holiday Inn Express San Francisco-Airport North

Free breakfast, a free SFO shuttle and a package with up to 14 days of parking, the longest printed here.

No shuttle statedPark Stay and Go: up to 14 daysFree breakfastFree airport shuttle
39/ 100Night-Before
No. 9 · Columbus Avenue, Fisherman's Wharf

Hotel Caza Fisherman's Wharf

A heated pool and a bar at the Wharf, with free luggage storage for a late sailing.

No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo free breakfast
36/ 100Night-Before
No. 10 · Mason Street, Fisherman's Wharf

Hotel Riu Plaza Fisherman's Wharf

A pool heated in winter and a breakfast buffet at the Wharf. Nothing on its pages for cruisers, which is true of every hotel in the city.

No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedBreakfast not stated
36/ 100Night-Before
No. 12 · Airport Boulevard, Burlingame bayfront

Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront

An indoor pool, a fireplace bar and a free SFO shuttle on the bayfront, with Hilton's Park, Stay & Go.

No shuttle statedPark, Stay & Go: ask termsNo free breakfastFree airport shuttle
35/ 100Night-Before
No. 14 · North Point Street, Fisherman's Wharf

Hotel Zoe Fisherman's Wharf

Pescatore downstairs and s'mores in the courtyard at the Wharf, with a $15 daily credit in the fee.

No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo free breakfast
33/ 100Night-Before
No. 16 · Jefferson Street, Fisherman's Wharf

Argonaut Hotel, A Noble House Hotel

A 1907 warehouse hotel in the Maritime National Historical Park, with the Blue Mermaid downstairs. The splurge list covers it too.

No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo free breakfast
33/ 100Night-Before
No. 17 · Jones Street, Fisherman's Wharf

Kimpton Alton Hotel

Abacá downstairs and pets of any size free, 0.7 miles from Pier 39 by the hotel's count.

No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedBreakfast not stated
33/ 100Night-Before
No. 19 · Mission Street, on the Embarcadero

1 Hotel San Francisco

Across from the Ferry Building, with Terrene, a spa and a house car in the $48 nightly fee. AAA Four Diamond.

No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo free breakfast
33/ 100Night-Before
No. 20 · Embarcadero Center, by the Ferry Building

Hyatt Regency San Francisco

The atrium hotel at Embarcadero Center, by the Ferry Building, with bay views. Parking rates aren't published.

No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo free breakfast
33/ 100Night-Before
Airport taxis
Need a ride from the airport?

Booking.com lists airport taxis you can book ahead. Check the pickup point, the price and the cancellation terms before you book.

Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.

Getting There

From the airport to the hotel, then on to the ship

Pick how you’re arriving. The board counts what each hotel publishes, the table lights up that column, and the companies below run from the airport to the port.

SFO is the one most cruisers use, 20 miles and about 45 minutes from Pier 27 by Princess’s count. Oakland is across the bay, a BART ride from downtown. Four of the twenty run a free airport shuttle, all from SFO and all by the airport, not the pier. For everyone else it’s BART, a cab, a rideshare or Carnival’s transfer.

San Francisco International · 1–34 miles from these hotels, by their own counts

7run or list a ride from the airport
1arrange it ahead, price by phone
12no shuttle, or not stated

Carnival’s airport transfer

SFO
$34.99 a person, one way

From SFO to the port if your flight lands by noon; transfers run hourly from 10:30 AM to 1 PM. The ride back to SFO is the same price, for flights no earlier than noon. Buy it up to two days before you sail.

To the port 10:30 AM to 1 PMWebsite →

Princess Airplane to Ship Transfer

SFO
No price on Princess’s public pages

A uniformed Princess rep meets you at the airport after baggage claim and takes you to the ship or your hotel; Princess doesn't name the airports. Princess wants you landed at least 3 hours before sailing on a domestic flight.

BART and the F-line

SFO · OAK
$11.15 from SFO, $12.65 from OAK, then $2.85 on Muni

BART leaves from SFO's International Terminal and reaches downtown in about 30 minutes. From OAK the connector runs 9 minutes to Coliseum, then it's 21 minutes to downtown. From Embarcadero station the terminal is about a 20-minute walk, or the F-line to The Embarcadero and Sansome.

Taxi from SFO

SFO
About $50 to $60, per Princess

Metered at $4.15 for the first fifth of a mile and 65 cents each fifth after, plus a $6 SFO pickup fee, per SFMTA. Princess puts the airport 20 miles and 45 minutes from the pier.

Uber or Lyft

SFO · OAK
No published fare to the pier

At SFO the domestic pickup is Level 5 of the Domestic Garage; at the International Terminal it's the center island, Zones 14 to 17, Departures Level. Drivers drop you at the terminal hall entrance.

Private transfer, via Viator

SFO
From $75

A private SFO-to-cruise-terminal transfer starts at $75, and the reverse run to SFO is listed too. Viator's list also carries hotel transfers from $44; those don't go to the pier.

HotelTo the shipWhile you sailFrom SFOFrom OAK
No shuttle statedPark & Fly package: ask termsFreehotel shuttleNot stated
No shuttle statedPark, Stay & Go: ask termsFreehotel shuttleNot stated
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo shuttlethe hotel says soNo shuttlethe hotel says so
No shuttle statedPark, Stay & Go: ask termsNo shuttlethe hotel says soAbout $10hotel shuttle
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo shuttlethe hotel says soNo shuttlethe hotel says so
No shuttle statedPark Stay and Go packages: ask termsNo shuttlethe hotel says soNo shuttlethe hotel says so
No shuttle statedPark Stay and Go: up to 14 daysFreehotel shuttleNot stated
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo shuttlethe hotel says soNo shuttlethe hotel says so
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo shuttlethe hotel says soNo shuttlethe hotel says so
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNot statedNot stated
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo shuttlethe hotel says soNo shuttlethe hotel says so
No shuttle statedPark, Stay & Go: ask termsFreehotel shuttleNo shuttlethe hotel says so
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmed$4.95 a personBARTNo shuttlethe hotel says so
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo shuttlethe hotel says soNot stated
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmed$30 one waySuper Shuttle$30 one waySuper Shuttle
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNo shuttlethe hotel says soNo shuttlethe hotel says so
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNot statedNot stated
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedFrom $70 one wayGrand Limo or A-1 American ShuttleNo shuttlethe hotel says so
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedAsk the hotelAsk the hotel
No shuttle statedCruise parking unconfirmedNot statedNot stated
  • Published, with a price or a named company
  • Package only, or ask
  • Not offered
  • Not stated
Splurge
Want it nicer?

The splurge list, told straight

These twenty are ranked for an easy sail morning, not for the room. Two of San Francisco’s AAA Four Diamond hotels make the twenty anyway: 1 Hotel, across from the Ferry Building, and the Argonaut at the Wharf. The Ritz-Carlton has been Five Diamond since 1994, and the St. Regis is the one Forbes Five-Star in the city.

See the splurge list
At a Glance

How far each pick sits from Pier 27

San Francisco keeps it to one pier: the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal at Pier 27, on the northern Embarcadero, where Princess and Carnival both sail. SFO is 20 miles south by Princess’s count, and Oakland is across the bay.

Twelve of the twenty are on the waterfront, from the Argonaut at the west end of Fisherman’s Wharf to Harbor Court by the Ferry Building. One is downtown in SoMa, six are by SFO and one is by Oakland Airport. None of them gives its own distance to Pier 27, so the bands go by neighborhood.

North Beach Nob Hill James R. Herman Cruise Terminal · Pier 27, The Embarcadero — Princess & Carnival homeportJRH Pier 35 · Secondary cruise pier, northern EmbarcaderoP35 Piers 30/32 · Secondary berth, Embarcadero at Bryant StP30 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 10 9 8 5 3 500 m · 0.3 mi N
By the waterfrontDowntownFurther outCruise terminal (letters and numbers are the terminal)Real geography: neighbourhood boundaries from San Francisco, Oakland and Alameda and NOAA’s GSHHG shoreline. Pins from the hotel’s or a map listing’s pin, the US Census Bureau’s address geocoder and Wikipedia; address-geocoded pins can sit up to a block off.

Tap a pin for the hotel’s card.

Numbers are the ranking. Each pin sits where the hotel is — the bands group them by distance, the way we score it.

  • 1 By the waterFisherman's Wharf to the Ferry Building
  • 2 DowntownSoMa, by the Moscone Center
  • 3 SFO & the PeninsulaBurlingame, Millbrae and South San Francisco
  • 4 Oakland AirportAlameda, across the bay
How We Score

The Night-Before Score, out of 100

Five things decide how easy the night before is, and each one is scored only from what the hotel publishes on its own site or its brand’s.

If a hotel doesn't say it, it scores zero there — not a guess, zero. Cruise blogs, tourism-board lists, parking resellers and expired offers don't count, and when a hotel’s own pages contradict each other, we score the claim as unconfirmed and tell you. Each page lists exactly what we couldn't confirm.

30pts

Distance to the ship

By band, from Pier 27: the waterfront from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Ferry Building 30; downtown (the Financial District, Union Square, SoMa and Van Ness) 25; SFO and the Peninsula 15; Oakland Airport and Alameda 10.

25pts

Getting to the ship

Hotel-run shuttle, free or with a published price, 25. A ride only inside a package or offer 20. The hotel’s own ride with no published fare 15. The hotel says you can walk: across the street, a few blocks, or half a mile or less, 15. A partner shuttle 10. No hotel here scores on this one.

20pts

Parking while you sail

Published rate to leave the car 20, including a package with a published price. Offered, price unpublished 14.

10pts

Free breakfast

Sail mornings start early. A free breakfast on site scores 10, including one inside a mandatory nightly fee.

15pts

The evening before

On the beach 6, pool 3, food or a bar on site 3, a kitchen in the room 3. None of the twenty is on a beach.

Ties are broken in order: the lower published parking rate, any stated way to the ship, free breakfast, parking on site, the closer stated mileage, the lower guest parking price, then the alphabet. That’s why the Holiday Inn Express SFO South sits above the Embassy Suites ($30 guest parking against $45), the Hampton in Alameda above the Holiday Inn Express at the Wharf ($20 against $65), and the Hampton downtown above the Hilton Bayfront (free breakfast).

The Fairfield and the Holiday Inn Express SFO North both charge $24.99, so the alphabet decides. Three hotels tie on 36: the Hyatt Centric leads because it prints a parking rate, and Hotel Caza beats the Riu Plaza on the alphabet. The Riu lists a buffet breakfast but doesn’t say it’s in the rate, so it scores nothing there.

Seven hotels tie on 33 and go in order of guest parking, $65 to $84, with the Hyatt Regency last because it prints no rate. Club Quarters and Le Méridien also score 33, but their parking isn’t on site, so they just miss.

What's left out is deliberate. Room rates change daily, so they aren't scored. Neither are guest-review scores — they measure a stay in general, not a sail morning.

The ranking tells you which hotel makes the morning easiest. Your dates and your budget decide the rest, so price your own night before you book the winner.

Parking Math

What it costs to park by the pier

Set your cruise length. No hotel in San Francisco prints a price for parking while you sail, so here’s the lot that does: Ace Parking at 1348 The Embarcadero, about an 18-minute walk from Pier 27.

Cruise nights
People riding
Ace Parking, 1348 The Embarcadero: a compact car, $20 a day—
Ace Parking: a full-size car, SUV or van, $25 a day—

Ace lists $20 a day for a compact car and $25 for a full-size car, SUV or van, plus a $2 convenience fee that isn’t in these totals. We count the day you park and the day you leave. The port’s named operator, Metropolis, publishes no rate, and no hotel prices parking while you cruise. Room rates aren’t included.

For the port’s named operator and every other option, see San Francisco cruise parking, compared.

Just Missed

Ten that just missed

We checked 52 hotels. These came closest to the top twenty, with their scores and the reason each fell short. The Four Seasons at Embarcadero, the Ritz-Carlton, the Fairmont and the St. Regis are on the splurge list instead.

HotelScoreWhy it missed
Club Quarters Hotel, Embarcadero33Fish & Farm downstairs and $45 parking in the Embarcadero Center garages. Tied on 33, behind on parking that isn't on site.
Le Méridien San Francisco33Park Grill and Bar 333 by Embarcadero Center, pets free to 40 lb. Tied on 33; its garage isn't the hotel's.
Courtyard by Marriott San Francisco Airport32A Park Here, Fly There package and a free 24-hour SFO shuttle in San Bruno. No free breakfast or pool.
DoubleTree by Hilton San Francisco Airport32Park, Stay & Go and a free 24-hour SFO shuttle. No free breakfast.
Homewood Suites SFO North31Full kitchens, free breakfast and an indoor pool in Brisbane, 7 miles from Union Square. Nothing for cruisers.
Embassy Suites SFO Oyster Point31Free breakfast, an evening reception and an indoor pool. No parking offer on the pages we read.
Best Western Plus Grosvenor31Free breakfast, a heated pool and the Brass Elephant by SFO. Nothing for cruisers.
Holiday Inn San Francisco-Golden Gateway31A year-round outdoor pool and $49 parking on Van Ness, with no resort fee. Nothing about the cruise.
Aloft San Francisco Airport31A free SFO shuttle and long-term parking through SpotHero, which isn't the hotel's own rate.
The Westin San Francisco Airport31An indoor pool and a free SFO shuttle, with long-term parking through SpotHero.

Not ranked: Hilton San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf / Pier 2620 Hotel. No longer on Hilton’s site; Marriott now lists a Marriott Vacation Club at 2620 Jones Street.; Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf. Its address, 2500 Mason Street, is now the Riu Plaza, in the top 20.; Best Western Plus The Tuscan. Now Hotel Zoe Fisherman’s Wharf, per a third-party listing; it’s in the top 20.; Hotel Vitale. Now 1 Hotel San Francisco, in the top 20.; Hilton Oakland Airport. Closed in August 2024, per local news; Hilton’s pages for it are gone.; The Waterfront Hotel, Jack London Square. Closed in January 2025, per local news.

Flying In

Landing the day before?

Four of the twenty run a free airport shuttle, all from SFO and all by the airport: both Holiday Inn Expresses, the Embassy Suites Waterfront and the Hilton Bayfront. None of them goes on to the ship.

For the city, BART runs from SFO to downtown in about 30 minutes for $11.15, and the port puts Pier 27 a 20-minute walk from Embarcadero station, or a ride on the F-line. Princess puts a cab from SFO at $50 to $60. The Getting There table shows what every hotel publishes, and the planner turns your answers into a morning.

Sleeping near the water? Valet at the hotels we priced runs $55 to $107 a night, and Muni, the cable cars and the ferries cover a lot, so ask whether you need a car at all. The night before, without a car · San Francisco rental cars
Things to do
Got time before you sail?

Tours, tickets and things to do are on Booking.com. Book the day before, not sail day.

Booking.com links are affiliate links: Seabound Journeys may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure.

FAQ

Pre-cruise hotel FAQ

What's the best hotel for the night before a San Francisco cruise?

On our scoring it's the Holiday Inn Express San Francisco-Airport South: free breakfast, a free SFO shuttle, a pool, and a Park & Fly package to leave the car. The Embassy Suites SFO Waterfront comes next, then Harbor Court by the Ferry Building, with breakfast and a wine hour in its nightly fee. No hotel in the city publishes a shuttle to Pier 27, so from any of them it's a ride in the morning. Best on paper, not best for everyone: the matcher above weighs your own answers.

Which San Francisco hotels are closest to the cruise terminal?

None of the hotels we read gives a distance to Pier 27. Twelve of our twenty are on the waterfront between Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building, the part of the city nearest the pier. The port names The Embarcadero and Sansome as the nearest F-line streetcar stop. Third-party lists print distances; we count only what the hotel itself says.

Does any San Francisco hotel run a shuttle to the cruise terminal?

Not one we could find on a hotel's own site. Hilton's Park, Stay & Go, listed at three of our airport hotels, mentions a shuttle to "select airports and cruise ports" without naming Pier 27, so ask. 1 Hotel's house cars serve a 2-mile radius, but its FAQ doesn't name the pier. Third-party park-and-cruise sites sell packages at some hotels; we count only what the hotel says.

Can I leave my car at the hotel while I'm on the cruise?

No hotel here publishes a price for it. Six of our twenty, all by the airports, sell a parking package or offer without a price: Park & Fly at the Holiday Inn Express SFO South, Park Stay and Go at the Fairfield and the Holiday Inn Express SFO North (up to 14 days), and Hilton's Park, Stay & Go at the Embassy Suites, the Hilton Bayfront and the Hampton in Alameda. Only Hilton's offer mentions cruise ports at all, so ask whether yours covers a cruise. The city hotels publish nothing for cruisers.

Is it cheaper to park at a hotel or near the pier?

There's no parking at the terminal, and the port's named operator, Metropolis, publishes no rate. Ace Parking at 1348 The Embarcadero lists $20 a day for a compact car: $160 for a 7-night cruise, counting the day you park and the day you leave, plus a $2 fee. The hotel packages by SFO don't publish prices, and you'd still need a ride of about 20 miles to the pier. Run your own numbers in the calculator above.

Which San Francisco cruise hotels have a free airport shuttle?

Four of our twenty run a free shuttle from SFO: Holiday Inn Express SFO South, Embassy Suites SFO Waterfront, Holiday Inn Express SFO North and Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront, all by the airport. None runs a free one from Oakland; the Hampton in Alameda lists an OAK shuttle for about $10. No hotel near the pier runs an airport shuttle, so from the city it's BART, a cab (about $50 to $60 from SFO, per Princess), a rideshare or Carnival's transfer at $34.99.

Which cruise lines sail from San Francisco?

Princess and Carnival homeport here, per the port. Ruby Princess sails year-round, and Carnival Luminosa's 2026 season ran from April 23 to September 20; both are on the 2027 schedule. Both use the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal at Pier 27. Other lines call as visitors.

Why don't you show room prices?

Hotel rates move every day and spike on busy sailing days, so any number we printed would be wrong by the time you read it. We rank on what doesn't change daily — shuttles, parking policies, breakfast — and leave the live rate to the booking site for your exact date. Price it for your own night before you assume the No. 1 is the cheap one.

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