Pixar cruisers--walk to Ghirardelli in SF

[Disneyland Mommy]

We walked there also, and it was extremely easy, and a very flat walk for such a "hilly" city. The only hill we incurred was when you actually get to Ghirardelli Square, you have to walk up a fairly steep hill to get the the actual chocolate shop.

[owensamo]

We spent a few days in San Francisco in July, and found that there isn't much at Ghirardelli Square - as someone said, a few shops, and 2 Ice Cream parlors (if the one downstairs is packed, go up and further back in and there's a second, smaller parlour - we found that one first and it was empty). No tour or anything exciting. The Bourdin Bakery does have some kind of tour thing, but it wasn't going on while we were there (we had breakfast *and* lunch there - and I'm tempted to order the Bread of the Month subscription!)

However - if you want chocolate, go to Chocolate Heaven on Pier 39! Oh My Goodness - the name is truly apt! Plenty of Ghirardelli, but they also had their own chocolates, and their blocks of dark and white chocolate were heavenly!

If you walk down by the Hyde Street turnaround park, there's a NPS Maritime Museum that's free to peruse on one of the docks there. There are a lot of really neat ships that they have restored (or are restoring) along with some great views of the Golden Gate bridge.

[jdb in AZ]

We're doing the Wonder repositioning cruise from Los Angeles to Vancouver next spring. We'll have two days in San Francisco, so we'll probably get our chocolate fix at Ghiardelli Square. I'm also thinking we can do the same thing at the new Ghiardelli shop in Disney's California Adventure before the cruise. hmmm. Maybe we'll do both.

I appreciate the suggestion of taking a taxi from the Disney museum to Ghiardelli Square then walk back to the ship. When DH and I were much(!) younger we walked from one end of San Francisco to the other, right through China Town, looking for authentic Chinese cooking utensils and Chinese cookbooks (in English). Love that city -- just wish we still had the health to do it commando style again.

[kkbeaton2]

I was just on the first Pixar cruise, and walked to Ghirardelli Square. It was a quick walk of about 15 minutes (approximately a mile). We walked over there for lunch (an ice cream cone!). We had beautiful weather with no fog either day. It was a lovely visit.

[mmouse37]

Originally Posted by owensamo

If you walk down by the Hyde Street turnaround park, there's a NPS Maritime Museum that's free to peruse on one of the docks there. There are a lot of really neat ships that they have restored (or are restoring) along with some great views of the Golden Gate bridge.

We spent 3 nights at the Kimpton Argonaut hotel right across from Maritime Museum....loved the whole area andenjoyed walking past all the old ships.... we walked down to the pier with the sea lions and to the boat to Alcatraz from the hotel...perfect location for exploring wharf area and attractions. Loved that hotel. They have "deck chairs" in the atrium just like on the ships so I felt right at home!!!

If anyone wants to stay at a great hotel near Fisherman's Wharf...this hotel was fantastic. Complimentary wi-fi and wine parties in the evening, a block from Ghiridelli's and right next to the cable turnaround....loved it as it is all nautical themed....rooms were so cozy.

http://www.argonauthotel.com/

MJ

[CeCeGarrett]

Originally Posted by mmouse37

We spent 3 nights at the Kimpton Argonaut hotel right across from Maritime Museum....loved the whole area andenjoyed walking past all the old ships.... we walked down to the pier with the sea lions and to the boat to Alcatraz from the hotel...perfect location for exploring wharf area and attractions. Loved that hotel. They have "deck chairs" in the atrium just like on the ships so I felt right at home!!!

If anyone wants to stay at a great hotel near Fisherman's Wharf...this hotel was fantastic. Complimentary wi-fi and wine parties in the evening, a block from Ghiridelli's and right next to the cable turnaround....loved it as it is all nautical themed....rooms were so cozy.

http://www.argonauthotel.com/

MJ

TOTALLY agree with this hotel choice. Also, if you have princesses in your party or super finer things loving Moms , High Tea at the Fairmont is not to be missed.. and it's a super short UPHILL hike to Chinatown. The High Tea is AMAZING.

[jlmarr]

Originally Posted by CeCeGarrett

TOTALLY agree with this hotel choice. Also, if you have princesses in your party or super finer things loving Moms , High Tea at the Fairmont is not to be missed.. and it's a super short UPHILL hike to Chinatown. The High Tea is AMAZING.

I happened to walk past it while on the cruise last week. Great location. I like the pith helmets on the doorman: http://goo.gl/maps/C8g0d

[DMMarla07860]

I've been to SF twice, once on a cruise and once not on a cruise both times walked here from about where the ship docked. For my dad and myself it was a easy walk. If you can't walk good or have trouble walking it might not be east, but for us it was

[pudinhd]

Hey, Everyone! We are 4 months out from the repo cruise from LA to Vancouver and are working on our plans. I did some research on Google Maps to plot a walking route from the port to Pier 39 & the Aquarium, then to Ghirardelli Square, then to Lombard Street, on to the Disney Store, and back to the ship. The total walking time is about 1 hour 45 minutes. Obviously, we would spend time at the Aquarium and do some shopping at the Disney Store. I have never been to San Francisco before, so I don't if this is a realistic plan. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!!! Thank you!

[Meghatron]

Originally Posted by pudinhd

Hey, Everyone! We are 4 months out from the repo cruise from LA to Vancouver and are working on our plans. I did some research on Google Maps to plot a walking route from the port to Pier 39 & the Aquarium, then to Ghirardelli Square, then to Lombard Street, on to the Disney Store, and back to the ship. The total walking time is about 1 hour 45 minutes. Obviously, we would spend time at the Aquarium and do some shopping at the Disney Store. I have never been to San Francisco before, so I don't if this is a realistic plan. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!!! Thank you!

If you're spending any time at Disneyland before the repo, I would do Ghirardelli there and skip it in SF. The DCA shop has all the same stuff plus a custom menu board that lights up and has mechanical animations for the signature sundaes. The SF shop USED to have a factory you could tour, but that's not there anymore, just other stores. I walked my whole family there expecting the factory and it was nothing but a mall with an ice cream/chocolate shop. So disappointing.

[gunka]

Walking around the waterfront is easy, as it is flat. If you need to head into the city you may encounter large hills. We used a combination of the Street Cars and Cable Cars to tour the city. The Cable Car dropped us off near Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli's. We had an easy stroll back to the Ship. The Street Cars are easy to ride and not crowded. The Cable Cars are a real tourist attraction so they are very crowded. We waited over a 1/2 hour to board, were as the Street Car we got in the first one - no wait.

[Wshop]

Tips - (1) the Exploratorium is currently closed as it is moving to Pier 15 (closer than its old location and opening mid-April 2013); you can take the street car there and while there the Ferry Building is a also nice to visit; (2) the cable car musem in Nob Hill, while small was a hit with my little guy; (3) you can spend hours at Pier 39, for older kids, buy discount 7D experience tickets ahead of time on the internet/ditto with Ripley's; (4) the Disney Museum is very unique and is not geared towards young children but I would say 5/6 years old and above would enjoy it; (5) the Academy of Sciences Aquarium (cab ride to golden gate park) is head and shoulders above the Acquarium by the pier.

[algae]

If you want local artisan chocolate, check out Tcho at Pier 19. Short walk from the cruise terminal away from the tourist areas. Maybe not as glamorous as Ghirardelli, but great chocolate and tours of a working chocolate factory.

[lilpooh108]

I lived in SF for a few years. From Pier 39 to Ghiradelli's square that is just about the most flat terrained scenic walk you can really have in SF.

After Ghiradelli's square you can take a bus to North Beach/Little Italy and have some yummy Italian food....yummmmm......

What fun! Wish I was going

[pudinhd]

Thank you!!!! You guys are extremely helpful! We have been able to narrow down our choices of activities!

I am not extremely interested in the Academy of Sciences and am wondering why DCL doesn't have a shore excursion for it. Would a cab be the best way to get there? I saw that it's about 25 minutes from the port. Thanks again!!

Also, any thoughts on the Duck Tours? We've never done one before.