8 hr stop in San Fran airport!

[youngaussienurse]

We are coming from Australia in May to DW and are flying melbourne-auckland-san fran (8hr stop)-vegas(50min stop)-orlando. Because of the huge wait time in San Fran (we want to stay in the airport) does any one know if there is a good restaurant there we can eat at? And are there any other snack bars/shops that are good? Hopefully the 8 hrs will go fast so we can get to DISNEY! YAY!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Wow. That layover is ridiculous! You need to fire your travel agent as there are plenty of flights to Vegas leaving SFO all day long. Why in the world would you be booked on an itinerary which makes you sit in SFO for so long?

Plus having to make so many stops to get to Orlando is crazy.

I would be looking into changing flights, not looking for a restaurant. Even the finest restaurant couldn't hold my interest for 8 hours!

You can get of list of restaurants at SFO here:

http://www.flysfo.com/guide_nonflash/index.html

Are you the one who had the thread the other day where you originally had to fly to SFO, then go to Oakland for a SWA airlines flight to Orlando? If this is the change you made, it's NOT for the better.

 

[chris1gill]

Personally (from experience) I would rent a room at the airport for the day & just crash... We've done the BNE-AUK-LAX-BOS route three times & once we get to LAX, we get a room, otherwise when we arrive in Boston, we are just DEAD and sleep for days!

 

[beachbunny]

Another alternative would be to go into the city. The BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station is right next to the international terminal where you will be arriving and it will take you to the San Francisco mall which right next to the cable car terminus (cable car will whisk you off to Fisherman's Wharf) or is about two blocks from Union Square (tons of shopping). If your luggage is checked through and you don't have much in the way of carry-ons, this could be fun. I've done it before on a six hour layover - had a nice Sunday brunch at Ghiradelli Square overlooking the water.

 

[youngaussienurse]

Thanks guys for your replys! According to our travel agent who is excellent, as we are flying Air New Zealand, the choices are limited as when we arrive at San Fran there are a few direct flights to orlando, however, we would not be able to get them in time as we have to go through customs as it's the first port of arrival in the US. So the only other flight that was available was an America West flight that goes via vegas and on to Orlando at 8pm (we arrive about 1pm I think). We are not too worried about the wait but just wanted to know if the airport had restaurants/shops etc. I actually love sitting down and watching all the planes take off hehehe weird I know.

 

[beachbunny]

There's almost nothing on the international side - just a few restaurants and a duty free (which you can't get into since you're flying from one US city to another). You'll have to exit the international side and go through security again to enter the domestic side. The domestic side has a larger selection of restaurants and shops (magazines and cheesy gifts) but not much more. Bring a good book.

 

[havencruiser]

I'd go into San Fransisco. BART can whisk you there and back pretty easily.

 

[jlmarr]

Another alternative would be to go into the city. The BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station is right next to the international terminal where you will be arriving and it will take you to the San Francisco mall which right next to the cable car terminus (cable car will whisk you off to Fisherman's Wharf) or is about two blocks from Union Square (tons of shopping). If your luggage is checked through and you don't have much in the way of carry-ons, this could be fun. I've done it before on a six hour layover - had a nice Sunday brunch at Ghiradelli Square overlooking the water.

Definitely - take BART from SFO to the Powell Street station and take the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf. Here's the info on BART:

http://www.bart.gov/guide/airport/sfo.asp

There are two cable car lines that load/unload at the Powell Street turntable - I'd recommend the Hyde Street line, which will drop you off between Ghiradelli Square and the Cannery, and right next door to the Buena Vista, a fun bar which claims to have invented the Irish Coffee drink. That line also passes just above Lombard Street, "the crookedest street in the world". To see Lombard well you'll want to sit or stand on the right side of the cable car when it loads up.

http://www.sfcablecar.com/routes.html

An interesting alternative to taking the cable car back to the BART station is to try the Muni "F" trolley, which terminates in the Fisherman's Wharf area, near the corner of Jones and Beach.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F_Market

Of all the cities in the world to have an 8 hour layover, San Francisco is one of the best!

 

[lucky1]

Thanks guys for your replys! According to our travel agent who is excellent, as we are flying Air New Zealand, the choices are limited as when we arrive at San Fran there are a few direct flights to orlando, however, we would not be able to get them in time as we have to go through customs as it's the first port of arrival in the US. So the only other flight that was available was an America West flight that goes via vegas and on to Orlando at 8pm (we arrive about 1pm I think). We are not too worried about the wait but just wanted to know if the airport had restaurants/shops etc. I actually love sitting down and watching all the planes take off hehehe weird I know.

Actually America West was taken over by USairways. So make sure you look for a USairways gate vs America west now.

I 2nd the notion about reserving a day room at the SFO hotel and resting and getting room service and getting a nice shower.

 

[EpcotGuy]

just to be nit-picky

America West took over US Airways and switched to the name US Airways (Just like if the Delta deal goes through.. US Airways plans to use the Delta name)....

 

[beccasmom]

It's a long layover, but San Francisco is definitely a great place for a layover! Whatever you do, enjoy!