Alcatraz Cruises — Attraction in San Francisco

I had 2 months to reserve a spot but procrastinated, 2 weeks before my trip there were still a lot of options except for the early bird tour were sold out ( I was planning a lot of sightseeing so don't know what time I want), 1 week before ... all sold out for the weekend I'm visiting San Fransisco EXCEPT for the combination tour of Angel Island + Alcatraz Tour. This is the #1 site my husband wanted to see during this visit and not Napa Valley. So,I closed my eyes and paid $ 71.50 /each person vs the $ 37.25 for only the Alcatraz Tour. The tour was longer than the 5 1/2 hours it stated in the site but ultimately you manage your own time at Alcatraz, it was only at Angel Island that a time was set when to depart. I'm glad I took both tours. The tram tour at Angel Island was worth taking ( Robert, our guide was very helpful and knowledgeable). I read reviews prior to taking the trip and all mentioned: TAKE FOOD/WATER WITH YOU IF POSSIBLE, unless you want to buy at Angel Island.There is only a designated area to eat at Alcatraz but DON'T sell any food( you can eat before going in the tour). Angel Island sells food. I took food with us and we ate at the picnic area to kill 1 hour prior to departure( 45 mins for the tram and then you have 1 hour to yourselves).If you still have power and energy,you can hike and walk around. Bike rental is $ 15-25 ( around that amount).Bathrooms are clean. It was warm at Angel Island ( we arrive 11ish AM) and was very Cold and windy at Alcatraz ( we arrive ~ 2 pm) but the self guided audio tour was excellent. TIP:1. Bring cash/singles for tips for the Angel tram drivers and for the $1 fee for the guide map at Alcatraz. There are also donation boxes for the park. 2. Bring fall /winter like jackets and hats to protect self from the cold, you can easily remove when it gets hot,but it is never fun walking around the Rock when it is super chilly!! 2. Bring some snacks/candy/food with you when you get this combination tour. 3: PARKING: I had 1 hour before my trip so finding parking was not bad. PIER 27 lot # 81 DOES NOT have public parking as contrary to what I read in a google search. There is a garage besides it but very hard to find the entrance when the gates are close with no clear markings, DO NOT park at the triangle parking just across the street from PIER 33 it costs a flat fee of $45. Park either at Lot # 93 @ 55 Francisco St, San Francisco, CA 94133 for $ 20 flat fee or $ 18 in before 9 am, its like 1-2 minute drive from Pier 33 and can walk easily to Alcatraz Landings. I tried calling to verify rates but no one was picking up, you can try just to verify rates again. FOR FREE PARKING,take your Alcatraz tour on SAT/SUN and the streets around PIER 27-33 with the meter are free.I just saw it when we were walking back and got curious how much is the meter,I attached a picture that states Free. Just make sure you have enough time to drive around before your departure to the Island ( Boarding is 30 minutes before departure time) 4. TICKETS: If possible print out your tickets at home and not At will call, you never know how long the lines are and if you are running late it can...

Great experience - educational, interesting, free-style or guided options. Plan to buy tickets weeks in advance! Recommend doing the day tour no later than early afternoon to take your time and see everything without rushing to make the last departure boat.

Hubs and I were on a long weekend vacation to SF, and this was 1 of 2 bucket list things on our agenda (the other being the Golden Gate Bridge, obviously). This cruise and tour was fantastic and absolutely 100% worthwhile. The pier has restrooms, shops, and food available while you wait to board. Their boarding process is very efficient and timely. The cruise vessels to/from the island are 3-decker with ample seating for all, and the cruise to the island itself offers great photo ops of the island, SF, and Golden Gate and Bay Bridges. You debark on Alcatraz island and can stay as long as you like, until the last boat leaves the island (around 4:25 if I remember right). The audio tour takes about an hour and is really good. Most of the guided tours are earlier in the day, though, so if you're hoping to catch those, you should shoot for a late morning departure from the pier. During the audio tour, take the time to pause the tour and explore at your leisure. It guides you very clearly, but leaves no time for exploration unless you pause. For example, we took some time to explore the Yard/Rec Area before moving on. PRO TIP: When your boat docks, don't head directly for the audio tour - everyone's going to do that and wind up trying to view everything en-masse. Visit the Theater or explore another part of the island for about 15 minutes, then start the audio tour of the prison. (But don't wait too long, or the next boat will catch up to you!) Anyway, it was definitely a very fun and unique experience. We'll probably do it again next time we visit San Francisco - maybe a night tour next time?

Note: Definitely buy your tickets several days in advance - they sell out pretty early! Would be very difficult to do this excursion...

I was born and raised in San Francisco and for the life of me, never knew how to get to the Alcatraz Islands without becoming a prison inmate. I searched Alcatraz on Google and Alcatraz Cruises website popped up. Their website made it very easy for me to buy tickets. Make sure you book months in advance because it’s literally booked months in advance. I did the day tour since the night tour was fully booked for three months.

I got to the venue and noticed a long line, felt a little anxious about it at first, but then they had someone on a speaker phone guiding people where to go and have your tickets open. You can show your ticket on your phone and that I did. There was a cafe nearby and checked it out. The line was long of hungry people but it moved fairly quick.

On getting to the ferry, we were welcomed by the workers and they didn’t miss a beat in greeting each customer. That is great customer service in itself. The ride was smooth and we got to the island in a short amount of time. The views getting there were magnificent so make sure you bring your camera if you like to capture these beautiful views of the city and the bridges of the bay.

As soon as we got to the island, we were greeted with a tour person. To be honest, I felt like we could’ve skipped this part and walked straight to the prison. I’m thinking they gather people here to do crowd control so there’s not a ton of people in the prison touring at the same time.

So overall without spoiling anything, they hand you an audio device that has a narrator that sounds like he could be in a movie narrating so it added to the suspense of the place. The audio device will be your tour guide for the trip but overall it’s a free for all place and you can free roam as much as you’d like. There are multiple scheduled ferries that can bring you back so take your time! The views from the island are awesome! Bring a jacket because...