Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2012 by Peter Knego
QUEEN ELIZABETH at Southampton, October 11, 2010. Photo copyright Peter Knego.
Keep up to date with Peter Knego on Twitter by clicking here
QUEEN ELIZABETH Triple Decked!, Part One of a three part top-to-bottom virtual tour
Gleaned From a Cunard Line Press Release:
On 4 February, Cunard Line’s QUEEN ELIZABETH will make her inaugural call to San Francisco, marking her only U.S. maiden call this year. Currently sailing her 107-day World Cruise, QUEEN ELIZABETH will dock at Pier 35 along the city’s famed Embarcadero, and is scheduled to arrive between 5:30-6:00 a.m. and depart at approximately 9:00 p.m.
Named by Her Majesty The Queen in Southampton, England in October 2010, QUEEN ELIZABETH is the second largest Cunarder ever built, after flagship QUEEN MARY 2. While this will be QUEEN ELIZABETH’s inaugural visit to San Francisco, the city has held historical significance for Cunard ships since 1942*, when the original QUEEN ELIZABETH visited as part of her war duties, and where she also underwent a refit. Later, in 1978, QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 made her maiden call to San Francisco, visiting a dozen times more in subsequent years. Five years ago to the day of QUEEN ELIZABETH’s upcoming maiden call, flagship QUEEN MARY 2 was warmly received by thousands who came out to welcome her during her 2007 inaugural visit; and QUEEN VICTORIA was also graciously greeted by the city during her 2009 maiden call.
Cunard continues their enduring relationship with the city by the bay and is pleased to be the Preferred Cruise Partner of the San Francisco Symphony’s 2012 Black & White Ball this June.
The best locations to view the ship’s sailaway as she departs the harbour are:
Golden Gate Overlook: At Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The Marina Green: Between Fort Mason and the Presidio, adjacent to San Francisco Bay
Fort Mason: Located in the northern Marina District, alongside San Francisco Bay
Aquatic Park: At the historic Hyde Street Pier
PIER 39: Two-blocks east of Fisherman’s Wharf at Beach Street and The Embarcadero. Convenient parking is available across the street in the PIER 39 Garage.
Treasure Island: Connected to Yerba Buena Island, which has exits and entrances into and out of the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge (I-80) in both directions. Travel between Yerba Buena and Treasure Islands and the rest of San Francisco is toll-free in both directions.
From San Francisco, QUEEN ELIZABETH will continue her World Cruise, which includes stops in Hawaii, American Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, India, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Monaco and Portugal.
*Of course non-”QUEEN” Cunarders have been calling at San Francisco for ages, including the 1923-built FRANCONIA on her world cruises, the AQUITANIA in 1941, The “Green Goddess” CARONIA, SAGAFJORD, VISTAFJORD, CUNARD ADVENTURER, CUNARD PRINCESS, CROWN DYNASTY, etc.
David L. NYC
January 27, 2012 at 8:46 am
Respectfully, I believe there’s a typographic error in the second paragraph…”QUEWEN ELIZABETH’s;” otherwise, another excellent and informative article from Maritime Matters!
Peter Knego
January 27, 2012 at 9:09 pm
Thanks, David. All the best, Peter.
Barbara Smith & Ed Koken
January 29, 2012 at 4:17 am
What a fabulous co-incidence, we didn’t realise it was 5 years to the day that we were on Queen Mary 2 when we sailed from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco on its maiden visit, and disembarked there.
It was thrilling to stand on the deck and go under the bridge, and see the thousands of people waving to the ship and its passengers, it was truly festive and made us feel very special. The streets were packed with people coming to get a glimpse of the lovely ship, so taxis were few and far between and we had to catch a street car to get to our hotel with all of our luggage.
We loved San Francisco and will fly to San Francisco on 2 February and board the Queen Elizabeth on its maiden visit on 4 February and sail to Auckland. We are so excited, and can’t wait to leave our home in Melbourne Australia. We look forward to enjoying the same festive atmosphere happens as we sail away.
Aaron R
January 29, 2012 at 8:27 pm
I arrived in Seattle last night on my first visit to the US.. having a great time! ALl ready to fly down to SFO to board QE for our 16 day voyage to Auckland… the hype is already building!!!
Gregory Zephyr
January 31, 2012 at 1:24 pm
The arrival and departure times will likely make it dark and so the locations you’ve noted for viewing will be good for night photos only.
According to the Port of SF, Queen Elizabeth is planned to be at Pier 35 South. Pier 35 North offers plenty of public access for viewing from the street but Pier 35 South is difficult to see from street level due to the wharf buildings in the way.
Therefore, for anyone that wants to catch a view of the ship while in port during the day, I recommend Telegraph Hill. The intersection of Telegraph Hill Boulevard and Lombard Street offers a direct and elevated view of Pier 35 South with the bonus of an extra-wide sidewalk platform and benches. This location is just below Coit Tower but unlike the tower, it’s free. You can park at Coit Tower and walk down a path to get to this spot or park on the nearby streets and walk up.