Hornblower Cruises and Events (San Francisco, CA)
There's no better way to spend a beautiful Sunday morning/afternoon than cruising the picturesque SF Bay! Hornblower Cruises presents a wonderful 2-hour cruise, featuring a delicious brunch and champagne.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
The LOOOOOOVVVEEEE Boat, soon will be making another run.... The LOOOOOVVVEEE Boat!
Wow, if I weren't in love with my husband of 26 years before the cruise, I would have been by the end of it. While pricy if compared to just a regular lunch, you can't compare it to a regular lunch.
Where else can you cruise the Bay, learn little factoids that you didn't know, pass under the Golden Gate Bridge, pass by Alcatraz, get serenaded by the Hornblower Lounge Act and enjoy first class food and service?
My favorite items on the buffet were the Brocolli Noodle Salad and the CousCous and Shrimp Salad, and the funny thing, I don't really care for salad. I had a wonderful little petit four sized dessert treat that was persimmon with crushed pistacio's.
Our server Martine must have transferred over from Royal Carribean Cruise Lines. The service was definately Michelan Star Worthy! He kept the beverages topped off, the tables cleared and was constantly refolding your napkin. He was attentive and charming, without being cloying. Our group felt the need to present him with an extra 15% at the end of our adventure.
SUGGESTIONS - If you are going with another couple, I would recommend buying all of your tickets at the same time. Otherwise make sure you note on your reservation that you want sit with the other party. The reservations listed this as a "General Seating" so we arrived early (1st in line) and when we checked in, we were at seperate tables. We asked if we could be moved, but the Maitre'd advised that they were booked and couldn't make changes. Even though we had a party of 2, we were set for a table for 3, so I didn't see why we couldn't add a chair. We ended up switching tables with another couple, giving them our window view. This was the only hiccup in our day.
Very romantic. Great ambiance.
The cruise was excellent, we had been on the same cruise about 6 years ago and wondered if the quality of the event was still good and it was. The buffet was well done, with a good selection of sides and salads. The carving station had ham and what looked like a pork roast. We all had the ham and it was tasty. Super waitress (Christina) she kept the champagne, coffee and OJ coming throughout the cruise. There was a guitarist who played requests and announced birtdays and anniversaries. It's not a glam gala event but a wonderful way to view the city and the bay. I was born in SF so the sites are home to me, but I think it would be a really nice thing to do if it was your first visit to the city. Good parking right at the boat $10 for the cruise and $20 for all day. It's nice that it is adjacent to the Ferry Building Marketplace - if you get there early for your cruise you can go do a quick browse of the shops. Even though we bought our tix at a discount through Gold Star we had great seats by the window. A+!
Tips are provided by Goldstar members and Hornblower Cruises and Events San Francisco. Goldstar is not responsible for their content or accuracy.
Hornblower is a 26-year-old company that has grown from a two-ship operation to a $30 million business featuring 25 yachts located in six ports throughout California.
Hornblower is the market leader in each of its six ports. Hornblower operates in an industry sensitive to economic cycles and has continuously diversified the business to protect it, offering both public/individual dining cruises
Website: http://www.hornblower.com/idc.asp?port=sf
Take in the sights, listen to relaxing music, linger in the sun and visit the captain! The cruise includes a lavish brunch buffet featuring a savory selection of all your favorites, plus complimentary champagne. The arresting skyline of the "City by the Bay" includes the landmark TransAmerica Pyramid, Embarcadero Center's four "fingers", and Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. Sail under the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge and enjoy the incomparable scenery of this beloved city.
