San Francisco
5 February 2026
One of the joys of travel on water is waking up and looking out to see where you are today. I generally get up at 5:00, regardless of time zone, so it’s usually dark out. This morning I looked out and saw the beautiful lights of a big suspension bridge. At first I thought it was the Golden Gate Bridge, but I quickly realized it was the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland. They told us we’d arrive here at 2:00 but that’s one arrival I decided to skip.
Technically, this is my 6th trip aboard Queen Mary 2. My first one was in 2010 when I, along with my mother, sister and brother took QM2 from New York to Southampton, UK, where we then spent a few weeks exploring England, Wales, and Ireland.
My second voyage was in 2018, when nine of us with Pocahontas connections took QM2 from Southampton to New York after a couple of weeks traveling around England. The third was last year, when I rode NYC-Southampton for a car trip alone around England, and finally last October my sister and I, along with David and Linda Bowlin took the seven nights NYC-Southampton voyage, got off the boat, found a pub with good fish ‘n’ chips, then reboarded QM2 that same afternoon and took the 7-night ride back to NYC! It was a 14-day test to see if we would like a longer, much longer time aboard. We decided that we’d love to do it!
We’re in San Francisco until tomorrow afternoon. This morning I went up to Deck 14 in the bow (front) of the ship, as high as we civilians can go, then discovered I could walk stairway after stairway, down deck-by-deck to Deck 6 in the extreme stern (back) of the ship, all outside, passing swimming pool after swimming pool, whirlpool tub after whirlpool tub. A nice walk, downhill all the way!
We all agreed, though, that the day’s highlight was the ride back to the ship. I had heard of Waymo before, the driverless robot cars that roam the streets of San Francisco. They may be the most common car on the streets here! You see them going by everywhere. So, for the fun experience, I downloaded the Waymo app and summoned one to pick us up at the museum and take us the 35 minute trip back to the ship.
Getting a Waymo is about like getting an Uber: you tell it the address you’re going to, it uses GPS to know where you are now, and it finds and sends a car to you. The biggest difference from Uber, other than the car having no driver, is that the Waymo might not come exactly where you are when you summon it. The pickup point may be a block away and you have to walk to the pickup point, but it shows you exactly how to get there.
Also, it let us out about a block from the cruise terminal and we had to walk the rest of the way. I’m sure that will improve with time. When the car arrives at the pick up point, you check the license plate, just like with an Uber, to make sure you’re getting into the right car. An “unlock” button appears in the app, you unlock the car and climb in. It can carry up to 4 people. I don’t know what they do if you have luggage.
Once you’re in, it insists you buckle your seatbelts, then off it goes, with a ghost turning the steering wheel and operating the turn signals. The car, a Jaguar, was like-new clean, much better than a lot of Ubers I’ve ridden in. It delivered us perfectly to our destination, even slowing down for all speed bumps, and driving as fast as an Uber would go, and we felt perfectly safe. We discussed a few “what ifs,” like what would it do if the car in front of us stopped and just sat there, perhaps with engine failure, what would it do if there’s an accident, etc. I assume they have most eventualities planned for. It was a delightful experience.
In the future, they say, you’ll have no need to own an expensive car that sits unused in the driveway 90% of the time, and no need for the maintenance costs. No need for auto insurance. No fuel to buy. No need for a place to park it. No need for a drivers license. Instead, you’ll summon a robot car when you need to go someplace, or summon a truck if you need one. You only pay a few dollars for the ride.
Our 35-minute Uber to the museum this morning, with $7 tip, was $35. Our 35-minute Waymo back to the ship, with no need for a tip, was $26. I’m sold on Waymo!
6 February 2026
I mentioned earlier that I had taken an eastern Caribbean cruise last year on Virgin Cruises. One thing unique about their ships is that every balcony has a hammock. I liked it, so for this trip I bought cheap hammocks for myself and one for the Bowlins. Then I did a little research and found the consensus to be that Cunard does not allow hammocks on the balconies. Maybe they fear we’ll swing too far and slingshot over the side!
So I am an outlaw. When I’m in the mood, I put out my Do Not Disturb sign then string up my hammock. I take it down and hide it when I leave the cabin.
I noticed this morning that while we’re docked here in San Francisco, they’ve hung a banner on the sea side of QM2 which states: Security Zone: Do not approach nearer than 50 feet. Apparently, if some private water craft comes too close to the ship, it’s feared to be a terrorist attack. I don’t know what they’d do if some small craft came up against the side of us, but I’m glad they’re aware that it could be a problem!
Our second day in San Francisco was a quiet one. One of my favorite memories of San Francisco goes back to 2003. Thomas Lindquist, our 1993-94 Swedish exchange student, met me in San Francisco for a big vacation. With him were his wife, Anna, his parents, and her parents, and the seven of us proceeded to do all the major things to do here. Our first night in town, back then, we wandered our neighborhood in the “Financial District” and ended up in Little Italy, where we stopped for dinner in a small neighborhood Italian restaurant. It was the best Italian meal I’ve ever had, as good as anything I’ve had in Italy, and the Italian staff made it great fun, too.
So today I researched and found what’s considered one of the best little neighborhood Italian restaurants that’s open for lunch (most don’t open until 5 p.m.). We took a Waymo, our new favorite way to travel, for the 15 minute ride. When we got into the car, we noticed that the windshield wipers were on “intermittent,” and it was a bright, sunny day, so I thought I’d do them a favor and switch them off.
Big mistake. Within 10 seconds of touching the wiper control, a voice came over the car radio warning me to never touch any of the car’s controls or they’d end the ride and evict us. I tried to explain that I was just trying to help, but she, a real person, not a recording or robot, just kept repeating the policy and the threats. She finally shut up and we enjoyed the rest of our ride. It was a great restaurant, with the fun Italian staff I was hoping for. If you’re ever in San Francisco, you might check out Roma Antica. Really good!
After lunch, we Waymo’d to the Fisherman’s Wharf area. If you’re not familiar with Fisherman’s Wharf, my best description is that it’s like a cross between Main Street Hardy, Arkansas, and Bourbon Street New Orleans! Very touristy, but fun to wander through. Our first stop there was to see the free Museum of the Eye. It was created by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and it’s a really interesting small museum. We learned a lot about the history of the treatment of diseases of the eye, going back to the Egyptians, and there are several fun hands-on activities that demonstrate things like optical illusions and color blindness.
After enjoying a stroll through the wharf, and refreshing drinks at a little bar, we Waymo’d back to the ship and got some rest. At least I rested; no telling what the Bowlins did. They have more energy than I have!
