Hi Julia
Thanks for your help with this
Ann
Ann, in case you're not aware, the site for booking Alcatraz Cruises can be found at:
https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/website/tour-comparison.aspx
At the moment it looks like there are plenty of spaces available for the tours in September, but a lot of the tours for the first half of August have already sold out, so if you're going to book one I wouldn't wait too long.
http://www.seaplane.com/ (I'm guessing it's the same company JY use, if not it's bound to be very similar).
I've had a long hard think about all this and much as I'd like to do both, I think it would take up too much of the day and leave me with very little time left to explore the rest of San Francisco, which I really want to do.
As the Seaplane is £122 for a 30-minute flight, I've reluctantly decided not to go ahead with it and plan to go on the 'early bird' Alcatraz tour to avoid the crowds. That should leave me with a full afternoon to wander around San Francisco, and I won't have to keep looking at my watch worrying if I'm going to catch my pre-booked activity on time. I know we have a guided tour of SF the day before when we arrive there, but I want to make sure I have the opportunity to see as much as I can at my own pace.
The Seaplane does get very good reviews on TripAdvisor, I'm sure it's a great experience.
Dave