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Transportation from San Diego airport to Cruise Terminal without car seats


JorgeMSU1978
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Hi -

 

Cruising for the 1st time on Disney in October with the whole family. We are all very excited, but it dawned on me that I don't know how to get from the San Diego airport to the Cruise Terminal as we really didn't want to bring car seats with us from our home state.

 

So, what's the best way to get a family of 6 that includes two kids under the age of 2. Car seats are a must. I see that Uber has an option, but it's an extra $10.00 charge per seat. Also, I don't know much about uber -- can I pre-book uber today for a ride in October? Can I pre-book for a return ride after the cruise too? Any other options besides uber that will provide a car seat??

 

Thanks for any help!

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We have never had a bad Uber experience in LA, and have used them several times. I don't know how far ahead you can book--October seems like a stretch to me based on their business model. They do have several options involving types of vehicles, etc. Our usual is to use the app to get them when we are totally ready to go (have luggage, etc). The wait is typically only a few minutes, and this is with no advance booking. We've actually had it as quick as 3 minutes, but 5-10 is more typical.

 

SuperShuttle might be another choice--we've had a longer wait using them. I don't know if they supply car seats.

 

Unfortunately paying for extras is to be expected. You Uber driver has to purchase the car seats and clean them after each use.

 

I would definitely consider coming in a day early and staying at a hotel near the cruise terminal. In that case, you can take an often free shuttle from the hotel to the cruise port, but you'd need transportation from the airport to the hotel.

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You can't "prebook" with Uber at all, while you can do so with Lyft (a very similar company) as early as 7 days ago.

 

However, no matter what company you use, you can't request special accommodations, e.g. larger cars (UberX, Lyft Plus), let alone the carseats.

 

Your Uber / Lyft wait time can be significantly longer than normal request simply because many of the drivers close by don't meet the criteria you are looking for.

 

Taking us for example, because we had 4 people (2 kids, 6 and 1 at the time), with 3 luggage, we know regular size sedan will not fit us, so we booked Lyft Plus. Even though we already have our own carseats, we still waited about 20 minutes at airport curbside because there were no SUVs nearby, and many drivers don't want to take on this case because they are far away. Given your situation, I am guessing your wait time is just as long if not longer.

 

We also checked SuperShuttle and they don't provide carseat for liability reason.

 

I think your best bet is still bringing your own carseat, and I am sorry this may not be the answer you are looking for. The only good thing is that neither airline nor cruiseline will charge you for checking in carseat.

 

Another bizarre idea is to walk from airport to cruise terminal? I checked the google map and it's a 2 mile walk, so probably 40 minutes.

 

Regards,

Scott Kao

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I'm guessing that you are not purchasing plane seats for the "under 2s." The safest way to fly is with a child in an FAA approved car seat strapped into a plane seat. Bringing your own car seat is always a good idea as they child is comfortable in it, you know it is clean, etc. Even if you intend to have them as "lap children," the airline will transport the car seat at no charge.

 

I'm confused by the comment that you can't request special accommodations with Uber. You absolutely can. You can see the vehicles available. You can even request UberAssist in which case you'll have a driver who has passes a training program in assisting those with mobility issues and that the car will have room for a walker or wheelchair (not necessarily in addition to luggage.) The ability to see/choose the vehicle size and the services you need may be restricted to certain parts of the US...I can't address that. Look up Uber in San Diego to see what is available there.

 

If you have your own car seats, you can get into a taxi at the airport--there are minivan taxis available at most airports and that should hold all your stuff.

 

I cannot imagine walking 2 miles with 4 little kids and all the luggage. But maybe that's just me. I'd walk it unencumbered, but not with all that stuff.

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We lived in San Diego for many years; it may appear walkable on a map, but it’s pretty busy, especially on Harbor Drive by the airport. It would be an uncomfortable walk without children and luggage. Traffic congestion, tight side-walks, tricky cross-walks and construction.

 

The port is indeed close - you can watch planes take off and land at San Diego International Airport from the ship. And there is lots to do in the port; seaport village, the USS Midway (retired aircraft carrier), a marine museum and the gas lamp district. It may be one of the better departure ports. A pre night there should be enjoyable.

 

You might consider DCL hotel and ground transportation. They will greet you at baggage claim, get you to the DCL hotel, and should be prepared for children, car seats and luggage. The next day they will get you to the ship and you won’t have to worry about luggage. The San Diego port is not the greatest for processing luggage. It wouldn’t hurt to check on this option.

 

For a while UBER could not pick up at San Diego Airport. That may have changed, but you should check. You can prebook UBER in advance, but it’s a short period in advance. With the DCL ground transportation you can have assurance in advance and should have no surprises. It will likely be more pricey. Another option is La Costa Limousines -first rate, can be booked in advance and will meet all your needs. But, very, very pricey. I used them for years, mostly for business, because they are highly reliable.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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No way you can walk. I agree to fly in a day early and stay at one of the nice hotels within a block or two of the port. We have done it after staying at the Embassy Suites and walked over the next morning. Also if you use a hotel shuttle from the airport to the hotel you aren't required to use a car seats, not my suggestion just pointing it out.

 

We have cruised three times now with grandkids that needed car seats. I use http://www.limos.com to price shop. I can request services that will provide car seats and then follow up directly with the car service to make sure they bring it. They will also do inside "meet and greet" to help with luggage if you want to pay a small extra charge.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It should be OK, especially if you have TSA Pre-Check. SAN isn't known for being passenger friendly. A lot depends on the airlines and terminal you are using. SWA is the worst. Terminal 1, Gates 1-10 always seem to be the worse. Plus, Gates 1 & 2 use their own TSA security line, which confuses a lot of people. Terminal 1, Gates 11 - 18 are actually not bad. The TSA lines are always shorter and waiting area not all that crowded. We haven't flown out of Terminal 2, but from drive by observations it seems much less crowded and newer. We have flown on days that ships disembark and the security lines can be long and the waiting areas once you get cleared are crowded with few places to sit or eat.

 

That being said, your flight time should be OK just don't linger getting off the ship.

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The issue you should consider before booking an 11:15 am flight is Immigration and Customs at the Port of San Diego. A few years ago we arrived in San Diego on the Disney Wonder as it repositioned back from Alaska in the fall. It took us about 90 minutes to disembark the ship. We had a car waiting to take us home, and we weren’t off the ship until close to 10 am. I don’t know if it was luggage or Immigration and Customs. My sense was that Immigration and Customs was understaffed. Longest disembark experience ever.

 

You might be OK - you can literally see aircraft taking off and landing at SAN from the ship -but you might check to see if others have had the problem we experienced.

 

 

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Hi,

I am not aware of uber/lyft having family/car seats available in San Diego. This may be done in other cities but I have not read about it here.

Coming in the day before and using a hotel shuttle is a great idea.

There is also a bus you can use from the airport into downtown. Other than those 2 ideas bringing your own car seat would also work.

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