Is a 1:15PM Flight from LAX too early?

[supermike]

We will be on Carnival Splendor arriving in Long Beach, CA at 9AM and I have the chance to book a flight out of LAX at 1:15PM. What do you guys think? Is that reasonable?

Our plan it to take a shuttle to the Long Beach airport and rent a car to take us to LAX. Unless anyone has experience with a shuttle.

ANY help would matter thanks!!

[Keith1010]

I would just take a shuttle or arrange for a private car. It is not worth the added time to pick up a rental car and return it plus the overall cost. Don't try to make a 1:15 PM flight if you are going to rent a car.

 

Call Carnival to clarify the 9:00 AM arrival. I suspect that is not the arrival time but when passengers can get off the ship. If it is the latter than a 1:15 PM flight would be fine.

 

Keith

[Bruin Steve]

Hmmmm...The Carnival site does say "Arrival time 9:00 am"...That does sound a bit late...But, it could be crucial in this case...

If this were Royal Caribbean or Princess, cruises I've taken from LA in recent years, thoshe ships typically get in before 7:00 am and a 1:15 pm flight out of LAX would be a near perfect time...One could eat a casually paced breakfast, get off the ship, collect one;s luggage and grab a shuttle and be to LAX in plenty of time for a 1:15 flight ...all with virtually no stress...

 

But that 9:00 arrival time is puzzling...They leave Cabo at 3:00 pm on Friday...there's plenty of time to get back to Long Beach early...

Most ships make it back early to start unloading passengers and getting the ship ready for the next week's passengers--who usually start boarding at about 11:30-noon...

 

If it truly is a 9:00 am arrival, that entire process gets pushed back a couple of hours...and suddenly, a 1:15 flight, though doable, definitely requires a lot of logistic thought and stress...Figure you may not start unloading until around 10:00...You'd probably want to take one of those early departure options, wheel your own bags off and jump right onto a taxi...

 

It's sunday morning, so traffic should not be too bad...but figure about a 45 minute trip to LAX ...Yes, most certainly go direct...there is absolutely no reason to take a shuttle to LGB and rent a car to get to LAX...LAX is only 22 miles from the Carnival pier...LGB is about 12 miles from the Pier--in a different direction...The drive from LGB to LAX is 21 miles...So, you'd be paying a shuttle just about as much as going direct to take you to the wrong airport...then you'd be going through all of the expense and hassle of picking up and returning a rental car just to make the short trip between the two airports...and probably tripling your trip time...

 

Basically, figure to get to LAX the recommended two hours before this flight (11:15 am), you'd have to be in a shuttle or taxi and moving by 10:30...Figure in that getting off the ship is often difficult--lines for customs, etc. and a shuttle often waits for other passengers{consider a taxi, or a private shuttle or limo so you don't wait for others), so you really want to be leaving the ship by at least 10:00 at the latest--again, possible if the ship docks at 9:00 and starts moving people off soon...

 

If it's really there earlier, you will have absolutely no trouble...

[supermike]

Thanks for the input!! We are gonna skip the rental car and just hop a cab. I am going to roll the dice and book the 1:15!! It's either that or a 5:30.

Arghhhh

[Keith1010]

supermike, if this was me I would just place a quick call to Carnival just to confirm what they mean by 9:00 AM. Is that arrival time or time that disembarkation begins. It really makes a big difference and they can tell you that along with the earliest time you should book a flight.

 

Enjoy the cruise.

 

Keith

[Cruisin' Chick]

supermike, if this was me I would just place a quick call to Carnival just to confirm what they mean by 9:00 AM. Is that arrival time or time that disembarkation begins. It really makes a big difference and they can tell you that along with the earliest time you should book a flight.

 

Enjoy the cruise.

 

Keith

 

I was thinking this too. And I would agree with skipping the rental car. Try Supershuttle or another shuttle service. Just make sure to tell them you want to go to LAX, and not Long Beach airport.