Fly into LAX 8am then need to be at San Pedro Pier by 2pm

[Shazza1111]

My question is how should we fill in the time, keeping in mind we will have our luggage with us, but also ths is our last few hours in LA so would like to do something rater than wait around:confused::)

[4cats4me]

My question is how should we fill in the time, keeping in mind we will have our luggage with us, but also ths is our last few hours in LA so would like to do something rater than wait around:confused::)

 

 

Usually the ships let you start checking in around 10:30 a.m.

WE always go Princess and sailaway is at 4 p.m., latest time to check in

is 2:30 or 3 p.m., with muster being at 3:30. I don't know what ship

you're on, but you might want to go to the ship when they start boarding

instead of waiting until the last minute, especially in L.A. with its horrid

traffic conditions.:eek:

[Shazza1111]

Usually the ships let you start checking in around 10:30 a.m.

WE always go Princess and sailaway is at 4 p.m., latest time to check in

is 2:30 or 3 p.m., with muster being at 3:30. I don't know what ship

you're on, but you might want to go to the ship when they start boarding

instead of waiting until the last minute, especially in L.A. with its horrid

traffic conditions.:eek:

 

Good to know, we will be on the Sapphire Princess:):)

[4cats4me]

Good to know, we will be on the Sapphire Princess:):)

 

Oh, yes, we've been on the Sapphire 5 or 6 times, just got off her on

3/26/11. she's a beautiful ship!!

 

We usually spend the night in San Pedro or Long Beach, and then we always drive to the port, usually arriving in the parking lot anywhere from

10:40 to 11:15. Check-in is very, very easy there. You will give your

luggage to the porter, they will direct you through a set of doors, you'll fill out the form stating that you haven't been ill, then proceed up an elevator to the check-in area. I'm not sure exactly what time the building opens, since we've never been earlier than 10:30.

Check-in has always been very efficient there.

We went to Mexico.

[Keith1010]

I would fly in the day before the cruise or at least the night before the cruise as flight delays or a cancellation could cause you to miss the ship. Delays can be caused by weather, mechanical issues, a security breach at the airport, FAA computer issues or anyone of many items.

 

If you do fly in that morning I would just have breakfast at the airport and then head over to the San Pedro.

 

Keith

[Bruin Steve]

My question is how should we fill in the time, keeping in mind we will have our luggage with us, but also ths is our last few hours in LA so would like to do something rater than wait around:confused::)

 

First realize that you do not have that much time in LA...and most tourist attractions are in the other direction...

 

If your plane arrives at 8 am, you are NOT getting out of the airport at 8 am...Even if your plane is right on time, just walking to baggage retrieval and making it through customs could take you over an hour...figure, at best, you are walking out the terminal door at 9:00-9:30...Say you take a shuttle to San Pedro, you can figure, with no traffic, a half an hour waiting for the shuttle or waiting for the shuttle to fill up...and another half hour getting to the pier...Figure you are arriving at the pier at around 10:30...

 

So, no flight delays, no traffic, everything going right, you really can't count on having more than three and a half extra hours...Not enough time for any real sightseeing--Hollywood, for example, would be a good hour out of your way in each direction--leaving you very little time to see any sights...and, of course, adding stress knowing how far you'd have to go back to get to port...

 

What I would do is this:

Head straight to San Pedro...At 10:30, they should let you check your luggage...

With a little time to kill, I would just hang around in San Pedro...

 

There is a trolley that runs along the waterfront:

 

http://www.railwaypreservation.com/page8.html

 

But, unfortunately, it only runs starting at noon, Friday, Saturday and Sunday...but, you could walk along the waterfront to Ports o' Call Village and ride the trolley back...

 

Or...Does your ship LEAVE at 2 pm? Tell you to board at 2 pm? Likely, they start boarding a lot earlier...Most ships start boarding around 11:30 am...In which case consider just waiting a little, then getting on the ship and enjoying a nice lunch in the buffet and "start your cruise early"...

 

Ps. Yes, I also would have flown in AT LEAST a day early...if not a few days early...You would have had some time to enjoy LA and had a nice hedge against flight delays, missed connections, lost luggage and all of the other things that can go wrong...

[Shazza1111]

Thanks for the input, we are only flying from Las Vegas, so I really think flying in the the day before would be a bit of overkill, however thanks for your thoughts:)

[SNJCruisers]

Experienced cruisers know to fly in the day before because there are other factors besides weather concerns and other possible flights problems. Namely, a good restfull night's sleep before your vacation. You're going to be getting up around 430am or so for your early morning flight from LAS to LAX. Rest and peace of mind for the cost of one night in a hotel pre-cruise is a slam dunk for many travellers. IMHO

[Happy ks]

I'll agree with Bruin Steve, you won't have as much time as you think you may. Disembarking the plane, waiting for luggage, waiting for the shuttle. If you catch a shared shuttle, there is the possibility that it will take a couple hours to get to port.

 

The general rule is that check in can start as early as 10:30 am with boarding beginning as early as 11:30 am- 12 noon. It does mean you will be waiting a bit, not as much as you think. You do not have to wait until 2 pm to board the ship, the cruise lines just state that. I'll be on the same cruise as you, we plan on arriving around 12:30 or so. With a sailaway at 4pm all pax must be checked in by 2:30 pm, so I don't know how they would do it if a lot of people waited until 2 pm to get there.

 

However, there are times when boarding can be delayed and you will not know this until it is history. We have gotten to this port and had boarding delayed as late as 3 pm (only once) and 1pm (again only once). We have embarked at this port numerous times. Just make sure you have some reading material, a snack and a beverage in case of delay.

[Keith1010]

Hopefully what happened in St Louis that caused the airport to shutdown is a reminder that one should try their hardest to fly in a day or more prior to a cruise. There are just too many things that can go wrong if you attempt to fly in the day of the cruise.

 

Keith

[critterchick]

Although I agree that flying in the day before is a good idea, that wasn't the OP's question.:)

 

I agree with the rest of Bruin Steve's post;). Just go to the pier once you've collected your luggage. I wouldn't bother going out after you've checked in - go have lunch in the main dining room (it's open for lunch on embarkation day even though I've heard of people being discouraged from going in), explore the ship, unpack your luggage before muster drill (if it gets there in time) and have a ball!

[bqkali]

Hopefully what happened in St Louis that caused the airport to shutdown is a reminder that one should try their hardest to fly in a day or more prior to a cruise. There are just too many things that can go wrong if you attempt to fly in the day of the cruise.

 

Keith

 

While I always fly in a day early as well, in this case, I believe the OP should be fine. There are tons of flights daily between Las Vegas & Los Angeles, and they have several hours of wiggle room for flight delays. Worst case scenario, if there was an airport shutdown, they could rent a car and drive. We're only talking about 5-6 hours - the OP is already going to be up and at the airport no later than 6am, so to pick up a car and drive would still get them to the port with time to spare.