LA/San Pedro Hotels w/free airport AND cruise shuttles?

[winnifer]

Do these mythical places exist? I'd really like to find a place that offers this! I've not yet booked our flights but need to figure this out ASAP.

 

We'd really like to avoid dropping even more money on transport if we're able to, y'know?

 

I called Crown Pointe and they said they don't offer either. Called a Holiday Inn in Long Beach that does airport and LB port but won't even talk to me about going the extra mile and a half to LA, even for a small charge. Won't even consider it. Weird. anyone find the hidden holy grail of accommodations?

 

I know the Super Shuttle is about 17 pp from LAX, but that adds up!

 

Thanks, cruisers! :D

[slomotion]

Do these mythical places exist? I'd really like to find a place that offers this! I've not yet booked our flights but need to figure this out ASAP.

 

We'd really like to avoid dropping even more money on transport if we're able to, y'know?

 

I called Crown Pointe and they said they don't offer either. Called a Holiday Inn in Long Beach that does airport and LB port but won't even talk to me about going the extra mile and a half to LA, even for a small charge. Won't even consider it. Weird. anyone find the hidden holy grail of accommodations?

 

I know the Super Shuttle is about 17 pp from LAX, but that adds up!

 

Thanks, cruisers! :D

 

No one offers FREE shuttles from LAX to San Pedro. It is miles away.

 

Crowne Plaza (not Pointe) DOES provide a free shuttle to the San Pedro port, but not to the Long Beach port, as they are about a mile to the San Pedro port. We stay at the Crowne and use their shuttle.

 

Crowne DOES have a package that included a LAX shuttle and a room, but you pay dearly for that.

 

Your best bet is to use Primetime or SuperShuttle to and from LAX and stay at the Crowne and use their shuttle to the port.

 

On disembarking you can grab a Primetime or Super back to LAX

[YubaSutter]

Do these mythical places exist? I'd really like to find a place that offers this! I've not yet booked our flights but need to figure this out ASAP.

 

We'd really like to avoid dropping even more money on transport if we're able to, y'know?

 

I called Crown Pointe and they said they don't offer either. Called a Holiday Inn in Long Beach that does airport and LB port but won't even talk to me about going the extra mile and a half to LA, even for a small charge. Won't even consider it. Weird. anyone find the hidden holy grail of accommodations?

 

I know the Super Shuttle is about 17 pp from LAX, but that adds up!

 

Thanks, cruisers! :D

 

LAX and LGB are a lot farther than a mile and a half.

[kenish]

I called Crown Pointe and they said they don't offer either. Called a Holiday Inn in Long Beach that does airport and LB port but won't even talk to me about going the extra mile and a half to LA, even for a small charge. Won't even consider it. Weird. anyone find the hidden holy grail of accommodations?

 

I know the Super Shuttle is about 17 pp from LAX, but that adds up!

 

Thanks, cruisers! :D

 

You're going to have to bite the bullet because no hotel offers courtesy transit between LAX and either port.

 

Also you're mixed up on two issues. From the Crowne Plaza San Pedro, LAX is about 1 mile farther than LGB as you state. But the distance is roughly 20 miles and that's why CP does not offer airport transportation at all.

 

Holiday Inn Long Beach (downtown location) is 5 miles from LGB airport but 20 miles from LAX. So, you can get a courtesy van from LGB airport but then will need a taxi to go the 9 miles to San Pedro. The HI downtown Long Beach is an OK hotel but is not in a good neighborhood. I would never walk the area at night. You will be somewhat "stranded" for restaurants and activities although the hotel shuttle might take you to the Pike area.

 

My personal recommendation is one of the San Pedro hotels recommended on this board...there's more options for dining and entertainment and you can get to the ship on the hotel shuttle. The $17 fare for a shared van or taxi is probably the lowest all-in cost between plane and ship.

Edited July 16, 2014 by kenish

[Plant]

Do these mythical places exist? I'd really like to find a place that offers this! I've not yet booked our flights but need to figure this out ASAP.

 

We'd really like to avoid dropping even more money on transport if we're able to, y'know?

 

I called Crown Pointe and they said they don't offer either. Called a Holiday Inn in Long Beach that does airport and LB port but won't even talk to me about going the extra mile and a half to LA, even for a small charge. Won't even consider it. Weird. anyone find the hidden holy grail of accommodations?

 

I know the Super Shuttle is about 17 pp from LAX, but that adds up!

 

Thanks, cruisers! :D

 

Other's have explained the distance issue, so I'll just say what we've done.

 

We've used Super Shuttle a couple of times and have been very happy with them. We've seen part's of LA we might not have ever seen :), but for $17.00 pp, it was worth it!!

 

We'll be using them again in the fall.

 

Have a great cruise,

[miata99driver]

As others have said, not really possible. I lived in San Pedro 2009-2012 and they were working on the port area. I was there in May visiting and they have really done a lot of improvement in the area so get out and enjoy. I miss the view from my living room of the cruise ships sailing in and out of the port. :(

[winnifer]

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I figured that was the case, but didn't know for sure, and most of my searching just came up with info from years ago which I feared may be outdated.

 

As for the mile and a half issue, what I meant was a Google search of their address showed that the hotel I'd called was 6.6 miles away from the LA port, and their shuttle only goes 5 miles. That's an extra mile and a half. Well, 1.6 miles. But yeah.

 

I'm a worry wart by nature, and while my boyfriend thinks we'd be OK coming in the morning of, it makes me really nervous. Then again, we'd be taking a direct flight from either Vegas or Phoenix, either of which is about a 5-6 hour drive, which is how far from our home the Vegas and Phoenix airports are anyway, so if we found ourselves being delayed, we'd have our driver just take us the rest of the way (my mom's going to be driving us to the airport).

 

Also, I feel silly for calling it Crown Pointe instead of Plaza... IDK what I was thinking! haha

Edited July 17, 2014 by winnifer

[Bruin Steve]

Another way to think about "free" anything:

 

Hotels do offer "free" shuttles to the port...IOW...it's not a package, it's just that the port is SO CLOSE, they do it as a complimentary service...

But, in the case of LAX and the Port of Los Angeles, they are 20 miles apart, so, if a hotel is close enough to offer free port shuttles, they are going to be too far from the airport to give away free LAX shuttles...

 

Someone can offer you a "package", possibly one that includes shuttles...but...is there a difference in getting a $150 stay and shuttle package from getting a $100 hotel room and having to pay $35 for shuttles? Sure there is--you're paying a $15 premium for your free shuttle!

 

Nothing is really ever "free"...just included in the price...

 

So, when you look at your hotel costs at San Pedro, just consider the cost of the shuttle as being part of your price...

 

I would NOT just fly in the day of the cruise...Too much stress...and too much that can go wrong--flight delays, lost luggage, traffic...

 

It is so much more relaxing to fly in a day ahead...Get to your San Pedro hotel (Definitely either the Crowne Plaza or the Doubletree) with no concerns over traffic or timing...Settle in and relax...Go out for a nice dinner (Try San Pedro Brewing Co....or go to Acapulco down on the waterfront...or any of the other nice, casual restaurants in the area)...Head back to the hotel for a good night's sleep...Wake on your own schedule...check out at your leisure...and have the hotel shuttle you to the port (This one IS "free")...

 

Your cruise vacation will feel as though it started a day earlier...You will arrive at the ship rested and relaxed and ready to enjoy yourselves immediately...rather than boarding hassled and tired...

 

The added cost of one night's hotel and a nice dinner (restaurants in Pedro are pretty reasonably priced) is not much to tack on to that cruise vacation as opposed to the rewards...

 

Have fun...

[Cruisin' Chick]

I don't think it doesn't helps that some of the cruise lines will say they're sailing out of Port of LA (LAX). It leaves an impression (especially with those who have never been here) that the port is really close to the airport. Sure, if you compare the distance from, say, San Diego airport and the Port of LA, or Ontario airport and the Port of LA. Then the distance from LAX is much closer:rolleyes:. Amtrak does the same, by using the airport abbreviation.

 

It's not the only city with this situation. Imagine flying into SeaTac and thinking you're just a few miles away from Seattle and the port there?

[winnifer]

I don't think it doesn't helps that some of the cruise lines will say they're sailing out of Port of LA (LAX). It leaves an impression (especially with those who have never been here) that the port is really close to the airport. Sure' date=' if you compare the distance from, say, San Diego airport and the Port of LA, or Ontario airport and the Port of LA. Then the distance from LAX is much closer:rolleyes:. Amtrak does the same, by using the airport abbreviation.

 

It's not the only city with this situation. Imagine flying into SeaTac and thinking you're just a few miles away from Seattle and the port there?[/quote']

 

Oh yes; I was very thrown off when I looked at the map and saw such a difference between LAX and the PoLA! I'm looking at flying into Long Beach Airport instead of LAX since it's closer, and looking at staying at the Sunrise Hotel. I know it's nothing fancy, but on a tight budget, it's a place to stay before we leave.

 

I also noticed the crazy markup on cruise packages through hotels... it's nuts!

You've really got to examine the fine print on things.

 

I'm amused by how many people on the CC boards (and no, this is not aimed at anyone in particular!) are cavalier about the cost of... well, anything. I would love to be at a point in my life where I could be, but in the mean time I wish I could offer those people a friendly reminder that people have differing budgets and some of us had to save for a long time to afford our cruise and would prefer to spend that money on, say, eating at a nice restaurant onboard if we can save money elsewhere to do it, or be able to afford to do more on a port day. :) I do know that cruising is not necessarily a cheap vacation option, but I'm still amused by it (including a discussion about how a full balcony suite is simply THE only way to travel, etc.)

 

I suppose better to be amused by it than get upset over it. But I know I'm not the only cruiser pinching those pennies, either. And hey, if I ask a question that answers another cruiser's same wonderings, awesome! :)

[Bruin Steve]

Oh yes; I was very thrown off when I looked at the map and saw such a difference between LAX and the PoLA! I'm looking at flying into Long Beach Airport instead of LAX since it's closer, and looking at staying at the Sunrise Hotel. I know it's nothing fancy, but on a tight budget, it's a place to stay before we leave.

 

I also noticed the crazy markup on cruise packages through hotels... it's nuts!

You've really got to examine the fine print on things.

 

I'm amused by how many people on the CC boards (and no, this is not aimed at anyone in particular!) are cavalier about the cost of... well, anything. I would love to be at a point in my life where I could be, but in the mean time I wish I could offer those people a friendly reminder that people have differing budgets and some of us had to save for a long time to afford our cruise and would prefer to spend that money on, say, eating at a nice restaurant onboard if we can save money elsewhere to do it, or be able to afford to do more on a port day. :) I do know that cruising is not necessarily a cheap vacation option, but I'm still amused by it (including a discussion about how a full balcony suite is simply THE only way to travel, etc.)

 

I suppose better to be amused by it than get upset over it. But I know I'm not the only cruiser pinching those pennies, either. And hey, if I ask a question that answers another cruiser's same wonderings, awesome! :)

 

Wendy,

First off, the difference in distance between LAX and San Pedro and between Long Beach Airport and San Pedro is no big deal...LAX to Pedro is 20 miles, LGB to Pedro is 16 miles...The time it takes to get to San Pedro from either is about the same...as is the price of shuttles or taxis (I just tried and Prime Time Shuttle quoted me a rate of $32 for two from LGB to the Crowne Plaza San Pedro...Super Shuttle would not quote me a shared shuttle rate--I'm guessing it's since they don't fill up to many shared vans from LGB...It is definitely easier to find transportation from the busier LAX)...

 

The reason to use LGB is NOT the distance from port but the size and relative emptiness of the airport. LAX is one of the 6 busiest airports in the world, LGB is a very small local airport...Use LGB IF you get a convenient direct flight at a reasonable cost...but beware, it's not easy to find flights to there from everywhere...

 

As to the notion that I (I know you stated that it was not aimed in anyone in particular, but it does seem to have followed in a thread where I recommended staying in only one of two hotels and wrote that the added cost of my recommendations was well worth it) might be "cavalier about the cost", please note:

 

Yes, I DO recommend nicer hotels...

I, myself, tend to stay in nicer hotels wherever I go...but I usually make it my personal quest to find those hotels at rates that bring me value for my money...No one (well, most people) likes to pay exorbitant amounts on hotels...BUT, OTOH, I do think it's important to stay in places where you will feel good about it...

 

And, in the Los Angeles area, whether in the Harbor area or elsewhere, it is extremely important to be wary of perceived bargains. Many cheap hotels are cheap for good reasons...Often people find incredibly low hotel rates because the hotels are either in very dangerous locations...or very inconvenient locations...or serve an unsavory clientele...or are run down...or unsanitary... And often, one cannot determine that from the hotel website or even from the reviews on various review sites (Many reviews are planted, others are just people with low expectations)...

 

And, in the interest of "saving money", I also often advise that one can usually get the Crowne Plaza or Doubletree for a very low price using Priceline...In fact, if you are on a budget, I'd recommend making whatever reservation, but, from time to time, going onto Priceline and bidding on 3.5 stars San Pedro and seeing if you can beat your existing reservation and picking up one of these better hotels.

 

Okay...there is nothing I will point out specifically wrong with the Sunrise...The location of the Sunrise is not bad...it is convenient...It is just not nearly as nice as the Crowne Plaza or Doubletree...It is not as big a concern to me as, say, those staying in Long Beach who avoid my limited list of hotels because they've found a bargain there...Bargains in Long Beach tend to be in some very sketchy areas or very far from the port (Long Beach is a big city of over 500,000 and has some very bad and some very good areas like most large cities)...

 

Personally, I would much rather spend the money upgrading my hotel than on a specialty restaurant dinner on the ship. My view on those is that they are nice, but entirely unnecessary...If one is really on a budget, save that extra cost...the main dining room for dinner is quite nice enough...

 

And, trust me, I am NOT cavalier with money. My parents taught me never to pay the top price--often you are paying for name or reputation or perception but not really getting value...and never to look for the cheapest price--there's usually a reason it's cheap...and you'll be sacrificing something...or many things. What they taught me to look for was value for my money--Buy the nicest you can get for the most reasonable price. Don't compromise your values, but see if you can fill those at a price you can afford...

 

When it comes to hotels, I first look for convenience/location, then safety, then comfort, cleanliness and so on...Amenities with a hotel become more important the longer your stay...but, even if you are there for any amount of time beyond just checking in, sleeping, waking, checking out, they may be important...

 

And, no matter your budget, price DIFFERENTIAL might be important to consider...Are you compromising to save $10? $20? $50? If you are paying less money for exactly the same thing, that's not worth it...But, when there are differences, sometimes it is well worth paying a slight amount more to get that added value...

[winnifer]

Excellent way to look at it, Steve, thank you for that! :D

 

My parents grew up in LA and I remember my mom telling me that the driver's license test back then was to make it from the DMV to LAX, around it, and back safely. She said if you can survive that you can survive anything. :P

 

Knowing that LAX is bigger, I figured maybe flights would be more frequent/hub-to-hub, etc. and maybe I could find a good price. I can find pretty close prices, but exactly what you said, I'm leaning toward LGB because it's smaller and less people milling about. I like that. :)

 

I know that my cavalier comment did come just after yours, and the timing was suspect. And again, it truly was not aimed at you. It was just one of many that I'd seen about this forum that made me chuckle and wish I was in a better position to feel like I could be more free with my choices and less concerned about cost. It was what made me think of it specifically, but was not specifically the post I was talking about. Hope that makes sense :P

 

I do appreciate your insights, though, for sure! As I am new to cruising and have not been to LA in many, many years, I am trying to gather and absorb as much as I can and make an informed decision from there. Besides, you live there, right? You know!!

 

Personally, I would rather spend any saved money on doing something fun on port days, but my boyfriend would really like to do one of the specialty restaurants at least once. It's all a matter of what is a priority for an individual.

 

I sincerely hope I do not come across as unappreciative of your knowledge in any way, as that is far from the truth. I was just feeling a little overwhelmed at that point. Still am, a bit, but not as badly.

 

Thanks again! :D

[Cruisin' Chick]

Oh yes; I was very thrown off when I looked at the map and saw such a difference between LAX and the PoLA! I'm looking at flying into Long Beach Airport instead of LAX since it's closer, and looking at staying at the Sunrise Hotel. I know it's nothing fancy, but on a tight budget, it's a place to stay before we leave.

 

I also noticed the crazy markup on cruise packages through hotels... it's nuts!

You've really got to examine the fine print on things.

 

I'm amused by how many people on the CC boards (and no, this is not aimed at anyone in particular!) are cavalier about the cost of... well, anything. I would love to be at a point in my life where I could be, but in the mean time I wish I could offer those people a friendly reminder that people have differing budgets and some of us had to save for a long time to afford our cruise and would prefer to spend that money on, say, eating at a nice restaurant onboard if we can save money elsewhere to do it, or be able to afford to do more on a port day. :) I do know that cruising is not necessarily a cheap vacation option, but I'm still amused by it (including a discussion about how a full balcony suite is simply THE only way to travel, etc.)

 

I suppose better to be amused by it than get upset over it. But I know I'm not the only cruiser pinching those pennies, either. And hey, if I ask a question that answers another cruiser's same wonderings, awesome! :)

 

Oh my, my grammar really went down hill here (doesn't helps????).:o

 

Anyway, we don't go for balcony cabins. We've only had insides and OVs, and that's fine for us, so it's all about priorities. The only time we've ever eaten in a specialty restaurant was on our last cruise and that was because we were gifted with the dinner (the cruise line's PR department was told by an aspiring ship designer that I was doing a favor for him and I guess that touched them so I was given "elite" status for the cruise). We're not foodies so I doubt if we ever go again (even though my teen loved being able to try some new foods for her -- she's a picky eater but decided to be adventurous). In fact, we're not heavy duty on board spenders. We also don't go on vacations every year either. And my girl has threatened to disown us if we go on a trip this year as she's about to apply to college for 2015.:eek:

 

So I can understand the reluctance not to stay in a five-star hotel. But as BruinSteve points out that visitors to LA need to be careful. It's amazing how you can go a few miles from a really nice area (such as Beverly Hills) and find yourself in an area not to be walking around by oneself. Same thing in my area. My neighborhood is fairly nice -- many homeowners stick around even after their kids leave their nest. The homes were built in the 60s, but a couple of miles in one direction, the homes, built post 1990 or even 2000) cost easily in the high six-figures (maybe higher) and often are in gated communities. Two miles the other way are apartments in "video zone" (code for problematic when it comes to drug sales).

 

So we locals tend not to recommend using public transit unless you are very familiar with the area and know how to get to your destination without getting off in a bad neighborhood. Same for booking hotels. Often what may seem like a good deal will be for a sleazy hotel and/or an unsafe area. So best to ask here on the Western Destinations board before booking (it's amazing how many people do post on CC about their plans, which leave us shaking our heads...I think you would feel that way about the person who was flying to Europe the same day of their cruise).

 

I just wouldn't want to stress out about getting to a long distance destination and either be so stressed out by the time I board the ship or miss the departure and have to decide whether to fly to the next port or just go home and eat the cost of the cruise. Taking off a day from work (and I've worked at places that were stingy with vacation days; hubby is luckier with getting lots of vacation) can be worth the peace of mind. But we pretty fortunate to live close to a port. Just wish there were more ships and more cruises (when our kid is out on school break).

[Cruisin' Chick]

I'm certainly not going to show my daughter your post about the DMV test. She's about to start the driver's ed part of the process (about time, she turns 17 in a few weeks) and at least her driving exam will be from the same facility that I used years ago -- in a nice suburban area. No freeways even close.

[Bruin Steve]

I'm certainly not going to show my daughter your post about the DMV test. She's about to start the driver's ed part of the process (about time' date=' she turns 17 in a few weeks) and at least her driving exam will be from the same facility that I used years ago -- in a nice suburban area. No freeways even close.[/quote']

 

Patty,

My daughters are a bit older than yours...but I remember back when they both took their driving tests...My older daughter had it planned, the younger one followed suit...They had us take them all the way out to the Thousand Oaks or Simi Valley DMV...From talking to their friends, they learned that these DMVs were in far quieter and less urban neighborhoods...The entire test routes went through quiet residential streets...no stress, no difficult maneuvers, no distractions...whereas the Woodland Hills DMV, OTOH, was a nightmare as you took your test among the high rises, shopping malls and heavy traffic of Warner Center. Both girls passed easily...

 

Wendy,

No offense taken...Thanks...

 

BTW, the specialty restaurant thing reminds me of what happened on one of our recent Celebrity cruises in Europe...I typically only book a specialty restaurant when we have a special occasion--like our Anniversary, which seems to always happen while we are cruising...

But, there we were on Silhouette having drinks during the Elite Cocktail hour (Celebrity and Royal Caribbean both have lounges for free pre-dinner drinks for repeat passengers with a certain number of "points" (basically, the equivalent of about 10 cruises on the line though bonus points are given for suites or longer cruises) with two other couples we met here on Cruise Critic on the Roll Call...A crew member comes in publicizing the specialty restaurants, trying to urge us all to sign up. One guy in our group tells him, flat out, that we will all sign up if they'll give it to us for HALF PRICE...I am sort of astounded, thinking, no way...But the crew member then shocks all of us by saying YES! To make a long story short, the following night, all six of us had a wonderful dinner at "Qsine" for a $20 surcharge each rather than $40 each! What my friend knew that I wasn't even thinking of was that if they were pushing sales like that, then they weren't filling up...and they'd rather discount it than leave tables empty. I don't know if it's that negotiable everywhere or every time, but it certainly made that specialty restaurant a far better deal...

Edited July 22, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[winnifer]

<snip> BTW, the specialty restaurant thing reminds me of what happened on one of our recent Celebrity cruises in Europe...I typically only book a specialty restaurant when we have a special occasion--like our Anniversary, which seems to always happen while we are cruising...

But, there we were on Silhouette having drinks during the Elite Cocktail hour (Celebrity and Royal Caribbean both have lounges for free pre-dinner drinks for repeat passengers with a certain number of "points" (basically, the equivalent of about 10 cruises on the line though bonus points are given for suites or longer cruises) with two other couples we met here on Cruise Critic on the Roll Call...A crew member comes in publicizing the specialty restaurants, trying to urge us all to sign up. One guy in our group tells him, flat out, that we will all sign up if they'll give it to us for HALF PRICE...I am sort of astounded, thinking, no way...But the crew member then shocks all of us by saying YES! To make a long story short, the following night, all six of us had a wonderful dinner at "Qsine" for a $20 surcharge each rather than $40 each! What my friend knew that I wasn't even thinking of was that if they were pushing sales like that, then they weren't filling up...and they'd rather discount it than leave tables empty. I don't know if it's that negotiable everywhere or every time, but it certainly made that specialty restaurant a far better deal...

 

Even though this was a different line, I read this to Chris and now we know if they ever come around to ask us (though we're not Elite, so IDK if that would ever happen, but hey) we may try bargaining. Worst they can say is no, right? :P

Edited July 23, 2014 by winnifer

[lynnfromwigan]

Hi, I have booked Crowne Plaza LAX the night before my cruise (only arrive from San Francisco at around midnight) and am looking to book a round trip from LAX to San Pedro for the next day, followed by round trip from LAX to Santa Monica the following week. My problem is that when tryin to book on line they are asking for flight times and flight numbers? Has anyone had this problem before and does anyone know if I find a suitable flight landing around the times I want to take a shuttle would this be acceptable?

 

Many thanks in advance

[Cruisin' Chick]

Patty,

My daughters are a bit older than yours...but I remember back when they both took their driving tests...My older daughter had it planned, the younger one followed suit...They had us take them all the way out to the Thousand Oaks or Simi Valley DMV...From talking to their friends, they learned that these DMVs were in far quieter and less urban neighborhoods...The entire test routes went through quiet residential streets...no stress, no difficult maneuvers, no distractions...whereas the Woodland Hills DMV, OTOH, was

a nightmare as you took your test among the high rises, shopping malls and heavy traffic of Warner Center. Both girls passed easily...

 

 

We probably will have to take her around the Winnetka DMV before she goes in for her driving test. When I took my tests (yea, I failed twice -- once was when I hit the curb when doing the 3-point turn), Topanga was there, but I don't think Warner Center was all that busy yet...or maybe I didn't have to go that far. It was so young ago.:eek:

 

Hi, I have booked Crowne Plaza LAX the night before my cruise (only arrive from San Francisco at around midnight) and am looking to book a round trip from LAX to San Pedro for the next day, followed by round trip from LAX to Santa Monica the following week. My problem is that when tryin to book on line they are asking for flight times and flight numbers? Has anyone had this problem before and does anyone know if I find a suitable flight landing around the times I want to take a shuttle would this be acceptable?

 

Many thanks in advance

 

 

I'm a bit confused. Who is asking? A shuttle service? The cruise line's shuttle? Round trip LAX to San Pedro? Round trip to Santa Monica?

 

By the way, you don't have to stay by the airport. Even if you're getting in late, you can get a taxi to take you to a hotel in San Pedro (the Crowne Plaza or Doubletree). Then sleep in the morning of your cruise, and jump on their shuttle to the port around 11am or noon (when you check in, ask if you can sign up for the shuttle right then). Late at night, it shouldn't take you too long to go to the port hotel. The next morning, you can be in a traffic jam due to rush hour (which lasts more than an hour).