CA Coastal Cruise and Transportation from Pier to LAX?

[cruisinsoooon]

Thinking of taking a Coastal Cruise which ends in Los Angeles. Can anyone help me with transportation options at the end of the cruise from the pier to LAX airport? And if we can get priority disembarkation, what would be the earliest flight we should consider? I've read a few things about heavy traffic during business rush hours, though this will be a Saturday morning. You can probably tell I have no clue. All advice appreciated. Thanks.

[bcnvcanada]

Prime Shuttle and Super Shuttle. Even though a Saturday, traffic can

be bad. After 1:000pm or later would be better with carry off cases only, otherwise later. Also img, and customs can be bad.

[Cruisin' Chick]

If you go with regular disembarkation, a 1pm flight (maybe even a 12:30pm) flight would be fine. There are some people who will say they had no problem making a mid-morning flight, but as someone who's commuted on the 405 freeway for years and also has taken some cruises out of LA, I wouldn't advise stressing yourself about trying to make a too-early cruise.

[SLCfirsttimer]

Thinking of taking a Coastal Cruise which ends in Los Angeles. Can anyone help me with transportation options at the end of the cruise from the pier to LAX airport? And if we can get priority disembarkation, what would be the earliest flight we should consider? I've read a few things about heavy traffic during business rush hours, though this will be a Saturday morning. You can probably tell I have no clue. All advice appreciated. Thanks.

 

Another option you may want to look into is flying out of Long Beach instead of LAX. It is a much smaller airport, so flights are somewhat limited, but on the plus side with it being small you can usually get through security quickly. I know Jet Blue flies from there, not sure who else does. And I believe it is a tad bit closer to the port than LAX (someone from Southern California might need to weigh in on that)

[Colo Cruiser]

I agree about Prime Time and Supershuttle, $17 and there are plenty waiting outside the terminal.

No need to make a res.

[SadieN]

There will also be plenty of taxis available.

[hpeabody]

And I believe it is a tad bit closer to the port than LAX (someone from Southern California might need to weigh in on that)

 

You are correct, LGB (Long Beach) is in the opposite direction from LAX and is a few miles closer to the port. Also keep in mind Century Blvd leading into LAX is going to be under MAJOR construction for I believe the next 18 months, which will greatly contribute to traffic on the other routes into LAX. Price and routing being comparable, I would opt for Long Beach, It is a great small airport :)

[BrandiGreg]

We reserved PrimeTime Shuttle online, $16 each. We feel safer having a reservation.

[Astro Flyer]

LGB is closer than LAX however with fewer flights there are less options if a flight is cancelled & with fewer flights it may cost more. Burbank (BUR) is similar to LGB and even though BUR is closer to home flights from BUR can be considerably more expensive than from LAX.

[Colo Cruiser]

We reserved PrimeTime Shuttle online, $16 each. We feel safer having a reservation.

 

We have made a res with Prime Time a couple of times and they could not find it even though I brought the printout.

There have been several posters on CC that have had the same issue, a res but it could not be found.

It was $16 on the way to the pier but on the way back Prime Time charged us $17, so we walked over to SS and took them instead.

 

Both companies have lots of vans on the return from the pier and open to anyone.

From LAX they have vans coming through all the time, just contact the rep controling the shuttles as they come and go.

[cruisinsoooon]

Thanks for all the input. We fly United and found that they don't fly out of LGB, so that's out. The taxi option, though likely more expensive, might be the fastest. Again, I don't know about LAX since it's our first time, but our experience with shuttles in the past has been agonizingly slow by the time they load and leave, and then again stopping at multiple terminals. We'll continue to look at all the options we're learning. Thanks, everyone!

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for all the input. We fly United and found that they don't fly out of LGB, so that's out. The taxi option, though likely more expensive, might be the fastest. Again, I don't know about LAX since it's our first time, but our experience with shuttles in the past has been agonizingly slow by the time they load and leave, and then again stopping at multiple terminals. We'll continue to look at all the options we're learning. Thanks, everyone!

 

Taxi from San Pedro-LAX is approx $60.

[shredie]

Thanks for all the input. We fly United and found that they don't fly out of LGB, so that's out. The taxi option, though likely more expensive, might be the fastest. Again, I don't know about LAX since it's our first time, but our experience with shuttles in the past has been agonizingly slow by the time they load and leave, and then again stopping at multiple terminals. We'll continue to look at all the options we're learning. Thanks, everyone!

 

You might want to reserve a private car. Taxis may or may not be available when you disembark. I've seen many lined up waiting and one or two lined up. Whatever you do, you'll notice the traffic is insane and the airport is a zoo. There are several threads here on CC about this very issue. If the search function works, you might want to look for them.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We have made a res with Prime Time a couple of times and they could not find it even though I brought the printout.

There have been several posters on CC that have had the same issue, a res but it could not be found.

It was $16 on the way to the pier but on the way back Prime Time charged us $17, so we walked over to SS and took them instead.

 

Both companies have lots of vans on the return from the pier and open to anyone.

From LAX they have vans coming through all the time, just contact the rep controling the shuttles as they come and go.

 

We had pre-booked with PT a couple of cruises ago to pick us up at our house and take us to the Port of LA (50 miles away) and then do the reverse at the end of our cruise two weeks later. But the vehicle didn't arrive at our house on the day of our cruise and when I called, I was told the driver was at the "Harbor" waiting for us. They had to do some rearranging to get us another vehicle. Then two weeks later, we went out to the shuttle island and the curbside rep for PT couldn't find our name on his list. He called his office and was told we were supposed to be at our house as the driver was waiting for us. That person argued with him that it wasn't possible that we were at the port (I was standing next to him and heard both sides of the conversation) even after he pointed out that we were with him.

 

The email confirmation that I got after booking had the correct info. The phone notifications that I got on both days said only that our driver "was on the way" (nothing about on the way to where). The next time I used another land transportation company that got the info right, was on time, and the driver himself contacted me on the way to pick us up from our house and when he arrived at the port (we were in the disembarkation lounge waiting our turn so he said he circle around until we called from the shuttle island). While we were waiting for him to circle around again, I was talking to the people next to us. They were waiting for their PT van. I told them about the problem we had the time before, and one of them mentioned that the driver who had picked them up at the airport two weeks before didn't know where the World Cruise Center was.

[Colo Cruiser]

We had pre-booked with PT a couple of cruises ago to pick us up at our house and take us to the Port of LA (50 miles away) and then do the reverse at the end of our cruise two weeks later. But the vehicle didn't arrive at our house on the day of our cruise and when I called' date=' I was told the driver was at the "Harbor" waiting for us. They had to do some rearranging to get us another vehicle. Then two weeks later, we went out to the shuttle island and the curbside rep for PT couldn't find our name on his list. He called his office and was told we were supposed to be at our house as the driver was waiting for us. That person argued with him that it wasn't possible that we were at the port (I was standing next to him and heard both sides of the conversation) even after he pointed out that we were with him.

 

The email confirmation that I got after booking had the correct info. The phone notifications that I got on both days said only that our driver "was on the way" (nothing about on the way to where). The next time I used another land transportation company that got the info right, was on time, and the driver himself contacted me on the way to pick us up from our house and when he arrived at the port (we were in the disembarkation lounge waiting our turn so he said he circle around until we called from the shuttle island). While we were waiting for him to circle around again, I was talking to the people next to us. They were waiting for their PT van. I told them about the problem we had the time before, and one of them mentioned that the driver who had picked them up at the airport two weeks before didn't know where the World Cruise Center was.[/quote']

 

I remember when you first posted this! Thats ridiculous. :eek:

[Astro Flyer]

I remember when you first posted this! Thats ridiculous. :eek:

 

I've used PT several times recently & fortunately had great service each time.

[Colo Cruiser]

I've used PT several times recently & fortunately had great service each time.

 

They do have the capability of being better thats for sure.

[Astro Flyer]

They do have the capability of being better thats for sure.

Yes & we could track our PT shuttle's location online while en route to our house.

 

I organized several Super Shuttle vans for our roll call from Galveston to HOU & the other groups had no problems...except for my group. It was getting tight to make our flights & still no SS van for us. :eek: Thankfully another couple with a private SS van allowed our group to cram in with them.

 

I think that any company sometimes makes big blunders & a bad experience doesn't necessarily mean others will have the same bad experience.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[shredie]

Don't get me started on the lousy service of Super Shuttle. Just remember that the drivers are contractors, and they don't answer to the people in the corporate offices. If they don't want to take you somewhere, they just won't (even if you have made arrangements through their offices.)

[KLLund]

We have had a couple of bad experiences with shuttle and taxi's in LA so we call Karmel Trans and hire a towncar to take us to and from the airport. It is a little pricier but the peace of mind is well worth it to us. They are very reliable and we have always had personable drivers.

[swedish weave]

You are very unlikely to suffer delays with Super Shuttle from San Pedro to LAX. They have many vans at the pier and they load and depart very quickly.

 

At LAX, they have to circle the airport and drop off people at their airline so depending on the terminal your airline uses, you could be first or last. At most, it takes a few minutes, but no major delays.

 

If the freeways are clogged, the drivers normally have alternate routes they use.

[swedish weave]

Don't get me started on the lousy service of Super Shuttle. Just remember that the drivers are contractors, and they don't answer to the people in the corporate offices. If they don't want to take you somewhere, they just won't (even if you have made arrangements through their offices.)

 

This seems a little far-fetched !!! I can't believe a company as big as Super Shuttle would permit drivers to refuse to deliver a passenger to their destination. The legal ramifications are too much !!!

[shredie]

This seems a little far-fetched !!! I can't believe a company as big as Super Shuttle would permit drivers to refuse to deliver a passenger to their destination. The legal ramifications are too much !!!

 

Far-fetched indeed, and it has happened to us three times. The drivers at San Pedro all want the quick turn around LAX run, and if you are going farther afield (65 miles for us) then they turn you down. The on-site representative with the clipboard told us that the company tells them the drivers what's available, and the drivers then decide which runs they want to do. We have made reservations with the company every time, and every time have faced this problem. Once, we called a friend to come to pick us up. Once we were finally able to get a ride long after the LAX crowd was long gone and a single driver showed up to see what was left. Another time we called the company office and threatened to sue. The representative told us that the drivers are independent contractors and the reservations are made just for "our convenience." Now we drive to San Pedro and leave the car. Why didn't we do that after the first time? You would have to ask DH, who, like you, thought a reputable company wouldn't treat its customers so badly (until it happened again.) See, I told you not to get me started. :)

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We normally book a flight at 11AM or after when flying out of LAX on a Saturday and take a taxi. We do early walk-off from the ship and carry our luggage. There have always been taxis available but it will depend on how many other ships are in port that day. One time we really lucked out and got to the airport at 8:30 and were able to standby for an earlier flight and made it. But you never know about LAX or the freeways even on a Saturday can have a bad accident which is trouble.

[AZDENNY]

Thinking of taking a Coastal Cruise which ends in Los Angeles. Can anyone help me with transportation options at the end of the cruise from the pier to LAX airport? And if we can get priority disembarkation, what would be the earliest flight we should consider? I've read a few things about heavy traffic during business rush hours, though this will be a Saturday morning. You can probably tell I have no clue. All advice appreciated. Thanks.

 

I flew thru Long Beach on my last one and it was nice. Smaller airport and about same distance to pier and traffic seemed to be a little less crazy.. Just something to think about