Question about timing

[biggerbearmom]

I am ready to book my flights to LA for a cruise in Feb on the Star.

The cruise leaves at 6:00pm. What time do I want to

be at the World Cruise Center? I want to fly in the same day

and don't want to wait hours on end with kids and luggage , but don't want to be rushed either. For the return flight, does a 1:00pm flight leave enough time with 9:00am being the expected return time ?

[DEL67]

I do not know where you are flying from, but if you are from a "snow" state, I would think twice about flying in on the day your cruise is supposed to leave in February.

 

If you do fly in the same day, I would plan to be in LA by noon at the latest. By the time you collect your luggage and get to the pier, it will be after 1 PM and you should be able to board so you would not be just waiting around. You could explore the ship, have some lunch, etc.

 

1 PM should be okay for a return flight, but 2:00 might be better. You never cxan be sure when Immigration or something else will hold up disembarkation and you do not want to have to worry about missing your flight.

[TrentS]

NEVER NEVER NEVER fly in on the same day of your cruise!!! It's a bad idea with disaster written all over it!!! There are just too many problems with flight delays, weather problems (it's not just snow either, but rain, thunderstorms, fog, etc. that also causes massive delays), missed connections, delayed baggage, etc. etc.

 

Fly in the day before and spend the night at a hotel in Long Beach, or motel in San Pedro. You'll want to get to the port at 11am-noon as that's when embarkation normally begins. Stay the night before and arrive then, be one of the first onboard, have lunch and explore the ship. You'll be well rested and ready to fully enjoy that first day onboard that you have paid for!

 

For your return flight I agree with Dale, 1pm should be okay, but 2pm is better... Absolutely nothing earlier than 1pm though!

[biggerbearmom]

I had been frettting about what to do for the last few days & wanting to book flights as they are super cheap right now on s.w.

I do live in Calif. so I thought, ah heck, why spend the money on a motel for the night before.

But coming from San Francisco we do experience fog delays so your advice is well taken & I will fly in the night before.

Thanks again.

[TrentS]

That will be money well spent mom... There's nothing worse than starting off your vacation stressed & tired, or worse - getting to the pier late and seeing where your ship WAS.

 

When I lived in Los Angeles I flew between LAX and SFO a lot, and those flights were rarely even close to being on time.

[biggerbearmom]

Long Beach or San Pedro ? Is there any particular reason when sailing NCL that one is preferable over the other ?

[TrentS]

NCL sails from San Pedro, but there are far better hotels in downtown Long Beach, that would be my preference. It's a 15 minute cab ride from downtown Long Beach to the terminal in San Pedro. There's a Westin, Hyatt, Hilton, Renaissance all in downtown Long Beach.