NCL Air / Pre-Cruise Hotel The Way To Go?

[GRAYTech]

Booked the 14 day NCL Star Panama Canal LA - Miami 3/30 - 4/13.

 

I have only sailed on NCL one time before and made my own flight/hotel arrangements.

 

Do you get a good deal if you book through NCL is it worth pursing?

 

Flight / Hotel / Transfers ?

 

I am very familiar with FLL and MIA but know nothing about LA, never been there. Any thoughts on LA travel / hotels would be appreciated.

[islesdave]

If you're looking at domestic air, don't book through the cruise line as they just inflate the prices. The only time it can pay is if you're looking at tight time lines for arrival at the ship. If you booked the air with them, they will assist you with getting to the ship. I have used their hotel program in Europe.

 

A simple Google Maps search https://www.google.com/maps/search/Hotels/@33.754443,-118.2961402,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m8!2m7!3m6!1sHotels!2sCruise+Terminal,+100+Swinford+St,+Wilmington,+CA+90744!3s0x80dd363f51acf7d1:0x66cc60632c103253!4m2!1d-118.2766292!2d33.7472528

will show the hotels near the port. LAX is extremely busy. Allow yourself time to get from plane to baggage claim to final destination for the day.

[Budget Queen]

You prices are per person. and most times you can do way better on your own with lodging.

 

Other negatives is adding a middle man, when in a crisis, can eat up valuable time.

 

Are you touring California? It's darn simple to just get a shuttle, to cruise terminals, in Long Beach/San Pedro.

 

There are plenty of details already available for your research on CC. West Coast site.

[GRAYTech]

Thanks for the insight. We have cruised a number of times out of FLL, not sure why I thought it would be any different in LA.

 

Fly from ORD to LAX day before

Take an Uber to Crown Plaza hotel near the port

Hotel shuttle or Uber to the cruise ship the morning of

 

Anyone have a favorite hotel near the port?

[gambit57]

Assume delays. LAX is pretty notorious for delays both at the airport, and then LA's infamous traffic when you leave the airport.

 

Definitely fly in the day before or earlier. It's a big tourist city. There's stuff to do. If you're not familiar with LAX, I assume you're not from anywhere near it. That puts you at the mercy of airline delays as well as weather.

 

I'm not familiar with the hotels near the ports (which port is it?) as I just stay with my folks. But both ports aren't in the nicest of areas. You may want to just find a hotel at a nice location (near a beach or Hollywood or something) and just pay more for a cab/Lyft to whatever port it is. Long Beach itself has nice areas, even if the port isn't in the greatest area (it's not too bad anymore as it's so developed as a shipping/transit area, it's just a ton of concrete for a good distance with fencing very far away from the ships themselves). That said, I grew up in a neighboring city (parents still live there) and find the area generally pretty boring. I'm much more of a fan of heading South, particularly into Orange County (the county Disneyland is in). Even the beaches and stuff start getting much nicer IMO.