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Flights Post Cruise


bobnfl
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My wife and I booked a flight from LAX at 12:15pm on the last day of the cruise. Is this too early to try and get off the ship and make it to the airport. Princess say 12:30pm is their cut off time for their transfer. Is 15min. really going to make that big of a difference. Have you done this before and what is your experience?

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A little reading on the board would reveal the earliest recommended time for a flight is 11am...some will say 11:30. So you can make 12:15.

 

Princess may refuse to sell you a transfer as your flight is too early, unless you lie to them and tell them your flight is, say, 12:35.

 

Or, you can simply walk off and grab a cab or Uber. It will be cheaper and easier.

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As usual CruiserBruce has it right about the transfers from Princess.

 

I would arrange for a private vehicle or take Uber or a Taxi as CruiserBruce mentioned.

 

We use a private vehicle service called Execucar and their website is www.execucar.com

 

I am not sure what day you arrive but my recommendation is to get off the ship pretty early to allow time at LAX.  Sometimes there is a lot of traffic just inside the airport and if you don't have TSA pre-check having the extra time to bet through security would be a good idea.

 

Keith

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On 10/30/2018 at 11:22 AM, bobnfl said:

My wife and I booked a flight from LAX at 12:15pm on the last day of the cruise. Is this too early to try and get off the ship and make it to the airport. Princess say 12:30pm is their cut off time for their transfer. Is 15min. really going to make that big of a difference. Have you done this before and what is your experience?

LAX is the fifth busiest airport in the world...and everyone in any official capacity with cruise lines, airlines or whatever will err on the side of caution...IOW, they will round up all time estimates to the point of absurdity.  At LAX, they will always tell you to get there THREE HOURS prior to your flight...  I fly out of LAX a lot...and I have NEVER needed anywhere close to that amount of time.  Yes, you can run into long lines at check-in...and again at security...but, even with that, you will never need even two hours...And you can cut your airport time down drastically if you have TSA Pre-check and if you check in on line and print your boarding passes ahead of time.  We've been curb to gate in as short as 15 minutes...My daughter, who lives in Portland (and formerly San Francisco) and flies back and forth constantly scoffs at ever getting to LAX more than an hour prior to her flight...and she's never missed a flight either...So, for a 12:30 pm flight, getting to LAX by at least 10:30 am should leave you with more time than you'll need.

The other variables are:

1)  Traffic time.  Okay, a lot depends on which day you disembark.  Saturday/Sunday are obviously better than weekdays...The total distance from the pier in San Pedro to LAX is only 20 miles...You may spend almost as much time circling the airport to your terminal as you did driving there...But, on a typical weekend day, you're looking at 30-45 minutes max...on a M-F morning, maybe an hour...Of course, you could get really unlucky and have to deal with an accident or with road construction...Still, figure an hour is likely more than enough to be conservative...

2)  The disembarkation process.  Sometimes, there's a line getting off...or issues with getting your luggage...So, if you want to be VERY safe, ask for an early time...or wheel your own luggage off the ship.

 

Basically, figure you want to be at LAX, to be very conservative, by 10:30...which means off the ship and meeting your ground transportation by 9:30...To deal with lines, just make sure you have a disembarkation time before 9:00 am (shouldn't be hard).  Any time earlier than that just adds more cushion.  Use Uber or a car service so you don't have to wait for others (definitely don't use the Princess transfers).  You should have time to kill at LAX...bring a book or other distraction...

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I just want to add that when it comes to any port you just never know if something might go wrong and that includes getting to the airport.

 

A few years ago our disembarkation at San Pedro was delayed about 90 minutes due to a work stoppage by the union.  Another time we were delayed as three ships were in port.  The port does best with one ship, and OK with two but can be a big problem with three.

 

Last time we left the ship disembarkation was fine but the main road going into LAX was shutdown due to a bad accident.

 

And once in LAX sometimes there is an incredible amount of traffic congestion just getting to the place to be dropped off.

 

I only say this because I think the timing of a 12:15 PM flight is fine but would not want someone reading this to think that getting off at this port is a "walk in the park" and go for a flight that is much earlier than this.  

 

Me I don't like stress so for me it would be Noon or later.

 

I am just one who plans for things that can go wrong.

 

Keith

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On 10/30/2018 at 12:22 PM, bobnfl said:

My wife and I booked a flight from LAX at 12:15pm on the last day of the cruise. Is this too early to try and get off the ship and make it to the airport. Princess say 12:30pm is their cut off time for their transfer. Is 15min. really going to make that big of a difference. Have you done this before and what is your experience?

 

I would do this out of LA.  Especially if you self disembark and get off the boat as early as possible. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
1 hour ago, CruiseDreamers said:

If flying out of Long Beach would a 12:00, noon, be easy to catch or should we book the next flight out of Long Beach which won't be until 3:30?  This would be on a Tuesday in late March.

You will be perfectly fine with a noon flight out of LGB.

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