My San Pedro Experiences: Rideshare, Walking, and Public Transportation

[IRMO12HD]

Having participated in other threads attempting to find details of what it's like to:

(a) travel from LAX to San Pedro as a solo woman traveler,

(b) walk to the World Cruise Terminal from the Crowne Plaza Hotel, and 

(c) travel from San Pedro to LAX using public transportation

 

I figured I would post my experiences and impressions having done so.

 

(a) I flew in the day before my cruise.  Because my flight into LAX was delayed, and I didn't arrive until about 4:15 pm instead of my planned 2:20 pm, I elected to use rideshare to get to San Pedro.  It was easy to catch the LAX-it shuttle after getting my bag; I did a little price shopping between Uber and Lyft to determine which I would use, before I tried to find the shuttle (I was in Terminal 6).  The signage isn't terrific IMO, but I was able to ask a Security person who pointed me in the right direction.  Lyft was the lowest at $39, so I booked that and got on the shuttle.  My pickup point was 30B, which I saw as we were coming in to the LAX-it Lot.  It's not terribly complicated -- signage directing one to the appropriate category of pickup.  My Lyft driver was there in about 1 minute after I got off the bus.  As others have noted, it's not an area where one would want to have to wait a long time -- no seating that I could see, and very little cover in the event of rain or wind.  My driver was really helpful, and loaded (and unloaded) my suitcase for me.

 

(b) Since I arrived at the hotel right at dusk, I didn't try to explore at all that evening -- I did  order takeout from The Green Onion, and was happy to encounter a 1/2 block, well-lit walk to go and pick it up and take it back to my room.  The next morning, I walked over to the Cruise Terminal at about 8:30 a.m. with my suitcase.  The walk took approximately 12 minutes walking at an average pace.  Even if I had had a larger suitcase, it would have been a pretty easy walk.  The roughest part would have been a short "boardwalk" section along the waterfront.  It's about 0.7 miles from the Crowne Plaza to the luggage drop off point.  Porters were standing by to take bags, and there were still people waiting for their rides to pick them up from the previous cruise.  I then walked back to the hotel, checking out the best route to the Silver Line bus stop (it's across the parking lot).  I had a quick cup of coffee (thanks to my in-room Keurig) and then headed back over to the Cruise Terminal, this time with just my "carry-on" backpack and purse.  I posted the video of my walk on YouTube HERE.

 

(c) I disembarked Navigator at about 9:00 a.m. on Friday, February 4th.  Checked for Uber and Lyft prices (just out of curiosity; I had already determined that I would try the Silver Line + MetroRail Green Line + Shuttle for $2.50); Uber was $42 and Lyft was $38.   Took a little longer (about 1 hour 8 minutes) than an Uber or Lyft. Walked across the World Cruise Terminal parking lot and a couple of blocks to the bus stop (Beacon and O’Farrell). The schedule showed a bus at 9:28, but it never showed, and Rome2Rio never showed it as an option.  No big deal.  There was a bus shelter and four seats under it .  I had downloaded the TAP app and loaded $2.75 on it, as I wasn't sure if I could pay cash on the bus.  As it turned out, I only needed $2.50 of it; if I had registered for the Senior Reduced Fare card in advance, my cost would have been a grand total of $0.95!  BTW, you can also pay in cash, but you need exact change (or won't get change back?) -- and I'm not sure how or if you get the transfers to the Green Line. 

Anyway, I boarded the bus at 9:58 and was in Terminal 6 (five stops before it!) by 11:07. There was no place on the bus to put a large suitcase that I could see; there was an indented area for wheelchair seating in back of the driver and to the right side, but those areas also had flip-down seating, so I'm not sure you could put a suitcase there if the bus was crowded.  The bus did have an elevated rear section with steps up to it that had several vacant seats, so perhaps larger suitcases could go up there?  There were about three other travelers on the bus with (small) suitcases or luggage.  The bus took about 25 minutes to get to the Harbor Freeway station; there was a long escalator up to the 3rd level, which was where the Green Line train would come in; there was also an elevator.  I took the escalator, as it was in open air and uncrowded.  There was a turnstile to go through to get to the train; my TAP app worked to open it, but one of the passengers who had paid cash had trouble getting through it and ended up just jumping the turnstile.  The Green Line train arrived in about 3 minutes, and was about 1/3 full, so it was pretty easy to find a seat.  The last transition occurred at Aviation Way, where I would catch the terminal shuttle to take me to Terminal 6.  This was the only difficult part, as I couldn't find a "down" escalator -- only a staircase.  Could have been a problem with a larger suitcase, although I''m sure there was an elevator somewhere.  I just missed getting on the terminal shuttle that was there, so had to wait another 3-4 minutes for the next one.  The terminal shuttle took about 6-7 minutes to get me to Terminal 6, as it stops at the terminals in numerical order.

 

In summary:

As always, YMMV (your mileage may vary)!  For me, walking to the Cruise Port from the Crowne Plaza hotel was uncomplicated, relatively easy with a suitcase, and really pleasant.  Taking luggage over first thing in the morning (well, about 8 or 8:30 a.m.) worked really well, but I could have done so in one journey a little later.  My boarding time was 11:00 a.m., and I was in the Security Line at 10:57.  Taking public transportation back to LAX worked out okay for me.  To be honest, there were a few dicey moments on the Silver Line bus with a few passengers having a heated argument over mask wearing, but other than that, the rides were relatively uncrowded, and comfortable.

 

Pictures:

8411_Harbor Freeway Station looking down at freeway from 3rd Level

8412_Harbor Freeway Station escalator from bus level

8413_Green Line rail car

8414_Green Line Aviation Station train platform

8416_Missed this sign when I first got off the stairs at  Aviation Station (shuttle bus level) - turn left after you exit the gate

8417_Up escalator (and down stairs) from street to train level at Aviation Station

[pistnbroke]

Thank you for taking the time and effort to provide this information.

leaving on Majestic Princess on March 5 and staying at Crowne Plaza.

the night before.

Had to change our flight from Vancouver /Lax to SNA .but the return will be from Lax.
Will stay post cruise at an airport hotel to allow sufficient time for test results 

Any recommendations for breakfast near the Crowne Plaza ?

 

 

[IRMO12HD]

8 minutes ago, pistnbroke said:

Thank you for taking the time and effort to provide this information.

leaving on Majestic Princess on March 5 and staying at Crowne Plaza.

the night before.

Had to change our flight from Vancouver /Lax to SNA .but the return will be from Lax.
Will stay post cruise at an airport hotel to allow sufficient time for test results 

Any recommendations for breakfast near the Crowne Plaza ?

 

 

You're welcome!  I found the area around the hotel and waterfront quite nice to walk in.

 

I didn't actually eat there, but I understand the Happy Diner (right around the corner from the CP -- 617 S Centre St, San Pedro, CA 90731)  is pretty good. There is also a Hoyas Tea House directly across the street.  Perhaps some local folks could give more suggestions. 

[Cruising89143]

What’s your thoughts about the hotel? I know that it’s dated but it get very mixed reviews on Yelp and TA. Thanks.

[grannyp]

When checking it out in Oct. it was going through renovations, updating, etc.  Hopefully it will be finished by Sept. for our cruise.  We stayed at Best Western & were pleased with it, but the location and traffic are horrid.  Will spend the extra $ this time for Crowne.  B.T.W. the clerk at Best W. said the owner also owns Crowne.  We have stayed at Crowne before and absolutely love the museums, The Green Onion, and Trolley!

 

[Level six]

Thanks for all the information! 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 2/15/2022 at 6:30 AM, grannyp said:

We have stayed at Crowne before and absolutely love the museums, The Green Onion, and Trolley!

 

Two thumbs up for the Green Onion. It is an old school Sonoran/gringo Mexican restaurant.

[snaebyllej]

There is also a Subway restaurant that's open for breakfast, half a block from the hotel.

[IRMO12HD]

On 2/14/2022 at 12:42 PM, cruisingator2 said:

What’s your thoughts about the hotel? I know that it’s dated but it get very mixed reviews on Yelp and TA. Thanks.

@cruisingator2I really liked the hotel!  It had a really nice lobby, a pretty fully-stocked little store, and the hallways, elevators, and public areas were well-maintained.  The staff was friendly and helpful.  I asked for a higher floor, and ended up being on the 10th floor, looking east toward the bridge; I could see Navigator making her way up to the cruiseport at o'dark thirty (well, 5:45 am!).  I know that their restaurant had been moved to an alternative location within the hotel because of the renovations, but didn't try to find it. I would definitely stay there again.

[Cruising89143]

13 hours ago, IRMO12HD said:

@cruisingator2I really liked the hotel!  It had a really nice lobby, a pretty fully-stocked little store, and the hallways, elevators, and public areas were well-maintained.  The staff was friendly and helpful.  I asked for a higher floor, and ended up being on the 10th floor, looking east toward the bridge; I could see Navigator making her way up to the cruiseport at o'dark thirty (well, 5:45 am!).  I know that their restaurant had been moved to an alternative location within the hotel because of the renovations, but didn't try to find it. I would definitely stay there again.

Thank you. We booked a suite as the price was not much more than a regular room. It states views of the port. Appreciate the feedback. 🙂

[BazingAu]

@IRMO12HDI am just curious why you decided to walk to the port instead of taking the Crowne Plaza shuttle? Was it too infrequent or too full?

[IRMO12HD]

4 hours ago, BazingAu said:

@IRMO12HDI am just curious why you decided to walk to the port instead of taking the Crowne Plaza shuttle? Was it too infrequent or too full?

@BazingAuI wanted to explore, and didn't want to take the shuttle.  I'm not sure what the schedule was, but doubt it was full.  Research beforehand showed that the CP was less than a mile from the cruise port.  Had the weather been inclement, I might have tried the shuttle, but as it was, I was trying to avoid crowded travel environments prior to boarding the ship.

[TreeCity]

On 2/21/2022 at 10:15 PM, IRMO12HD said:

@BazingAuI wanted to explore, and didn't want to take the shuttle.  I'm not sure what the schedule was, but doubt it was full.  Research beforehand showed that the CP was less than a mile from the cruise port.  Had the weather been inclement, I might have tried the shuttle, but as it was, I was trying to avoid crowded travel environments prior to boarding the ship.

Thank you for the walking video just what I was wanting information about. And for the Green Onion recommendation.

[IRMO12HD]

On 2/27/2022 at 4:54 PM, TreeCity said:

Thank you for the walking video just what I was wanting information about. And for the Green Onion recommendation.

You're welcome, @TreeCity -- that's exactly why I posted it!  Hope you have a great cruise!

[lost4sure]

Thank you for the detailed route from port to LAX.  I might try it in the future; can't beat the price!  Too bad I booked my early flight already for July cruise.

What is TAP stand for?  

[KeepCalmBearOn]

16 hours ago, lost4sure said:

What is TAP stand for?  

 

I am sure "TAP" has some very clever meaning that the LA Metro paid a consultant lots of money to come up with, but it is the card that you load money on and then "tap" on fare boxes to pay for your transit.

[lost4sure]

Ok. Thanks for the information on TAP.