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Atlanta to LAX or Long Beach

mirglip69

By mirglip69,
in West Coast Departures

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greatestvalue

greatestvalue

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, mirglip69 said:

Which airport to arrive day prior to boarding?

Whichever one is more reasonable in price to fly into.

 

They are so close together it wont really matter.  They are only 22 minutes apart.  Traffic no matter where you are is typically a nut house. 

 

LAX you will have a bit of a longer ride, but possibly easier transportation options. Specially if you are going to stay at airport hotel and than go back to airport next day to use cruise ships transport. 

 

You can also check out Burbank airport, if that's cheaper.  

 

Check to make sure uber/lyft is able to pick up at all of them.  Or you can always hire a shuttle from any of them to get you to the port. 

 

It will also depend on what you want to do/see the night before the cruise.  Sightsee or relax? 

Did you want to stay closer to the port in a hotel with shuttle to the port on cruise day?

 

 

 

 

 

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gvgseg

gvgseg

Posted
Posted

Burbank is not convenient for going to Long Beach. LGB would be great but it is highly unlikely that you will find a direct flight from ATL to LGB. SNA is another option but usually more expensive than LAX.

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Ashland

Ashland

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, greatestvalue said:

Whichever one is more reasonable in price to fly into.

 

They are so close together it wont really matter.  They are only 22 minutes apart.  Traffic no matter where you are is typically a nut house. 

 

LAX you will have a bit of a longer ride, but possibly easier transportation options. Specially if you are going to stay at airport hotel and than go back to airport next day to use cruise ships transport. 

 

You can also check out Burbank airport, if that's cheaper.  

 

Check to make sure uber/lyft is able to pick up at all of them.  Or you can always hire a shuttle from any of them to get you to the port. 

 

It will also depend on what you want to do/see the night before the cruise.  Sightsee or relax? 

Did you want to stay closer to the port in a hotel with shuttle to the port on cruise day?

 

 

 

 

 

Burbank...Oh my :classic_wacko:

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coastcat

coastcat

Posted
Posted
On 6/26/2022 at 1:09 PM, mirglip69 said:

Cruising out of Long Beach to Hawaii in January 2023. Which airport to arrive day prior to boarding? LAX or Long Beach? Fist time cruising out of California. Any advice is appreciated. 

 

Short answer: LAX is cheapest and more convenient, LGB is closer and more pleasant.

 

Long Beach (LGB): Closest to Long Beach and the cruise terminal. Small historic terminal is currently the entry, with a small modern terminal behind. It's small. I think my Mazda crossover is bigger than that terminal. Southwest is by far the dominant player. If you're a Delta loyalist you can connect through SLC, while American connects through PHX. If we still had non-stops there from Seattle, Long Beach would be my preference because it's cozy & convenient while LAX is a bit of a mess.

 

LAX: It's a bit of a mess. Well, that's to be expected from a mega-major airport. It's perpetually under construction. Delta flyers should be happy because the first phase of the huge terminal 2/3 overhaul is complete. Uber/Lyft/taxis must pick up from the adjacent LAXit lot which is less convenient than curbside, although if you shell out the extra money for Uber Black or Lyft Black they can do curbside. LAX will have the cheapest fares and by far the most flights in/out. Twice the distance to LB, about 23 miles per Google Maps.

 

John Wayne Airport/Orange County Airport/OMG there are thousands of kids here/whatever it's actually called (SNA): Furthest from the cruise terminals (about 33 miles from Long Beach), closest to Disneyland and the other Anaheim attractions. Flights to SNA are generally more expensive than to LAX but less expensive (and with many more options) than LGB. It's a boring airport but efficient - more amenities than Long Beach, less chaos than LAX. Is it worth the longer trip to Long Beach or San Pedro? Well, probably not, but I'm always tempted.

 

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KeepCalmBearOn

KeepCalmBearOn

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, coastcat said:

Short answer: LAX is cheapest and more convenient, LGB is closer and more pleasant. LAX: It's a bit of a mess.

 

LAX may be the cheapest and you may have nonstop flights from ATL, but that does not mean LAX is faster and certainly not more convenient. It is far beyond "a bit of a mess" it is a giant cluster mess.

 

Look at Southwest Airlines first, ATL to LGB. Even if you have to change planes in LAS, HOU or DEN you will still get to your hotel in Long Beach faster than a nonstop to LAX. LAX is a long walk off the plane, then get your luggage, then get a shuttle to the Uber/taxi lot, then drive to Long Beach on one of the worst stretches of Freeway in the country.

 

At LGB, you walk off the plane to the tarmac, to baggage claim to the curb for an Uber or cab and you are 11 miles from the cruise terminal (closer to Downtown Long Beach).

 

If you book the SWA flights far enough out, they are cheaper than LAX and the Uber/cab ride is far cheaper. Given a choice, I'd book through Las Vegas (LAS).

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coastcat

coastcat

Posted
Posted
On 6/29/2022 at 10:42 AM, scottca075 said:

 

LAX may be the cheapest and you may have nonstop flights from ATL, but that does not mean LAX is faster and certainly not more convenient. It is far beyond "a bit of a mess" it is a giant cluster mess.

 

Look at Southwest Airlines first, ATL to LGB. Even if you have to change planes in LAS, HOU or DEN you will still get to your hotel in Long Beach faster than a nonstop to LAX. LAX is a long walk off the plane, then get your luggage, then get a shuttle to the Uber/taxi lot, then drive to Long Beach on one of the worst stretches of Freeway in the country.

 

At LGB, you walk off the plane to the tarmac, to baggage claim to the curb for an Uber or cab and you are 11 miles from the cruise terminal (closer to Downtown Long Beach).

 

If you book the SWA flights far enough out, they are cheaper than LAX and the Uber/cab ride is far cheaper. Given a choice, I'd book through Las Vegas (LAS).

LOL, I was trying not to dunk on LAX too much. It's an easy target.

 

If you define convenient as the experience after you step off the plane, LGB wins that contest by a huge margin. If you define convenient as lots of airline options, lots of flight options, and lots of amenities, LAX wins. 

 

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Bruin Steve

Bruin Steve

Posted
Posted

LAX is typically the best choice--because of pricing, flight availability, etc.  But some people are intimidated by the size.  It is one of the busiest airports in the world.  It's only 20 miles from the port in San Pedro, 23 miles from Long Beach Carnival port.

 

Many love LGB--because it is VERY small...and slightly closer to the port than LAX...16 miles from San Pedro, slightly closer to Carnival.  Problem is very few airlines fly there and very few flights.  Often you need to take other than non-stops to get there--NEVER worth it in my mind.

 

SNA is 33 miles from San Pedro, a little closer to Long Beach--32 miles if by freeway...

Burbank is 36 miles fromm San Pedro...39 from Carnival...

Both are smaller airports...but neither is really all that convenient for cruisers EXCEPT if you're planning on sightseeing days pre- or post-cruise.  SNA is close to Disney, Burbank is very close to Universal, Hollywood, studios, etc.

 

So, what you plan to do becomes a good reason you might take one of those airports.

 

But, for most, LAX is realy the prime choice...more flights, more airlines, cheapest prices, more nonstops from more places...and fairly close to port.  Also, if you're one of those who likes the cruise line transfers, they generally go to and from LAX only.  BUT,, you need to deal with a few minor inconveniences--like, on arrivls only, an extra short shuttle ride to the Uber/Taxi pick-up lot (unless you fly into Terminal 1 and can walk across the street).  Maybe a long wait for luggage pick-up or for the Security line--though I've see some long waits for those at smaller airports as well.

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KeepCalmBearOn

KeepCalmBearOn

Posted
Posted

LAX isn't intimidating because of its size, unless you find a teenie weenie major airport intimidating. LAX is so small it is a complete cluster. Compared to real airport like DFW, DIA, ORD, ATL ETC, LAX is so small it is embarrassing.

 

Everything at LAX is a major pain, especially now as they try to expand for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

 

Sure prices can be different, but if I was cruising out of Long Beach, I would ALWAYS check LGB first. If the prices are within $100 of each other it is worth it to avoid an unpleasant airport experience.

 

PS Customs at LAX is so rude I won't fly internationally out of LAX any more, I go up to SFO.

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