Disembarkation at Long Beach

[Tishntez]

Hi. 
First time cruising with Princess. And first time doing a USA based cruise. We are flying out of LAX to Ireland via Washington DC but the airline has changed our flight.  The new flight is at 12.50.   Are we able to walk off the ship with our luggage ourselves (we’ve done this in Europe) and is the flight connection doable?  The ship docks at 6.15 at San Pedro. We’ll have Irish passports so does this make a difference in terms of customs etc. 

 

Not sure what other flight options we have / can change. But if this is too tight I’ll have to look. 

 

thanks 

[HBCcruiser]

You should be fine. You can walk off with your luggage usually around 7:30/8:00 AM. Princess has a fast disembarkation process in LA. We have done it several times and been home (about 25 minutes from pier) by 9:00 AM, and that is with a later disembarkation time. LAX is about 30 minutes from the pier if there is no traffic. What day of the week do you arrive? Ship? 

Edited August 2, 2022 by HBCcruiser

[wheezedr]

If you are arranging any transportation pre or post cruise I just want you to be sure that you set things up for the Port of Los Angeles, not Long Beach.  You seem to be aware that you are cruising from San Pedro, that is correct, but your title was misleading.  While they are next door neighbors the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are distinctly separate entities 

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, HBCcruiser said:

You should be fine. You can walk off with your luggage usually around 7:30/8:00 AM. Princess has a fast disembarkation process in LA. We have done it several times and been home (about 25 minutes from pier) by 9:00 AM, and that is with a later disembarkation time. LAX is about 30 minutes from the pier if there is no traffic. What day of the week do you arrive? Ship? 

@Tishntez Keep in mind that you have to be able to handle all of your luggage without help. There are stairs and and escalator (either one) that you will have to go down. There is an elevator, but it can be be a wait because of wheelchair, etc. users.

[Tishntez]

We dock on a Saturday. 
 

I thought San Pedro and Long beach were interchangeable?   I realise there are different piers but I thought it was all the one “port”.   I’ll make sure we book airport transfer using the correct name !! 

We should be grand with managing our own luggage as long as its not lots of stairs.  If they allows cases on the escalator, that’ll be grand as we have done that before rather than wait for lifts.

 

thank you. It puts my mind at ease. 
 

[EDVM96]

17 minutes ago, Tishntez said:

I thought San Pedro and Long beach were interchangeable?   I realise there are different piers but I thought it was all the one “port”.

These are 2 different ports.

 

https://polb.com

https://www.portoflosangeles.org

 

Edited August 3, 2022 by EDVM96

[mtnesterz]

32 minutes ago, Tishntez said:

I thought San Pedro and Long beach were interchangeable?   I realise there are different piers but I thought it was all the one “port”.   I’ll make sure we book airport transfer using the correct name !!  allows cases on the escalator, that’ll be grand as we have done that before 

L.A. local here. You should be fine on time leaving in the early afternoon. About 30 minutes to LAX. To explain the above picture posted by EDVM96, on the far left below the number 1 is where you will dock. On the far right is the outline of a ship, the Queen Mary, an orange dot and a jetty. That is where Carnival ships dock; the Port of Long Beach. They are miles apart.

Suggest using Princess transfers. Yes, they allow luggage on escalators.

Lastly, food is very expensive at the airport. Suggest having a go-all-day breakfast on the ship before disembarkation, even if you're not usually a breakfast eater.

Edited August 3, 2022 by mtnesterz

[skynight]

33 minutes ago, Tishntez said:

We dock on a Saturday. 
 

I thought San Pedro and Long beach were interchangeable?  
 

Long Beach and San Pedro are two different ports about 20 minutes apart by car in different cities. Princess uses the World Cruise Center in San Pedro where there are two piers. Sometimes Princess has to use the 3rd Outer Harbor Pier no. 46.

When disembarking you will have to go through the non-USA immigration lines. With early walk off the lines should not be very crowded and you should go through quickly.

Assuming that you are flying into L.A. a day or two early. Unless you have some activities/touring planned for downtown L.A. would suggest that you transfer directly to San Pedro upon arriving. Nice hotels are the Double Tree and the Crown Plaza. You can also stay across the bridge in Long Beach where there are some nice hotels. Hotels in San Pedro have shuttles to the ship. From Long Beach you would have to take a cab/Uber. Remember that when paying cab fare in the U.S. the passenger generally leaves a tip.

When in San Pedro the tour of the Battleship Iowa is a nice experience. You have to be able to walk up and down steep staircases (navy ladders).  

Edited August 3, 2022 by skynight

[HBCcruiser]

1 hour ago, Tishntez said:

We dock on a Saturday. 

Good. You should have very minimal traffic to contend with.

[DrivesLikeMario]

That was my question as well.  If you're on a Saturday AM, barring any CalTrans road work, you should be fine getting to LAX.  You should get there with plenty of time to spare.  It took us 45 mins. last week when we left at 10:15am on a week day which usually has much heavier traffic than on a weekend.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

5 hours ago, Tishntez said:

I thought San Pedro and Long beach were interchangeable?   I realise there are different piers but I thought it was all the one “port”.   I’ll make sure we book airport transfer using the correct name !!

 

The Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach are technically separate entities because they are different cities, but it is one giant port; one of the largest container ports in the U.S. The Long Beach and San Pedro cruise terminals are about 5 miles apart. Carnival is the only line based at Long Beach. All the others are based in San Pedro.

[Tishntez]

Thanks for all the advice.  This is a rearranged trip from over 2 years ago.  So looking forward to it -  fingers crossed!

 

We’ll be traveling around before the cruise but I have a hotel booked in Long Beach the night before the cruise.  I think it’s about a 15 minute drive away?

 

First time on Princess. We’re on the Discovery. It’s just under 8 weeks till we fly out from here, so the countdown has begun lol. A bit more paperwork and checks to sort out this time but,  worth it if we can start traveling again.  

many thanks 

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, Tishntez said:

Thanks for all the advice.  This is a rearranged trip from over 2 years ago.  So looking forward to it -  fingers crossed!

 

We’ll be traveling around before the cruise but I have a hotel booked in Long Beach the night before the cruise.  I think it’s about a 15 minute drive away?

 

First time on Princess. We’re on the Discovery. It’s just under 8 weeks till we fly out from here, so the countdown has begun lol. A bit more paperwork and checks to sort out this time but,  worth it if we can start traveling again.  

many thanks 

You haven’t mentioned your plans for flying in.  I am guessing your flight will arrive at LAX.  Are you booked with a pre-cruise Princess hotel with transfer or are you on your own?  Getting out of LAX may be a nightmare.  Do your research.  If you are doing a shared ride, there will be an added step (they are not allowed to do curbside pickup).

 

Personnel at disembarkation may require you to have one hand free if you use the escalator. You might be directed to the elevator which will slow you up.  
 

 

[latebloomer56]

If you get the Princess transfer you get the color luggage tags and let them bring your bags to the baggage area in the morning, just grab them on your way to the bus. Transfer drops folks off at each airline entrance. They need your flight information and will also tell you any custom info you need to know. I would think that would factor in you transfer time to make your flight early enough.

If you don't eat before you leave the ship do this before security at the airport, more choices, but somethings can't go through security so beware what is allowed.

[Wildcatllamas]

Since you are flying international out of LAX you should plan on being at the terminal for check in 3 hours prior to your flight. Last I checked for a client, Terminal B was where the international flights went out of. So with your flight going out at 12:50 I would plan on being at the airport by 9:50 and departing the port by 9:15.