LA/San Pedro Disembarkation

[HeyImOnABoat]

For the Solstice returning to LA/San Pedro, the ship arrival time is listed as 6am. Practically, what time should I expect to be off the ship if I do self-disembarkation (can I use elevators with my luggage?), or if I ask for one of the early colors/groups? I'm hoping to get on my way for some LA sightseeing as soon as possible that day.

 

Does Global Entry do me any good at LA/San Pedro? (I know it does at Port Everglades).

 

How hard is it to get an Uber after a ship arrival? Are they plentiful early on a Saturday morning?

[AstoriaPreppy]

3 minutes ago, HeyImOnABoat said:

For the Solstice returning to LA/San Pedro, the ship arrival time is listed as 6am. Practically, what time should I expect to be off the ship if I do self-disembarkation (can I use elevators with my luggage?), or if I ask for one of the early colors/groups? I'm hoping to get on my way for some LA sightseeing as soon as possible that day.

 

Does Global Entry do me any good at LA/San Pedro? (I know it does at Port Everglades).

 

How hard is it to get an Uber after a ship arrival? Are they plentiful early on a Saturday morning?

 

We were on the Solstice a few weeks ago, and our balcony faced the pier on returning. Self-disembarkation definitely was happening around 7:30 am... which I remember because we made a point to get to the MDR for breakfast by 7:45 before it closed. 

 

Global Entry was not being used in the World Cruise Center in San Pedro, and with the very reduced capacity on these sailings, it doesn't really matter. Customs screening was done by facial recognition: unless the tablets in the terminal flagged you, there was no interaction with a customs agent. We didn't stop moving from the second we walked off the ship to the second we got to the curb.

 

Ever group was called for disembarkation around 9 am on our sailing. An officer came to Cafe al Bacio and had to clear stragglers (us) out.

 

Re: self-disembarkation, I'd suggest trying to keep it to self-manageable, cary-on type bags. You can certainly use the elevator, but dragging a 50 pound bag down the gangway is a bad idea. Alternatively, you could set your bags out the night before and ask guest services for an early color tag? There's not a ton of people on these sailings so there's a lot of flexibility there. 

 

Re: Uber... where are you going? If it's somewhere further away or more expensive, you have a better chance of getting a car. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

6 minutes ago, HeyImOnABoat said:

For the Solstice returning to LA/San Pedro, the ship arrival time is listed as 6am. Practically, what time should I expect to be off the ship if I do self-disembarkation (can I use elevators with my luggage?), or if I ask for one of the early colors/groups? I'm hoping to get on my way for some LA sightseeing as soon as possible that day.

 

There are a few Berths all but two sailings (4/1 and 4/29) use the regular Berth 93.  Assuming you're cleared on time, they'll let you off at 7am and you can use the elevator.  If you one of those two sailings below, I believe they don't allow self-carry and you have to be bused which obviously adds more time.

 

 

8 minutes ago, HeyImOnABoat said:

Does Global Entry do me any good at LA/San Pedro? (I know it does at Port Everglades).

 

No Global lines to my knowledge but it's fast as it's face recognition.  I've sailed from Port Everglades many times last year from multiple terminals including this past December and have NEVER seen any Global signage or any sort of dedicated global line.  If anyone has, please share the terminal and month and year as I'm guessing it may have been active pre-covid but never came back.  At the port in San Pedro and in Port Everglades, it's the exact same process, everyone lines up single file than a port worker will guide you to an open facial recognition machine...Looks like below, no Global lines on either side

 

 

25 minutes ago, HeyImOnABoat said:

How hard is it to get an Uber after a ship arrival? Are they plentiful early on a Saturday morning?

 

Shouldn't have a problem GETTING an Uber/Lyft however some have reported a huge surge in pricing but from what I gather they didn't self carry and are trying to call around 9am.  Been a few times we always self carry off, always hailed an uber no later than 745am and did not experience any major surge pricing

[wadewood]

We self-embarked about 7.45 am on Feb 4th.  Took about 15 minutes to get an Uber to pick us up, but standard pricing not surge.

Edited February 23, 2023 by wadewood

[NutsAboutGolf]

25 minutes ago, wadewood said:

We self-embarked about 7.45 am on Feb 4th.  Took about 15 minutes to get an Uber to pick us up, but standard pricing not surge.

 

Just to share the datapoint, when was the earliest you COULD leave the ship, 7am or 745am?

[phoenix_dream]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

There are a few Berths all but two sailings (4/1 and 4/29) use the regular Berth 93.  Assuming you're cleared on time, they'll let you off at 7am and you can use the elevator.  If you one of those two sailings below, I believe they don't allow self-carry and you have to be bused which obviously adds more time.

 

 

 

No Global lines to my knowledge but it's fast as it's face recognition.  I've sailed from Port Everglades many times last year from multiple terminals including this past December and have NEVER seen any Global signage or any sort of dedicated global line.  If anyone has, please share the terminal and month and year as I'm guessing it may have been active pre-covid but never came back.  At the port in San Pedro and in Port Everglades, it's the exact same process, everyone lines up single file than a port worker will guide you to an open facial recognition machine...Looks like below, no Global lines on either side

 

 

 

Shouldn't have a problem GETTING an Uber/Lyft however some have reported a huge surge in pricing but from what I gather they didn't self carry and are trying to call around 9am.  Been a few times we always self carry off, always hailed an uber no later than 745am and did not experience any major surge pricing

Unfortunately I'm returning 4/1. What's the deal with that terminal? Have a fairly early flight and curious what complications there may be. We had planned to take a Celebrity shuttle to the airport like we did in December due to the insane Uber surge pricing.

[wadewood]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Just to share the datapoint, when was the earliest you COULD leave the ship, 7am or 745am?

It wasn't 7am.  We were wrapping in breakfast in Blue when they made announcement, maybe around 7.30am.

[Chase101]

I was on January 28th sailing. Disembarked February 4. The paperwork said Self Assist would begin around 7:30am. My DF & I ate at OV Cafe right when it opened at 6am. We went back to cabin by 6:30 & waited for announcement. At 6:50, we heard an announcement in hallway that we were cleared & that Self Assist could start heading off. Grabbed our stuff & were out on curb by 7am! There was literally no stopping on way out!

Barbara

[edgee]

We disembarked last Saturday and self luggage carrying folks were called about 7:15. First group with ship handled luggage was promised for 8 a.m. but were actually called at 7:40. We were headed straight for LAX. Saw Uber/Lyft lineup area seemed pretty mobbed so we went straight to taxi line with no wait. 65 dollar flat rate taxi to LAX..took 35 minutes on that Saturday morning. 

Edited February 24, 2023 by edgee

[NutsAboutGolf]

41 minutes ago, wadewood said:

It wasn't 7am.  We were wrapping in breakfast in Blue when they made announcement, maybe around 7.30am.

 

Thanks for replying.  I checked my Uber on my last sailing, called it at 7:11am.  If you're waiting in line they'll let you off way earlier as it can take time a lot of time for whatever reason before the PA announcement is made.  This is also true while in port

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

Unfortunately I'm returning 4/1. What's the deal with that terminal? Have a fairly early flight and curious what complications there may be. We had planned to take a Celebrity shuttle to the airport like we did in December due to the insane Uber surge pricing.

 

Never personally experienced it, I just read they have to bus you from the ship to a terminal and therefore you cannot self-carry, have to put you luggage out the night before.  I've never experienced surged pricing but we carried off

[lovecruzin]

We disembarked on the 18th, quick and easy. We went thru immigration in San Diego the day prior, which was about a 30 min process once we were in line. If you are coming from Mexico then there will most likely be some sort of queue and delay for immigration.

We had an 11am flight from LGB and didn’t want to risk delays waiting for Uber so we pre booked Opoli for a car, which was definitely less than pre booking an Uber. 

[lovecruzin]

3 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Unfortunately I'm returning 4/1. What's the deal with that terminal? Have a fairly early flight and curious what complications there may be. We had planned to take a Celebrity shuttle to the airport like we did in December due to the insane Uber surge pricing.

Try Opoli, i had never heard of them until they were mentioned here on CC. We pre booked and the driver was ontime and very communicative.

Edited February 24, 2023 by lovecruzin

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, lovecruzin said:

Try Opoli, i had never heard of them until they were mentioned here on CC. We pre booked and the driver was ontime and very communicative.

 

Good call, I never even thought to recommend them because I live nearby so go home and not to the airport.  Should be around $50 and its really nice to have a driver there waiting for you than calling an uber/lyft, who could possibly take 20mins, possibly cancel and when they arrive, hope they park somewhat near you

[Algebralovr]

4 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Unfortunately I'm returning 4/1. What's the deal with that terminal? Have a fairly early flight and curious what complications there may be. We had planned to take a Celebrity shuttle to the airport like we did in December due to the insane Uber surge pricing.

They probably could not get a spot at the World Cruise Center and have to use a slightly more distant pier.  We did that in October.  It was a tent instead.

 

Customs agents boarded the ship, and we went through immigration in the MDR. They called us by groups to line up on 4th deck,  we walked through starting on one side, then around and behind the wine column, and out th other side, then off the ship.  Lots of security to make sure no one exited the line or jumped it. 
 

Bags were in a large tent off the ship, and required a shuttle to get to the baggage tent.  They offered shuttles back to the main pier (parking garage) and to the airport.  Some of the complaints I heard were that Ubers didn’t know where to go. 

 

It took a bit of extra time, largely due to the shuttle situation.  I don’t recall how early they started.  We had a flight out, but not until like 3pm, so we asked for the last shuttle we could get.  
I think I would wait until I got on board to book the Celebrity Shuttle.  Make sure your flight isn’t too early for their shuttle.  Be ready to make alternate arrangements from the ship if needed, perhaps by taking the shuttle to the WCC parking and then transfer from there. 

[phoenix_dream]

20 hours ago, Algebralovr said:

They probably could not get a spot at the World Cruise Center and have to use a slightly more distant pier.  We did that in October.  It was a tent instead.

 

Customs agents boarded the ship, and we went through immigration in the MDR. They called us by groups to line up on 4th deck,  we walked through starting on one side, then around and behind the wine column, and out th other side, then off the ship.  Lots of security to make sure no one exited the line or jumped it. 
 

Bags were in a large tent off the ship, and required a shuttle to get to the baggage tent.  They offered shuttles back to the main pier (parking garage) and to the airport.  Some of the complaints I heard were that Ubers didn’t know where to go. 

 

It took a bit of extra time, largely due to the shuttle situation.  I don’t recall how early they started.  We had a flight out, but not until like 3pm, so we asked for the last shuttle we could get.  
I think I would wait until I got on board to book the Celebrity Shuttle.  Make sure your flight isn’t too early for their shuttle.  Be ready to make alternate arrangements from the ship if needed, perhaps by taking the shuttle to the WCC parking and then transfer from there. 

Thanks so much for the detailed info. Sounds like a pain. Fortunately we lucked into a great price for a higher level suite (our first and likely our last) so at least that should get us some priorities disembarking. Was starting to get a bit nervous about our 11:30 flight time. 

[Arizona Wildcat]

6 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Thanks so much for the detailed info. Sounds like a pain. Fortunately we lucked into a great price for a higher level suite (our first and likely our last) so at least that should get us some priorities disembarking. Was starting to get a bit nervous about our 11:30 flight time. 

It is 22 miles to LAX.  Drive time is about 45 minutes to an hour.  Traffic in AM awful.  The loop inside the airport very slow.  Usually 20 minutes from the first terminal to the last.  As long as you are flying domestically should have no problem time wise.

We always travel light and carry our own suitcase and carryon off.  Saves that hassle and we can be first off - even before suites.

[Georgia_Peaches]

Excellent thread, OP. Thank you. I tried Opoli car service as some  have recommended but got an error message saying both San Pedro cruise terminal and Long Beach airport are outside their service area. However, I was able to reserve an Uber for March 11th to Long Beach for $46 bucks. I’ve never reserved in advance. Here’s hoping it works! 

[lovecruzin]

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Excellent thread, OP. Thank you. I tried Opoli car service as some  have recommended but got an error message saying both San Pedro cruise terminal and Long Beach airport are outside their service area. However, I was able to reserve an Uber for March 11th to Long Beach for $46 bucks. I’ve never reserved in advance. Here’s hoping it works! 

Strange, we took Opoli to LGB from San Pedro! But your Uber cost is about what we paid Opoli!