Disembarking in LA

[hdy2k1]

We are disembarking in LA for the first time and wondering how far to LAX and what kind of time line should we expect to make our flight out?

[bradandmonica]

Hi - I think depending on the time of day you should allocate about an hour to get to the airport. Weekends in the morning are much quicker. One you get to the airport the international terminal is right in the middle so that could take another 15 minutes again depending on time of day busyness of the airport. Hope this helps. 

[Host Kat]

2 hours ago, hdy2k1 said:

We are disembarking in LA for the first time and wondering how far to LAX and what kind of time line should we expect to make our flight out?

 

Hello @hdy2k1 and welcome back to the Cruise Critic message boards! I see it has been a while since you have posted.

 

Thank you for your new thread on the Ask a Cruise Question forum! However, it is the forum for general questions regarding cruising. Your inquiry concerns your departure from a west coast port and is off topic there.

 

To help you out I have moved your new thread to the West Coast Departures forum where it will be on topic. The majority of your fellow Cruise Critic members that have sailed from LA frequent this forum and provide feedback here. Browse through the thread titles on this forum looking for threads of interest. You will probably find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that may be of interest to you.

 

I suggest you use the Follow feature on any new threads you start or any other threads where you are interested in the new replies. That way you will not have to go looking to see if there are new posts because they will come looking for you as notifications. If you need information on how to do it, please click here: How to: Follow Topics & Forums (Subscribed Threads/Forums Info)

 

Hope this will be helpful and glad to have you back aboard Cruise Critic again! 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

[Philob]

In general don't book any flight that departs before noon.

 

Debarking from your ship may be delayed or traffic can go bad in a heart beat. While many cruisers will get on earlier flights with no problems, why go through the stress of trying to catch one. 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Philob

[Bruin Steve]

It is 20 miles from the World Cruise Center in San Pedro (where everyone except Carnival docks...Carnival has a pier in Long Beach, which is a few miles further).   On a weekend, when you get your ride at the port, it will likely take about half an hour...unless there's a little unexpected traffic.  On a "work day", there, no doubt, will be traffic on, at least, the 405 portion of the route--so, figure 45 minutes to an hour.  Unfortunately, at busy airport times, you can encounter a bit of stop-and-go just moving around the loop at LAX.  LAX tells you, depending on domestic/international to get to the airport 2-3 hours prior to your flight--though we've never really needed that much time.  Obviously helps if you've checked in on line and have some for of TSA Pre-clearance.

 

Getting out of the port, we've found the lines/immigration to be rather quick in LA--much better than we've seen in Florida or--the worst--Galveston.  We just got off Celebrity Eclipse YESTERDAY and just walked right off and out the door!  Of course the ship stopped in San Diego the day prior and we cleared immigration there...

 

But, to be on the safe side--figure in some sort of short line, a few minutes to call an Uber, then leave an hour for the ride to LAX and get there, for most, two hours prior to deal with security, etc....So, 3.5 to 4 hours (which, of course, will turn out more than ample--but don't take chances).   So, the CLOSEST you want to risk a flight out may be 11:00 am--which would require rolling off your own luggage, first off the ship and online check-in, TSA Pre-Check...or, for most, to be totally safe, call it noon!!!

[hdy2k1]

Thanks everyone for the info and advice. I was looking at an 11:00 am flight(cheapest) but I'll probably look for something a little later.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 12/10/2023 at 2:18 PM, hdy2k1 said:

Thanks everyone for the info and advice. I was looking at an 11:00 am flight(cheapest) but I'll probably look for something a little later.

 

On a weekend, 11AM is probably doable if you walk off, but I'd not risk it on a weekday. Steve lays it out nicely above.

[Willwils]

We disembark Emerald Princess in LA cruise port, San Pedro, Feb 6, 2024 and need to get LAX  flight @  12:55 PM as currently scheduled. Would we need to walk off ship with our luggage to make that flight? Also, should we just get an UBER or find out about shuttles or Princess  transfer? 

[Bruin Steve]

1 hour ago, Willwils said:

We disembark Emerald Princess in LA cruise port, San Pedro, Feb 6, 2024 and need to get LAX  flight @  12:55 PM as currently scheduled. Would we need to walk off ship with our luggage to make that flight? Also, should we just get an UBER or find out about shuttles or Princess  transfer? 

12:55 no problem...If you're nervous, ask for an earlier disembarkation time, you won't have to wheel off your own luggage unless you want to...Uber/Lyft would be my choice...Don't sit there while Princess fills up buses...Uber/Lyft will cost less and be easier/more efficient...Feb 6 is a Tuesday...but, even with a little rush hour traffic, you should have ample time...and your driver will know how to get around any blockages and can drop you off right at your terminal.

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by Bruin Steve

[Willwils]

3 hours ago, Bruin Steve said:

12:55 no problem...If you're nervous, ask for an earlier disembarkation time, you won't have to wheel off your own luggage unless you want to...Uber/Lyft would be my choice...Don't sit there while Princess fills up buses...Uber/Lyft will cost less and be easier/more efficient...Feb 6 is a Tuesday...but, even with a little rush hour traffic, you should have ample time...and your driver will know how to get around any blockages and can drop you off right at your terminal.

 

Bruin Steve... Thanks for that great disembarking to LAX info. 

[lx200gps]

18 hours ago, Willwils said:

We disembark Emerald Princess in LA cruise port, San Pedro, Feb 6, 2024 and need to get LAX  flight @  12:55 PM as currently scheduled. Would we need to walk off ship with our luggage to make that flight? Also, should we just get an UBER or find out about shuttles or Princess  transfer? 

We disembarked off the Discovery Princess at SP in late October, heading to LAX for an 11:55 flight home. We did the early self walk-off, grabbed a taxi and were at LAX in half an hour. Note that the traffic at LAX was so bad that it took us longer to get from the start of the driveway into LAX to our terminal, than it did to get from San Pedro to LAX itself. But as Steve says, a 12:55 flight should be quite do-able, and if you want, you shouldn't have to do an early self walk-off and schlepp your bags off the ship, you should have plenty of time to do a "normal" disembarkation.

[JMMM2323]

We just disembarked NCL at Long Beach...we were the first group off where you put your luggage out the night before (so not self assist)...called our color at 8:15, off the ship, in a cab and arrived at LAX by 9 am.  It was Sunday, so minimal traffic, but it was crazy fast.  Just a note...an Uber was $119 and a taxi was $65...for 4 of us and 4 big bags.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

23 minutes ago, JMMM2323 said:

We just disembarked NCL at Long Beach...

 

NCL at Long Beach?

[JMMM2323]

21 minutes ago, scottca075 said:

 

NCL at Long Beach?

Sorry ...NCL Bliss at Long Beach/San Pedro

[njhorseman]

41 minutes ago, JMMM2323 said:

Sorry ...NCL Bliss at Long Beach/San Pedro

No...just San Pedro. The Long Beach cruise terminal is used by Carnival. The two are about 7 miles apart.