Celebrity Transfer from Ensenada to San Diego?

[Roz]

Have never sailed Celebrity; am considering a Pacific Northwest cruise from Seattle to Ensenada. I tried looking on the Celebrity website to see if Celebrity offered a transfer to San Diego after the cruise, but couldn't find anything (maybe I wasn't looking in the right place :D ).

 

Anyone have any experience with this?

 

Roz

[Lois R]

Hi Roz:) welcome! Are you thinking about the Oct 13th Seattle

to Ensenada Cruise?

I am going on that one...and there is a Roll Call already started.

 

I will be using the Celebrity transfer as well. I haven't looked into

yet but from what I have heard there is transportation offered.

I can ask my TA about it and let you know what I find out if you

like.

Anyway, If that is the cruise you are thinking about please

come say hi on the Roll Call:)

[Roz]

Thanks, Lois! Yes, that's the one, Oct. 13. Nice to know there's at least one other solo cruiser going. Will let you know what I finally decide.

 

Thanks for the info on the transfer.

 

Roz

[Lois R]

Hi Roz, I just emailed my TA and will let you know what I find

out:)

[digitaldan1]

Hi all,

 

according to my TA it's $85 per person and you can't book your San Diego flight to leave any earlier than 1 p.m. You also have to have your flight information before Celebrity will book the transfer.

 

Looks like it's supposed to be by bus, but I haven't gotten any info as to what kind of bus or how crowded it typically is (or whether or not there's more than one busload of people using it).

 

We're not flying out of San Diego until the next day, so we wouldn't mind a later departure, but will go with the flow.

 

Sigh... October's a long time away.

[Lois R]

Hi Dan, I am staying in San Diego Friday too...flying home Saturday.

I have my hotels booked pre-cruise in Seattle but haven't done

post cruise yet.

Thanks for posting this though:)

I sail in 13 days:D but then it will be a long summer before

Oct gets here:eek:

[Skeezics]

We did this same cruise last October and by the way, loved it! Would be one that we will do again sometime. The transfer from Ensenada to San Diego was a breeze. There were probably at least 10 buses. Debarkation was very organized and smoothly run. The border was also well organized, extra agents were put on. You must get off the bus and walk with whatever hand baggage you have through customs. Then you meet the bus on the other side. That was the only part that was a bit slow. Do not remember exactly how long the entire process took. But am pretty sure we were home by noon. (We live in San Diego) They dropped us off at the airport, where we had parked our car. For future years, when are much older, we are compiling a list of cruises that do not require much flying. This is one that we mentally added. I love the Mercury, was our first cruise many years ago. Of course, you could just put us on a ship that has a dance floor, a martini bar, and did circles 10 miles out and we would be happy.

[Lois R]

Barbie, does the transfer only go to the airport? What is the usual

procedure for going to a hotel?

Oh, thank you for the post:)

[digitaldan1]

Yes, Barbie,

 

thanks for your post. Always nice to get first hand info from somebody who's been there before. Would appreciate any advice you might want to offer.

 

Lois, I'm making plans under the assumption that we have to get from the airport to our hotel on our own (figuring many hotels will have a shuttle from the airport to the hotel anyway). Since we haven't made any hotel reservations at all yet, it's hard to do much more planning than that.

 

If you should find out that the transfer can get you to a specific hotel, please let me know. I'll do the same if I find anything out.

 

Dan

[Skeezics]

As I recall there were other locations. One, I know was the cruise terminal, which is practically downtown, very close to hotels. So that would be an option. You can walk to some of the hotels. The airport is so close to everything, that your cab ride would be less than $10 with tip. As it gets closer to cruise time, I am sure they will have more information. You are still 6 months out. We bought ours about a month before.

[wizard-of-roz]

Lois,

As I was reading your response to another "Roz"and another question, I saw that you had booked hotels in Seattle. We will be leaving out of Seattle, in September, to Northwest, on Mercury. I need some information on hotels and the cost. Any info. would be much appreciated.;)

Happy Sails to You,

Roz

[pooh1bear43113]

We flew to Hawaii in April 2001 to board Infinity (her maiden year) for an Hawaiian cruise then sailed back to Ensenada.

 

We had Celebrity transfers - and boarded the bus with no problem. Unfortunately, we hadn't gotten too far when we found out the driver didn't speak a word of English, then someone found out the restroom was "out of commission".....we were able to get him to pull over at a service station so the two ladies could make a quick stop - and of course, everyone decided they had to get off, too. Then when we finally go up to the SD airport - the driver wasn't at all familiar with the layout. So we drove, and drove, and drove......No problem for us as we did have a later flight out - but it did cause some folks to miss their flights.

 

Re the border crossing: The worse part was the lines - we must have been in a line of traffic 3 miles or more long - inching along to the border station - and the a/c wasn't working. However, once at the station, we took our carryon stuff in the building, chatted with the border patrol - then went out another door and back onto the bus. Not too bad.

 

Having said that - it was kind of fun - I'd never been that far down into Mexico before and enjoyed the ride up the coast. Sad though: as we finally got to the airport and our appropriate drop off spot - we could see Infinity cruising into San Diego - Empty. That stupid Jones Act!

 

Have a great cruise.

[Roz]

Wizard of Roz,

 

There's only one word for hotels in downtown Seattle - expensive!

 

Roz

[Lois R]

Hi:)

I booked 2 nights pre-cruise at the Silver Cloud Inn. I read many

excellent reviews on Trip Advisor about it and also over on the

hotel forum. It is in the Lake Union area which is supposed to be nice.

I booked through the following website:

www.seattlesupersaver.com which is part of the Seattle Convention

and Visitors Bureau.

I am paying 109.00 per night through the site. (Less than directly

through the hotel).

I agree, it seems most of the hotels in Seattle are pricey and the

109.00 is more than I normally pay but after reading such good

things about the place I am ok about it.

And since October is quite a ways down the road and I have time

to try and save some extra $$$!

[digitaldan1]

We stayed at the Hotel Monaco a couple of years ago on our way to an Alaska cruise. (June 2004). Only cost us about $80 a night but that was because I was also working on a story on the Spirit of Washington dinner train and the same PR firm that repped the train was able to get us a journalist's discount at the hotel.

 

Checked the same hotel's regular prices for this trip and saw they were over $200 a night! Ouch!

 

I'm going to either go with priceline a few days before or the Marriott since it's so close to the cruise pier.

 

Dan

[wizard-of-roz]

Lois and Dan you've been very helpful! I'm not going until September but I also don't want to wait until prices are even higher! I'll look into your suggested hotels! Hopefully, it won't cost me an "arm and a leg!" As it is, who know what the price of gas from L.A. to Seattle will cost?:confused: The cruise may be the most reasonable part of the whole trip!:cool:

Happy Sails to You!:)

Roz

[Spender Nui]

I'm surprised you weren't funneled through the Mexican Government (GOTCHA) shops whe exiting the bus for customs.

[pooh1bear43113]

Oh - but they DID catch us: they were selling stuff (on) along the highway leading to the border crossing - dodging in and out of traffic selling lamps, and other things I couldn't begin to identify! And that was the first time I had ever seen an "open air" toilet, i.e., vendors dropping their drawers right in the road in the midst of the traffic, ummm, errr, "relieving" themselves - the sights we saw in that 3 mile back up!

[Spender Nui]

So let's open the borders??????????????

[Skeezics]

Just have to comment on some of the postings. I am a native Californian. Have lived in San Diego over 40 years. Needless to say, I have been across the border numerous times. Yes, the wait can be lengthy, but have never seen the "public toilet". Yes, vendors sell everything imaginable, but it is a different country, so soak up the culture. A one time experience does not equate the norm. In our youth, my husband and I even pushed our car across the border when it ran out of gas, now there is a story! But I would never say that is an every day occurrence, and anyone who witnessed it hopefully wouldn't say so either.

[LEESRE]

So let's open the borders??????????????

Have done this and we were in 3 miles of traffic also, took hours to get through.

 

Perhaps you Americans can do something about the old law "Jones Act" so that ships don't have to sail empty to San Diego!!

[Lois R]

Hi, I heard from my TA today. This is what she told me.

The bus ride from Ensenada to the Airport is included in my cruise.

She said they know most of us are not flying home from Ensenada.

And quote "No extra charge to the airport". And there are many

hotels in the downtown area so it shouldn't be alot of extra $$$ for

a cab since the airport isn't far from everything.

 

Dan, where did your TA get $85.00 per person?:eek:

[Ted]

Hi, I heard from my TA today. This is what she told me.

The bus ride from Ensenada to the Airport is included in my cruise.

She said they know most of us are not flying home from Ensenada.

And quote "No extra charge to the airport". And there are many

hotels in the downtown area so it shouldn't be alot of extra $$$ for

a cab since the airport isn't far from everything.

 

Dan, where did your TA get $85.00 per person?:eek:

 

Are you on Celebrity? If so, you may want to check again with your TA. I do know that some other cruise lines have offered complimentary trasportation between Ensenada and San Diego, but I have never heard anyone say that it was included by Celebrity, and I do know of many people, including me, who had to pay.

 

We are booked on the Mercury October repositioning. Including transportation from the Seattle/Tacoma Airport to the Seattle dock, and from Ensenada to the San Diego Airport, the charge was $103 (I made the arrangements last week, so this is the current price).

 

We fly out of Washington Dulles, and try to avoid any airline but JetBlue (cheap, comfortable, and service with a great attitude). To come back from San Diego would have required an overnight stay and a VERY early flight out (or about $500 pp to fly direct on another airline), but there was a JetBlue redeye out of Long Beach for $153 pp. That gives us time to take a leisurely drive up the coastal highway.

 

We were able to get a full size one-way rental from San Diego to Long Beach for $31 (through the Costco website, a very cheap way to rent cars that I highly recommend.) Going out to Seattle, we were abvle to get a $210 one-way fare on a direct flight, although leaving from Washington National. If you are creative and flexible, it is possible to make arrangements for a repositioning cruise that are reasonablely convenient, and won't break the bank.

[Lois R]

Hi Ted, great name by the way...(my Dad is Ted too:D ).

Thanks for the information. Yes, I am on Celebrity...Oct 13-20th

Mercury. If that is your cruise please come say hi as there is already

a ROLL CALL for it:)

 

As for the 103.00 hmmmm.......I will definitely email my TA again.

I have been using her for quite a while and would be surprised

if she didn't know about these charges. Did you book direct with

Celebrity?

 

As for staying in San Diego, that is something I want to do:D

I haven't been there since 2001 and figured I would have a day

to just chill out before flying back across the country and still

have Sunday here for another day before going back to work.

And I was able to get a roundtrip ticket for

312.00 total...now, lets hope Delta is flying when we sail:eek:

 

And this cruise was an excellent price..(even for a solo).

 

Hope to see you over on the ROLL CALL and thanks again for

the information.

[Ted]

Lois--

 

We booked through the same Florida-based on-line agency that we have been using for years. They have yet to steer us wrong, and they have nothing to gain, since the transfer fees are billed directly by Celebrity.

 

You are right about this cruise being a bargain, even now. We booked very early, and got a super deal on a concierge class cabin. I was a little concerned about the open-jaw travel, particularly on the one-way going into Seattle. It has all worked out, ot at least it seems so at this point. So far, the only problem is the type that can come up whenever you attempt to book flights way ouy. We originally booked a flight on Alaska Air from Dulles to SEA-TAC, but Alaska Air stopped flying from Dulles and sort of forgot to tell us that our flight had been cancelled. Fortunately, I discovered the problem and that they still fly out of Washington National, so transferred our booking there. The only problem will be a longer cab ride to the airport.

 

At first, we were thinking about staying in San Diego until Sunday morning, but that would have meant two nights hotel, a 6:30 a.m. (OUCH) flight, and getting back home with no time to decompress and reset the old biological clock from Pacific Time, all for about a day and a half in San Diego. We thought about it, and decided that it would make more sense to go back to San Diego in the future, when we can have more time for less hassle. Since I was able to work out the method of coming back on the cheap (something of a game for me), and still seeing some things on the way, we decided not to stay in San Diego this trip.

 

Please let us know what your agent discovers about transfers. It would be nice if there was a way to get a free transfer from Ensenada to San Diego, but I am definitely not going to hold my breath.

 

Ted