Amtrak to Los Angeles, LA train station to Long Beach Pier?

[cuterlmt]

Hubby and I are talking about going on the Sapphire Princess for a cruise on 12/13. We love to ride the train, and found a great rate (even w/out a discount) on the Southwest Chief. BUT, how do we get from the train station to the Long Beach pier and back to make it worth our while? I was shocked at the price of air.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[Maryandi]

If you go on Amtrak.com and put in your departing destinitation (your town) and Long Beach as your Arriving destination, then you bring up the total route. (Don't put in just L.A.)

 

We did that to arrive in San Pedro and the difference in price was $9, the shuttle bus picks you up at the LA station and drops you off in LB. $9 is great !!per person.

 

I do this in Nov., so I haven't done it yet - but check out to see if it is similar for you.

 

Let us know and have a great trip, MaryAnn

[hotmike98]

At Union Station in Los Angeles, you need to disembark from amtrak and take the light rail lines. At Union Station you will need to purchase a ticket from the kiosk for the Metrolink red line, transfer at the 7th Street station to the southbound blue line and take it all the way to the end in Long Beach; from there you will need to hail a cab to San Pedro (should be less than $10). This will take you the better part of two hours, so you might want to check with the cruiseline to see if they have any transfers that would pick you up at Union Station.

[hotmike98]

By the way, the Sapphire leaves from the San Pedro Pier (different city about 8-9 miles from Long Beach), and there is no rail service to San Pedro. Only Carnival ships currently sail from Long Beach.

[zephyr17]

At Union Station in Los Angeles, you need to disembark from amtrak and take the light rail lines. At Union Station you will need to purchase a ticket from the kiosk for the Metrolink red line, transfer at the 7th Street station to the southbound blue line and take it all the way to the end in Long Beach; from there you will need to hail a cab to San Pedro (should be less than $10). This will take you the better part of two hours, so you might want to check with the cruiseline to see if they have any transfers that would pick you up at Union Station.

No, wowzo is right, by far the easiest method is to through ticket on Amtrak via their extensive Amtrak Thruway dedicated bus services throughout Southern California. It is a lot easier to use those buses with luggage than schlepping it on the light rail. It is also only used by through-routed Amtrak passengers and is not a local "transit" service.

 

You can book on Amtrak directly to either Long Beach, or even the Long Beach-Queen Mary, which is basically right beside the Princess terminal. Although if you are arriving the day before (see below), I'd go into Long Beach proper, since there aren't any hotels except the Queen Mary itself out by there.

 

With that said, if you traveling on a long distance train, I strongly recommend against arriving on the morning of your cruise. While the Southwest Chief generally has pretty good on-time performance, any train traveling 2000 miles can get hung up with some problems and be catastrophically late. If there was a freight derailment or a freight with a mechanical problem ahead of your train, you could easily be 4 or 5 hours late. Go ahead and through ticket to Long Beach, but arrive the day before and spring for a hotel as insurance.

[Bruin Steve]

I just went to the Amtrak site and arbitrarily punched in a date and a route (in this case Seattle to San Pedro for July 10) and got this:

 

$116.00 Book with train 11 Coast Starlight

 

10-JUL-08 Seattle, WA (SEA) 9:45 am

11-JUL-08 Los Angeles, CA- Union Station 9:00 pm-- 35h 15m Dining car, Lounge, Checked baggage, Onboard wheelchair ramp 1 Reserved Coach Seat

 

11-JUL-08 10:10 pm 5716 Bus Los Angeles, CA - Union Station

11-JUL-08 11:35 pm San Pedro, CA (SPD)--1h 25m 1 Reserved Thruway Seat

 

Basically, after arriving at Union Station in Downtown LA, on that particular date and assuming everything ran on time, you'd have an hour and ten minute wait at Union Station and then an hour and 25 minute bus ride from there to San Pedro...

 

The Amtrak "station" at San Pedro is at Front and Swinton--right near the entrance to the Cruise Terminal Parking Lot...easy walking distance (only a few hundred feet) from the cruise terminal where you would be sailing out of...

 

Yes, it is a fairly cheap difference to your train fare...If there are problems, it's the over two and a half hours to get from Downtown LA to the pier...and it's timing--not easy to get the schedules to jive with when you want to get there...I would recommend getting there a day prior, staying at someplace like the Crowne Plaza San Pedro and having the hotel shuttle come and pick you up then drop you back at the pier the next day... Of course, if it's me--and I really wanted to go by train, I'd spring for the money for a cab or shuttle and save an hour and a half or more of my time...

 

Good luck...

 

...and again, remember...PRINCESS leaves from SAN PEDRO...Only CARNIVAL leaves from Long Beach...The two are on opposite sides of a VERY LARGE harbor...

[zephyr17]

Just to note, since both Princess and other lines were mentioned in this thread.

 

Amtrak Thruway serves BOTH San Pedro and Long Beach (with a Queen Mary stop as an option). Choose the right one for your cruise line.

 

Also, while the Coast Starlight from Seattle arrives in the evening, the Southwest Chief from points east arrives in the morning. You could book to arrive the same morning as your cruise, but I would not.

 

PS -- Amtrak guarantees those bus connections. If the train is late and the connection is missed, if there is not another bus that day, they will hold the bus, put on another one for that trains passengers, or pay for a cab. If there is a later bus, they will just put you on that one--again, don't arrive the same morning as your cruise.

[cuterlmt]

Thanks for the correction about San Pedro. And thanks for all the great information! The bus sounds like the way to go, and maybe getting in the day before. We'll have to see what hubby wants to do.

[hotmike98]

zephyr, I'm glad to hear the bus goes to both Long Beach and San Pedro, because, contrary to your earlier thread, the Queen Mary and the Long Beach pier are over eight miles from the Princess terminal. If one must wait for a bus at Union Station, there is an excellent restaurant there called Traxx.

 

I do agree the time and transfer on the light rail line would be cumbersome. If it was me, I would get a rental car (Enterprise?) to get from Union Station to San Pedro. It's not that hard to get to the Harbor

Fwy (110 South) from Union Station and its a straight shot to San Pedro. Granted LA traffic is not delightful, but waiting an hour and a half for a bus is not much fun either.

 

Another alternative would be to arrive the day before, take a cab to a hotel in downtown L.A.--Omni, Checkers, Bonaventure, Biltmore, or the like, and have the concierge arrange super shuttle or car service to the port the next morning. I would think a Priceline search for a four star downtown would get you decent digs.

[zephyr17]

Hertz and Budget both have staffed counters (and cars) at Union Station, which is handy. Enterprise does not, but I guess their pick up service works.

 

They are not 24 hours though. I think they close at 6 on weekdays, earlier on weekends. It is okay for the Southwest Chief, but the counter is always closed when the Starlight gets in (unless it gets in the next morning, which is not unheard of).

 

BTW - I referred to Long Beach initially because the OP asked about Long Beach, and I do know that the cruise port in LB is basically in the QM complex. Not sure about which lines use what port, beyond Royal Carriblean uses San Pedro (Port of Los Angeles). Glad someone corrected. Mainly I wanted to point out the through ticketing/dedicated bus options, and point out the very real risks of arriving the morning of the sailing.

 

Finally, am considering a trip down to LA myself and have been checking out biddingfortravel.com for that recently. It looks like a bid of around $75 should get the Bonaventure.

[CruisinMommas]

WE took the Southwest Chief this April from Chicago to LA almost. The train was running on time. But then there was a freight train derailment so we were taken by bus from Kingman AZ to LA. It added three hours to our arrival time. We would have still made the ship in San Pedro on time BUT Amtrak had not taken our luggage off the train. It was FedEXed to us the next day as we were doing LA for a day or so it was not a big problem.

 

So like all the others said go a day early. Take a shuttle to a nearby hotel close to the ship that has free shuttle to the terminal. It will give you time to get used to the time change. We stayed in Santa Monica and then went to San Pedro. Even with all the bloopers we enjoyed the train and would do it again.

[kenish]

Hotmike and OP- I recommend against light rail to Long Beach. They are not set up to accommodate luggage and the line goes through some pretty rough areas. I personally would be nervous riding it after dark with suitcases full of valuables. Other light rail lines are better but don't go in the direction you need.

 

Another option is to take a shuttle bus from Union Station to LAX. There are a lot of hotels as well as transportation options to the ports. It's additional distance, time, and hassle but might be a good Plan B if you get a good hotel deal at the airport or there's a problem with Amtrak.

 

Zephyr- FYI, Carnival (and only Carnival) uses Long Beach. Their terminal is in the dome that used to house the Spruce Goose. All other lines use the LA Cruise Port in San Pedro. ;)

[JLT]

and am hoping for advice. I am arriving at the Long Beach Terminal on the Carnival Splendor on March 19, 2009 form the 49 day South America cruise. I will travel on Amtrak to New Orleans on the 20th. Amtrak tells me that I can only have 2 pieces of carry-on luggage for the bus that goes from the Queen Mary to Union Station. No checked baggage. Has anyone gone this direction and know how strict they are about the 2 pieces? On other Amtrak buses I have been able to put my luggage underneath without a problem.

 

Thanks for any help.

[skandls]

Finally, am considering a trip down to LA myself and have been checking out biddingfortravel.com for that recently. It looks like a bid of around $75 should get the Bonaventure.

 

Unless you have business in Downtown LA consider staying in another area. There is now some redevelopement in the downtown area but unless you have specific plans it is not an area you can 'wander' around.

[zephyr17]

Unless you have business in Downtown LA consider staying in another area. There is now some redevelopement in the downtown area but unless you have specific plans it is not an area you can 'wander' around.

I am originally from So Cal. I know downtown, worked there and in the Westlake district for years. Coming in on the train (Starlight) in the evening, and picking up a car in the morning. Just need a place to lay my head for a night that is within reasonable cab fare distance from Union Station.

 

BTW - did do priceline and got the downtown Marriott for $65.

[zephyr17]

and am hoping for advice. I am arriving at the Long Beach Terminal on the Carnival Splendor on March 19, 2009 form the 49 day South America cruise. I will travel on Amtrak to New Orleans on the 20th. Amtrak tells me that I can only have 2 pieces of carry-on luggage for the bus that goes from the Queen Mary to Union Station. No checked baggage. Has anyone gone this direction and know how strict they are about the 2 pieces? On other Amtrak buses I have been able to put my luggage underneath without a problem.

 

Thanks for any help.

My experience is they are not very sticky about it, but you never know. How much over you go may have have an impact, too.

[Cruisin' Chick]

The last time we were on Amtrak was four years ago (the Coast Starlight, Oxnard/Seattle), but they were getting downright picky about luggage. When we were checking in our luggage, the clerk said we were over on one of our bags. Hubby insisted that he actually weigh it, and it turned out to be just ounces under the maximum.

 

It could be that they don't have any porters set aside for taking care of luggage, so it's all carryon for that bus.

 

One thing you might consider in that case, is booking a private shuttle service such as Supershuttle, or getting a taxi to take you to the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro (as noted by several posters above, the World Cruise Center there services all cruiselines except Carnival, which leaves from the Port of Long Beach).

 

I strongly advise coming in at least a day before. Stay in San Pedro or Long Beach (which is a short trip over to San Pedro) and be unstressed out for your first day of your cruise.

[zephyr17]

They've always been strict about weight for checked baggage, so watch that if you are checking bags at LA. But they can be pretty loose about the number of carry ons, at least for sleepers, and putting pieces on the Thruway buses.

 

They have gotten a little stiff about the number of items coach passengers carry on.

 

If boarding at Queen Mary Long Beach, it will just be the bus driver at the curb at the bus stop. No agents, porters or even a station. Typically, they have been pretty loose about how much you sling down into the bus luggage compartment.

 

If you are really worried you can spring for a shuttle or a cab. My own experience is if you put on three pieces instead of two on the bus, that bus driver wouldn't blink an eye. If each person in your party put on 5, that might be another matter.

 

FYI - latest experience on Amtrak was Everett, WA to Chicago in May.

[JLT]

Thanks for all your responses. I have thought about Supershuttle and may just take it to LA and spend the night there. It seems things work pretty much the way they do here with the buses. I will be traveling alone so only 2 large bags. Thanks again.

[Sailorgirlseattle]

I've taken the train a bunch of times, and I also recommend you arrive at least a day early. Amtrak does not own the tracks they run on and they often have to step aside to let freight traffic pass, which WILL slow you down. Some routes are worse for this than others (the Coast Starlight is ALWAYS late). Yes, if you book train travel through but you miss a local connector (such as LA to San Diego) they will bring in buses to take you to your final destination. I've run into that several times now.

 

And, I think I'm getting my routes mixed up, but double-check that the Southwest Chief runs every day ... I made a major trip from Seattle to Houston last March through LA, and I had to lay over for a day because my train from LA to Houston only runs every other day. I think that route is called the Sunset Limited, but I can't quite remember. For my layover, I wanted a hotel nearby to Union Station and safe ... ended up at the Miyako in Little Tokyo and had a BLAST wandering around there (and eating TONS of sushi :rolleyes:)

[zephyr17]

Southwest Chief (trains 3 &4) between Los Angeles and Chicago via Albuquerque runs every day.

 

There are only 2 tri-weekly trains in the system. The Sunset Limited (trains 1 & 2) between Los Angeles and New Orleans and the Cardinal (trains 50 & 51) between Chicago and New York via Cincinnati. There are through cars on the Texas Eagle between Chicago and Los Angeles via San Antonio that only run tri-weekly because they are carried by the tri-weekly Sunset between San Antonio and Los Angeles.

 

So if you are not going on the Sunset or the Cardinal, the train will run at least daily.

 

Strongly agree with NEVER attempting to connect with a same day cruise via Amtrak long distance services no matter how the schedule looks. Always leave at least a day. However, if you note the posts, JLT is connecting to the train AFTER the cruise.

 

BTW the Coast "Starlate" is now only consistently late (2 -3 hour range), not catastrophically late (5 -12 hours late) the way it was last year.

[cuterlmt]

Since this got bumped up, I have some additional questions.

We've decided to come in the day before. But here's where we're stuck:

Do we take the Amtrak to Union Station and then somehow get to our hotel in San Pedro? We are going to stay at the Crowne Plaza I think because it has a free shuttle to the San Pedro pier. And because they have a rental car agency there. We are renting a car so we can do some things hubby wants to do while we're in LA.

 

Or should we take the Amtrak via the thruway bus to San Pedro? There are two stops in San Pedro. Will Crowne Plaza come get us? Or will we need to cab it? or something else?

 

Any suggestions?

[zephyr17]

Actually, it looks like the Crowne Plaza is smack in the middle between the two stops (about 8 blocks from each).

 

I would call the Crown Plaza and ask if they have shuttle service for either of them. It may be that the bus stop at the Catalina/Cruise terminal (SPD) may have more shuttle service than the one in "downtown" San Pedro (SPO) at 9th and Gaffey.

 

In either case, the nominal extra fare for the Thruway bus is going to be far less than a 20 mile cab or shuttle ride from Union Station to San Pedro, even plus an 8 block cab ride.

 

Remember, too that the Thruway bus connections are guaranteed, although if the train is late, you would just put on a later bus (there are like 5 or 6 Thruway departures from Union Station to San Pedro throughout the day). If, God forbid, you are so late you miss the last bus, Amtrak typically will "protect" you be either holding the bus or providing a cab.