Mariner ~ wedding guests ~ embarkation time?

[SeaMeSmile]

Does anyone know when is the latest time that guests can board the Mariner for a wedding?

My flight doesn't arrive until 10:45am in Long Beach, which means that I would get to the port sometime between 11-11:30am. There are no earlier flights that day, and I'd prefer not to fly in the day before, if possible.

Thanks for your help! :)

[LilBlackDress]

We got married in Florida so I am not sure how they do things in Long Beach. Have you looked into the other near by airports? Is there a reason you don't want to fly in the night before?

 

Personally I wouldn't want to worry that the flight is delayed and you don't get to the port in time.

[SeaMeSmile]

We got married in Florida so I am not sure how they do things in Long Beach. Have you looked into the other near by airports? Is there a reason you don't want to fly in the night before?

 

Personally I wouldn't want to worry that the flight is delayed and you don't get to the port in time.

 

I did look into other airports, but for some reason the airport I'm flying out of (an hour away by air) has only late a.m. or early afternoon departures for that day. This is the only airport I will fly out of, as the next closest one is a 3-hour drive away. Since I work Saturdays, I'd need a late-afternoon or early evening flight, which makes for a really hectic day. (plus, I was trying to avoid the added expense of a hotel room!)

 

I've read in different threads that even though a wedding might not be scheduled to take place until 1:00 or 1:30, the cruiseline requires all guests to arrive between 10-11am. Maybe this is due to security reasons, clearing the non-sailing guests to board the ship?

 

Anyway, I still have several months to work it out, and no doubt I will be posting more questions ~ and using the Search function too, of course! :o

[LilBlackDress]

My guess as to the time is for security/check in plus it gives the bride and groom about an hour on board to change, do hair and make up etc.

 

Where do you live? if it is about an hour flight would you feel comfortable driving in? maybe about a 3 to 4 hour drive.

 

There are many pros to driving and you could park in long term parking at the pier. If you wanted to drive in you could actually leave early enough in the morning and save on the hotel.

 

Costs between gas & long term parking vs flight, baggage and a way to the airport might actually be less money to drive. But we tend to drive more than we fly cuz more often than not we take our dogs with us. We have driven cross country too many times to count now. And drove to FL for our wedding cruise.

 

I lived in So Cal most my life so if you need any info on the area or hotels I would be happy to help :)

[SeaMeSmile]

Where do you live? if it is about an hour flight would you feel comfortable driving in? maybe about a 3 to 4 hour drive.

 

I live an hour north of Sacramento, about a 7-8 hour drive ~ barring complications of any kind! ~ to Long Beach. So, after much deliberation, we've decided to fly down the Saturday night before. I'd much rather attend the wedding on Sunday feeling calm and well-rested, instead of frazzled and tired (and wrinkled!) from flying in that morning. Plus, it also means my vacation starts a little bit sooner ;)

 

 

I lived in So Cal most my life so if you need any info on the area or hotels I would be happy to help :)

 

That would be great ~ thank you! I've been researching hotels on Orbitz.com, but right now we're leaning towards the Marriott because my friend can get us a "friends & family" discount that's supposed to be pretty significant. One thing I definitely plan on doing right after the cruise is visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific before heading back to the airport; have you been there, and if so, is it pretty nice? Also, what is within walking distance near there, restaurant- and shopping-wise? I recall reading something about a "Red Line Bus" that is a hop-on, hop-off sort of way to get around, too.

Thank you so much for any advice you can offer!

[LilBlackDress]

When I said other airports in the area I was referring to LAX, Orange County, or Even Ontario vs Long Beach Airport. Not the airport from which you would be leaving from... that being said I am glad to hear you will be flying in the night before. That will take out that unneeded added stress.

 

As for things to do in the area and where to stay. I don't think you can ever go wrong with The Marriott. you might want to look at the prices on Hotels.com (I normally go thru 4 or 5 websites when booking hotels lol) as well as the discount from your friend.

 

There isn't much that I can remember within walking distance but there are some nice things to do. The main question is how much time will you have between the ship docking and you going back home.

 

I have not been to Aquarium of the Pacific altho I heard it is very nice. I just haven't had the chance to fit it into our schedule when we have gone home for visits. I also heard the gondola rides in Long beach are very romantic! and have great reviews. I think Shoreline Village is also pretty close... links below

 

The Queen Mary and Ports O Call (lots of little shops and some good food) in San Pedro are nice places to go but again it depends on how much time you will have. San Pedro is about 15 to 20 mins drive. I pulled up things to do near the Long beach port here are the 2 links I think showed the most.

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

They all pretty much show the same things some just give you more info in some areas then the others.

 

I don't know about the red-line or any other public transportation in the area.

[aaskybabe]

Trust me, go the night before!

 

I have worked for an airline since 1992 and I can't tell you the number of people who miss their cruises because they think flying in the same day will be fine.

 

Weather can wreak havoc on an entire airline if it's in a "hub" city... that means even if you have perfect weather in your orginating city, your plane may be stuck where the bad weather or delays are!

 

I would never chance my wedding day!:D

[SeaMeSmile]

Thank you so much for those links! There will be a lot of non-sailing guests travelling down from N. Cali for this wedding, so they'll also appreciate this info. I think I'll call the LB Chamber of Commerce or Visitor's Bureau, too, just to cover all bases. Those types of places are always more than happy to load you down with lots of brochures and maps and such, which will be helpful for the folks who don't use computers.

Bring on September ~ woo hoo! :D

[KellyKelly1980]

If you get there that late you won't get to the port until 1:00 or so and that's when the weddings start on cruise ships. You should definitely fly in the day before.