Day trip to USS Midway from LAX?

[mcarney]

I posted the same question under the Carnival Splendor roll call too ...

 

Here's my question:

 

Hi All...

I am seriously thinking about booking this cruise (09.23.12 Carnival Splendor) for me and my dad's 85th birthday present (b-day is actually August 4th) - he isn't your typical 84 year old .. he probably gets around better than many 60 "somethings". Anyway, tell me if I'm crazy for doing this... my dad was on the USS Midway and visited it once several years ago - so for his birthday I wanted to take him on another cruise and visit the Midway again. Of course, there aren't really any itineraries that would suit our schedules, much less my budget (as I will be financing the entire trip). So .. I plan on booking this cruise and flying out (from SC) the day before and renting a car and drive to the Midway - come back that night and then stay in a hotel --- then of course have fun and sun on the ship ... unless I can get a great rate on a San Diego cruise, I'm thinking this will work ... I have a Delta companion certificate, but I have to make sure this is not a blackout time.

 

What do ya'll think ????

 

So ... what kind of cabins did you all pick? Not sure of this ship and as you can see in my signature, we typically sail HAL - I know their cabins are awesome (bathtubs, super comfy beds, etc). What is this ship like (bathrooms, beds, etc).

 

Debating on oceanview, but being on deck 1 or 2 kind of scares me a little.

 

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.... Thank you!!!

[CruiserBruce]

Your best place to be searching things in LA and San Diego is the West Coast Departures board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413

 

I would suggest getting the earliest flight into San Diego, then tour the Midway and spent the night there. The next day, drive to LA (about 3 hours, give or take) and get on your ship. The reason I suggest it this way is that San Diego is relatively small in the area you are interested in, and easy to get around it. Putting LA in the picture just complicates the early part of your plan.

 

The best place to research your Carnival ship in on the Carnival board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=215

 

A couple of cruise lines operate out of San Diego. The biggest prescence would be Holland America, although the ships of all cruise lines don't start arriving in So. Calif. until very late Sept, so your choices may be limited for that reason..

[riffatsea]

Wouldn't it be easier to cruise out of San Diego??

If not then try flying into the Long Beach Airport or SNA in Orange County. The drive to San Diego from there would be easier than from LAX.

One other idea would be just to take Dad to San Diego for his birthday and forget the cruise!

[SDPadreFan]

It's doable, but it's a pretty LONG day. At a minimum, you'd want to be at LAX by about 9am, in the rental car and on the road by 10. It's about a 3 hour drive from LAX so you would get to the ship @1pm - 3 hours touring the ship and then back in the car for the 3 hour return trip. If the Splendor is still departing from Long Beach, it would actually be better to fly in there. Get your rental car there and you can probably shave an hour (each way) on your drive to San Diego. Not to mention being closer to the ship the next day.

 

The advantage to seeing the Midway again is that they keep opening up new sections of the ship as they get refurbished and made accessible.

[CruiserBruce]

The problem going to some of the smaller airports is getting connections that are timely into those airports that are smaller and have less service. Yes, you are going to gain time flying westbound, but the smaller number of flights into a place like John Wayne will hurt that advantage.

 

Again, I think flying into San Diego early is desirable. A cruise out of San Diego is even better.

[mcarney]

Thank you all for your advice ..

 

The reason for September is that my companion certificate expires 09.30.12 - and I have to fly in/out of the same airport. I guess I can look at airfares flying in/out of San Diego and see if that's doable. I'll also look at flights into Long Beach instead of LAX. I read somewhere else that there is an amtrak train that is fairly inexpensive that goes from LAX to San Diego - I'm looking into that too. My dad loves to drive - he actually drives from SC to VA (8 hours) every month - so the 3 hours will be harder on me than him :(

 

The best combined itinerary/price, etc is the Splendor out of Long Beach - I would love to sail out of San Diego, but dates &/or $ is not syncing up right.

 

This whole idea started with a cruise - my dad is addicted ... he and my mom cruised all of the time before she passed. Ever since then, we've (dad & me & my family) have gone somewhere...it's been several years and dad sends me forwards/scans/mails every piece of correspondence on cruising... *hint-hint*

 

I think I've decided on a balcony (all cruises have been on a balcony except the 1st one) - after looking at difference images & videos online, the extra $100 is worth it.

 

Thank you again for the tips :)

[CruiserBruce]

Amtrak doesn't run anywhere near LAX. It does run to within about 4 or 5 blocks of the Midway. But nowhere near any of the port stuff around Long Beach, San Pedro or that area.

There may be connecting Amtrak buses, but you are really complicating things now.

[cdamion]

Amtrak doesn't run anywhere near LAX. It does run to within about 4 or 5 blocks of the Midway. But nowhere near any of the port stuff around Long Beach, San Pedro or that area.

There may be connecting Amtrak buses, but you are really complicating things now.

 

Amtrak is an option - albeit a long one.

 

There is a bus from LAX to Union Station called the Flyaway. It isn't that much and takes about 30-50 minutes.

 

You can get directly from San Diego to the Queen Mary (adjacent to Splendor) through Amtrak's website. The train goes to Union Station, then an Amtrak bus goes to the Queen Mary.

 

You could fly to San Diego and travel to and from the Queen Mary via Amtrak (train & bus).