San Pedro 4 ships in port--Ruby pier TBA

[SoCal Cruiser78]

I've done a search on this, but no luck in determining where a fourth ship might dock in San Pedro unless they plan to move the USS Iowa ;).

 

I am considering a cruise on the Ruby on 10/03/15. Piers 46, 92, and 93 are already showing occupied that day according to the port website by the Crown Princess, as well as by RCI and NCL ships. That same site is showing the Ruby as TBA.

 

Does anyone know if there is another pier that could take the Ruby in San Pedro? I checked Long Beach, and no Carnival ship is scheduled there that day, but I have never known Princess to sail from there.

 

I called the port, but was put on "terminal" hold. A Princess phone rep didn't know. I just don't want to book a cruise that will end up getting cancelled for lack of a pier. Another concern is lack of parking for four ships' worth of passengers if we drive to the pier.

 

Thanks in advance. I'm sure someone has to have the answer :)!

[shredie]

That is strange. I have heard of Princess ships docking at Long Beach before, so I suppose that's possible.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

That is strange. I have heard of Princess ships docking at Long Beach before, so I suppose that's possible.

 

It is strange. Even stranger is that I just checked, and the Ruby has now dropped off the port calendar for that day entirely, but Princess is still selling the cruise on its website as departing from San Pedro.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Ryndam2002

[AZbeachboy]

The only places that I have seen that previously is Miami and Ft Lauderdale. However, In San Pedro I have seen smaller ships go beyound the bridge. Maybe that is where one of the ship will. What RCL or Norweigan ships are they. Inow some RCL ship have parked there before and they do have some smaller ships.

[Astro Flyer]

The only time I've seen Princess ships at the LB terminal they were in-transit & not embarking. :confused:

 

With the Ruby dropping off the Port of LA schedule maybe she'll embark from LB?

[SadieN]

That is strange. I have heard of Princess ships docking at Long Beach before, so I suppose that's possible.

 

 

Can't dock in Long Beach. The Miracle will be there.

[AZbeachboy]

Jewell of the Sea, one of RCL's smaller ship will be in and out of San Pedro this spring and summer for Pacific Costal Cruises.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Jewell of the Sea, one of RCL's smaller ship will be in and out of San Pedro this spring and summer for Pacific Costal Cruises.

 

It is the Jewel of the Sea, along with NCL's Pearl. All four ships appear to be embarking, not just stopping, that day so having one of them tender from an offshore position would be difficult. All four ships are approximately the same length, give or take a few feet.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Ryndam2002

[Astro Flyer]

I've done a search on this, but no luck in determining where a fourth ship might dock in San Pedro unless they plan to move the USS Iowa ;)

Decades ago before she was decommissioned I saw the Iowa in a Terminal Island drydock. :p

 

Could the Ruby do an amphibias landing? :p

 

Seriously, it'll be interesting to learn how this works out because it's been posted that Carnival's Liberty will be in LB.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...Could the Ruby do an amphibias landing? :p...

 

That, or use the Catalina Flyer, which docks near berth 93, as a large tender :).

Edited February 13, 2015 by Ryndam2002

[Astro Flyer]

That, or use the Catalina Flyer, which docks near berth 93, as a large tender :).

 

That's another option! ;)

 

I just noticed that autocorrect used an incorrect spelling...it should have been "amphibious", :o

[SoCal Cruiser78]

That, or use the Catalina Flyer, which docks near berth 93, as a large tender :).

 

Oops, I meant Catalina Express. The Flyer leaves from Newport Beach, not San Pedro. Not that it will happen, anyway ;).

[Working 2 Cruise]

Another interesting conundrum!

[Astro Flyer]

Another interesting conundrum!

 

I thought the experiences of passengers going to pier 46 were bad...it'll be interesting to learn the outcome.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Can't dock in Long Beach. The Miracle will be there.

 

I stand corrected, the Miracle is listed in LB on 10/3/15, so the plot thickens ;).

[SoCal Cruiser78]

I thought the experiences of passengers going to pier 46 were bad...it'll be interesting to learn the outcome.

 

I was just rechecking the port's website, and noticed that several of the Ruby's other cruises in the fall are also listed as berth TBA in San Pedro--even on the days that there are no other cruise ships in port. The other Princess ships in San Pedro this fall appear to have assigned berths, so this gets "curiouser and curiouser".

Edited February 13, 2015 by Ryndam2002

[SadieN]

I stand corrected, the Miracle is listed in LB on 10/3/15, so the plot thickens ;).

 

 

No Problem. Just glad we're having Too Many Ships in Port Problems. Much better than it was a few years ago.

 

For now Miracle is doing Mexican Riviera year round with a few HI cruises in the mix. Legend will be splitting her time Down Under and Alaska.

Edited February 13, 2015 by SadieN

[SoCal Cruiser78]

No Problem. Just glad we're having a Too Many Ships in Port Problems. Much better than it was a few years ago...

 

I wish we had that problem here in San Diego. HAL has just one of its older ships (Veendam) here part of the year, and they are selling off that class one by one. Celebrity and Princess have more or less abandoned us :(. We have such a beautiful port, and it is quite close to nice hotels, Amtrak and the airport--I just don't get it.

 

Fortunately Long Beach and San Pedro are not all that far away.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Ryndam2002

[dmwnc1959]

They won't move the IOWA. And there isn't a permanent place at that particular berth now where she is docked for a one-day processing of thousands of passengers on embarkation day, even if they did move IOWA. Putting up an large enough facility for just that short-term purpose would be financially impractical.

 

Berth 46, the one Jewel of the Seas shows as being at - the same one I've seen pictures of that Celebrity Cruises has used before - is at the end of the channel just prior to the breakwater.

 

So that leaves only two berths available at World Cruise Center, and one in Long Beach, for four ships. Wow. Are there any other facilities within 50 miles they could use?

 

As a last resort, I can't imagine that they'd be forced to dead-head the ship to San Diego (aka "Operational Reasons") for embarking guests on the Hawaii cruise. What a nightmare that would be for anyone already having airfare booked into LAX. And the logistics of busing people down.

 

 

Port of Los Angeles World Cruise Center and USS Iowa

(Image courtesy of SanPedro.com)

Edited February 13, 2015 by dmwnc1959

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...As a last resort, I can't imagine that they'd be forced to dead-head the ship to San Diego (aka "Operational Reasons") for embarking guests on the Hawaii cruise. What a nightmare that would be for anyone already having airfare booked into LAX. And the logistics of busing people down...

 

Not to mention disembarking those pax who were on the Ruby's 4-nighter out of San Pedro just before that--a PVSA violation if disembarked in San Diego?

 

I'm wondering if they can somehow stagger sailings from one of the berths? Have one ship sail mid-day and another late evening from the same spot? My concern when I see several berth TBAs for the Ruby is that some of these cruises may be scrubbed, since the other Princess ships are assigned berths for that time period. Perhaps the Ruby was a late addition to the schedule, and the port is trying to figure out what to do with her? I'm waiting to book until I find out more...

Edited February 13, 2015 by Ryndam2002
clarity

[AZbeachboy]

I am glad I am not sailing those cruises and don't have to worry about it. I hope it works out well without to much problem for cruisers who are already booked.

[cruiseathon]

Excellent puzzle! I suppose the simplest answer is that the Port of Los Angeles will use one of their (many more-than-adequate size-wise) deep water container ship berths, and bus the passengers from cruise terminal to ship.

[swedish weave]

Excellent puzzle! I suppose the simplest answer is that the Port of Los Angeles will use one of their (many more-than-adequate size-wise) deep water container ship berths, and bus the passengers from cruise terminal to ship.

 

That is the most logical solution to the problem. Many ports around the world use container terminals as cruise terminals.

[Thrak]

I thought the experiences of passengers going to pier 46 were bad...it'll be interesting to learn the outcome.

 

Embarked at berth 46 recently. It was bad but at least we knew where the ship was going to be!

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Excellent puzzle! I suppose the simplest answer is that the Port of Los Angeles will use one of their (many more-than-adequate size-wise) deep water container ship berths, and bus the passengers from cruise terminal to ship.

 

That makes sense, unless there are labor issues involved with using a cargo berth for a passenger ship.

 

There is still the matter of four ships' worth of vehicles in the parking lot for those of us driving to the port that day. I've seen that lot fill up with just two ships embarking.