Port of San Diego to San Diego Airport

[Deets]

Our cruise arrives into the Port of San Diego at 6:00 AM. Do you think it is possible to get to the San Diego airport by 8:00 AM for a 10:00 AM flight? I know it is only a 10 minute cab ride, but I am concerned about getting off of the ship early enough to get to the airport by 8:00 AM. (This is our first Celebrity cruise so we don't know how Celebrity debarkation works.)

 

I appreciate your thoughts or experiences. Thanks!

[cruisestitch]

While the ship arrives at that time, it doesn't mean you can disembark then. Normally self-disembarking starts between 7 and 8, after the ship has cleared the various port authority clearances.

 

If you can move all your luggage yourself, don't need any assistance, and are not mobility impaired, you can self-disembark. Otherwise, you need to claim your luggage in the terminal and then get to your ground transportation.

 

It might be possible to be at the airport that early, but I wouldn't like to chance it.

[san diego spartan]

I live in SD. The airport is so close - just a mile or 2 - it is quick and easy. Now we almost exclusively carry off our luggage - so you get to get off the ship early and should be at the airport just fine. However if there is a problem or delay it might be a bit dicey However unless you are traveling internationally there is no reason to be at the SD airport 2 hours early. It is a small airport. You should be fine 1 and 1/2 hours early (presuming you are checking luggage). Even if you do not have TSA precheck, you should be fine

 

So even if you do not get off the ship until 8am - you should be fine.

[varoo]

Our cruise arrives into the Port of San Diego at 6:00 AM. Do you think it is possible to get to the San Diego airport by 8:00 AM for a 10:00 AM flight? I know it is only a 10 minute cab ride, but I am concerned about getting off of the ship early enough to get to the airport by 8:00 AM. (This is our first Celebrity cruise so we don't know how Celebrity debarkation works.)

 

I appreciate your thoughts or experiences. Thanks!

Yes, it certainly is possible, as we and many others have done it, multiple times.

But there is no guaranty that you will make it.

 

As you are undoubtedly aware, a number of things can go wrong that are out of your control.

Some things to take into consideration are:

(1) Your backup plans -- what you will do if you should miss your flight.

(2) Your own temperament and coping abilities, as well as those of your travel companion/s; i.e., how big a deal it would be if you should miss your flight.

Some travelers take such setbacks in stride, shrug them off and easily switch to Plan B, while others become very agitated if the slightest little thing goes wrong.

 

We ourselves are quite willing to take this type of risk to catch an early flight, but we will not do it if we are traveling with a nervous-Nelly type companion, or with anyone who would be whining and complaining for hours if we should miss our flight.

If you can carry off your own luggage, that would be an advantage.

But if you need to put luggage out into the hallway the night before and you are not staying in a suite, I would suggest asking Guest Relations for luggage tags that will put you in the first group off.

(They will likely give you tags for the second or third group off, which is still OK.)

Then use a porter in the terminal to get you to a taxi.

If you are staying in a suite, you get priority disembarkation automatically. Any checked luggage that you have will be in the first batch taken off the ship.

Just talk with both your butler and the Michael's Club concierge about your disembarkation requirements and they will take good care of you.

[HokiePoq]

I hope things have improved since we had problems in San Diego. We had an 11:00 flight...only direct one to where we live on the east coast. We'd never had any problem leaving a ship anywhere to make a flight at that time. We were carrying our own luggage. Customs/immigration required every person on our ship (HAL) to appear before immigration before anyone could disembark. Some didn't bother and had to be tracked down. We didn't get off until nearly 10. I ran down the steps carrying two suitcases and tore my meniscus. Couldn't stop, kept running/limping to the cabs. It is indeed just a short cab ride, fortunately, as we arrived after the flight was already boarding and made it just in time before the doors closed. That's the good news. Bad news was I had to have surgery and trip insurance wouldn't pay as I couldn't prove it happened getting off the ship.

I'd try to get a later flight if at all possible.

[DENIE]

You might make it just fine. However our HAL cruise in 2010 had propulsion problems, which meant we didn't quite make it back to San Diego as early as normal. Then, someone was being paged and not responding, which made disembarkation even longer. We were sweating our flights by this time, as it was about 2-3 hours after we expected to be off. True, the airport is must 1-2 miles away (very close!). Fortunately our flight was delayed, otherwise it would have been cutting too close.

[good42n]

It seems every cruise I've been on, someone fails to get their immigration/customs clearance before disembarkation which ends up delaying everyone.

[Deets]

Thank you all for your comments. I know things don't always go the way they are planned to go. I think we will keep our later flight and just see if Delta will get us onto the earlier flight if there is space available and we are able to get to the airport in plenty of time before that flight. Happy Cruising everyone!

[davekathy]

Thank you all for your comments. I know things don't always go the way they are planned to go. I think we will keep our later flight and just see if Delta will get us onto the earlier flight if there is space available and we are able to get to the airport in plenty of time before that flight. Happy Cruising everyone!

Wise choice. Now you can enjoy your cruise even that much more especially on the last morning with no stress of worrying and trying to make an earlier flight.

[DENIE]

Actually, our next cruise we are thinking of going from the ship to a hotel for 1 more night....too depressed to fly right home after disembarkation...

[varoo]

Thank you all for your comments. I know things don't always go the way they are planned to go. I think we will keep our later flight and just see if Delta will get us onto the earlier flight if there is space available and we are able to get to the airport in plenty of time before that flight. Happy Cruising everyone!

It may also depend on whether or not you are checking luggage.

 

One time when we tried to do that, they would not allow it, claiming that we were past the cut off time for checking in luggage for the earlier flight.

We replied that it would be fine to send our luggage out on the later flight, and just let us go on the earlier one.

We were perfectly willing to sign the late check in waiver for the luggage (something we have done occasionally on other trips), but the gate agent insisted that at least for the first leg of the trip, the bags need to go on the same flight as the passengers.

 

Now we knew all too well that this is not always true, but we were not about to get into an argument about it.

Also, how strictly they enforce such rules may vary according to the security level in effect at the time, or even the location, or the agent you happen to encounter that day.

Even when there is space available on the earlier flight and they are willing to let you board, there may not be seat choices available. Often the only seats left are middle seats, at the very back of the plane, take it or leave it.

 

So sometimes it means making a quick decision about whether to go on the earlier flight in a lousy seat, or keep your later flight for a better seat.

(For us, the length of the flight is usually the deciding factor.)

It is always a good idea to check out the available space before you get to the airport, and again while you are waiting at the gate.

 

Sometimes there will be only one available seat left. So when traveling with a companion, it is good to decide in advance whether or not you are willing to split up, should that situation arise.

It is not a good idea to be standing there trying to make that decision under pressure at the last minute when they are trying to close out the flight, getting into a "You take it; no, you take it" conversation.

Good luck. Hope it all goes smoothly for you.

Edited June 1, 2018 by varoo