HAL sail times out of San Diego and Amtrak.

[mtnesterz]

Posting here instead of West Coast Departures as my question is specific to HAL. HAL has the earliest departures, usually at 3PM, out of San Diego. The earliest scheduled arrival is 1PM for Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner (on trains originating north of Los Angeles.) Has anyone taken the train to San Diego and walked to the pier? Was the train late? If you arrived around 1 and sailed at 3, did you have enough time to board or were you cutting things too close for comfort? TIA!

Edited January 1 by mtnesterz

[CruiserBruce]

I definitely wouldn't want to cut it that close.

[Essiesmom]

I can’t answer your question, but we took the Surfliner the day before.  We came into LA on the Southwest Chief and discovered when we got to San Diego that we could have taken an earlier train, as our luggage did!  When our bags were not unloaded, we discovered them inside the terminal.  I think it would have been a bit of a hike to the pier, depending on how much luggage you have.  EM

[FlaMariner]

I would not cut it that close.....

 

Why?

 

We have taken many an Amtrak train (mostly on the east coast/Florida) and trains can be horrendously late.  I did look up the Surfliner on time stats and it looks positive....something like 83% on time (stats were from 2022)....which is good. But we know Murphy's law of travel.....

 

We love train travel but that connection would be too stressful for us......Ride the train down the day before or earlier.

 

Check the Amtrak schedule again....I did see earlier trains....I picked a weekday in February and the Surfliner has a 9:04am and 10:04am arrival from Los Angeles......We'd be on the 9:04am arrival and that would give us time to get to SD if the bottom fell out early am in Los Angeles.

 

Enjoy the journey........

[Bruinboy20]

We have done the Pacific Surfliner a couple of times. Both times, on time. Not a terribly long hike from the train station to the pier. A mile?  I agree. Take an earlier train as HAL site says to arrive at least 90 minutes prior to departure as that is when passenger list needs to be sent to proper authorities.

 

[mtnesterz]

Thank you all for your input. We'll try to make another arrangement. Maybe arrive the night before.

Has been a long time since traveled by rail, but Amtrak was really late both times.

The walk we can handle.

Responding to @Bruinboy20 and @FlaMarinerThat is why I emphasized stations north of LA. True, there is an earlier train that starts in LA Union Station and points south, but no early service from near the Ventura County line to Union Station.

Edited January 1 by mtnesterz

[TiogaCruiser]

I’ve taken Amtrak to SD for a cruise twice-both in 2015. I boarded in Orange County. I was solo and handling my own luggage. My tongue in cheek description was that had I tripped stepping off the train I would have rolled to the pier. It took me 8 minutes to walk from the station to the pier. (That was after deboarding, using the facilities and getting a soda in the station: so total time about a half hour.)

 

Other train options include taking (Metrolinktrains.com) from LA or several towns along the way or in LACo) to Oceanside, where they interchange with the Coaster. ( I have not done that one, but it was a back up plan.)

 Do check the Amtrak website as there has been reduced service for maintenance and addressing erosion damage along the way. Also, if it’s raining, there can be delays due to speed limit changes.

 

And be aware if you take a train where you don’t or can’t check your luggage that there are size restrictions AND you will be expected to tote whatever you bring aboard UP the stairs and into a rack up on the second floor* (unless you have a special ticket or handicap). You might also have to handle your luggage as the train moves should you get off at a station along the way that has a brief stop. Been there, done that.

Surfliner and Starlight may have different carry on size limits. 

[TiogaCruiser]

Adding- last spring DH and I did the canal and ended in San Diego. I didn’t want to deal with the wait for a train (( decreased options), and I think we still would have needed to purchase tickets in advance and check in 24 hours in advance, and the other post-covid social sequelae), so we rented a car one way. 
 

We ubered to the airport, picked up a car, drove home leisurely and returned the car to the vendor around the corner from home. The cost ( excluding the Uber) was less than $100.

 

Just read your previous post- that Ventura section is especially vulnerable to washouts/ slides and very slow speeds during rain.

Edited January 1 by TiogaCruiser

[OlsSalt]

We use Amtrak a lot for San Diego departures. But we always come in the day before and stay in a close by hotel, right across from the cruise terminal. Amtrak can be notoriously unreliable through no fault of their own, often due to  frequent"suicide by train" incidents, "pedestrians" on the tracks,  or recently washed-out track.

 

Therefore, I would never recommend a same day arrival and having a secondary back up plan - like renting a car to get to the ship on time.

 

We however find departures from San Diego on the norming of disembarkation to be reliable. They offered no checked baggage handling recently and very little mobility assistance to get self and luggage to the train cars.

 

After the track had been washed out on the main LA-San Diego portion we had to disembark, get on a bus and then re-board the train. While waiting between  the two connections the lighted announcement board said ...due to outrage .... the train will be delayed.  

 

Assume they meant "outage" but teaching K-12  basics has not been a strong suit in this state for years.

[mtnesterz]

2 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

Other train options include taking (Metrolinktrains.com) from LA or several towns along the way or in LACo) to Oceanside, where they interchange with the Coaster. 

I checked Metrolink as you suggest. We can catch one early enough to Union Station to be able to catch the earlier train to San Diego, arriving in plenty of time.  Thanks again to all of you who responded. Will check out the overnight across the street as @OlsSalt mentions.

[Mary Ellen1]

4 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

...

We ubered to the airport, picked up a car, drove home leisurely and returned the car to the vendor around the corner from home. The cost ( excluding the Uber) was less than $100.

 

FWIW, if you need to rent a car in SD, there are some closer city locations   without going all the way to the airport. 

 

We got caught up in that Southwest Airlines meltdown last Christmas (all flights canceled!), and rented from Avis about 1/2 mile from the pier. Almost walkable...  

[cruisinsince75]

7 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

Posting here instead of West Coast Departures as my question is specific to HAL. HAL has the earliest departures, usually at 3PM, out of San Diego. The earliest scheduled arrival is 1PM for Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner (on trains originating north of Los Angeles.) Has anyone taken the train to San Diego and walked to the pier? Was the train late? If you arrived around 1 and sailed at 3, did you have enough time to board or were you cutting things too close for comfort? TIA!

To close timewise.  I wouldn't risk it.  This is what we did for our Volendam cruise.  We spent the night at the Omni by Petco Stadium for one night.  It was pretty easy, but the cruise was a 4 night cruise and we only had carry on suitcases. We took the train to Santa Fe Station in San Diego.  We walked across the street to the trolley and took it to the Gas Light Station.  Right by our hotel.  Then the following morning, we took the trolley back, and then walked the short distance to the cruise terminal.  

[OlsSalt]

We choose the hotel (name?) right across the street from the cruise terminal and get up early to watch the ship come in from the hotel room balcony.  CVS drug store a few blocks away for any last minute items. 

 

On embarkation day we have also dropped our luggage off early at the terminal turn-around area,  and then spend the rest of the day on our own before a later hands-free embarkation. 

 

From that hotel location,  when Disney cruise ship is in port you can hear their special "toot":  first notes of "When you wish upon a star".

[disneyochem]

We took Amtrak to SD for our Thanksgiving cruise this past November on embarkation day.  Arrived in SD around 1 pm, walked to the pier and then boarded.  That being said, I did have back up plans—one-way car rental reservation, Metrolink, and Uber (would have cost us $150 from Anaheim to SD).

 

We frequently take Amtrak to SD from Northern California—we usually travel the day before, stay at the Springhill Suites or BW, walk to dinner in Little Italy, and then walk to the pier.  
 

This past November was the first time taking Amtrak the day off but since we were only going a couple of hours, I wasn’t too worried.  We always take Amtrak from our home in the East Bay to our SF cruises the day off.  Only once did we end up taking an Uber ($120) to the port.

 

We also like to take Amtrak the day we get off the ship in SD.  The Surfliner leaves around 10 am—plenty of time for a last breakfast in the MDR, a stop at a deli for a bagged lunch before leaving.

 

 

[sciencewonk]

It's a 10 to 15 minute walk on flat terrain from the train station to the cruise port.  I took the Surfliner many times when I lived in the area.  You could never count on the service being on time.  Check your schedule again, I remember there being earlier arrivals in San Diego.  If you need to travel the day before, there are a few hotels between the train station and the cruise port.

 

BTW, the train is very nice and goes along the beach in San Clemente, North County San Diego, and Del Mar.  Try to get seats on the right side of the train for the best views.

[OlsSalt]

Caution when walking from the train station to the cruise port - if you have wheeled luggage. You need to roll them over several train tracks embedded in the pavement, as multiple transit lines converge near this station.

 

They are clustered in one segment of the walkway near the station. Doable but a nuisance, works better with pull wheeled luggage  than with spinners. Only two wheels to get stuck, not all four. 

[CNSJ]

Having walked the San Diego waterfront dozens of times, agree with crowd its a bit of a hike, but doable even with luggage.  Just take your time....and...arrive the day before.  Amtrak can be late and why worry?  

 

There are several hotels within a few blocks of the cruise pier.  It's a great area.  For dinner, walk a few blocks north to Little Italy.  Very nice.

 

 

[OlsSalt]

Hometown is on the Amtrak Surfliner route - that ends up in San Diego. News today claimed two (2) accidents along the tracks, in two (2) locations causing unknown delays - one was a car on the tracks, and the other a pedestrian.  

 

The routes in this semi-urban area are well marked and often fenced, with crossing arms and signals.  Each accident/incident requires full investigations which means the impacted trains do not leave the area for some time, nor do other trains both passenger and freight using the same lines get to pass through either. 

 

85% of the time probably, no problems keeping their schedules but ..........accidents do happen.  There is an up to the minute feature on the Amtrak website giving status of the route information

[sciencewonk]

There have also been frequent delays due to cliff erosion in San Clemente and Del Mar.  When that happens, they put passengers on busses to bypass the closed tracks.  I don't know the current status of those tracks right now.

[OlsSalt]

10 hours ago, sciencewonk said:

There have also been frequent delays due to cliff erosion in San Clemente and Del Mar.  When that happens, they put passengers on busses to bypass the closed tracks.  I don't know the current status of those tracks right now.

 

This Amtrak coastal section LA to San Diego  was back open by October 2023.

 

Prior use of this Amtrak route in Jan 2023  did require the off-loading and up loading on the busses last year - suitcases and all.  Heavy rains expected this winter too in California, so one needs to keep checking the Amtrak website for "status" updates.