Disembarktion

[INJO]

Never been on the Princess line before. Is it generally fairly rapid getting of of the Ship. We are Docking at 7:00 am? and have a air departure of 11:36 from LAX. Apparently it is a half hour cab ride to the Airport. Is the timing okay, is it it tight, or is it impossible?

[WeBeGone]

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[WeBeGone]

In the first couple of days, go to the pursers desk with your airline tickets. Show them that you have an early flight and ask to be in the first group to disembark.

[Pam in CA]

An 11:36AM flight is a little tight if there are any delays, which are always possible. It doesn't leave you much wiggle room if the ship is delayed being cleared for disembarkation, there's an accident on 405, or LAX is crowded. However, it's equally possible that you'll be at the airport by 10AM, but you can't count on that. The 30-minute ride can turn into 90 minutes if there's traffic or an accident. LAX itself can have long check-in lines and take forever to go through security. These are all possibilities that you should be aware of. I'm not comfortable with a flight earlier than 12:30PM out of LAX but then I don't like to rush or feel anxious. That's not the way I want to end my cruise.

[Toto2Kansas]

Ouch! That is cutting it awfully close. Remember, if the ship is due to arrive at 7:00 AM, that could mean that you may not even start disembarkation until 8-9 AM.

I don't think I would take a chance on a flight this early, if anyway possilbe, I would get a later flight.

 

As for the transfer to the airport. This will also depend on the day and the traffic. LA is a zoo. Last time there it took us only 30 minutes to get to the hotel when we arrived in the evening. The next morning, to get back to the airport to pick up friends arriving from Australia, the same exact trip took almost two hours. As I said, travel time all depends on the traffic.

[Cruisin' Chick]

A big variable has nothing to do with Princess. If customs and immigrations is running behind, there's a delay getting off the ship. On our last cruise, there was only the Island and the Monarch of the Seas in port on a Friday morning. The first color on the Island wasn't called til after 8:30, almost two hours behind schedule. If there are many people also asking for early disembarkation as well as those in the suites, it may be a while or you may be off very quickly.

 

As someone who used to drive the 405 freeway in the morning for years (before mommyhood called), I can attest to the traffic jams, and the unpredictability even on a weekend. One accident or a car pulled over by the CHP...

 

As we were getting picked up by a car service for the ride back home, we waited and got off at 11:10.