Mexican Riviera - flt & cruise times

[ultrablue]

:confused: How much time should I allow between arriving & cruise leaving? Going on Diamond Princess - Mexican Riviera- Oct 16th flying from east coast to Lax arriving at 11:15 cruise leaves at 5 pm. Return cruise returns at 7 flying out at 12:10 need to be there at 11. Has anyone flown and cruised these times?

[cactusrose]

Arriving at 11:15 PT for a 5:00 PM cruise should allow plenty of time. You should also be able to get to LAX on time when you return provided you can get off the ship early. Let Princess know you have a 12 PM flight and they should get you off ship on time. You should also arrange for transportation in advance as there will be a lot of passengers competing for the same taxis.

[karfest]

We always fly in the day before because you never know what type of delays you may hit. If you connect in Chicago, even in October you could hit wind or (yikes) snow that will mess you up. The Minneapolis airport had a power outage last week that really messed up flights all over the country. Always plan for the worst and hope for the best!

 

We arrived in LA from the Mexican Riviera at 6am and anticipated being off the ship by 9. If all goes well, a 12:10 flight should be fine. On our particular cruise,the first groups off didn't go until after 10am. We had a 12:20 flight and barely made it. Others from our cruise missed their flights and ended up at the airport for hours or taking busses to other airports. This has never happened to us before, but from now on my flights will always be after 1pm, just to be safe. Be sure you reserve a shuttle service as cab service is not real reliable. Also, sometimes it's a 30 minute drive, sometimes it's 2 hours to the airport. Gotta love that LA traffic!

[ocean.queen]

karfest is correct on all accounts...a 12:10 flight will be tight. If all goes perfect you could be ok.

BUT...IMO you should plan on being at LAX earlier than 11:00 for a 12:10 flight. Sometimes the security lines at LAX can take up to an hour to navigate (true, sometimes they are quick & easy, just depends on the day) Most that live here allow more than an hour for check-in & securty lines.

[mina]

Our return flight is also scheduled for around noon - however we are flying out of Long Beach airport -- will we have problem making the flight if we do not arrange for transportation in advance and plan on taking a taxi when we disembark? Thank you!

[ocean.queen]

Long Beach Airport is very close to the pier. You should be just fine...but be patient, it can get really crazy at the curb...many, many people drive their cars to the pier...(you know us crazy So Californians and our cars). I've always seen extra cabs (you can always call Yellow Cab and meet them a bit away from the crowd). Tell Princess you have an early flight and need to depart early...that will help a lot.

 

Sorry but I'm not familiar with a shuttle to Long Beach Airport ( we always use LAX)

[chefajax]

Hi to All...

Please remember that LAX, LA, and the docks (which are in San Pedro) are for us in California short distances, but we are use to sitting in long traffic jams and a 30 mile drive is nothing here. The Long Beach airport is the better choice to fly out of, IMHO. But taking a taxi? How much is that? With our gas prices SO HIGH, I'm afraid to ask.

I wish Princess sailed out of San Diego, with the airport visible from the docks, it is more laid back and easier to get around.......Dennis

[ocean.queen]

Long Beach Airport IS close to the pier. The route is a bit tricky because of our huge port and trying to navigate "around" it. You'll be fine with a shuttle or a cab...they will know the way. They might even take sidestreets to avoid the weekend beach traffic. Shouldn't be more than a half hour drive.

Now LAX, that's another story...... ;)

[mina]

Thank you both - maybe we will prearrange a car/shuttle so we do not have to worry about the chaos at the pier!

[BJLevan]

Is arriving at 1:42 at Long Beach for a 5:00 departure on the Diamond Princess enough time? Thanks!