Bay Area to Long Beach--what's better?

[travelgrammy]

We'll be taking Carnival Paradise late January, leaving from the SF Bay area. We have three choices:

1. drive down the day before.

2. fly down the day before.

3. fly down early morning day of the cruise.

 

We're trying to weigh the pros and cons of each choice. Which is better and why?

 

Thanks!

 

Anne

[gillianrose]

3. fly down early morning day of the cruise.

 

 

That's what we have always done, only we don't fly too early. Why spend money for a hotel in La-La land when it's not necessary? It's (still) a quick hop down by air and there are so many flights, you can always catch the next one if there's a problem on the first, and for us there has never been a problem on the first.

 

Nevertheless, we strongly prefer cruising out of San Francisco.

[Keith1010]

I would go down the day before no matter what you do. There is just too much that can go wrong the day you leave so getting down there the day before is always good.

 

While some fly the day of the cruise, it's just not worth the risk IMHO. There is Murphy's law and things can go wrong so I would go the day before for peace of mind.

 

Flying or driving is fine. If you fly, consider Jet Blue from Oakland to Long Beach and then you could stay over either in Long Beach ( I recommend it) or San Pedro. All other flights from either San Francisco or Oakland go to Los Angeles (LAX), which is fine but it's just a longer drive to the Long Beach/San Pedro Area but only about an hour depending on day/time of week and traffic.

 

Keith

[gillianrose]

I would go down the day before no matter what you do. There is just too much that can go wrong the day you leave so getting down there the day before is always good.

 

While some fly the day of the cruise, it's just not worth the risk IMHO. There is Murphy's law and things can go wrong so I would go the day before for peace of mind.

 

Flying or driving is fine....

 

This is overly cautious for anyone who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area as the original poster and we do. We have THREE major international airports and getting to the LA Area on the day of a cruise is no big deal.

 

I also think it is a pain to fly down the day or night before, get yourself to a hotel, sleep there, get up and get to the port. I would much rather sleep comfortably in my own bed and have breakfast here at home.

 

I would choose either San Francisco or Oakland airport, unless I happened to live very close to San Jose and was happy with it. It's your choice. Arriving in LAX isn't a big deal, either, as there are plenty of transportation options. Jet Blue to Long Beach may be OK, but I can't answer as we have not done that. The reason (at the time—2003 was when I checked extensively) for us was that the transportation options then were far fewer to San Pedro from Long Beach than from LAX. I don't do pay-in-advance-by-credit-card super shuttles or similar, and that was really the only option when we considered Long Beach. (The fewer people who have my credit card number and know I will be out of town the better, as far as I am concerned.)

 

Trust me, we've been cruising since the mid-1980's and the LA Area from the SF Bay Area does NOT require an overnight. It's a waste of money.

 

I wouldn't consider driving unless you are either extremely nervous about flying or you plan to spend time before or after your cruise sightseeing whatever there may be to see down south.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Jeez, let's see: mechanical problems, weather problems (SF does have weather; also LA occasionally has storms, especially in January), labor problems.

 

We live 50 miles away from San Pedro so we would drive in to SP or Long Beach for a cruise the morning before. If our car breaks down, we would have time to arrange for a tow to the repair shop and a taxi to pick us up. But further away, say, San Diego or San Francisco, we would definitely get to a port a day early and spend the night. That way, we wouldn't be stressed out. And we would be starting the vacation a day early.

[Bruin Steve]

gillian,

It's not always about saving money...or sleeping in one's own bed...

 

I do agree that it's not all that long a trip that you MUST go in a day before...but why not?

 

Were it me, I'd fly in the day before and spend a nice pleasant night at a Long Beach hotel...I'd eat a nice dinner, probably at Parker's Lighthouse...I'd stroll around Shoreline Village, then I'd get a really good night's sleep...The following day, I'd head over to the ship at my leisure...

 

Why? Because it's relaxing...it also feels like I've extended my vacation an extra day...I take away even that slightest of chances something goes wrong...

 

...and I start my fun a day early...

 

The extra cost? It's one night at a hotel and the cost of a nice dinner...For, me, we probably eat dinner out the night before anyway...even if it were at a restaurant at home...So, really all we're talking about is the cost of one night in a hotel...

 

I've seen people on these boards talking about getting the Westin Long Beach for as little as $60...

 

To me, that's worth it....Even if I pay $200, it's worth it...

[Keith1010]

Gillian, nowadays the airlines pack almost every plane. So, if the plane is cancelled at the last minute then there might not be an option but to miss a ship. So, if it was me I would go in ahead of time.

 

Now, many people would say not to worry. That they will make it. But times have changed when it comes to travel from the planes being full to the airports sometimes being shut down due to various alerts to what happened just the other day with FAA computer problems, to natural disasters. As I say there is this thing called Murphy's Law.

 

And, I am very familiar with California having lived there before.

 

Keith

[skandls]

I too vote for flying in the night before. You don't have to get up real early to hit the bag check and security lines at the airport. Check into the hotel the night before - and you are already on vacation.

 

The next day you can head out to the ship, hopefully board early, and grab a bite to eat - a drink - check out the ship - your dining assignments and all the other good stuff.

[PDAZ]

I've flown in from Phx the day of for the three cruises I've taken from So Cal. I just booked an early flight -- if something went wrong, I'd have time to do the six hour drive. If I hadn't been to the port before, I might fly in a day early -- Long Beach has some nice tourist spots, particularly the aquarium. But I've been there, done that several times. I'm with gillianrose on this one -- I'd rather spend the money on the cruise.

[travelgrammy]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone! If we don't drive, we'll definitely take JetBlue because I really hate LAX. Same day vs. day before-- we just don't know. I haven't been to Long Beach since I was 16 and DH hasn't been at all, so that's a consideration. I haven't heard that flights from up here to LA get messed up or late too much, but there's always a first time, I guess. Anyway, thanks to everyone who responded.

 

Anne

[travelgrammy]

Oh, BruinSteve, can you tell me more about Parker's Lighthouse? Sounds intriguing....

[Nancyquilts]

Whether we drive or fly to L.A. or San Diego, we always go a day early. If we drive, there may be a problem getting over the Grapevine Pass, so we want to stay on the far side that night. I'm not young enough to have enough time or energy to to spend it worrying about getting places. Nancy

[Cruise_More_Often]

Travelgrammy: We have flown down and driven down, but we always plan on spending the night at a hotel. We figure it's a great way to start our vacation, and we're rested. Even if you run into no problems whatsoever, flying has become a major hassle.

 

I vote for spending the night at a nearby hotel.

[Bruin Steve]

Oh, BruinSteve, can you tell me more about Parker's Lighthouse? Sounds intriguing....

 

It's a restaurant right at the "point" of Shoreline Village in Long Beach...Pretty good seafood...and neat building...with great views...

 

Check it out here:

http://www.selectrestaurants.com/graphics/second/parkerslight/photo1.jpg

http://www.selectrestaurants.com/graphics/second/parkerslight/photo3.jpg

http://www.selectrestaurants.com/graphics/second/parkerslight/photo2.jpg

http://p.vtourist.com/1/32486-Parkers_Lighthouse-Long_Beach.jpg

http://www.selectrestaurants.com/parkerslight/index.html

[melika091900]

we usually leave the bay area at 5am and drive down the day we leave,,

theres no traffic on the 5,, and its a straight shot

then get there, park and get on the ship

weve done it 3 times for cruises out of LA ...

and then when the cruise is over we get in our car and go

we dont have to wait at any aiport for a flight or anything

we drove to san diego recently for a cruise , and im glad we did, we arrived 6 hrs late to port and everyone was scrambling rescheduling flights booking hotels etc it was a nightmare,

i was so glad we just got off . got in our car and went ...

Melissa

[RockerWife]

We are coming from the Modesto area - we aren't any further North than the Bay Area, just a bit futher East. When we cruised out of Long Beach in Feb, we left home at 5am, one stop for coffee and another potty break (traveled with 3 kids, 11 - 18) and we were at the Queen Mary before 10:30.

 

We figured if something happened, we have AAA that could tow my truck and we could then grab a rental. But, I do understand folks that want to head down the night before - to me it is more of a hassle.

 

Good luck and have a great time no matter what you decide!

[cathyz]

We always drive down to avoid all the hassle of flying now (and I hate to fly anyway) and you don't have to be so worried about what/how to pack, etc. And your vacation starts a day early!!!

[suziehmkr]

It truly is a matter of personal choice and what you make of it. I would prefer to fly - but since DH isn't a fan of flying, we make the most of our drive. We go down the day before. Some call this overly cautious - I call this not being tired from a long drive before I get on the ship. We live south of the bay area.

 

We have done this trip a few times and we have tackled it a few different ways.... always a day (or two) early. We generally leave early in the morning, unless we are traveling with another family. Sometimes we straight-shot it down 5 and over the Grapevine. Other times we meander down the coast and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

 

We have a goal of visiting all of the California Missions... so we take the opportunity during the drive to mark one or two off of our list, when we can. We also do fun things like head over the Buena Park for a dinner show (Medieval Times or Pirate Dinner Adventure) - this helps entertain the children the evening before and helps them get to sleep.

 

Considering I got the Hyatt in Long Beach for only $58 on Priceline, I am actually saving money over parking at the airport and paying for transfers down south.

 

I don't have to watch my amount of purchases in Mexico or on the cruise... much to the dismay of my husband - because I don't have to worry about luggage weight or space.

 

And waking up in the morning and either watching your ship pull in or have it parked in your window frame when you open the curtains is one of my favorite parts! Only once did we not have a harbor view and I truly missed that event. Sounds corny - but it is something I look forward to each time we cruise and I will pay extra for a harbor view, if required - but we have always been lucky. The one time we didn't have the view was because we stayed a hotel that wasn't close to the harbor - and I didn't realize how much I enjoyed it, until it didn't happen.

 

If we end up doing the Spirit out of San Diego for Christmas 2009, we will probably drive down to Santa Barbara and catch Amtrak to San Diego. Just another way to make the trip a little different and shake it up a bit.

 

Isn't it great that we have so many choices?

[Cruisin' Chick]

Tina, we live about a 20-minute (or less) drive from the San Fernando Mission. I think I've seen four of them so far.

 

We've done early am drives to Disneyland and San Diego. But even though I wasn't doing the driving, it's still tiring. I think if we go on a cruise any farther than Long Beach or San Pedro, we would stay the night. We even stayed overnight in Oxnard the night before we caught a train up to Seattle for our Alaskan cruise. And then spent a couple of nights pre-cruise in Seattle. It's just more relaxing to spend the night in a hotel and then have a quick drive to the port.

[suziehmkr]

Patty - I wish you would consider booking Mariner for 2009. Mommykim is going!! It's two years away - you could ebay for 2 years and pay for it! ;) That is what I am doing for the Monarch cruise. It is a suprise, so I am going to pay for it with ebay! Woo Hoo!

[Cruisin' Chick]

Patty - I wish you would consider booking Mariner for 2009. Mommykim is going!! It's two years away - you could ebay for 2 years and pay for it! ;) That is what I am doing for the Monarch cruise. It is a suprise, so I am going to pay for it with ebay! Woo Hoo!

 

I just noticed the 2009 part. that's a long way off. How do you pay with ebay? Are you selling things on ebay or are there cruises for sale on ebay? I would like to sell some of my paperbacks on ebay (I've got a crate of mystery and comic romances). But I've been distracted by hubby's situation to really do much (I did take a box to the post office and weighed it...and started writing up descriptions of books).

[suziehmkr]

I just sell stuff on ebay and then make payments on the cruise with my PayPal card. I will wait until I have $100 or more built up before I make each payment. I have done that before with Stacey's trip to Costa Rica. Yup - more than two years away. I have never had a cruise booked this far out. But, it is fun - our roll is chatting it up. I have a group booking, so there are ammenities - deposit it only $250pp, but the ship is filling fast. You still have my email don't you?

[Cruisin' Chick]

I think I do have it (the yahoo one). When was the Mariner built? (H likes newer ships).

[travelgrammy]

Again, more good ideas! Thanks all! To all those who suggested driving down the morning of, DH drives for a living and isn't interested in starting his vacation with that kind of drive. A leisurely drive the day before, with plenty of time to stop when we want, that's fine with him. But the other is too much like his job! Tina, thank you for reminding us we don't have to take 5! Driving down 101 would be lovely! Oh yeah, and taking the train to San Diego is gorgeous! My sister lived in Poway about 10 years ago and sometimes the kids and I would take Amtrak down rather than fly. I LOVED it! If it wasn't that we know the Coast Starlight has major late problems in the winter months, we'd take the train down in January. I know there's an Amtrak bus that connects with Long Beach.

 

Anne

[suziehmkr]

I think I do have it (the yahoo one). When was the Mariner built? (H likes newer ships).

Yes - that one... shoot me an email and I will fill you in. She was "born" in late 2003 - but is in excellent shape. It is the first time that a Voyager class ship will be here and they have to bring her around South America to get her here. Email me and I will give you all of the details. :)