Confirmation of What I Think I've Learned

[bob7judy]

I just booked a Princess cruise to Hawaii leaving from Los Angeles. From what I have read on here, the cruise actually leaves from San Pedro and maybe better flights can be found to John Wayne Airport which is Orange County Airport (SNA). Taxis should not be too much from this airport to a hotel close to the port. Is this correct? Thanks for your input.

[Splinter]

No, that is incorrect. While Princess (as do most other cruise lines except for Carnival) does go out of the port of Los Angeles (San Pedro), John Wayne (Orange County) airport is actually further from the World Cruise Center than LAX. The closest airport is Long Beach. Depending on the time of day and traffic, it can take a considerable time via freeway to get from either LAX or John Wayne airport to San Pedro, and so a cab may not be your least expensive method of transportation, although it will usually be faster than cruise line shuttle buses or local shuttle companies such as SuperShuttle.

 

Regardless, you may want to check out prices and schedules at all 3 airports, depending on where you are flying to or from, and the time of year, to see if you can get special deals that would make up for the additional costs of ground transportation.

[jlmarr]

As noted by Splinter, LAX is closer than SNA, 20 miles vs 35 miles. LAX has more flights which usually means better fares due to the increased competition. Also as noted, LGB is the closest airport (15 miles) and is used by JetBlue amongst other airlines.

[bob7judy]

Thanks, I was afraid I had gotten mixed up about the airport. I will check fares to Long Beach from Houston. Orange County was cheaper than LAX but not so much that it would make up for additional ground transportation. Thanks again.