LAX or Long Beach... where to fly into?

[cruiseaddict05]

We would fly in a day early for our hopeful cruise August 9th on the Splendor. I have been looking at airfare like crazy and both are comparable pricing.

 

We would like to fly Southwest/Frontier as we don't have to worry about baggage but they only go into LAX and we plan on going to Long Beach to stay closer to the port. Then we have to consider getting to the hotel into the price... and back afterwards of course.

 

Otherwise we could fly Delta/Northwest for a similar price into and out of Long Beach (with the luggage factored in of course) and it would cost less to get to the hotel, pier and back to the airport.

 

Is it worth the fly into LA just to get my 4 bags for free? Is LAX really that much of a hassle? What is the difference in getting from LAX to pier/hotel than LGB??

 

Thanks!

[surfer_00]

omg you sound just like me!!! i have been searching two or three times a day, different airlines trying to get the best price! im flying from utah and would have liked to fly into long beach based on the convinience. not to mention that a lot of hotels have shuttle service to anf from airport for free. however the long beach airport, as im sure you have found, only has like 4 airlines that fly into it and they were the same pricing as LAX but not as many flight times. and there wasnt really any good flight times through delta that worked with the cruise dates.

 

anyways.........after a lot of long hard searching and figuring out numbers and pros and cons etc. i decided to fly southwest into lax. the deciding factor happened this morning as southwest is having a 48 hour deal: no matter what city you are going to or from, it is only 30, 60 or 90 one way. so i got our tickets for 120 pp which is a really good deal for us....especially since the last month prices really havent budged past the 200 range with any airline. plus southwest as you know has the no fee for 2 bag thing....which in turn will end up just paying for my shuttle to and from my hotel.

 

fyi: give or take a few dollars.....primetime shuttle and super shuttle are around 35 for 2 people into long beach....so about 70ish dollars roundtrip. and with most airlines it is 15 for the first bag and if you plan on only taking one(haha yeah right) that is at least 30 roundtrip per person. so it is almsot tit for tat with what airline and airport you plan on going into. but another factor to keep in mind is if for some reason you miss your flight home, LAX offers a lot more flights than long beach does. whew, im sorry if this was confusing, lol, but bottom line we purchased southwest and are flying into lax, staying the night before and the day after the cruise! good luck, hope i helped ya!

[cruiseaddict05]

Thanks for your thoughts. I wish we lived in a Southwest hub but we are from MN so we don't qualify for the super deals;(

I hate to say that I am really driven by this luggage thing and would really like 4 bags... looks like it might just be Southwest...

[Cruisin' Chick]

If you are staying in Long Beach, you can still fly into LAX. The freebie shuttles are only to airport hotels anyway (and the only reason to stay by the airport is if you have an early flight the next morning). Even if you get into the airport late at night, you can still catch a taxi, or maybe Supershuttle (or one of the other shuttle services) to your hotel.

 

The times to really avoid LAX is during holiday times (I can attest to that). Other than that, just be sure to add padding to your time schedule.

[paulanddarnell]

LAX is really not that bad. It is a big airport, but you can get to Long Beach easily. I love Long Beach because it is a little tiny airport, of course that means only four airlines and no shuttles. So, if prices were similar, I would always fly Long Beach, but go with the lower price.

 

For our cruise, we are flying out of Orange County airport (which is another option so check that out) to Miami and flying back Fort Lauderdale to Long Beach. It was the cheapest way to go. We are actually flying two different airlines because Delta had the cheapest flight there, and Jet Blue the cheapest flight back. I thought it would be more expensive to do one way tickets, but it was not. I don't know when that changed, but it seems like it used to be more expensive.

[cruiseaddict05]

LAX is really not that bad. It is a big airport, but you can get to Long Beach easily. I love Long Beach because it is a little tiny airport, of course that means only four airlines and no shuttles. So, if prices were similar, I would always fly Long Beach, but go with the lower price.

 

For our cruise, we are flying out of Orange County airport (which is another option so check that out) to Miami and flying back Fort Lauderdale to Long Beach. It was the cheapest way to go. We are actually flying two different airlines because Delta had the cheapest flight there, and Jet Blue the cheapest flight back. I thought it would be more expensive to do one way tickets, but it was not. I don't know when that changed, but it seems like it used to be more expensive.

 

It looks like we will be doing two one ways as well. We are flying from MN so unfortunately we don't get the super deals like some of the cities with hubs but it is very price comparable to fly Frontier on the way their and Southwest on the way back and that way we don't have to worry about luggage fees! :)

[chisoxfan]

I've looked at everyway to do the San Pedro thing also. Hotels at LAX for the weekend are usually dirt cheap and convenient so for our upcoming Sept. cruise will stay at the LAX Renaissance for 99 bucks and take a cab the next morning. This just seems the easiest way to do things. I have looked at the SP hotels and they are usually booked or relatively expensive so I don't see the savings or convenience in staying there. You still need to pay for cab or shuttle to get there and take another shuttle to the ship.

I have noticed different taxii fares in the past despite similar traffic. Is there any way to insure that you are getting the "best" fare (route, cab co,etc.?)

 

Just a thought on airfare. I travel alot so I always have SWA credits. The award travel is great because it is so flexible. The last three cruises we had I was able to get much earlier flights afterwards. However, even if you don't fly SWAyou can easily transfer points from AMEX- 24,000 for roundtrip and it can be done in minutes.

[cruiseaddict05]

Thanks for all of your help so far fellow CCers:)

 

We have decided to fly into LAX to get a non stop flight but I am seeking some advice on our return flight.

 

Our return flight is at 12:10. I am wondering if anyone has some advice on a reliable/affordable trip to the airport. There is always super shuttle but you may have to stop other places... is there a local shuttle service or something that is a hidden gem? We really don't want to spend $55 on a taxi when we can do it for half in a shuttle...

[Cruisin' Chick]

I've looked at everyway to do the San Pedro thing also. Hotels at LAX for the weekend are usually dirt cheap and convenient so for our upcoming Sept. cruise will stay at the LAX Renaissance for 99 bucks and take a cab the next morning. This just seems the easiest way to do things. I have looked at the SP hotels and they are usually booked or relatively expensive so I don't see the savings or convenience in staying there. You still need to pay for cab or shuttle to get there and take another shuttle to the ship.

I have noticed different taxii fares in the past despite similar traffic. Is there any way to insure that you are getting the "best" fare (route, cab co,etc.?)

 

Just a thought on airfare. I travel alot so I always have SWA credits. The award travel is great because it is so flexible. The last three cruises we had I was able to get much earlier flights afterwards. However, even if you don't fly SWAyou can easily transfer points from AMEX- 24,000 for roundtrip and it can be done in minutes.

 

Actually if you book at the right San Pedro hotel, they'll shuttle you over to the pier the morning of your cruise. You would just need to get from the airport to the hotel. But once you get there, if you want, you can grab something to eat in the area within walking distance. Much better than staying in the airport area.

 

And according to many posting here, some rooms will face the port so if you get up early enough, you can see your ship arrive.

[deepnite10]

as the crow fly s..long beach air. is closer..but, it could be just as

quick to get to LAX..though i hate hate the airport, it would be

my choice..

 

try priceline..chance s are you ll get the Crowne Plaza and they

have a shuttle to the pier..