Best Airport From San Pedro Cruiseport

Need help selecting an airport after our cruise.

We will be returning at 7:00AM to San Pedro on the Crown Princess on Saturday, November 14th. We will be flying Southwest back to Albany, NY. We can fly out of LAX, Orange County or Burbank.

If we want to catch a flight between 1:00PM and 1:30 PM, which airport would be the best, considering traffic, distance, etc.? The return flights are all comparable in price.

Also, what is the best way to get from the airport to the cruise and from the cruise to the airport?

Thanks for the help.

Bill

LAX is the best bet and is the closest. But because of possible traffic, it may take you more then 1/2 hour to get to LAX. Now last Saturday we left San Pedro(We had our own car) and the 405 freeway was not very crowded at all. We left the parking lot at San Pedro at about 10:15 or so. Still LAX is the way to go. We like to use Super Shuttle both ways. Just reserve space with them and they will give you details on where to meet and the time.

We prefer Long Beach - close to San Pedro, easy cab ride, smaller and easier to navigate airport. We've avoided LAX for years.

Problem with Long Beach is that it has very limited flight choices...

Between LAX, John Wayne (Orange County) and Burbank--and desiring to leave early afternoon after the flight, LAX would be my clear choice...

It's a BIG airport--It is the 6th busiest airport in the world--and some people find that intimidating...But, if you are just flying in or flying out and not trying to make a connection there, you are not really having to deal with the whole airport. Some complain about long security or check-in lines...BUT, we have RARELY encountered that--and I fly quite a bit...It all depends on airline, timing, etc., I guess...Also, nowadays, you can bypass a lot of any check-in hassle by checking in via computer beforehand.

LAX is only 20 miles from the Cruise Terminal in San Pedro (John Wayne is 33, Burbank is 36)...On a weekend, traffic is not too bad...It should only take about a half an hour once you get rolling. More time is taken up in the process of getting off the ship, and passing through customs/passport check...

As you can see people have different opinions as to what is best.

If it were me, I wold leave out of LAX and take a town-car to the airport. I don't like shuttles, and I don't spend several thousand dollars on a cruise, and hundreds of dollars in tips to the crew to save a few bucks with a shuttle, where you are usually crammed in, and possibly make several stops before your departing terminal. For me, a town-car doesn't cost that much more.

But, that is just my personal preference.:)

We prefer Long Beach - close to San Pedro, easy cab ride, smaller and easier to navigate airport. We've avoided LAX for years.

Southwest doesn't fly out of Long Beach. :rolleyes:

Great advice. Thanks again. I can always count on those who are willing to help others.

Bill

The distances to LAX vs. SNA are accurate...with typical Saturday traffic, it will take 20 minutes longer to get to SNA. The shuttle fare will be higher. That said, SNA is much smaller than LAX and you will easily save more than 20 minutes getting from curbside to gate. That's especially true with SWA. Their LAX T1 is a glorified Greyhound station and security waits are hit-and-miss....I've seen lines out the door onto the sidewalk. The SWA area at SNA is fast and efficient, and any of the 3 security zones can be used to access any gate.

In my mind the ship-to-gate time and hassle is less at SNA than LAX. I'd choose the airport with flight times that best fit your schedule.

Burbank will be more expensive to get to, in terms of transportation. No direct route.