Help me overcome my "East Coast Bias"

In late March, our family of four will sailing on a week long Spring Break cruise out of Los Angeles/Long Beach. We will visit Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Prior to this we have always drove to the cruise port in our native Florida and sailed the Caribbean. We know nothing about cruising the Pacific and West Coast Mexico. We are flying Delta non stop from Orlando to LAX on the day of our departure. It's an early flight. Should arrive plenty earlier. How long to gather up bags and get to the port? Is the boarding procedure significantly different that the Florida cruise ports. We are not platinum. What is the air temperature likely to be on our sea day on the way to Cabo in late March? What's the air/water temperature in all of our ports. We are used to the warm Caribbean seas and skies. What's the rain chance in those waters in late March? Passing shower or all day rain? What should not be missed in these 3 ports? After the cruise is over, are there any excursions that will drop me off at LAX? Is "luggage express" offered from Long Beach to LAX? Anything else I should know? Thanks shipmates.

I've done two Mexican Riveria cruises. The trip up and down the Baja peninsula will be cooler than you are used to not cold, but 70's....the cold water California current dictates that. But once you get down close to Cabo San Lucas and further south, you will be warm or even hot. So maybe 2 days of your cruise might be cooler than you are used to but compared to what most of the country is going to be going through it is still pretty nice!

Travel time from LAX to LB should be around 30 minutes depending on the 405 traffic. You will check in on the plaza outside the queen mary dome. Weather in March can range from mid-60s to 70s. We've had a three-year drought so you could get rain or not. Water around Catalina can be chilly. Ensenada weather is about the same as Long beach, give or take 10 degrees.

Oh yeah, the ship itself can be cold. You may have to warm up by going outside so bring a light sweater. Hot chocolate also works😃

I still cruise for Warm Chocolate Melting Cake (with 2 sugar-free vanilla ice-creams)

I can't get over the fact you're flying in the day of the cruise. What time do you land?

705 AM nonstop on Delta gets into LAX at 945 AM. If you stay at a hotel near MCO, you'll be getting up at 500 AM for your flight, which is 200 AM west coast time.

Personally, I would NEVER travel like that because of the fatigue factor and of course if there are any problems with your plane. Sure hope you purchase insurance. Best of luck.

I can't get over the fact you're flying in the day of the cruise. What time do you land?

I can't get over the fact that you can't get over the fact of flying in the day of the cruise! ;)

I've always done it, including Euro cruises with a connecting flight, where we flew out the night before. Have not missed a ship yet.

To each his own but don't judge.

Many of us are more risk averse than you are and just wouldn't be comfy flying cross country on the day of the cruise. Depending on traffic it can take up to an hour to get from LAX to the port in Long Beach.

We like to buy FTTF(faster to the fun) to get on board early with cabin ready.

Temps are usually in the high 60s-low 70s on land at that time of year in Long Beach. It will be warmer in Mexico but the Pacific Ocean is never as warm and as smooth as the Caribbean. Are you on the Mar.28 Miracle cruise??

We are also on that cruise and expect nice warm sunny beach weather once we are in Mexico!!

I can't blame you for being nervous. Please say you did purchase the travel insurance but don't fret over the next few months about it ~ you'll make yourself a nervous wreck.

One good thing is your flying out of a warm climate so you shouldn't have delays. It could be worse.... Hang in and get excited

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Personally I wouldn't fly cross country day of cruise but in March the weather shouldn't be an issue.

Your also getting in early enough, to LAX, the outbound traffic to LB shouldn't be that bad

I would google your arrival day to see if there is any big events scheduled or maybe any closures

For each port go over to the ports of call section for great ideas

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=203

2 things I recommend while onboard the ship

As you sail south to Mexico look for whales, while it is late in the season, there will be some. Sometimes sea turtles

When leaving PV, there is a dolphin pod that likes to ride the wake, as you leave the port

Flying from ca to Fl you also need to worry that it's 3hours later there to start with. I think the OP will be fine traveling on cruise day since because of the time change.

Ports in Mexico can be quite warm that time of year. I'm sure you will have a great time.

I would have no trouble flying cross country east to west on the morning of the cruise, sounds like an excellent plan. That's how the majority of cruisers do it any way. Like Lou, I've done it for all but 3 of my 28 cruises.

All the automatic worries and judgment from the "conventional wisdom" of CC need to either not offer their worried opinions when not asked or take a chill pill.

As to the OP's question, yes, you will find it a bit cooler in the Pacific Ocean, the beaches are certainly not as warm or as blue as the Caribbean, and chances of rain should be less then 20%.

I can't get over the fact that you can't get over the fact of flying in the day of the cruise! ;)

 

 

 

I've always done it, including Euro cruises with a connecting flight, where we flew out the night before. Have not missed a ship yet.

 

 

 

To each his own but don't judge.

*thumbs up* Not everyone has unlimited vacation time to spend at leisure.

The water on the northern end of your cruise will be colder and rougher than the Caribbean. Enjoy!

We have done that cruise many times and spend a lot of time in Cabo. The trip down is not bad but coming back is always very windy and cold. The water is cold compared to the Caribbean.

In Cabo we to a little bar, UNO Mas and to the Sand Bar on the beach.

PV, the Tequila Factories are cool.

We only go out of California because it is too far to Florida.

Enjoy and have fun!

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Personally, I would NEVER travel like that because of the fatigue factor

We are "east coast" people. Our last cruise was out of LA, and I'm glad that we flew out early. Our first day was a waste, adjusting to the time change. We took an early flight to LAX (which meant getting up at around 4am), and arrived there around 10:00am. We checked in at our hotel around noon then went out for lunch at nearby Shoreline Village. We were back at the hotel around 2pm.

We decided to take a "little nap" and ended up sleeping until MIDNIGHT! :eek: We were up until 2-3am, then fell asleep again, and woke up two hours later at around 5am. :confused: The good news is that by noon, we were semi-acclimated to the west coast. :)

All the automatic worries and judgment from the "conventional wisdom" of CC need to either not offer their worried opinions when not asked or take a chill pill.

No offense, but that "conventional wisdom" at CC sometimes comes from experience, sometimes professional experience, and more than once, it has saved some people from missing their cruises.

I am an Airline Pilot, and knowing everything that could go wrong, even on the most beautiful, clear spring day, traveling on the first nonstop flight in the morning, I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER fly on the same day of the cruise. NEVER. With all due respect, it's the absolute dumbest cruise-related decision that anybody can make.

Yes, I have flown plenty of passengers to/from their cruises, most who make it there on time. But I have also operated (more than once) a delayed or canceled flight with teary cruise bound passengers, who realized a little too late how stupid they'd been by flying in on the same day of the cruise.

But you can keep doing what you're doing. It's your prerogative. It's not a question of IF it will happen to you, but WHEN will it happen to you.

Oh my, you must be brave to fly in on the day of the cruise. I most certainly hope the plane lands at LAX well before noon because the trip out to Long Beach on the Freeway is never predictable. I took a shuttle and had to wait at least 45 minutes for it to be fully loaded and it had three stops. It took the better part of two hours to get to Long Beach from the airport. I hope you are taking a Carnival transfer because you'll get there faster, but you'll still have to wait for everyone else's plane to land before you leave.

Luggage--I am VIP and checked in extra early. I had to drag the bags over to where the parking was to drop them off. The ship was doing a immigration check and offloading passengers was taking longer than usual.

The Pacific Ocean isn't anything like the Caribbean. it is called the Wild Pacific for a reason...She's big, she's more green than blue, and totally unpredictable when it comes to motion of the ocean! Weather also can be unpredictable. You could have hot hot hot weather from start to end, or you could have cooler weather the first day and last day. I went in September when the Splendor was doing Mexico and the last sea day was rather cool when it should have been really hot......

Hope you enjoy the Best Coast, aka the West Coasts!

In late March, our family of four will sailing on a week long Spring Break cruise out of Los Angeles/Long Beach. We will visit Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Prior to this we have always drove to the cruise port in our native Florida and sailed the Caribbean. We know nothing about cruising the Pacific and West Coast Mexico. We are flying Delta non stop from Orlando to LAX on the day of our departure. It's an early flight. Should arrive plenty earlier. How long to gather up bags and get to the port? Is the boarding procedure significantly different that the Florida cruise ports. We are not platinum. What is the air temperature likely to be on our sea day on the way to Cabo in late March? What's the air/water temperature in all of our ports. We are used to the warm Caribbean seas and skies. What's the rain chance in those waters in late March? Passing shower or all day rain? What should not be missed in these 3 ports? After the cruise is over, are there any excursions that will drop me off at LAX? Is "luggage express" offered from Long Beach to LAX? Anything else I should know? Thanks shipmates.

I am "surprised", you did not find out some of this basic information prior to booking? Especially the weather and ports. Have you looked over a shore excursion list and narrowed down your interests? for me, this is a crappy itinerary, :) and not my preference compared to the Caribbean, but I have sailed it several times and will be repeating in January. :)

I have had great service with Prime Time Shuttle and have used them three times this year. Will be using them again in January. There likely will be ship excursions with the LAX transfer. There have been on the 2 cruise lines I sailed this year.

Thank you for all the replies.

I am "surprised", you did not find out some of this basic information prior to booking? Especially the weather and ports. Have you looked over a shore excursion list and narrowed down your interests? for me, this is a crappy itinerary, :) and not my preference compared to the Caribbean, but I have sailed it several times and will be repeating in January. :)

 

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Wow Really:confused:

I know you have given great advice over the years, but sometimes your comments are over bearing.

I would rather go to these ports than Cozumel, Progresso, and Costa Maya any day:rolleyes:

FYI--

The Alaskan Current travels southbound along the West Coast. Going North it is almost a slightly to a heavily bumpy ride.

Your weather should be good.

We did this exact cruise in spring break 2014.

Weather was perfect except last sea day back. Cool winds and choppy waters. They even closed the roof on the Miracle but barely anyone was on deck.

Highly recommend Las Caletas excursion in PV. Highlight of our trip !!

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In late March, our family of four will sailing on a week long Spring Break cruise out of Los Angeles/Long Beach. We will visit Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. Prior to this we have always drove to the cruise port in our native Florida and sailed the Caribbean. We know nothing about cruising the Pacific and West Coast Mexico. We are flying Delta non stop from Orlando to LAX on the day of our departure. It's an early flight. Should arrive plenty earlier. How long to gather up bags and get to the port? LAX is about 40 minutes from Long Beach.Is the boarding procedure significantly different that the Florida cruise ports. We are not platinum. When we sailed out of Long Beach in April 2011, we checked in outside the port building, which is a big dome. There was limited seating outside-cement benches.What is the air temperature likely to be on our sea day on the way to Cabo in late March? It was warm enough for shorts when we were there. But like anywhere, the weather is unpredictable.What's the air/water temperature in all of our ports. The air temps at the ports should be nice and hot. The water temps, on the other hand, are quite a bit cooler than the Caribbean due to the westerly ocean currents. We still snorkeled but our naughty bits were a little shocked at first.We are used to the warm Caribbean seas and skies. What's the rain chance in those waters in late March? Passing shower or all day rain? What should not be missed in these 3 ports? See below.After the cruise is over, are there any excursions that will drop me off at LAX? Is "luggage express" offered from Long Beach to LAX? Anything else I should know? Thanks shipmates.

We loved our Mexican Riviera cruise. It was something different. (We are so tired of Cozumel and Grand Cayman.) We booked a private snorkeling excursion in Cabo with Pez Gato. We sailed past Land's End. How many people can say they snorkeled in the Sea of Cortez? We were served delicious boat-made fresh guac, salsa, chips, and sandwiches. The drinks were ever-flowing. The crew was great. One of the best excursions we've ever taken.

We would not hesitate to cruise Mexican Riviera again should the opportunity arise. Have a great time.

It's not so much judging, I find it very risky to land the day of the cruise. Maybe you never missed one, of the many cruises I have been on I count three that I would have missed had I flown or tried to fly the day of two for snow one for fog. Even leaving a warm city like Tampa, with fog and lightning delays you can easily miss a connecting flight. For the cost of one night in a hotel I feel relaxed knowing I am a cab ride away from the port, can get on early and am rested to enjoy my first day on board ship.