San Diego Embarkation / Debarkation Questions

Hello, fellow cruisers!

I have read many past threads, both here on the West Coast Departure boards and on on the HAL boards, but, now that I have some specific information regarding our upcoming cruise on the Westerdam, I am hoping to get some updated information and insight.

1. We are flying in the morning of embarkation (short flight with an arrival around 9:00 am); the last time we sailed out of San Diego, we just caught a cab at the airport to take us to the port. Is this still the best plan for our day of arrival or do you recommend a shuttle service?

2. I am aware of the "mess" that can, and often does, occur at the San Diego port, especially on debarkation day, so I have a couple of questions:

3. Our flight does not leave until around 2:00 pm; is that leaving ample time for the debarkation "mess" that could occur at the port, or would an even later flight be recommended?

FYI: Even though we normally arrive early and sometimes stay an extra day, unfortunately, we are unable to travel to San Diego the night before the cruise or to stay in San Diego the night following the cruise.

I look forward to some insight from those of you who have recently gone through this process at San Diego! Thank you! :)

Cab is the simplest, around $10 to port. Could walk there if you really wanted to.

A 2pm flight should be ok even if some of your fellow pax are late seeing the CBP onboard.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

2 pm shouldn't be a problem at all. Agree about just grabbing a taxi for the airport to port trip.

Roz

When you get off the ship, if the cab line looks long for some reason, just cross the street and call an Uber or Lyft to pick you up there.

You can do the same thing at the airport on embarkation day. There's a pickup area for "app enabled car services" (or some similar label) near the taxi line. If you don't see any taxis and there are lots of people waiting, then just cross over to the next island.

Cab to the port, Uber or Lyft from it.

2PM is more than adequate.

I have never seen a disembarkation mess in San Diego once you are off the ship. It usually is pretty efficient, and you can select shuttle, cab, or Uber transportation with a quick response.

The problem with disembarkation in San Diego is while you are still ON THE SHIP due to the Immigration procedures, and often clueless non-USA citizens who don't follow directions for getting cleared on board as they were notified and when announced. Immigration will not let anyone disembark until these passengers have cleared.

Can anyone tell me the earliest you can drop off bags at San Diego?

When departing from Ft. Lauderdale we usually drop our luggage in the morning and then go out to lunch before coming back to actually go through embarkation, after everyone else is aboard. I'd like to do this in San Diego as well if possible. I've been there and seen disembarkation at the pier but never embarkation so any help would be appreciated.

Usually you can check your bags starting about 11AM.

Thanks, that sounds just about perfect. I can drop off the big bags, go back and have lunch in Little Italy, head to the ship with just our carry on stuff and check in just before the muster drill.

You may need to check in sooner than your plan. Many cruise lines now require that you check in at least 2 hours prior to the posted departure time. You can usually leave the port area and return later if you have already gotten your cruise card, but of course any hand luggage will have to be carried by you if you don't take them to your cabin first before leaving the ship to have lunch.

Yes, we'll verify with HAL when we get closer to know what the last time is we can check in. The overall goal is to avoid any lines at check in and our experience has been that if we wait until the last hour or so, we can waltz on without any delay.

This fall will be our first time embarking from San Diego for a Celebrity Panama Canal cruise.

We plan to arrive a day or two prior, so any hotel recommendations near the cruise port and restaurants ? Medium priced, not luxury or resorts.

Do the hotels offer shuttle service to the port ?

Best source for transportation from the airport to the hotel and hotel to the port, if hotel does not offer shuttle service, Taxi, Lyft, or Uber, approx. price ?

Do Taxis, Lyft, or Uber have room for 2 Adult Paxs, 3 pieces of luggage, and a mobility scooter ?

Thanks in advance for all responses,

Marriott has two brand new hotels right across the street from the cruise port, you could not get closer. There's a Spring Hill Suites and a Residence Inn. They're on the expensive side but you can walk to everything from there, a variety of restaurants, entertainment, shopping, etc. The only transportation you'll need is from the airport.

We used Uber on Memorial Day weekend with four people and two wheelchairs, we just specify that we need a large vehicle. The car that arrived was a huge SUV and both chairs fit in the back easily.

I took a taxi from the airport to my place about two blocks from the new Marriott and the fare was around $15.

There are hotels closer to the airport that offer shuttles, but then you'd need to use Uber or cabs to get to dinner each night, lunch, touring, etc.

From the area of the two new Marriotts you can walk a half mile to Little Italy (India Street) to find more than a dozen restaurants, not all Italian. You could also walk a half mile in the opposite direction to the old police headquarters (a restaurant and shopping center) and the adjacent Seaport Village.

Marriott has two brand new hotels right across the street from the cruise port, you could not get closer. There's a Spring Hill Suites and a Residence Inn. They're on the expensive side but you can walk to everything from there, a variety of restaurants, entertainment, shopping, etc. The only transportation you'll need is from the airport.

 

We used Uber on Memorial Day weekend with four people and two wheelchairs, we just specify that we need a large vehicle. The car that arrived was a huge SUV and both chairs fit in the back easily.

 

I took a taxi from the airport to my place about two blocks from the new Marriott and the fare was around $15.

 

There are hotels closer to the airport that offer shuttles, but then you'd need to use Uber or cabs to get to dinner each night, lunch, touring, etc.

 

From the area of the two new Marriotts you can walk a half mile to Little Italy (India Street) to find more than a dozen restaurants, not all Italian. You could also walk a half mile in the opposite direction to the old police headquarters (a restaurant and shopping center) and the adjacent Seaport Village.

Thanks euro cruiser.

Spring Hill Suites looks very nice and is offering a great senior rate. I think I'll grab it. Now where did I put my Marriott Rewards Card ? :rolleyes: