Any trouble getting a taxi at San Pedro (to LAX)? Plus Super Shuttle question

My spouse and I will be arriving at San Pedro on the NCL Jewel on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017, scheduled to arrive at 8am. (The Jewel will be the only ship there that morning.) We have a flight out of LAX around 1:15pm.

We'll probably do the self-disembark with our luggage, so we can get off as early as possible. Assuming we do that, would we have any trouble getting a cab to LAX? (I wouldn't consider a cab except on a Sunday morning.) I ask this because I saw an older post in which someone said she found it a madhouse trying to get a taxi at San Pedro, and really had to wait.

I did call Execucar to ask about reserving a car; the issue there is that if you guess wrong on the pickup time, they charge you while they wait. It's of course hard to know exactly when you can get off the ship, not to mention clear Immigration.

If we opt for the Super Shuttle, I don't want to be stuck waiting for the van to fill, nor take a chance that it won't go directly to LAX (though I imagine that with a disembarking ship, there will be plenty of folks going to the airport).

Any advice would be much appreciated; thanks!

My spouse and I will be arriving at San Pedro on the NCL Jewel on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017, scheduled to arrive at 8am. (The Jewel will be the only ship there that morning.) We have a flight out of LAX around 1:15pm.

 

We'll probably do the self-disembark with our luggage, so we can get off as early as possible. Assuming we do that, would we have any trouble getting a cab to LAX? (I wouldn't consider a cab except on a Sunday morning.) I ask this because I saw an older post in which someone said she found it a madhouse trying to get a taxi at San Pedro, and really had to wait.

 

I did call Execucar to ask about reserving a car; the issue there is that if you guess wrong on the pickup time, they charge you while they wait. It's of course hard to know exactly when you can get off the ship, not to mention clear Immigration.

 

If we opt for the Super Shuttle, I don't want to be stuck waiting for the van to fill, nor take a chance that it won't go directly to LAX (though I imagine that with a disembarking ship, there will be plenty of folks going to the airport).

 

Any advice would be much appreciated; thanks!

You can always use ontime1.com who doesn't charge for wait time, and you will be the only ones in the town car.:)

We got off the Jewel in San Pedro in Feb. of this year. We just walked outside the terminal and asked directions to where Super Shuttle picks up. Both Super Shuttle and Speedy Shuttle had dispatchers on the ground there. We had no reservations, but were quickly directed to the next available van. I don't think we waited longer than 5 or 10 minutes before we were on our way to LAX. Everyone in our van was headed to the airport.

We did not rush off of the ship....we waited to get off until after we had had a leisurely breakfast. There was not much traffic on a Sunday morning, so it was a quick van ride. (This was also Superbowl Sunday) I'd say we were at the airport no later than 10am.

I was in San Pedro for the first time last December.....

• our assigned debarkation was 9:15am. Due to a customs screw up where passengers were not completing forms until they were at the counter.... I did not leave the ship until 2pm. Apparently a similar thing happened to a friend on another Princess ship a few months later. Not impressed with San Pedro customs... especially if they do the customs debarkation processing there.
  
• unlike other places where people line up at the cab stand and taxi's are first come first serve.... San Pedro has me "registering" for a cab when I get to the stand. The single dispatch girl can be super busy with requests. You are questioned how big your party is and where you are going. I guess she is keeping the big cabs for large parties with luggage and small cabs for small groups. Kinda like waiting for a table at restaurants. The tough part was finding the short dispatch girl and trying to find where to stand. There was a line for the dispatch girl (who kept moving) and a second line for those waiting for cabs after talking to the dispatch girl. Not easily to find on that tiny safety island.
  

I haven't heard of any private shuttles charging for waiting. As Husky says On time doesn't charge extra, but I believe all of them will give you a quote ahead of time based on distance, no. of passengers/luggage (to determine the size of vehicle)...you can talk to the company about this, but they understand that you don't always get off the ship by a specific time. On our past three cruises out of San Pedro (we were taken home by the service so we didn't have a flight to catch), we usually came up with a possible time and for the two companies that actually didn't screw up (Prime Time messed up our booking), the driver kept in touch with us and waited for our call when we made it to the shuttle island.

Our experience in San Pedro is that Super Shuttle's vans fill almost the moment they stop. If they are your choice then your wait should only be minutes for the van to fill and then you are on your way. There is definately not the trolling routine that goes on at LAX.

Super Shuttle will be fine.

What time is your flight?

The good news is you are the only ship in port that day. Things normally work very smoothly. Some of the major challenges at this port is when there are more ships in port.

Keith

Thank you all for the information above. It's looking like Super Shuttle will probably be the way to go. But if anyone has more feedback on the taxi situation at San Pedro, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Thank you all for the information above. It's looking like Super Shuttle will probably be the way to go. But if anyone has more feedback on the taxi situation at San Pedro, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

If you are considering a Taxi, the cost for a town car is about the same. I don't take shuttles because I don't like them, but that is just a personal preference.:)

If you are considering a Taxi, the cost for a town car is about the same. I don't take shuttles because I don't like them, but that is just a personal preference.:)

I appreciate that advice. Frankly, we'd rather have a private car, but as I mentioned above, I'd checked with Execucar, and they said they charge for waiting time if you aren't off the ship at the arranged pickup time. That makes it pretty hard to plan, since we can't control what Immigration does.

I'd certainly appreciate any advice on private cars. Thanks.

We're on the same cruise, but flying out of SNA. Will the shuttles be a good option for us or should we look elsewhere? We have a 12:25 flight.

I appreciate that advice. Frankly, we'd rather have a private car, but as I mentioned above, I'd checked with Execucar, and they said they charge for waiting time if you aren't off the ship at the arranged pickup time. That makes it pretty hard to plan, since we can't control what Immigration does.

 

I'd certainly appreciate any advice on private cars. Thanks.

Try contacting ontime1.com. Usually $55 dollars for a private town car and no charge for wait time.:)

We're on the same cruise, but flying out of SNA. Will the shuttles be a good option for us or should we look elsewhere? We have a 12:25 flight.

Hello -- please come over and join our Roll Call! :)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2350933

We got off the Jewel in San Pedro in Feb. of this year. We just walked outside the terminal and asked directions to where Super Shuttle picks up. Both Super Shuttle and Speedy Shuttle had dispatchers on the ground there. We had no reservations, but were quickly directed to the next available van. I don't think we waited longer than 5 or 10 minutes before we were on our way to LAX. Everyone in our van was headed to the airport.

 

We did not rush off of the ship....we waited to get off until after we had had a leisurely breakfast. There was not much traffic on a Sunday morning, so it was a quick van ride. (This was also Superbowl Sunday) I'd say we were at the airport no later than 10am.

How much did they charge you per person?

How much did they charge you per person?

I think Super Shuttle charges $17 per person each way.

I think Super Shuttle charges $17 per person each way.

Thank to you I got the exact info I needed, I googled Super Shuttle got their phone number 1-800-258-3826 and verified $17 per person each way if I book online.

Hi folks, I appreciate all the advice about shuttles and private cars, but am really hoping to get some information about the taxi situation at San Pedro. As I said above, our ship arrives on Sunday, Feb. 5, scheduled arrival at 8am; only ship in port. Assuming we do the self-disembark, will it be easy to get a taxi to LAX, or will it be some sort of madhouse at the port?

Thanks for any help!

I would imagine you would be in a line to get a taxi. How long it will be or how fast it moves, as well as how many will be in front of you...who knows. May change every week (some cruises may tend to have a hi % of locals who probably will just park at the port or have a friend pick them up).

How much for a taxi to the Queen Mary area from the SPedro terminal?

Is that the best way to get there?