San Pedro/LAX car hire help please

[TAD520]

Hi all, we are sailing on the Mariner of the Seas on 2nd May and as we are flying in from the UK a few days before hand we will be hiring a car from Los Angeles International Airport. The plan is then to stay around Santa Monica for 3 nights ahead of our cruise.

 

The question I have is which are the best hire companies to consider as ideally we will collect from LAX and then want to drop the hire car off as close to San Pedro as possible with either the option of a shuttle or the shortest cab ride possible to the port on the day of departure.

 

If anyone can give me some advice on one way rentals and hire companies as close to San Pedro as possible this will make my life so much easier.

 

Many thanks,

 

Tracey

:)

[Splinter]

Enterprise has a location at the Crown Plaza hotel in San Pedro. It is the only one in that area. They close at noon on Sunday (sometimes they are closed on Sunday) and also charge a drop-off fee if you rent at the airport and drop the car there, so figure that into your costs. Otherwise, your options are to drop the car at the Long Beach Airport and take a paid shuttle or cab there to the port, or one of the downtown Long Beach locations (most of which are closed on Sunday as well) and take a cab from there. I believe there is also a Hertz location in Lomita which I have heard will give you a $10 credit toward a cab from there to the pier.

[PatriciaF]

The only option Splinter didn't mention (and the response was very thorough) would be just to return the car to LAX and take a cab or shared shuttle (SuperShuttle or PrimeTime) to the pier. What you save in drop off charges may pay for the transport. Plus--if you are starting your drive from Santa Monica/West Los Angeles to the pier, you will be driving by LAX anyway.

[TAD520]

Thanks for the info, I had not even thought about going back to LAX and this does seem sensible.

 

I will check the one way drop off charges before making a decision.

 

How long does it take to get a shuttle from LAX to San Pedro, presumably not that long?

 

Your help is invaluable, not sure what I would do without the internet!

 

Thanks,

 

Tracey

[shellmisi]

The Hertz Lomita no longer does the taxi credit thing. The "may" have a van or courtesy car available but it takes forever and only holds 3 people besides the driver. We had a bad experience with them. It took hours to get everyone off the port that had booked with Hertz and their employee was very flippant about the entire ordeal.

[carol459]

Thanks for the info, I had not even thought about going back to LAX and this does seem sensible.

 

I will check the one way drop off charges before making a decision.

 

How long does it take to get a shuttle from LAX to San Pedro, presumably not that long?

 

Your help is invaluable, not sure what I would do without the internet!

 

Thanks,

 

Tracey

 

Try http://www.SuperShuttle.com and make a reservation.

They have a $17 per person(in a shared van) charge to take you to the San Pedro Cruise Port. It is about a 35 to 45 minute drive depending on traffic. We have used them before and recommend them.

 

Rick