Worried about disembarkation in San Pedro !

[Shippy]

Was just reading some current reviews for the Golden out of San Pedro.

People said that even though they had to be out of their cabins by 8am...they could not get off the ship until 10 or 11.

We will be traveling on that ship this Thursday.

We have a 10:45 flight out of LAX and will carry our luggage off. I just assumed we had plenty of time.

Please do not comment on the recommended times for fights being after 12pm

the fight we have is what we have. We cruise about 3 times a year and have never got off a ship that late.

Can anyone who has currently sailed out of that port share your experiences.

 

Thank You

[Pia1913]

Was just reading some current reviews for the Golden out of San Pedro.

People said that even though they had to be out of their cabins by 8am...they could not get off the ship until 10 or 11.

We will be traveling on that ship this Thursday.

We have a 10:45 flight out of LAX and will carry our luggage off. I just assumed we had plenty of time.

Please do not comment on the recommended times for fights being after 12pm

the fight we have is what we have. We cruise about 3 times a year and have never got off a ship that late.

Can anyone who has currently sailed out of that port share your experiences.

 

Thank You

 

Our friends in San Diego walked off the ship on Friday and were home by 9:30.

[IECalCruiser]

I believe the problem was that there were two ships in port at the same time. Maybe ICE used the same staff to handle both ships. The Golden is the only ship in port on the 7th.

Edited November 3, 2013 by IECalCruiser

[Shippy]

I believe the problem was that there were two ships in port at the same time. Maybe ICE used the same staff to handle both ships. The Golden is the only ship in port on the 7th.

The date we return is the 11th.

[peachykiehn]

You are the only ship on the 11th also. Might be close but hopefully will no experience the delays others have seen lately.

[swedish weave]

The date we return is the 11th.

 

CruiseTT shows the Golden as the only ship in port on the 11th.

 

www.cruisett.com is a handy website to check cruise ship schedules.

[cattolica]

Security will be much tighter at LAX since the shooting. It might not be the disembarkation from the ship that slows you down but more likely the time spent getting through the airport. Also, that is a Monday morning and traditionally freeway traffic can be heavier on Mondays LA.

 

We lived in the Los Angeles area for decades so have had a lot of experience with their heavy traffic.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Security will be much tighter at LAX since the shooting. It might not be the disembarkation from the ship that slows you down but more likely the time spent getting through the airport. Also, that is a Monday morning and traditionally freeway traffic can be heavier on Mondays LA.

 

We lived in the Los Angeles area for decades so have had a lot of experience with their heavy traffic.

 

Traffic is usually heavy that time of the morning. Is it possible to catch a later flight? Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

[calimn]

Unfortunately Monday is also busy day at the airport due to business travel. Please post back would be curious to see how it goes

[cruznliz]

We were on the Golden Oct. 24-28. You should tell the Purser's Desk early in the cruise what time your flight is and they will give you an early walk-off. Otherwise they just randomly give people any ol' time and if you don't like what they give you than you can change it the last day. It shouldn't be a problem.

[laraja]

My last two San Pedro disembarkations had me out on the sidewalk in front of the terminal within 15 min. of my scheduled disembarkation time (would've been even quicker but I have some balance issues and I opted to wait for elevator space rather than use the escalator).

 

Remember to fill out (and turn in) the questionaire about your flight time. Once disembarkation times are assigned, you can still ask to be placed in an earlier group (if one exists).

 

If you can manage your luggage without assistance you can be in the first "Walk-Off" groups.

[DrivesLikeMario]

There's no way you'll make that flight unless you do walk-off. Don't even consider any other way.

 

You never know what you'll get at the Port of LA. It's notorious for slow customs & immigration but there have been times in past years when we've walked off with our luggage and been driving home at 7:30am. Lately, that hasn't been the case though.

 

Your best bet is to walk off when the first walk off group is called (go to that disembarkation lounge so you know) and grab the first taxi. Traffic will probably still be pretty heavy at that time on a Monday. Do your online check-in for the flight on the ship the day prior. Good luck!

[Pam in CA]

Expect long delays and tightened security at LAX. They recommend arriving two hours prior to your flight for domestic flights and three hours for international flights. And, that's before the LAX shooting the other day.

 

I've disembarked in San Pedro many times and usually (at least in my experience), disembarkation starts later than in other ports, often after 8am. Traffic in and around LAX is horrible no matter what the hour or day. We flew into LAX last Sunday at 8:30pm and LAX was a madhouse and the 405 was at a standstill.

 

I wish you luck with a 10:30am flight as I suspect you'll need it.

[f-mattox]

I disembarked Golden Princess on Oct. 24th; we were off the ship at 9:00. But there were many groups after ours. You need to be sure that Passenger Services knows you have an early flight.

[waltd]

We were off the ship on Friday. Walk off time was 8:40 but they let us go early around 8:20. They had 6 customs agents working. It was an easy walk off that took about 10 minutes. One of the prior cruises I heard had only 2 customs agents and other ships in port. As others have said there will be traffic that time of day. First walk off for us I believe were around 7:30 am.

Edited November 3, 2013 by waltd

[caribill]

Remember to fill out (and turn in) the questionaire about your flight time.

 

Turn it in ASAP after filling it out as there are only a limited number of people that will be allowed to do the walkoff.

[cruzsnooze]

Lax is only about 20 freeway miles and you probably won't hit traffic until you are close to the airport. You should make it in 30 minutes although that's if things are moving, even moving slowly no more then 40 minutes. The security at the airport is unpredictable after the recent shooting. Good luck but I think you'll make it.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Was just reading some current reviews for the Golden out of San Pedro.

People said that even though they had to be out of their cabins by 8am...they could not get off the ship until 10 or 11.

We will be traveling on that ship this Thursday.

We have a 10:45 flight out of LAX and will carry our luggage off. I just assumed we had plenty of time.

Please do not comment on the recommended times for fights being after 12pm

the fight we have is what we have. We cruise about 3 times a year and have never got off a ship that late.

Can anyone who has currently sailed out of that port share your experiences.

 

Thank You

 

We have sailed in/out of San Pedro several times and usually have had different experiences. Of course, since we live 50 miles away from the port, we're not concerned with what time we get off the ship, and definitely don't ask for any special consideration. Sometimes being in the port with another ship may impact the disembarkation on your ship, but we've had some quicker exits when there's two other ships and slower with just one other ship -- so you can't go by the number of ships in port.

 

Also, as others noted, just because you get off the ship by a decent time, you'll also have to be praying to the traffic gods as the 405 can be notoriously slow even on the weekend. Rush hour isn't just one hour (I used to work close enough to the 405 at Santa Monica Blvd. and if any of us did a 7/11 run, we can often see bumper to bumper traffic even at noon on some days).

 

You didn't say what day you'll actually getting off the ship, but if it's this weekend, there could be lots of traffic, especially around the airport due to Monday being a holiday, and many people may take advantage of that for adding to a vacation.

 

And sorry, but when you say, "I just assumed we had plenty of time." and then pre-warn us not to say anything about your flight time, well, we have to warn others who are new to cruising (and many new to flying too) to make sure about recommended times for flights before booking your air travel. Any Angeleno knows how fraught with stress getting somewhere in LA can be if you don't allow for normal rush hour traffic, much less accidents/construction, etc. Hopefully what happened on Friday will never happen again, but maybe it will people some pause for planning for the unexpected.

[san diego sue]

On Nov 1st, most people had just carry on's. So most of the departure times said walkoffs. We changed ours from number 16 walkoff to 5. There is nothing to show when you walk off and frankly we just walked off at 8:00am. turned out our number had been called early . No crowd, just a handful of people. Got on the freeway and heading to San Diego was a breeze. However, noticed in other direction, really crowded. This was before the problem at airport.

Edited November 4, 2013 by san diego sue

[faiz23]

I got off from the LA port San Pedro on Nov 1st the morning of the shooting in LAX. I had absolutely no problems with the disembarkation process. We changed to assisted luggage group and since I was in a suite we got to stay in the lounge. They were about 5 minutes ahead of schedule and it was a smooth process. I even randomly get selected each time for secondary processing at CBP.

 

I love how TSA and CBP randomly selects me every time I fly or do anything yet I can't randomly win a lottery. CBP was extremely friendly and professional. I was pulled to the side at the disembarkation where they scan you id card and my wifey, kid and myself had to wait for CBP to escort us to the secondary inspection/questioning. They got us within 3-4 minutes and we got to skip a little bit of line thanks to that.

 

We were released from CBP after 8-10 minutes with barely any questions asked. Now I expected CBP to be rude and take forever but that was not the case. I had to take the elevator with my wife and kid due to having a stroller. Up until this time I was very happy with Princess employees during EMBARKATION and the cruise. The 2 princess employee's that I will never forget where helping elderly passengers at the elevator. They were backed up and both FRANCESCA AND FAYE (LA San Pedro Port) were extremely rude. I had no problem setting them straight but the passengers in front of us were elderly Asian and she was being rude to them asked them to split up and take the elevator alone or take the escalators. They wanted to stay together and then a spot opened up in the elevator and she rudely asked them to squeeze in. They did not comprehend due to English not being a first language. So she loudly told them to get in the elevator. They were kinda confused and she walked over and said get in the elevator and once they got in. She and I quote said outloud, " AM I SPEAKING FRENCH OR WHAT!!".

 

In my personal opinion for this event was Princess is trying to focus on tapping into large sums of money in the Asian markets along with the target market of princess is older folks and not young kids. She was rude to princess target customers and also the whole process of getting wheel chairs was ridiculous. Princess needs to realize that select few of their target market customers tend to use wheel chairs and they are always short of wheel chairs and assistance. At each port they had people just waiting around for wheel chairs or assistance. Princess needs to invest in more employees at the piers and wheel chairs as well.

 

The baggage was ready for us and we were out of the port with no issues at all. We stayed at the crowne plaza and our shuttle was already waiting for us. If you are traveling on a day with 2 ships in port than expect delays. If you are the only ship than I would expect a smooth process even with secondary inspection.

Edited November 4, 2013 by faiz23

[Pam in CA]

We cruise about 3 times a year and have never got off a ship that late.

Keep in mind that it doesn't matter which ship or cruise line, Customs & Immigration determine what time a ship disembarks in San Pedro (or any other US port.) This is not a Princess issue nor does Princess have any influence on what time disembarkation will start. Princess wants the passengers off the ship so they can prepare for the new passengers. San Pedro seems to be later than other ports I've disembarked at.

 

The 8am cabin time is so that the cabin stewards can prepare the cabins for the new passengers and is unrelated to disembarkation time. Unlike some other cruise lines, when boarding starts for a Princess cruise (usually between 11:30-Noon), all cabins are ready to be occupied so you can go directly to your cabin. You don't have to go up to Lido to sit and wait. Your cruise starts as soon as you step foot on the ship.

Edited November 4, 2013 by Pam in CA

[24639]

We got off the Golden on the 28th. I asked the purser's desk to put us in the first group so my son could get to school in Torrance on time at 8:10am. He was about 15 minutes late. The people at the front desk could not have been more understanding. The 11th is holiday for many folks so the freeway traffic will be lighter.

[roomba920]

We originally had a 12:30 pm flight out of LAX. When I entered our flight info on Princess's site, they notified me I wouldn't have enough time.

 

I was able to schedule a later flight (2:15 pm) with Southwest, who thankfully doesn't charge a change fee.

 

I'm guessing this is one reason why Princess wants passengers to enter their flight info on their site. (even those who didn't book through them).

[rdsqrl]

Well, if you're not allowing us to say anything about the ridiculously early flight, then I got nothin' . . .

[cruznliz]

Remember to fill out (and turn in) the questionaire about your flight time. Once disembarkation times are assigned, you can still ask to be placed in an earlier group (if one exists).

 

On these short cruises they do not send out questionaires. There isn't enough time. That's why it's important to notify the Pursers Desk of your flight schedule. There are so many walk-offs on a short cruise that it shouldn't be a problem.