Can I sit at LAX airport from midnight till 9am when my cruise starts boarding?

[Tapi]

It's an airport.....you just need a chair in quiet area. I have spent hours in airports on layovers many times, people do it every day. It can be done and will not kill you as some seem to think.

 

 

Sleeping at an airport isn’t going to kill the OP, but it will set the tone for the first day or so of the vacation. Groggy and tired is not how most of us giving this advice would like to start a vacation. Call me high maintenance, but after spending a couple thousand dollars on a vacation, I would like to be relaxed, rested and alert to enjoy every minute of it from the beginning!

 

 

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[valleyvillage]

It might be good to consider this about LAX:

Hours Of Operation of Each Terminal

[PelicanBill]

I live in so cal. Not sure I’d walk with my valuables at midnight from the airport into westchester.

 

There are hotels south of LAX in El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, etc.

 

Another thought, do any terminals have those places you can rent for a quick nap? The 24 hour lounge, recommended earlier, is a good idea too.

 

 

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I would walk it. There is 1000 feet along commercial roadfront and the rest is sidewalk along entrance ramps to the airport. It is really close.

 

 

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[Homosassa]

It might be good to consider this about LAX:

Hours Of Operation of Each Terminal

 

This information was already posted in post 4 of this thread. I suggest that everyone read it and note that the terminals are closed to the traveling public for part of the night.

[valleyvillage]

Right, Homosassa! I read that with interest and then a growing discomfort as others said, aw, go ahead and sleep there! I thought, oh well, it wouldn't hurt to repost. But, seriously, with free shuttles to nearby hotels as cheap as $71...

[RD29P5]

This information was already posted in post 4 of this thread. I suggest that everyone read it and note that the terminals are closed to the traveling public for part of the night.

 

This is the issue that may arise. When passenger service shut's down at most every airport is when they do the maintenance work cleaning floors, window's, pressure washing the sidewalk area's. If LAX is anything like SFO the airport police will also sweep the non-secure area (baggage claim, ticketing lobby) and run out the homeless. None of which will allow the OP to have a restful area to relax or sleep.

 

I do think that most people missed part of the question, and have just focused on the OP being able to sleep at the airport. While it is entirely possible, the option to take a different flight that arrives at 8:30 AM but cost's less than $100 more is probably the best option. Being able to sleep in my own bed Vs. trying to sleep in an airport lobby over $60 is a no brainer to me.

[bjtravelnews]

There is an entire website about sleeping in airports.

https://www.sleepinginairports.net/usa/losangeles.htm

BTW, you are not the only one this week to look at hanging out at the airport for the few hours remaining of the night before a cruise. I passed on similar info for Boston.

Thanks for the link! Never saw this site before.

[Peachypooh]

My main concern would be cutting it so close to embarkation. We try to either fly in early the day before the cruise or even two days before if it is winter. That said we have arrived at LAX from HNL (going by memory we arrived somewhere around 4 or 5 a.m.) to wait for our connection. It was deserted and no services except bathrooms.

[cruisequeen4ever]

LAX is not the most comfy airport for sleeping; I wouldn’t recommend it. Now if you planned on staying awake there all night, I’d take the shuttle to the Intl terminal, as it has flights going late and will at least be more open overnight. It would be a safer bet to fly in the night before; the time spent overnight just wouldn’t be fun. One other option would be to put in a cheap hotel bid on Priceline and see if by some chance it’s accepted.

 

 

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[Tapi]

But, seriously, with free shuttles to nearby hotels as cheap as $71...

 

 

One of the things that I recommend from experience in LAX is to book a room in advance if possible . I was stuck there one time when I missed my connection and the only thing available was an EconoLodge for $140. I prepaid for it, only to learn that they charged an additional $10 for transportation each way (which was a hotel employee in his personal car).

 

The hotel was awful. First clue was the bulletproof glass at the hotel check-in desk. Very bad part of town, my door didn’t flush with the door frame so I could hear cars in and out of the parking lot, and people hanging out in the outdoor hallway right outside my door as if my door was propped open. There was frequent knocking at the next door room with people going in and out all night long. Pretty sure there was some sort of “business” being conducted. In addition to the room being filthy, I couldn’t get a wink of sleep fearing for my safety. I arrived at the hotel at 1am and was back at the terminal at 5am even though my flight wasn’t until 10am. Felt safer there.

 

So that was one time when I cursed my decision to get a hotel room and I felt as if I would’ve been more comfortable just finding a spot on the floor at the airport.

 

 

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[sfaaa]

A decent LAX area hotel will cost more than $60 with add on tax. Crashing in an airport is not as bad as it sound. It has AC, free wifi, washroom, snack/coffee machine, benches to sit and safe to hang out. Grab a book, your iPhone, some snack, go find a quiet corner and you can easily kill a few hours in there with some shut eye time in between. I still do it occasionally when I have to catch a 6am flight with early check in time at 4am.

Edited September 8, 2018 by sfaaa

[ColeThornton]

A decent LAX area hotel will cost more than $60 with add on tax. Crashing in an airport is not as bad as it sound. It has AC, free wifi, washroom, snack/coffee machine, benches to sit and safe to hang out. Grab a book, your iPhone, some snack, go find a quiet corner and you can easily kill a few hours in there with some shut eye time in between. I still do it occasionally when I have to catch a 6am flight with early check in time at 4am.

 

 

Seriously laughing out loud at some of these responses. If you can't afford sixty bucks. Stay home.

[sfaaa]

Seriously laughing out loud at some of these responses. If you can't afford sixty bucks. Stay home.

 

Even more laughable is the inability to distinguish minor inconvenience from genuine physical discomfort.

Edited September 8, 2018 by sfaaa

[Mrs.C05]

I live in so cal. Not sure I’d walk with my valuables at midnight from the airport into westchester.

 

There are hotels south of LAX in El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, etc.

 

Another thought, do any terminals have those places you can rent for a quick nap? The 24 hour lounge, recommended earlier, is a good idea too.

 

 

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I was just going to suggest this. More and more airports are getting the sleep lounges. Some are called Minute Suites, some are called Napcabs, SleepPods, etc. Just google to see if your airport has one or not.

[cvpends]

This is a good solution. You can take the earlier flight, so you don't have to worry about missing the cruise due to flight delays, but avoid the cost of a hotel for just a few hours. I personally hate spending money in a hotel I stay in for six or seven hours

Having encountered similar situations on unavoidably long, late layovers between flights, we generally try to get lounge passes. Airport lounges are much more secure and comfortable than trying to sleep in the gate areas. Most lounges will feature reclining chairs that are very comfortable. Most feature complementary food and beverages and some even offer showers. Nearly every major airline flying through LAX has a lounge or at least offers access (for a fee) to a lounge. Depending on the location some close at 10 pm or midnight while others are open 24-7. Passes can be purchased on-line through the airline or from Ebay. Prices will range from $10 to $60 depending on the lounge and the expiration date. Good luck!

 

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[Shore>Mom]

I found this site ver helpful. https://www.sleepinginairports.net/

[mking8288]

Providing that airport security/police do not sweep and clear out the area you are staying during the overnight hours (basically midnight thru 4 AM - where few, if any flights are scheduled ... except over at Int'l or B Terminal.)

 

Lights will remained on while everything else are virtually shut down ... access to vending machines nearby should be ok, ditto for restrooms. Terminals are connected airside among T4, T5, T6 and T7/8 but not to/from Int'l where there are usually overnight arrivals & departures (not without going thru TSA with a valid BP, thus, no can't do)

 

LAX does not have any transit or in-airport hotel, or short stay options. Airline club/lounges are usually open when they have flights scheduled and as a general rule, closed shortly after the last flight of the day are push backed from the gate (thus, nothing between 10 PM/midnight to 4 AM or later) Priority Pass for a day was $50 but guest pass might be subject to capacity control and there are no shower facilities.

 

Survival strategy - pack eyeshades, ear plugs, and folding thermal space blanket if planning to sleep on the hard/carpeted (soiled with foot traffic) floor to try to get some zzzz's for a few hours until the pre-dawn crowd begin flowing & overhead P.A. announcement come back to life again. Chairs & benches near the gates are typically with non-movable armrests & not lie-flat friendly. Avoid areas near the highly prized charging stations as it will be very busy & noisy. Pack your own snacks, cup-a-soup & MRE's and a water bottle ... and some #550 paracord to secure your carry-on/backpack if you doze off.

 

Bottomline, it's doable but not really a friendly place to try to camp vertically for 6 to 8 hours - priceline and/or hotwire a last minute hotel deal, or invest a little money & take a late night shared shuttle to a hotel @San Pedro (NCL - Mexico Rivera) or whatever cruise terminal after arrival - nothing like a hot & refreshing shower, change of clothes & 6 to 7 hours of restful sleep, before continuing to the pier nearby ...

 

To each her/his own ...

[Trobrah]

And the answer is....?

[spanishguy1970]

yeah, i am sure you can, but these days with security who knows. Once we took the train our of DC to New York to grab the Norwegian Jewel. We hopped on the metro at 11:50 PM, and took the 3 am train out of Union Station arriving at 7 am at Penn Station. We stayed at the station until 11 am when we decided to go to the port. It was certainly an adventure but we enjoyed it, but i guess our travels were easier than yours. Good luck.

[jvsnana]

And the answer is....?

This....and where is the original OP with this answer???:p

[bam1957]

Honestly if sailing is at 4 this is not bad weather season then I would take the flight that arrives at 8:30. That would be 60 dollars well spent.

[fstuff1]

And the answer is....?

leaning towards the 6am flight to get there by 8:30am.

[Cruiser_1977]

Thanks for the update! What time does the ship leave? Do you have a plan if your flight is delayed, cancelled, etc.?

 

leaning towards the 6am flight to get there by 8:30am.

[sfaaa]

leaning towards the 6am flight to get there by 8:30am.

 

Make sure you set your alarm clock and remember to get out of bed.

[valleyvillage]

I have been wondering about the logistics of staying in LAX overnight. There have been differing opinions about whether or not that was even possible! So I decided to write to LAX and get the info. Here is their reply:

 

Greetings from LAX,

We have received your email regardingstaying at the airport. Guests aren’t able to stay in the terminals atthe boarding gate or post-screening areas overnight. However, the airportis open 24 hours a day and the pre-screening areas at the Baggage Claim orTicketing Level have seating and are available to the public.