Flight advise from San Diego

[Tony O]

Looking at booking flight home  in May after our cruise. I am looking at either  11:30 am or 1 pm flights.  Going from West coast to East Coast. Are these times ok to look at.? I know we may have some down time waiting for flight but  we are OK with this. Thanks

[DaveOKC]

26 minutes ago, Tony O said:

Looking at booking flight home  in May after our cruise. I am looking at either  11:30 am or 1 pm flights.  Going from West coast to East Coast. Are these times ok to look at.? I know we may have some down time waiting for flight but  we are OK with this. Thanks

Both are quite doable out of San Diego, unless your ship comes in REAL late.  The airport is only 5-10 minutes away by taxi (cost around $15 plus tip).  I book 11:30 am or later flights and I am conservative by nature.

 

Also, SAN is not as congested as some other cruiseports on cruise days, as 1) there are normally only 1 or 2 ships in and 2) it is a busier airport anyway.  Plus, the Mega ships do not stop here (as far as I know), so you do not have as many passengers to deal with.  Also, more people take other forms of transit (train station 2 blocks away and cars are often used).

Edited January 13, 2020 by DaveOKC

[Tony O]

11 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Both are quite doable out of San Diego, unless your ship comes in REAL late.  The airport is only 5-10 minutes away by taxi (cost around $15 plus tip).  I book 11:30 am or later flights and I am conservative by nature.

 

Also, SAN is not as congested as some other cruiseports on cruise days, as 1) there are normally only 1 or 2 ships in and 2) it is a busier airport anyway.  Plus, the Mega ships do not stop here (as far as I know), so you do not have as many passengers to deal with.  Also, more people take other forms of transit (train station 2 blocks away and cars are often used).

Thank you 

[CruiserBruce]

Agree. 11:30 is doable. Simply get off as early as possible and grab a cab.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

I would do the later flight.  We have flown out of SAN on a day when only a HAL ship came in and it's a zoo.  I have never seen so many wheelchair passengers in my life.  They take much longer to screen.  Security at SAN is probably the slowest.  SAN is one of the worst airports for amenities post-security.  Unless you are flying out of the newer terminal, which was deserted the last time we flew out of it then the old terminal is a crap shoot.  It's old, outdated, and can be slow.   

[KeepCalmBearOn]

Look at the map here, you can see the airport and cruise terminal. They are barely 2 miles apart.

[Splinter]

 I would go with the later flight. Although you can normally be off the ship by 8:30 or 9:00 (especially if you manage your own luggage), I have seen frequent immigration hold ups in San Diego, especially with foreign nationals don't head the directions to check in on board. Until they do, they will hold up disembarkation for all. TSA at the San Diego airport can also be a long wait as they don't really have enough stations on duty at peak travel times.

[DaveOKC]

2 hours ago, Splinter said:

 I would go with the later flight. Although you can normally bfe off the ship by 8:30 or 9:00 (especially if you manage your own luggage), I have seen frequent immigration hold ups in San Diego, especially with foreign nationals don't head the directions to check in on board. Until they do, they will hold up disembarkation for all. TSA at the San Diego airport can also be a long wait as they don't really have enough stations on duty at peak travel times.

One thought - check out the cruise before yours - where is it coming from.  If its a closed loop cruise (like a 7 day Mexican Riveria) likely Customs will be quick and easy.  If it is coming from a distant non-US port, it likely will take longer (IMO).

 

[Tony O]

On 1/15/2020 at 2:25 PM, DaveOKC said:

One thought - check out the cruise before yours - where is it coming from.  If its a closed loop cruise (like a 7 day Mexican Riveria) likely Customs will be quick and easy.  If it is coming from a distant non-US port, it likely will take longer (IMO).

 

We are doing Panama Canal  from Ft. Lauderdale  to San Diego

[DaveOKC]

14 hours ago, Tony O said:

We are doing Panama Canal  from Ft. Lauderdale  to San Diego

I would THINK that the 11:30 am should still work, but if you want to be safer, obviously do the 1 PM.

 

[Tony O]

21 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

I would THINK that the 11:30 am should still work, but if you want to be safer, obviously do the 1 PM.

 

I was always leaning towards 1 pm as you never know what could happen. But sometimes it's good to get others opinion.