Advice for Aussies

[kbfromaus]

We are a family of 5 from Australia sailing on the Mariner on the 13th of September. We fly into the USA four days prior to this and we are staying at the Marriot Residence Inn Anaheim. Being that we are totally unfamiliar with the LA road system and geographical layout, my question is : is it feasible to leave Anaheim on Sunday morning, drop the rental car at Long beach Airport ( which I beleive is closer than LAX ) and make it to the pier in plenty of time to board. Would it be better to get rid of the hire car the day before and stay closer to the pier??? Any advice would be welcome and appreciated. Thanks, Kim

[Craving A Cruise]

Hello Kim,

Welcome to cruisecritic. :) We will be sailing on the Mariner a few weeks before you on 8/16/09. September is a fantastic time to visit Calif. and hopefully the crowds will be smaller at Disneyland at the time of your visit. Most kids here will be back in school by the first week of Sept.......anyway to answer your questions....

 

Yes, you should have plenty of time to drive from Anaheim to LB airport, drop off the car and make it to the pier. Sunday morning traffic is usually very light (not the case on weekdays.) However, it will cost approx. $45-50 for a taxi from airport to the San Pedro pier. You could also arrange transportation through "Primetime Shuttle" or "SuperShuttle". There is only one car rental company that I know of that has an office near the San Pedro pier, and that is "Enterprise". You may want to look into renting from them as it would be more convenient to return the car there instead.

 

If you want to return the car the night before, that is entirely your decision, there is no advantage that I can see, unless you wanted to spend some time near LA the day before you leave and didn't want to have to drive back south to Anaheim only to backtrack to San Pedro the following morning. (Anaheim to SP is approx. 27 miles.)

 

I hope this info helps you a little bit. Let me know if i can answer any more questions. :D

 

Craving A Cruise.

 

 

 

We are a family of 5 from Australia sailing on the Mariner on the 13th of September. We fly into the USA four days prior to this and we are staying at the Marriot Residence Inn Anaheim. Being that we are totally unfamiliar with the LA road system and geographical layout, my question is : is it feasible to leave Anaheim on Sunday morning, drop the rental car at Long beach Airport ( which I beleive is closer than LAX ) and make it to the pier in plenty of time to board. Would it be better to get rid of the hire car the day before and stay closer to the pier??? Any advice would be welcome and appreciated. Thanks, Kim

[Baseball fan]

Check with the rental car company and see if they have a drop off location in San Pedro. Many have locations that are not on airport sights.

 

Check on the cost for a taxi from your drop off sight. With a party of 5 it might be cheaper than a shuttle as shuttles charge per person.

 

Enjoy your stay in Southern California

[SelectSys]

We are a family of 5 from Australia sailing on the Mariner on the 13th of September... Being that we are totally unfamiliar with the LA road system and geographical layout, ...

 

You may want to do a bit of advance planning by checking the various locations that you are staying at on google maps or some other online service. Google will even give you current traffic conditions on roads.

 

Also consider renting a GPS unit with your car. It really takes the stress out of needing to navigate by poor rental car maps.

 

Have a good visit!

 

BTW - The Residence Inn Maingate is a nice property for families. It is probably about a 20-25 minute walk to the gate at Disneyland. You are also close to some fairly nice restaurants down on Katella which is no more than a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Things to consider:

1) you don't have to rent your car at an airport location. Sometimes it's cheaper to rent from a city location.

2) then again, some rental agencies won't have all offices open on Sunday or will allow drop-offs.

3) If you're going pretty close to the port, first drop off your party and luggage at the berth at the port, then return your vehicle. You can then return by taxi, shuttle (if the rental agency is close enough, they may shuttle you over)

[Sally Forth]

We are a family of 5 from Australia sailing on the Mariner on the 13th of September. We fly into the USA four days prior to this and we are staying at the Marriot Residence Inn Anaheim. Being that we are totally unfamiliar with the LA road system and geographical layout, my question is : is it feasible to leave Anaheim on Sunday morning, drop the rental car at Long beach Airport ( which I beleive is closer than LAX ) and make it to the pier in plenty of time to board. Would it be better to get rid of the hire car the day before and stay closer to the pier??? Any advice would be welcome and appreciated. Thanks, Kim

 

We did as you are suggesting, but stayed in Santa Monica, then drove down to the pier on Sunday morning. Something that will make your life simpler.... drop off everyone at the pier with the luggage, then you and one person go drop off the car and take a cab back. It's much easier that way.

 

As I recall, the San Pedro rental car locations were all closed on Sunday, so the airport was the only feasible drop. We had no traffic problems.

 

Viv

[kbfromaus]

Thanks everyone for your advice, its much appreciated! Kim:)

[jasmith52]

Advice That Aussies really need to know...

 

1) You would be advised to re-watch that "Road Warrier" movie yet again. It's true - We often kill someone on the freeway for their gasoline or for driving on the wrong side of the road. You may want to bring your mace and armour along with you. A variety of other weapons wouldn't hurt either.

 

2) The bars here close at 2:00 AM and don't open again until 6:00 AM, So plan accordingly. I know this may be difficult for an Australian to beleive, but the gov't makes an attempt for American's to sober up at least once a day. This kind of dovetails with the Road Warrier thing.

 

3) Make sure that you don't leave a big deposit on that rental car either as it may be hard to get it back after a couple of engagements on the freeway.

 

4) Here is a typical picture of people trying to get out of the parking lot at LAX.

 

[Rancher Dave]

Advice That Aussies really need to know...

 

4) Here is a typical picture of people trying to get out of the parking lot at LAX.

 

 

Exactly why I am flying from Phoenix instead...staying way away from LAX... :D

 

We are in LA in a week, and hope to avoide rush hours by coming in at off times early and late...as we drive in from Vegas and back out from Anaheim...which I think is better for us as we head back towards Texas.

[OldCodger73]

We came into LAX on a Qantas flight. There was an Australian couple sitting behind us and as we passed over one of the freeways I could here one of them exclaim: "Look at all those cars and they're all driving on the wrong side of the road!"

[LuckiePuris]

Dollar Car Rentals at LAX Airport are a cheap reliable option with fantastic cars to choose from.

 

Also have GPS available for hire.

[Fredr]

Aussie,

 

 

I would stay the night before the cruise in Anaheim. I would turn the car into the car rental agency the day of your cruise and find transportation to the cruise terminal. Some ideas but none are inexpensive.

 

Find a car rental agency that allows you to drop off the car near the cruise ship terminal. From here you may use Super Shuttle to take you to the cruise ship terminal, or a taxi, or even the car rental's shuttle (if they have one).

 

When you are in Anaheim the Angels baseball team will be playing at home, and it is a treat for you to see a major leagur baseball game. There are always deals to be had.

[kbfromaus]

Hello and thanks to all for some great advice! I have one other question, if we were to choose the express departure option is it possible to make it to LAX and be checked in for a 10.05 am flight to Orlando ( spending a week there ) ? Would make things so much easier as almost all of the other flights get in quite late. Thanks....Kim

[jasmith52]

It is possible but not certain to make a 10:00 flight. If you get off the ship at maybe 8:00 then catch a taxi to LAX, you could be there at maybe 8:45. Get checked in (hoping there isn't a long line). Get through security (hoping there isn't a long line). And then make it to the gate before they close the doors.

 

It is possible,but..... I wouldn't do it. Imagine problems with the following:

 

1) Pulling into port late due to fog or other harbor related issues.

2) Problems with customs and/or immigration issues.

 

These issues don't often occur but they indeed do occur so be forewarned.

 

Perhaps a better option is to book a later flight and then (plead) with the airline (should you arrive early enough) to put you on the earlier flight. perhaps this option would cost you some extra money in fees should you switch to the earlier flight. But at least you would have a guaranteed flight. call your airline and find out what their policy would be to switch flights should you arrive early enough to catch the early flight.

 

Keep in mind what LAX is like:

 

[Fredr]

Aussie,

 

It will be very difficult for you to be at LAX from Long Beach for a 10:05 AM flight. I would not select a flight out of LAX before Noon.

 

Remember though that you have other airports in the Los Angeles area to choose from. These airports are Long Beach (LGB), SNA (Santa Ana John Wayne, and Ontario (ONT). And the only airport that is close to the port is Long Beach, and even here I would not select a flight before Noon.

 

Evenif you use the express cdisembarkation, there are the following concerns of traffic, distance, security, ship being delayed, and passengers not allowed to leave the ship until the ship has been cleared.

 

Fred

[jasmith52]

Hello and thanks to all for some great advice! I have one other question, if we were to choose the express departure option is it possible to make it to LAX and be checked in for a 10.05 am flight to Orlando ( spending a week there ) ? Would make things so much easier as almost all of the other flights get in quite late. Thanks....Kim

 

Something else to keep in mind is that Orlando (and the rest of Florida) are three hours ahead (time shifted) of California. So even though the later flight may get in at midnight (for example), that will only seem like 9:00 PM to you. So perhaps getting in late to Orlando isn't quite as bad as it initially seems.

 

The worst part, which should be avoided, is getting into Florida late, getting to sleep even later (on your timeclock). And then getting up early for a morning function. A 8:00 AM engagement would seem like a 5:00 AM one to you (on your timeclock).

[deepnite10]

if possible..rent from Enterprise..you can drop it off at the

Crown Plaza in San Pedro.. and they have a shuttle to the pier..

 

HAVE NICE VACATION!!:)

[kenish]

Agree with others the best bet is to drop everyone and the luggage at the ship, one person returns the car and returns to the ship via cab, shuttle, rickshaw, etc. This can all be done the day of the cruise no problem, especially on a Sunday morning. A GPS is helpful but not essential, navigating from Anaheim to LGB airport and the cruise port is simple and signage is good.

 

Yes, 10am is cutting it too close for a departing flight. Occasionally Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) authorities subject all crewmembers to a complete document inspection before passengers can disembark. This happened to relatives and they were not on the street until 1030. Admittedly uncommon but the inspection is random. Other times there will be several ships to clear and yours may not be first in line. Fog delays are unlikely in September though.