Port of San Diego Logistics

[DLgeeks]

Does anyone know what the luggage drop off/porter situation is like at the San Diego port? We will be driving down for a Mexico cruise later this month and I'm trying to figure out how luggage and parking is going to go the morning of.

I've already reserved parking at the Wyndam across the street, but I am wondering if we can drive through the port and drop off luggage with porters before we park (like at Port Canaveral) or do we have to park first and lug everything across the street?

I love when cruise time is getting so close all that's left to obsess over it the tiny planning details!

 

[jrabbit]

When we did the SD to Vancouver repo a few years ago, the port area in the morning was a Mad House!! There was another ship in port that day and there must have been some issues getting people off of the ships - because we walked over around 10:30am and the port was wanting us to clear out for another hour or so. So we wandered down the pier a looked at the Midway and just chilled for a while. When we returned to the port there was a huge line to get in and growing fast!!

There were people (employees) trying to the preliminary check of passports before entering the port grounds. They gave up before we got to them and the line moved a little faster. Here's what you're looking for ... After entering the gated area but before entering the building, there were porters taking luggage. I don't think that there were any porters "outside". Then security was a mess. Well the whole thing was a mess. Mostly because both ships were loading through the one building. But once we made it through that gauntlet - including the normal x-ray / metal detector screening, it was a quick and easy process.

Bottom line: I would park and drag your bags across the street as a family and get in line.

and HOPEFULLY our experience there was an NOT Normal!!

 

[Sun_soakin]

We dropped our bags and then DH went to park our car. It was super easy.

 

[jetskigrl]

I have sailed from there a few times and with the exception of the very first sailing from San Diego (huge mess as there were customs issues after coming though the Panama Canal), the process has been seamless. I would just park and walk the bags across the street. It is super close and getting into and out of the drop off area are not worth the hassle. Once you go through the first check (just show your documents to confirm you are actually cruising) you will hand off your bags to the porters right inside the gate. It is shaped like a big U and the porters will be inside the U part.

 

[Luvzmy3boys]

We just got off the Wonder in San Diego. Parked at Alladin airport parking so there was a free shuttle that dropped us off with our bags but we could have just as Easily driven right up to the cruise terminal and dropped off our bags first and gone to park the car. Wonder was the only ship in port when we left but there are 2 other ships in port right now so it may be a bit more crowded. I think this port is way easier than port canaveral personally.

 

[DLgeeks]

Thanks for the info all, sounds like we'll play it by ear that morning depending on how crazy things look, good to know there are options though!

 

[apathetic]

We dropped them off a few weeks ago. Do have your passports and cruise documents handy because you will need them to get in the port area for drop-off. We dropped the bags and then parked across the street. Really easy. If you have bags on wheels, it really is just as easy to park and walk the bags over. There is a crosswalk directly in front of the port. When you disembark you will have to take your bags to the parking garage or have 1 person sitting in front of the port. But again, it is easy to walk to/from garage with bags.

 

[peachypie]

We have done a few cruises out of SD and have always parked at the Wyndham. The walk across the street is super easy for us even though we carry a lot of stuff. We have tried to drive up and it was a stressful experience...too much hustle and bustle (people as well as cars) to move around which seemed to take even longer than parking and walking.

 

[MillauFr]

It depends if there are one or two boats at the port. If there are two you don't want to drive to the port. If there are just Disney it will probably be fine. The Wyndam is a short walk across the street from the port.

 

[JakeRambo]

Easier than PC. Have your cruise book or the printout ready, you’ll get right in. Security is a nightmare, though on our last few cruises they’ve had more screeners so it hasn’t been too bad.

 

[anjuan]

I definitely didn't have the experience on my cruise 2 weeks ago that it was easier than Port Canaveral. There was also a Holland America ship in port and it was a madhouse- much more so than the other ports I've been to. We took an Uber there and the drop off area was really small, then you had to drag the luggage over to the area where the DCL porters were at. The line inside was also long because people for both cruise lines wait in the same line.

 

[go oilers go]

If we have an 11:00 PAT, how early can we arrive and be let in to the port?

 

[Masonmj84]

I definitely didn't have the experience on my cruise 2 weeks ago that it was easier than Port Canaveral. There was also a Holland America ship in port and it was a madhouse- much more so than the other ports I've been to. We took an Uber there and the drop off area was really small, then you had to drag the luggage over to the area where the DCL porters were at. The line inside was also long because people for both cruise lines wait in the same line.

We were on the same cruise and also took an Uber to the port. The Uber drop off area was just sort of out in no man's land and we had no idea where to drop our luggage off (I guess we could've asked but it was a madhouse with both ships in port). So we just ended up taking it with us on the ship, which wasn't ideal as we boarded just before 1 pm and had nowhere to put our luggage until the staterooms opened at 1:30.

 

[Tracyvp]

We booked this cruise at the very last minute (Leaving this Friday, returning Sunday) and never having cruised out of SD, I didn't realize you had to reserve parking. The Wyndham and Aladdin lots are both showing as sold out already. Does anyone have experience with other close lots?

 

[remlap]

The Wyndham is directly across the street. You most likely will decide it's easier to just walk there then to drive your luggage over. They also have a shuttle

 

[StartedByAMouse]

We booked this cruise at the very last minute (Leaving this Friday, returning Sunday) and never having cruised out of SD, I didn't realize you had to reserve parking. The Wyndham and Aladdin lots are both showing as sold out already. Does anyone have experience with other close lots?

We parked across the street from the cruise terminal at The BRIC (900 Bayfront Court, San Diego, CA 92101).

Super close, super convenient. Pull in, drive up to the fourth floor and park. Take an elevator to ground level and walk across the street.

You can pre-book parking at http://www.sandiegocruiseparking.com/ though it looks like there might not be availability for this weekend.

Also check https://www.oneportatatime.com/sandiego-parking/ for additional options. Good luck and have a fun cruise!

 

[scgustafson]

If we have an 11:00 PAT, how early can we arrive and be let in to the port?

At 11 am, just like it says.

 

[i18mulan]

We booked this cruise at the very last minute (Leaving this Friday, returning Sunday) and never having cruised out of SD, I didn't realize you had to reserve parking. The Wyndham and Aladdin lots are both showing as sold out already. Does anyone have experience with other close lots?

We always park at Park N Fly. They have a shuttle to drop you off and pick you up. Never had a problem. Paid $17/ day vs $32 at Wyndham.

 

[PTX]

We always park at Park N Fly. They have a shuttle to drop you off and pick you up. Never had a problem. Paid $17/ day vs $32 at Wyndham.

Where are you getting $32/day for the Wyndham? It's $11/day with a reservation for self-parking. $14/day for valet.

https://www.sandiegocruiseshipparking.com/

 

[Alohagirl73]

Park n Fly Lot 3, I believe, is a great alternative to Wyndham or Aladdin. Very easy to use. We used them last May!