San Diego disembark questions

[dclpluto]

I looked on Disney cruise site couldn't find anything.

1. Can you easily make a 11:30 flight? I know in port canerval you can easily make that time but never disembark in San Diego.it will be after a Panama Canal cruise that has a stop in Columbia. Did a DCL Panama Canal cruise in 08 took longer for customs to clear the ship.

2. I'm assuming you have to pick up your bags. Is that true? No on board check in I'm guessing

3. How much is Disney transfer to airport? If I have to pick up my bags I might just take a taxi. Lots of taxis at port?
Thanks

 

[MunFam]

I live in San Diego and work in the travel and tourism industry. We were on the WBPC cruise last year. Since we live here, we did not have to get on a flight.

We walked home and then went to work that day. We were both home and off to work by 9:30 (we were the first group off the ship after express carry off). It was raining that day. Cabs were available. If you are on a Southwest flight, I would say no, 11:30 is too early. Sometimes, the check in plus security line at San Diego is a 3 hour wait time. I would say the average is about 2 hours. Delta is almost always walk right up to the counter and the same for security, especially if you have pre-check.

American and United can get decent lines inside at the counters if there is bad weather somewhere, but the skycaps (pay them) are less than 30 minutes and done. Then security is 15 minutes or so (at terminal two-main). Delta is at terminal two-west.

If I were you, I would take a taxi. You can see the end of the end of the runway from the port/dock. It will be cheaper than DCL transfers.

 

[dclpluto]

Thanks it is for a southwest flight. I won't book it now

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I looked on Disney cruise site couldn't find anything.

1. Can you easily make a 11:30 flight? I know in port canerval you can easily make that time but never disembark in San Diego.it will be after a Panama Canal cruise that has a stop in Columbia. Did a DCL Panama Canal cruise in 08 took longer for customs to clear the ship.

2. I'm assuming you have to pick up your bags. Is that true? No on board check in I'm guessing

3. How much is Disney transfer to airport? If I have to pick up my bags I might just take a taxi. Lots of taxis at port?
Thanks

My experience at San Diego (twice) was there was delayed debarking, due to those non-US citizens who either didn't understand, or didn't feel it applied to them, that they needed to appear at the on board location designated (early in the morning) before the ship could be cleared for everyone to get off.

On our Panama Canal cruise, we were finally cleared for debarkation about 10:15. On our recent Baja cruise, it was around 8:30.

The airport in SD is real close, and doesn't take long to get there.

Don't think there is onboard airline check in. We had to pick up our bags in the terminal.

Don't know what you would feel were "lots" of taxis, but they were lined up when we got off the ship.

 

[bumbershoot]

The airport in SD is real close, and doesn't take long to get there.

But depending on what's going on downtown, it can be absolute murder to get there. My brother had a condo downtown about a block from the water, and it could take a ridiculous amount of time to pick us up from the airport and get us to the condo.

 

[JakeRambo]

We went to our assigned breakfast, left the ship at 0900, and made a 1015 Southwest home with no problem

 

[cruisehopeful]

I'd be worried about catching an 11:30 flight. I disembarked there twice. While I did get off the ship by 8:30am both times, I couldn't board the first time until the afternoon because they wouldn't let people off the ship until about 10:30am.

Of the 3 ports I've been to with DCL, San Diego is by far the worst/most disorganized.

Plenty of taxis will be there and it is only a couple miles to the airport. There may be airport shuttles, too. I never needed one, so I never paid attention.

 

[shelbell77]

I was super worried when we got off the WBPC in May because the airline had moved my flight up to 12:15. I got put on the list for early flights, which meant you are in the first group to get off. But this EXCLUDED the express walk offs who went first. One of my table mates was on my flight. He did express walk off and beat me to airport by about 30 minutes. I waited for the early flights group and got on a Disney Transfer (I think it was around $16 a person). I can't remember the exact time, but I want to say we had 2 hours before we headed to the gate for our flight. I know we sat and talked a while drinking coffee and then we went and got lunch.

So I would say your 11:30am is probably possible if everything goes smoothly. But I would recommend doing express walk off (which means you take your bags off with you) to ensure you get there as early as possible as inevitably things can and do go wrong.

 

[dclpluto]

Thanks everyone