San Diego Terminal

[2dizfam2]

Hi! Anybody cruise out of San Diego before. Wondering if the terminal is the same as Florida? Do you get to walk through the big Mickey ears to get on the boat? Thanks!

 

[MunFam]

Nope. Sorry. They don't have that in Miami either. There were a few temporary DCL flags out front.

 

[MouseMomx2]

Nope. Sorry. They don't have that in Miami either. There were a few temporary DCL flags out front.

The terminal in PC was built for Disney. All of the other terminals they use are shared by many cruise lines. You can expect a more industrial environment with folding chairs and not a lot of ambiance. Disney does put up some signs and they still have character meet and greets, but that's about it. San Diego was nicer than Vancouver and San Juan, but still not as Disney as PC.

 

[pepe3penelope]

The terminal in PC was built for Disney. All of the other terminals they use are shared by many cruise lines. You can expect a more industrial environment with folding chairs and not a lot of ambiance. Disney does put up some signs and they still have character meet and greets, but that's about it. San Diego was nicer than Vancouver and San Juan, but still not as Disney as PC.

I agree with you that it had an industrial feel to it. They try to "Disney" it up with the flags as mentioned. I did love the view of the harbor though.

 

[cruisehopeful]

The San Diego terminal is terrible, other than it's pretty there. My first experience cruising out of there had a line going all the way down to the Midway. We were in the hot sun for a very long time. I think my PAT was noon, but I didn't get through the line til after 2:00pm.

My second experience was better, we essentially walked on. However, they didn't let us off the ship until quite a while after we docked. The traffic with taxis and shuttles gets really crazy, too. We parked at Aladdin lot and decided to walk to the dock instead of taking their shuttle. It's only a mile and quicker to walk.

 

[pepe3penelope]

The San Diego terminal is terrible, other than it's pretty there. My first experience cruising out of there had a line going all the way down to the Midway. We were in the hot sun for a very long time. I think my PAT was noon, but I didn't get through the line til after 2:00pm.

My second experience was better, we essentially walked on. However, they didn't let us off the ship until quite a while after we docked. The traffic with taxis and shuttles gets really crazy, too. We parked at Aladdin lot and decided to walk to the dock instead of taking their shuttle. It's only a mile and quicker to walk.

I agree that getting off the ship at San Diego was a nightmare!!! It was excessively long and painful...so many of us were frustrated.

We parked at the Wyndham across the street. So easy but they always sell out so prebook early!

 

[MunFam]

When the 2015 WBPC pulled in to port, it was raining. We were the first group to walk off after the "take your own luggage" people and I feel like it was very smooth. My partner ran...like actually ran home and grabbed the car and came back to get our luggage. It took us less than 30 minutes to get off, run home to get the car, load up in the lot and then drive back home. The year before that, it was indeed a mess, but I think they have learned from their past mistakes.

 

[ChefTom]

We live in San Diego and have sailed DCL 3 times in and out of our beautiful city. (Along with several times from PC, MIA & LA) The first time, the Wonder was docked at Broadway Pier, which is a little bit of an unusual location. It's quite a bit smaller. There was also a lot of construction going on at the same time which, along with the size of the terminal, led to the unusually long line and wait we had to endure. (I believe an earlier poster mentioned this as well). The ship now docks at the, much larger, B Street Terminal. The added size along with the completion of the construction has allowed things to move much more smoothly.

That being said, San Diego's terminal (along with many of the other terminals DCL uses on a temporary basis) do their best to add a "Touch of Disney Magic" but they don't compare to Port Canaveral.

 

[jujubiee4]

How does everyone get from airport to terminal? cab? I heard its really close.

 

[ChefTom]

How does everyone get from airport to terminal? cab? I heard its really close.

It is VERY close. You can see the ship as you land. A cab or Uber will get you there in 5 mins.

 

[2dizfam2]

Thank you so much for your responses! I loved reading all the comments.

 

[jlmarr]

How does everyone get from airport to terminal? cab? I heard its really close.

If you're taking Amtrak (e.g. to Anaheim, Los Angeles, and points north) the San Diego station is walking distance, maybe a couple hundred yards.

 

[ludari]

Yeah, the SD terminal is not as nice at the one in PC but the several times I have been to the terminal have been nice. Easy on/off the ship and taking the Amtrak was very convenient for me since I was heading to Anaheim Station.