Surfliner from Anaheim to San Diego?

[KaystotheKingdom]

Hello landers!

We are coming up on our first trip to Disneyland and out first cruise! Our cruise departs Easter Sunday, and I’ve been looking into taking the surf liner train from Anaheim to San Diego the day of the cruise as my youngest loves all things planes (check) and trains (haven’t done yet!)

I see there are a number of departure times. Has anyone done this and do you think it’s safe to allow enough time for cruise boarding? If so what is the latest Anaheim departure you would recommend?

thanks in advance and Merry Christmas to you all!

 

[MillauFr]

I highly recommend taking the train to cruise ship terminal. The station is a short walk from the cruise ship terminal. The scenery on the train is spectacular when the train is running along the ocean. We did this a few years back. The train left Anaheim about 10a and we got to San Diego about Noon. Verify, but I think you only need to get to the train station about 30 minutes prior to departure if you are checking bags.

 

[foolish_mortals]

I would do earliest possible. At least 2 hours of breathing room preferably more. I’ve taken the Surfliner regularly before and trains running 30mins - 1hr late is not uncommon. Cancelled trains and 2hr delays are not uncommon either and they just have you board the next train. There is a twitter account for the Surfliner that updates status I recommend taking a look at previous status alerts to get an idea of what it’s like.

It would be better to be struggling to kill time in San Diego for a few hours than stranded in Anaheim or at a stop along the way and miss your cruise.

 

[KaystotheKingdom]

From what I can see there is a 6:49 am,7:49 am and 10:49 am. Do you happen to know if we took one of the two earliest 1. What time a cruise starts boarding or 2. Is there some place at the terminal they would hold your bags so you could sightsee along the pier area?

we were planning on checking out the aircraft carrier there upon return but if we got there super early and had time to kill I wonder if we could do that.

 

[foolish_mortals]

1. What time a cruise starts boarding or 2. Is there some place at the terminal they would hold your bags so you could sightsee along the pier area?

1. Sorry, I’m not sure about the exact boarding time hopefully someone else can chime in. It’s usually about 4 hours before departure.
2. There is a bag service called Bagbnb that charges to hold bags. The service basically connects you to hotels that will hold your bag for a few even if you aren’t staying. I would check with the ship terminal since they might have bag holding as well.

I’m also not seeing the 10:49 on the Easter Sunday. (Edit: nevermind I see it) It’s on the timetable but it’s not showing up available to reserve. On some holidays they require a reservation.

 

[Becca1007]

Definitely make reservations for the train if traveling on a holiday. I would give yourself the extra time buffer to get to cruise boarding as the train does frequently get delayed.
Also .... depending on how much baggage you have, you can carry it aboard or you can check it. I didn't realize that I could have carried on my bag (it was small) and it just took extra time to get it back once I ended up in San Diego.

 

[MillauFr]

Just take the 10:49a. Doesn't the cruise leave at 4 or 5p?

 

[felice]

You will certainly enjoy the USS Midway at San Diego if you get plenty of time to explore the ship

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I would do earliest possible.

That's what I'd recommend, also. The trains on that line can be delayed. We were delayed over an hour after debarking a cruise in SD, headed for Anaheim.

 

[longboard55]

the last call for the cruise ship is around 4 typically, plenty of time. I would maybe take the middle time in case something were to go wrong

 

[DonMacGregor]

You should be just fine with the early train if you want to check out the Midway, and maybe grab some lunch in Seaport Village. As you can see, all three locations are about 1/4 mile from each other, all right along Harbor Drive. Depending on what you want to do, the carrier can take an hour or so to just walk through it, or several hours if you do any of the short films or self-guided tours or other onboard activities.

 

[PirateBrigade]

I've taken the train and it's fantastic -- agree with all of the above, choose an earlier train, and have a backup plan (Uber, Lyft installed on your phone and account configured) in case you have to hop off at the next stop and take a car down.

Unlikely to be an issue if you leave early enough and allow for delays, but just a thought.

 

[JWelch62]

Make sure to sit on the right hand (west) side of the train as you head down. Spectacular views.

 

[bcla]

You might consider the night before and then spend that time in San Diego. I've actually never taken the Surfliner, but I have been stuck on trains due to delays. The worst is when there's a vehicle collision or even worse a fatality. It doesn't even have to involve the train you're on. My train has been delayed 3 hours before simply on the basis of another incident closing down the tracks for an investigation.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I don't know what it is about Amtrak, but count yourself lucky if the train arrives as scheduled. We rushed to get on an earlier train headed north from SD and ended up getting stuck on the track for two (additional) hours with a mechanical issue. It would not have been a problem had they stopped and we could have gotten off, but no - they purposely delayed the train on a siding between stations so we could NOT get off. As we sat on the siding the next train, the one we would have been on had we not made the train we were on, passed us. This scenario is surprisingly common.

LSS - as long as you leave flexibility in your schedule, you'll be fine, and yes, the ride is very comfortable and has views you can only see while riding the train. Would I recommend? Yeah, sorta. Just know what you are getting into.