I'm in the early stages of planning a trip to LA, then taking a cruise to Mexico (thinking about the Elation). How far between the airport and the port? Would an 11:00am flight departure be too early?<BR><BR>Any info you can give would be great! Thanks<BR><BR><BR>

I would think 11:00 might be chancey. Its about a 45 minute taxi ride from San Pedro to LAX on a good day. Combine that with the security delays at an airport like LAX and you'd have to leave the ship no later than about 8:00 and thats putting you in the first group or two off the ship - and thats assuming no immigration issues.

Depends. <BR><BR>If you are arriving on a weekday the ride from San Pedro to LAX in the God-awfulest rush-hour traffic this side of Cairo is the 405 around the "South Bay Curve." Weekdays, plan at least 100-120 minutes.<BR><BR>Weekends - 45 minutes is about right, assumingno accidents or construction delays.<BR><BR>If you arrive on a Saturday or Sunday morning, read Peter's reply above. He's right on the money.<BR><BR>I would seriously recommend a 12:00Noon or later LAX departure.<BR><BR>BTW, if you can use Long Beach airport (AA) instead, it's closer and much easier to get to than LAX.

If you are taking Carnival...beware!!! We had a 12 noon flight back to NY from a Mexican cruise and missed it. The ship pulled in late, and then didn't let anyone off for over 2 hours. I thought there was going to be a riot as people were screaming from the balconies "let us off!". When we did get off, the luggage was so disorganized that it took over an hour to find our bags. I wrote to Carnival upon my return to try and understand if this is their usual proceedure (this was our first cruise) and I received an inane letter back thanking me for my interest in Carnival with a $100 coupon for my next cruise. So I guess my point to you is - the more time before your flight, the better! (Yes, 45 minutes is about right)

I, too, missed my flight back. Getting off the ship took forever. Book a mid-afternoon flight. After 1 pm. A lot less stress. Something always goes wrong, wheather it is luggage or traffic or weather. The cruise is wonderful so don't ruin your vacation by not being prepared.

Having just returned August 25th from our honeymoon/first cruise on the Elation to Mexico, this was our experience. We had a 1:05pm flight scheduled from LAX-SEA. At the departure info session on board, they told everyone who had a 1:30 or earlier flight to get a VIP luggage tag at the info desk by taking your airline tickets for proof. That allowed those folks to depart first..we had no problems making our flight...15 minutes from the check-in counter, thru security, and to our flight gate (unlike the departure from SEA-LAX (3 1/2 hrs. of waiting in 2 lines!) where security was double and we not only missed our flight, but 2 others without being able to get a CONFIRMED flight out until 9pm. Intervention with a supervisor was the only way we made it in time...missed the last shuttle and had to get a taxi for an additional $50! By the way, that took 30-40 minutes, no problems on the freeway.)<BR><BR>The Elation is a beautiful ship and we had a wonderful time...<BR>we were quite hesitant because of all the negative postings about Carnival but it was wonderful!!! <BR><BR>The best tip I got off this message board was taking a cheap shoe organizer to put over the bathroom door...what a lifesaver to be able to keep the table tops/counters clear..it held a flashlight, makeup, camera/film, guidebook...you name it!<BR><BR>Don't let negative postings stop you from a Carnival cruise...your cruise is what YOU make it and we made ours fabulous with the help of the crew of the Elation. Planning our next cruise.......

"If you are arriving on a weekday the ride from San Pedro to LAX in the God-awfulest rush-hour traffic this side of Cairo is the 405 around the "South Bay Curve." Weekdays, plan at least 100-120 minutes."<BR><BR>More than that if you are traveling at 8:00am to 9:00am. Trust me.<BR>