Oh, embarkation wasn't SO bad. I'd give it maybe a C. There were definitely no people directing us at the Queen Mary, and anyone who we asked only waved in the general area of the entire Queen Mary ship - um, that's a pretty big ship, maybe we could get a little more specific?? But we found it eventually, and there's not much you can do about long lines or the heat. Like I said, it was just a long morning - but that first Drink of the Day definitely swept all the bad away!

I am curious as to how our embarkation will go. It will be interesting.

Due circumstances, we cannot fly in the night before and our plane (booked through carnival) does not arrive at LAX until 12:30 pm. (and that's if our connection in Salt Lake is on time).

Getting to the port terminal at say 2pm-ish (and again that's optimistic), maybe everyone else will be on board and we won't too bad line.

Anyone else ever arrived that late for a 4pm sail?

Of course, we would have preferred to fly in the night before, but this trip that was not possible with the group. Alas....

I think it will be a wonder of wonders if 5 of us AND all of our luggage arrive safely and on time. If we are that lucky, it will go a long way toward bolstering my faith both in the airlines and the cruise lines.

AND, we will have a change of clothes and personal necessities in our carry-ons, just in case !

brenda

Brenda,
There really isn't much you can do about your travel plans now. It's much too close. I would be a little nervous too. Although, you should be okay. Traffic in/out/around/near LAX is a nightmare.

I wouldn't do any shopping, browsing, eating or lollygagging around LAX when you get off the plane. Find baggage claim, get out to the curb, catch your ride and get to the terminal.

I still think you'll be fine.

A'ndrea

Oh, believe me, I won't be doing anything but finding our ride and getting to the port.

We have name of a van shuttle that can take all five of us and luggage and not bad $$.. I am going to contact them next week. They come highly recommended.

And booked through Carnival could be to our advantage also, as they GUARANTEE that you will make it in time or they will get you to the ship.

They put us on this flight two months ago, when there are several non-stop flights from IAH to LAX, so they are the ones I will be coming down on, but right now, I am going to relax about it, as no matter what we have to deal with, the three sis's a brother will be together, and together (along with our two spouses, brother is single) we can overcome anything.

Our goal is to have great time together, but I will feel much better once I have my sis on that ship. SHE is the one we have to lie to about departure times, as she always cuts it close. But she gets away with it for some reason. They even opened a plane cabin door for her one time on the runway so she could catch her flight.

I do not deal with that... if they tell me to be there an hour early, I am...

I hope we never have to do this same day flight again. But it was the only way we could arrange everyone to get to go.

Thanks for the advice. And I am going to put blinders on her and have the guys take her by the arm and drag her through any distractions. lol

Well, if you're booked through Carnival, I don't think you have anything to worry about! They'll make sure you get on the ship. As for embarkation, you may have a better time. We had to stand in line because we got there around 11am and they don't start boarding until around 12:30. I would rather stand in line than worry about getting there on time, but you actualy have the ideal situation - you won't have the lines, and Carnival will take care of you. Our table mates got to the ship at 1:30 and said they just walked right on, no problems.

I just booked the plane tickets for my next cruise last night. We have an 11:30am flight that gets into San Diego at 1:00. The San Diego airport is about 5 minutes from the pier, but I'm still going to worry about plane delays! But the only other option was a flight at 7:45am. So I'm going to take the risk and cross my fingers!

Brenda, okay, that is much better knowing that the transportation is guaranteed through Carnival. You'll have no worries.

A'ndrea

Brenda, what is the name of the company you are using for your transfer to the ship?

If either of you need a reliable transport from LAX to Long Beach, I have the name of the man we used. I will gladly share it.

A'ndrea

Well, first remember I am newbie. Was looking at travel docs and our transport is already paid with Carnival, so I guess it will be them.

The name I had was Long Beach Yellow Cab 1-800-233-0420 and I don't remember where I got that but it was on one of these forums. However, when i called them, they were rude and told me they don't pick up at the airport... ??

Anyway, have any of you used Carnival Transport... I feel foolish that I did not notice that it was already covered in our pricing, both ways.

A'ndrea,could I get your guys name that you used. I think you gave it to me already but , I can't seem to find it.

Terry

terry, hi. We used Long Beach Yellow Beach Cab Co.
The telephone number is listed on bwood's post.

I am really surprised that they gave you a hard time, bwood. We had no problems. They were professional, prompt, very helpful and he was a safe driver.

Not sure why you encountered such difficulty. I'm sorry. That's unfortunate.

Terry, if you decide to contact them regarding your transportation to Pride, let me know how you make out.

A'ndrea

Well, it is true that it depends on who answers the phone sometimes, this lady sounded very put out that I called and was very adamant that they DID NOT pick up at LAX.

1. She could be new, or having a bad day.
2. I should have asked to speak to someone else.
3. I should not have judged thier company based on one phone call.

My bad, but had I not gotten that response, we might have hired them regardless of the fact that we already have tranfer paid with our cruise.

The Carnival transfer is probably going to be bus or shuttle with no help.

I was looking for something where our 3 guys (all with bad backs) would NOT have to risk pulling a back muscle that would ruin their trip.

I do appreciate the info and my give them another call to see if I get a diffent answer.

I know at the least we can use the Carnival transfer, but for the money, I hope we can find something where someone else can wrangle our heavy luggage.

I don't know how Carnival transfers work, but I have taken airport shuttles where you had to lift your luggage up the bus steps (narrow and steep) and haul it down the aisle. I know it sounds pitiful and the guys don't know I am looking into this, but I just don't want them to have to carry all of that if they don't have to. Sis and I would help, but they sometimes won't let us, then they whine about hurting backs.

My hubby is having injections in 3 disks this week, so while he may not be hurting, I certainly don't want him to injure one of three bulging disks.

I certainly hope my post earlier did NOT sound gritchy or ungrateful, as I do so appreciate all the info and tips on this thread. I had written that name/number down on the list of important numbers first thing.

brenad

Hi Brenda. Bad service is still... bad service. The first point of contact for any business is the person who greets you on the phone. If you didn't get a courteous response from the receptionist, that doesn't help their business or their reputation.

Please don't apologize for being grouchy or unappreciative. This site is here to assist cruisers and share their experiences, whether good or bad. I must have been lucky, and had a great experience with them.

Or, as you stated, maybe the phone handler was just having a bad day.

A'ndrea

Also, needing someone to help with bags is perfectly understandable. I am actually surprised you have had to carry your own bags before, I have never had to. We used Karmel shuttles from LAX and booked them online:
http://www.karmel.com/LAX-airport-shuttle/index.html
I believe it was $52 or $58 each way. We did not have to load our own luggage (although we were able, so we helped). They took about 15 minutes to pick us up from LAX, but when I called them from the pier to pick us up they were there in less than 5 minutes. We had no problems, but the porters told us SuperShuttle was the most popular.

I am feeling VERY lucky we won't have to deal with the mess of shuttles and such. Thankfully my brother lives about 20 minutes from the port and he will be our shuttle service!

But PLEASE someone explain were exactly the early checkin is at the Queen Mary! That we will have to find!

Cynthia - what are the ports for the Exotic Riviera? And which ship is that?

Exotic Riviera is on the Carnival Spirit (sister of Pride) and goes to:
Acapulco
Manzanillo
Ixtapa/Zihuatenejo
And they have an extra sea day at the end.

Not as many choices of excursions for those ports. I'm doing this one with just the hubby for our 5 year anniversary. We may just do a couple short walking tours on our own and then back on the ship for peace and quiet. (and NO ZIP LINES this time! ) Hahahahaa


For the Queen Mary if there are no signs when you go, I believe it was toward the right side, and it appeared to just be an opening where you would go if you were going to tour the QM herself. You can poke your head in and in huge letters on the wall inside it says something like "WELCOME TO EARLY CHECK IN" or something obvious like that, so you know you're in the right place.

We are looking at the Exotic Riveria for our March cruise.

A'ndrea

OOH! You will probably have your cruise booked by the time I get back from mine, but I would be happy to return the favors and advice you gave me and tell you how my cruise went. One more time I would like to thank you, Andrea, and everyone else too, for all the help you gave me before my cruise! I was able to return the favor to my neighbors who just left on a 4 day Baja cruise this morning. She was so nervous about what to pack!

Andrea, why do you choose Mexican Riviera cruises? Have you done all the ones on the eastern coast already? I have never been further east than El Paso, Texas, so everything in the Atlantic holds a lot of mystery for me .

Cynthia, I was born and raised on the East coast. I have spent summers in Maine, New Hampshire, Cape Cod and New Jersey.

The water is ice cold everywhere but in NJ.

I would never turn down an ocean, if given the choice. Although, the Caribbean has a special place in my heart. It has the bluest waters, the best reefs, the whitest sands. The way the sun plays off of the caribbean water is breathtaking.

This past February was our first cruise out of California to the Mex. Riv.

I have not had the privilege of cruising out of NY, NJ or Boston yet. Prices are always astronomical and it's always been cheaper for our family of four to fly into other ports.

I feel in love with Cabo San Lucas. I got to see sea lions, dolphins, whales breaching, mantarays. And that was all without stepping foot off of Pride.

But, push come to shove, it's the caribbean for me.

A'ndrea

Okay, well all that I can understand (especially falling in love with Cabo!). I am not sure how much fun we are going to have in port on the exotic cruise, but it won't matter a whole lot since we just want a nice relaxing time. And after that "Adventure Cruise" I did with the kids, I cannot wait to just relax with a book! But I will give you every detail of whatever we do when we get back! Maybe next summer we'll be lucky enough to do a Carribean!

I start back in school Thursday, my senior year at San Jose State University (yes, I am 40 years old!). I will be very busy reading Shakespeare, Ovid, Mythologies AND more Spanish, but I hope to take a minute here and there to keep checking in here.

Plus - I HAVE to hear how Michelle and Brenda's cruises go! Brenda - you are almost there!!! I am so excited for you! Have you booked any excursions? Michelle, how about you?