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Getting There · Los Angeles & Long Beach

Nearest Airports to the Los Angeles Cruise Port

Two airports, two terminals. The port puts LAX 18 miles from the San Pedro terminal and Long Beach Airport 10, and nobody publishes a taxi fare to either ship. Carnival sells transfers from both airports; everyone else takes a shuttle, a rideshare or a rental car. Here’s what each one costs.

18 miLAX to San Pedro, per the port
10 miLGB to San Pedro, per the port
$31.99a person, Carnival’s transfer from LGB
12:30Carnival’s LGB landing cut-off

Landing on sail day?

Tell us when you land and when the ship leaves, and we’ll check it against what each ride publishes and our rule of thumb.

Airport
Scheduled landing
Ship departs
The short answer

Fly into Long Beach if your airline goes there and the fare is close. It’s 10 miles from the San Pedro terminal by the port’s count, against 18 from LAX, and it’s the nearer airport for Carnival too.

LAX is the one with the flights. Three of our top-20 hotels run free shuttles from it, and it’s where most people land. Whichever you pick, land the day before if you can: LA traffic is the wild card.

Pick Long Beach if

  • Southwest, Hawaiian, Delta or Alaska flies you there
  • You’re sailing Carnival and want the cheaper transfer
  • You want the shortest ride to either terminal

Pick LAX if

  • You’re flying in from abroad, or your airline doesn’t serve LGB
  • You want a free shuttle to an airport hotel the night before
  • The fare saving beats the extra miles
The Map

Two terminals, one harbor

From LAX to San Pedro it’s the 405 south and the 110 south to the Harbor Boulevard exit, per Norwegian; Royal Caribbean adds: stay right, and don’t go over the Vincent Thomas Bridge. Carnival’s terminal is across the harbor in Long Beach, beside the Queen Mary, with Long Beach Airport to the north. Your cruise documents name your terminal.

PACIFIC OCEAN PALOS VERDES 405 110 WORLD CRUISE CENTERSan Pedro CARNIVAL · LONG BEACHbeside the Queen Mary LAX18 mi to San Pedro, per the port LGB10 mi to San Pedro, per the port
Main roadsSchematic, not to scale
The Airports

The big one and the close one

The big one
LAX
Los Angeles International
To the port
18 miles to San Pedro
The port’s figure. Carnival times its LAX transfer to Long Beach at an hour, and Princess’s blog says about 40 minutes to San Pedro without traffic. The Long Beach hotels in our top 20 put LAX 21 to 22 miles away.
Getting picked up
The LAX-it lot
Taxis and rideshare pick up at LAX-it, next to Terminal 1: an 8-minute walk from there, or a free shuttle about every 7 minutes, around the clock. Shared vans still stop at the terminals. The Rental Car Center opened in March 2026; the people mover isn’t running yet, with early 2027 now reported.
Lounges
No day passes
LoungePair sells no LAX passes. Priority Pass lists the Virgin Clubhouse (extra fee), two Gameways and two Be Relax spas.
The close one
LGB
Long Beach Airport
To the port
10 miles to San Pedro
The port’s figure. Carnival times its LGB transfer at an hour. The Long Beach hotels in our top 20 put LGB 7 or 8 miles away.
Getting picked up
At the curb
Taxis at the stand by Parking Structure A, rideshare on the outer curb, and rental counters in the Historic Terminal, with the cars in the lot across from it.
Airlines
Four of them
Southwest, Hawaiian, Delta (Salt Lake City) and Alaska (Seattle), per the airport. Priority Pass lists no lounge here.
The Ride

What the ride to the ship costs

Pick your airport and set how many of you are riding. The shuttles and Carnival charge per person and the private cars by the vehicle, so the cheapest answer changes with the size of your party.

Travelers
Carnival transfer to Long Beach, Carnival guests only—
Viator, private car to the cruise ports, from—
Viator, private car to the Carnival terminal, from—
Carnival transfer to Long Beach, Carnival guests only—
Viator, private car to either terminal, from—

One way, before tip, as each company published it on September 26, 2026. Carnival’s transfers are for its own guests and go to Long Beach. The private cars are “from” prices. Prime Time’s Express Service to San Pedro starts at $39 and Long Beach Shuttle lists $99 from LAX and $75 or $85 from LGB, but neither says whether that’s per person, so they aren’t priced here. No taxi or rideshare fare to either terminal is published.

Heading home after the cruise? Carnival’s transfer back is $34.99 to LAX and $31.99 to LGB, with the earliest flight set by when the ship docks. From San Pedro it’s a rideshare, a taxi or a booked shuttle.

Sail-Day Landing

Landing on sail day? Check your timing

Carnival publishes its own cut-offs. Beyond those, the yardstick is our rule of thumb, labelled as ours. Enter your landing time and the departure time from your cruise documents.

  • Carnival transfer, Carnival guestsLand by 12:00 PM to ride Carnival’s $34.99 transfer, which meets flights from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.—
  • Shuttle, rideshare or taxi, any lineNo cut-off of its own. The port puts LAX 18 miles from San Pedro, and Princess says to allow extra time in LA traffic. Our rule of thumb, not a line’s: land at least 4 hours before the ship leaves.—
  • Carnival transfer, Carnival guestsLand by 12:30 PM to ride Carnival’s $31.99 transfer, which meets flights from 9:30 AM to 1 PM.—
  • Shuttle, rideshare or taxi, any lineNo cut-off of its own. The port puts LGB 10 miles from San Pedro. Our rule of thumb, not a line’s: land at least 3 hours before the ship leaves.—

Whatever the ride, your cruise line’s check-in window is the real deadline, and it’s printed in your boarding documents. Neither port publishes a drop-off time. Princess, for one, assigns arrival groups in its app.

Take the clock off sail day

Land the day before. Wake up by the harbor.

Twenty hotels for either terminal, ten of them with a ride or a walk to the ship. Tell us your sail date and we’ll book the night before.

Find my best three
Coming Home

The morning you’re back

Ships clear early, flights leave late, and LA traffic sits in between. Put in your flight and this works out the ride, the wait, and what to do with the bags.

Partner links (transfers, rental cars, luggage storage) may earn Seabound Journeys a commission at no extra cost to you. They don't change the plan, which is built only from what each company publishes.

Bus and Bags

Can you get to the port without a car?

To Long Beach, yes, with patience. Long Beach Transit’s 102, 104 and 111 buses run from LGB toward downtown for $1.25. The free Passport bus stops at “Queen Mary / Cruise Terminal”, but its schedule page shows Friday-to-Sunday service, so check before you count on it.

From LAX, a free shuttle runs to the LAX/Metro Transit Center, and Metro’s C Line reaches the Harbor Freeway station, where the J Line 950 continues to San Pedro. Metro doesn’t publish that as a cruise route, and with bags it’s a long ride. The FlyAway buses go only to Van Nuys and Union Station.

Bags: the San Pedro terminal can’t store luggage, per the LA Waterfront FAQ. Bounce lists spots around LAX from about $2.25 a bag a day and none in San Pedro. The Guest Harbor Inn and The Cove both say they hold bags for guests.

Fly In Early

Flying in the day before

The day-before flight is the one move that takes LA traffic off sail day. It costs a hotel night. It buys you the morning.

Five of our top twenty run a free airport shuttle, all of them by an airport: Homewood Suites and both Embassy Suites from LAX, and the Courtyard and the Staybridge from LGB. None of those five runs a ride to the ship. For the hotels by the terminals, take a rideshare in and let the hotel’s shuttle or a short cab handle the morning.

Pre-cruise hotels

The top six for the night before

Twenty hotels for a cruise from San Pedro or Long Beach, ranked on shuttles, cruise parking, breakfast and distance. Here are the top six.

See all twenty →
188/100
Vagabond Inn San Pedro
The simplest sail morning in San Pedro: a free drop-off at the terminal, $15 a night to leave the car, and breakfast on cruise days.
Hold a room →
281/100
The Maya
A resort on the water a mile from the Carnival terminal, with its own sand beach and the terminal shuttle built into the nightly fee.
Hold a room →
377/100
Quality Inn Signal Hill
The cheapest printed ride to the Carnival terminal, $20 for up to four, plus free breakfast and parking packages of 4 or 7 days.
Hold a room →
475/100
Guest Harbor Inn
The lowest parking rate printed near the San Pedro terminal, $10 a day, with an $11 ride to the ship and your bags held if you need it.
Hold a room →
567/100
Quality Inn Lomita
One booking covers the night, 7 nights of parking, breakfast and a drop-off at the San Pedro terminal.
Hold a room →
665/100
The Cove Hotel
The only hotel on our list with a cruise package for both terminals: the night, 7 nights of parking and the ride there and back.
Hold a room →

Airport to hotel, from LAX and Long Beach

These are the rides our twenty list from each airport, and the ones that also get you to the ship.

LAXLos Angeles International
Hotels with a ride from here
Airport ride and a ride to the ship
  • None of the twenty does both from here.
LGBLong Beach Airport
Hotels with a ride from here
Airport ride and a ride to the ship

Every hotel, both airports, side by side: the Getting There table.

Where to stay
The 20 best hotels for the night before
Ranked on shuttles, cruise parking, breakfast and distance, from what each hotel publishes.
Driving instead?
Los Angeles and Long Beach cruise parking
Both terminals’ parking, and the off-site options.
FAQ

Los Angeles cruise airport FAQ

What is the closest airport to the Los Angeles cruise port?

Long Beach Airport (LGB). The Port of Los Angeles puts it 10 miles from the San Pedro terminal, against 18 for LAX. It's closer to Carnival's Long Beach terminal too: the Long Beach hotels in our top 20 put LGB 7 or 8 miles away and LAX 21 or 22. John Wayne (SNA) and Hollywood Burbank (BUR) work in a pinch, but neither publishes a distance to the ports.

Should I fly into LAX or Long Beach for a cruise?

Long Beach, if your airline flies there and the fare is close. It's the nearer airport to both terminals, and Carnival's transfer from LGB is $3 cheaper. But LGB is small: Southwest, Hawaiian, Delta and Alaska, per the airport. LAX has everything else, and three of our top-20 hotels run free LAX shuttles.

How much is a taxi or Uber from LAX to the cruise port?

No flat fare is published to either terminal. LAX taxis are metered: LA Yellow Cab lists $3.10 plus $2.97 a mile, and a $4 surcharge on trips from the airport. Taxis and rideshares pick up at the LAX-it lot next to Terminal 1. LGB's taxis run on the same meter rates, and the airport's flat fares don't include the terminals.

Does Carnival run a transfer from LAX and Long Beach Airport?

Yes: $34.99 a person from LAX, where your flight must land by noon, and $31.99 from LGB, landing by 12:30 PM. Coming home, the earliest flight is noon or 1 PM at LAX and 11 AM or 12:30 PM at LGB, depending on when the ship docks. Princess, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Virgin sell transfers too, but publish no Los Angeles price.

Can I fly in on the morning of my cruise?

You can, and then it's down to LA traffic. Carnival's cut-offs are noon at LAX and 12:30 PM at LGB, and Princess's own blog says to give yourself extra time in LA "no matter the time of day". We'd fly in the day before.

Is there a lounge at LAX or Long Beach Airport?

LoungePair sells no LAX passes, and Priority Pass lists the Virgin Clubhouse in the Tom Bradley terminal (with an extra fee), two Gameways and two Be Relax spas. Long Beach Airport has no Priority Pass lounge.

Can I get to the cruise port by public transit?

To Long Beach, with patience: Long Beach Transit's 102, 104 and 111 buses run from LGB toward downtown for $1.25, and the free Passport bus stops at "Queen Mary / Cruise Terminal", though its schedule page shows Friday-to-Sunday service, so check first. From LAX, Metro's C Line reaches the Harbor Freeway station, where the J Line 950 runs to San Pedro. Metro doesn't publish that as a cruise route, and it's a long ride with bags.

Can I fly home the same morning I get off the ship?

Neither port publishes debarkation times. Carnival's rule for its transfers: flights no earlier than noon or 1 PM from LAX, and 11 AM or 12:30 PM from LGB, depending on when the ship docks. The Coming Home tool on this page works out the gap for your flight.

Sources, read September 26, 2026: portoflosangeles.org — the cruise terminallawaterfront.org — cruise FAQsvisitlongbeach.com — Long Beach cruise terminalflylax.com — LAX-itflylax.com — FlyAwaylawa.org — Rental Car Centerabc7.com — people mover delaymetro.net — LAXlayellowcab.com — rateslongbeach.gov — LGB airlineslongbeach.gov — LGB ground transportationlongbeach.gov — LGB rental carsridelbt.com — Passportcarnival.com — Los Angeles transferscarnival.com — LAX to portcarnival.com — LGB to portcarnival.com — port to LAXcarnival.com — port to LGBprincess.com — Los Angeles cruise portncl.com — driving directionsroyalcaribbean.com — driving directionsprimetimeshuttle.com — LAX to San Pedrolongbeachshuttle.com — pricingviator.com — Los Angeles port transfersviator.com — Long Beach port transfersprioritypass.com — LAXbounce.com — LAX luggage storage

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