Latest that you've left the Cruise Terminal for RCL Navigator of the Seas on Disembarkment day on 4 Night Cruise?

[CableKC]

I'm trying to plan my return flight home on Disembarkment Day on a Navigator of the Seas 4 Night Cruise where it returns on a Friday morning.

I'm trying to decide if I should:

1 ) Book my flight to return home by flying out from Long Beach Airport late in the afternoon that same day

or

2 ) Not risk it and book the flight out the next morning.

I'm looking at the flight info and there is a flight that leaves on that same Friday at 6:15pm from Long Beach Airport.    I figure that my party of 8 would be able completely disembark the ship, wait in line, checked out from the Cruise Terminal itself and physically get onto a Shuttle or Uber and leaving the Cruise parking terminal by 2:45pm.  I figure that this would leave me enough time to arrive at the airport and check in for my flight at that time. 

Based off of your experience disembarking the RCL Navigator of the Seas at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal on a Friday morning, waiting in line at the Terminal and going through customs ( or whatever you have to do at the Cruise Terminal to return to port ); what is a reasonable time for you to have gotten into your mode of transportation ( your own car, shuttle or Uber ) to start driving by 2:45pm on a Friday?

Although I have some buffer time to get from the Cruise Terminal to the Long Beach Airport ( while taking into account hitting some traffic on a Friday afternoon ), am I cutting it too close when I have expectations of getting through the entire disembarkment process.

Of course, I know that there are always going to be unexpected factors that can cause significant delays that I have no control over.   I can also not risk it at all and just fly out the next morning.   But I want to avoid the additional cost ( car rental, additional hotel stay for 1 more night ) and hassle of leaving the next day.

Any advise and information based off of your experience disembarking from the Long Beach Terminal would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

[smokeybandit]

2:45 would be extremely late to finish your disembarkation stuff.

 

I have a 1:55 flight out of LGB and I expect to have a couple hours to sit around at the airport.

[octaviocloss]

You could always do the express disembarkation process; and walk out off the ship as early as possible (You'd need to carry your own luggage); i bet you'd be inside the Shuttle/Uber really fast and avoid any kind of lines. 

[Atlantix2000]

Most questions like this are the opposite of yours.  They are trying to figure out if they can get out of the terminal before 8AM!

Not specific to the Long Beach Terminal, but generally the last people off the ship disembark by 10AM.  The ship has to be completely empty of previous cruisers before they can clear the ship to begin embarkation of the next cruise.  That used to start around 11AM but tends to be later now due to extra cleaning.  The worst lines at customs are generally going to be from the rush of people trying get off the ship early and will have died down if you're near the end of the pack.  Overall, I doubt any departing passengers are still around the terminal after 11AM at any port.

[Diesel]

We disembarked Navigator on Friday, April 22nd.  We had 11:15am flight out of LAX that same morning.  We walked off the ship carrying our own luggage at about 7:00am.  It took less than 5 minutes to disembark the ship, go through customs, and be outside the terminal waiting for our Uber.  We had to wait awhile for our Uber but were still at LAX a little after 8:00am with plenty of time to spare.  I don't necessarily encourage a morning flight the day of disembarkation, but this example gives an idea of how quickly you can disembark.

[BigKarl]

We have been on Navigator three times in the last 4 months.  All three times I have been parked in the pier parking lot.  I live 65 miles from the pier and have experienced a Friday morning disembarkation as well as a Monday and Sunday.  If you get off the ship early (7:30am to 9:00am) You may find a bit of traffic with the cargo trucks leaving the docks but I have always made my trip home in under 2 hrs.  Getting thru the RC terminal by taking your own luggage does save time as you can disembark earlier and don't need to search for your luggage downstairs before you go thru customs (Which is quick also).  If your Party can come together in an orderly manner (Not like herding cats),  You should all be outside the RC Terminal  with your luggage no later than 11:30am and ready to get to Long Beach Airport which is about 35 minutes away.

That said, Royal tries to get all passengers off the ship by 11:00am so you all have time to wake up, enjoy a nice breakfast before you leave the ship if you wish and still be outside the terminal before Noon.  Traffic doesn't usually get to bad until 2pm to 3pm on a friday so judge your time accordingly. You should still make it to Long Beach airport within an hour even if your driver takes surface streets.

 

 

[Jess4214]

You have plenty of time to make it to LGB by your 6:15pm flight. Most people complete debarkation by 9-9:30am. Long Beach Airport is close by and it's a small airport compared LAX or JFK. Taking an uber/lyft is the quickest way. Arriving at LGB 2 hours prior to boarding is more than enough time.