Outbound Flight? What time should I book?

[grajuit]

Hi there, folks!
I will be taking a cruise to the Mexican Riviera from 6/17 to 6/24 out of Long Beach, Ca. It appears that the ship disembarks at 9am on 6/24. What time should we book our outbound flight? I don't want to cut it too close. I want to err more on the safe side.

[alexandra cruiser]

also,,is that cruise docking at 9 am,,,just be sure...takes awhile for bags to get off and seems to always be a wait.Why rush? enjoy your cruise and flights by NOT worrying about this stuff. I ve made this mistake in past,,and NEVER again..

[susanmaz]

Definitely nothing earlier than 12:00 noon - and better yet, at least 1:00pm. So much depends on whether there are any immigration issues or delays in getting your luggage and even the ride to the airport can be delayed. Play it safe and plan for at least a minimum of 3 - 4 hours from docking time to flight time.

[LisaP]

Welcome to cruisereviews.com! From the information you provided, it appears you're traveling on Carnival? If so, Carnival recommends no earlier than 12:30 pm for flights out of LAX and no earlier than 1:30 out of Orange County. This is buried on their Web site HERE. (If the link doesn't take you directly there, go to "Before Your Cruise" and scroll down.)

From personal experience, I'd leave at least another hour as LAX especially can be crowded on cruise debarkation days.

[grajuit]

Thanks, ladies. This information helps out greatly! Booking outbound flight now!