Guides · Cruise & air
Closest Airport to the San Pedro Cruise Terminal (Port of LA)
Closest airport to the Port of Los Angeles cruise terminal in San Pedro: Long Beach (LGB) at about 14–15 miles. How LAX, SNA, BUR and ONT compare.
The closest airport to the Port of Los Angeles cruise terminal in San Pedro is Long Beach Airport (LGB), about 14–15 road miles away and typically a 25–35 minute drive. Los Angeles International (LAX) is about 22–24 miles away and offers far more flights, so for many travelers the extra distance is worth it. Figures are as of October 2026; re-check them on the Port of Los Angeles cruise page (portoflosangeles.org) or with your cruise line before you book.
First, make sure you have the right terminal
Los Angeles-area cruises leave from two different places, and mixing them up is a costly mistake.
- World Cruise Center, San Pedro (Port of Los Angeles): 100 Swinford Street, San Pedro, CA 90731, berths 91–93. Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, Cunard, Oceania, Regent, Seabourn and Viking sail from here. Whichever airport you arrive at, the terminal is reached from the south end of the I-110 (Harbor Freeway) via Harbor Boulevard and Swinford Street.
- Long Beach Cruise Terminal: 231 Windsor Way, Long Beach, CA 90802, next to the Queen Mary. Carnival is the only line that uses it.
The two are about 6–7 road miles apart, across the Vincent Thomas Bridge and Ocean Boulevard. This guide covers San Pedro. Check your cruise documents for the terminal address before you plan anything else.
Closest airport to the San Pedro cruise terminal: LGB, LAX, SNA, BUR and ONT compared
All distances below are road miles to the San Pedro terminal, not straight-line. Times assume a typical drive without heavy traffic; on a sailing day, traffic can double any of them.
| Airport | Road miles | Typical drive | Typical cost to terminal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Beach (LGB) | about 14–15 | 25–35 min | Taxi roughly $35–45 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | about 22–24 | 30–45 min light traffic; 60–90 min weekday afternoon | Rideshare typically $45–60; taxi roughly $65+ |
| Orange County (SNA) | about 35 | 40–55 min | — |
| Burbank (BUR) | about 40 | 50–75 min | — |
| Ontario (ONT) | about 60 | 60–90 min | — |
Rideshare fares move with demand, so treat the ranges as a guide rather than a quote. We don't have verified fare data for SNA, BUR or ONT; get a rideshare or shuttle estimate before you book a flight into one of them.
Long Beach (LGB): the closest
Of the five commercial airports in the region, LGB is the nearest by a clear margin. From the airport you head south on I-405 and I-710, take Ocean Boulevard over the Vincent Thomas Bridge, then follow Harbor Boulevard to the terminal.
The catch is choice. LGB has far fewer routes and flights than LAX, so it works best if one of its airlines flies a convenient route from your home city. Check current schedules with the airlines; our flight path tool will show you the distance and typical flying time from your home airport.
LAX: farther, but more flight choices
LAX is about 22–24 road miles from San Pedro — roughly 8–9 miles farther than LGB. With light traffic you can make it in 30–45 minutes, but a weekday afternoon can stretch that to 60–90 minutes.
The case for LAX: more airlines, more nonstop flights, and usually more fare options. If you're flying in from far away or from a smaller city, a better connection can outweigh the extra miles. The penalty is the weekday-afternoon drive, so avoid scheduling an afternoon arrival if you plan to go straight from the airport to the ship. Once you know your sailing date, our guide on when to book flights covers how far ahead to buy.
The farther airports: SNA, BUR and ONT
These three are realistic only if the flights or fares are much better for you.
- SNA (John Wayne, Orange County) is about 35 miles and 40–55 minutes. Workable if it has a better flight or fare from your home city.
- BUR (Hollywood Burbank) is about 40 miles and 50–75 minutes. The route usually goes through downtown Los Angeles, so avoid weekday afternoons.
- ONT (Ontario) is about 60 miles and 60–90 minutes. The longest transfer of the five; rarely the best pick unless a flight deal makes it so.
Timing your arrival and ground transport
Cruise lines assign check-in windows and ask guests not to arrive before theirs. Embarkation traffic around the terminal is usually heaviest late morning on sailing days, so aim for the early part of your assigned window, and check that window in your cruise documents.
The safest plan is to fly in the day before and stay overnight. A delayed flight on embarkation morning can mean a missed ship, and the ship won't wait for a late flight unless you bought the cruise line's own air package, which usually includes a guarantee — check your line's policy. If you're relying on same-day travel, read how to read a flight status so you know which delays to take seriously, and look up your flight on our flight status page. Your rights when a flight is cancelled matter for getting your money back, but they won't get you to the ship in time.
If you're driving, terminal parking is about $20 per day with no weekly discount. Park-and-cruise hotel packages are another option: the Crowne Plaza LA Harbor has advertised cruise parking at about $15 per night. Confirm the price and shuttle details with the hotel directly.
The return day: don't book an early flight home
Getting off the ship takes longer than getting on. Walk-off timing depends on your cruise line and your assigned group, and sailings that visited foreign ports go through customs and immigration on return. Confirm your disembarkation time with the line, then allow the drive to the airport plus the usual airport buffer. As a rule of thumb, a flight from LGB before late morning, or from LAX before midday, is a gamble; a mid-afternoon flight is comfortable.
Before you go: documents
On closed-loop cruises, which start and end at the same US port, US citizens can usually travel with a birth certificate and government photo ID. A passport is strongly recommended, and your cruise line's requirements are the ones that count. If your cruise visits foreign ports, check the six-month passport rule and use our documents checker alongside your cruise line's instructions.
If you haven't booked yet, our sister site BestCruising can tell you which terminal and which dates a given line sails from Los Angeles, and book the cruise.
Frequently asked questions
Is Long Beach Airport closer to the San Pedro cruise terminal than LAX?
Yes. LGB is about 14–15 road miles from the San Pedro terminal, compared with about 22–24 miles from LAX. In light traffic the drive times are similar, roughly 25–35 minutes from LGB and 30–45 minutes from LAX. LGB's advantage is the shorter distance, so there's less to lose when traffic is bad — but sailing-day traffic can lengthen any transfer.
What if my ship leaves from the Long Beach Cruise Terminal instead?
That's a different terminal, used only by Carnival, and the figures in this guide are for San Pedro. LGB is about 6 road miles from the Long Beach terminal and LAX about 23 miles (35–50 minutes). Be warned that even the short LGB hop has been known to take an hour by rideshare on an embarkation morning because of terminal traffic. Check the address on your cruise documents before you plan your transfer.
How much does a taxi or rideshare from LAX to San Pedro cost?
Rideshare typically runs about $45–60 and a taxi roughly $65 or more, as of October 2026. Fares vary with demand, so check the app or ask the taxi company for an estimate before you ride.
