We just returned from our 4th cruise. We decided to do the Mexican Riviera because we were looking for an itinerary which contained ports we have never been before. After considering the price, the location, time of year no hurricanes and the date we chose this particular cruise. Now the details:

We booked our cruise through Carnival which included the pre and post cruise transfer to the airport. The airfare we booked separate. We arrived in LA on Saturday in the morning. We did some stuff on our own. We also bought a case of water to take with us as well. Someone left a great suggestion in a review about Carnival allowing passengers to bring water on board. We brought an empty suitcase with wheels, stacked the water in it and took it on board as a carry on.

On Sunday we went back to LAX and picked up the shuttle bus to the terminal. The Carnival personnel at the airport was very friendly. The shuttle ride was about 25 mins to the pier. When we got to the pier we saw probably the longest line that snaked its way all the way back to the shuttle bus drop off. We really did not think much of it. We were thankful that we did not have to stand there with a case of water in hand. If you are traveling with small kids you may want to bring a folding chair or something. I saw a one kid who were crying from standing too long. The wait was about an hour and a half. It probably was the longest wait we have ever had during the embarkation process. Read more