San Diego International Airport to Port of San Diego
Getting from San Diego International Airport to Port of San Diego — 10-15 min, 2.4 miles
Transfer Options
Taxi & Rideshare
Both leave from the Transportation Plazas in front of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at San Diego International Airport, and rideshare pickup is specifically in the second lane of the Transportation Plaza. From downtown the piers are close enough that a cab is a short hop rather than a journey: the Port measures 2.4 miles to the B Street Pier and 2.7 miles to the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier.
Tell the driver the pier rather than the port. The Port asks that your ride drop you off beyond the gate, on the pier, and a Harbor Drive curbside drop leaves you crossing traffic with bags. If anyone in your party needs mobility assistance, the Port asks that you arrange it with your cruise line before you leave home rather than at the terminal door.
Driving & Parking Near the Piers
There is no port-run lot to aim for. The Port of San Diego does not own or operate cruise parking, so every car ends up with a private operator, and the Port publishes a referral list rather than a price list. The names on it are San Diego's Park, Shuttle & Fly, with two lots on Pacific Highway and a shuttle the Port describes as running 24/7 to and from the cruise ship terminals; Aladdin Airport & Cruise Ship Parking on Kettner Boulevard, with a free shuttle and live tracking; Ace Parking at the Wyndham, BRIC North and BRIC South; and ABM Parking on Harbor Island, in two surface lots and at the Campus at Horton Garage downtown. Only the first two publish a figure you can read before you call.
Measure the car before you shop the price. Aladdin publishes a 6'9" height clearance and no high-profile vehicles, Park, Shuttle & Fly cannot accommodate oversized vehicles including RVs, and ABM Parking caps its downtown surface lots at 18 feet and the Campus at Horton Garage at 25 feet. If you want to skip the shuttle entirely, Ace Parking's BRIC South garage describes itself as directly across the street from the cruise ship terminal — but Ace needs a printed reservation voucher to let you out at the end, so print it at home rather than trusting a phone screen after a week at sea.
From San Diego International Airport (SAN)
The airport is unusually close to the ships. Its own ground transportation page puts the Cruise Ship Terminal approximately two miles east on N. Harbor Drive, and the Port measures 2.4 miles to the B Street Pier and 2.7 miles to the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier. Ground transportation of every kind leaves from the Transportation Plazas in front of Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, so the first decision after baggage claim is which lane you want rather than which road. Neither the Port nor the airport publishes a drive time for the trip; on 2.4 miles of Harbor Drive our own allowance is 10-15 min, and more than that on a morning when the piers are turning around three ships.
Come in the day before if your flight lands after mid-morning. The Port asks cruise passengers to arrive at their assigned boarding time and not before 10 a.m., and a same-day arrival for a Mexico sailing leaves no room for a delay — passports are required for Mexico cruises, so a missed ship is not something you resolve at the pier. Bring your picture ID, your ship boarding document, and your passport or birth certificate where the itinerary allows the latter.
MTS Route 992, the Airport Bus
Route 992's own timetable is titled "Downtown San Diego / via Cruise Ship Terminal / Harbor Drive", and the Cruise Ship Terminal is one of its published destinations alongside the Embarcadero and Waterfront Park. It connects to the trolley at America Plaza, Santa Fe Depot and Courthouse. The airport describes the route as serving Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 every day from 4:15 a.m. to midnight, roughly every 15 minutes, on wheelchair-accessible buses, and MTS puts the run between the airport and Santa Fe Depot at about 15 minutes.
Do not time your arrival off the Cruise Ship Terminal stop. It is a published destination on Route 992 and it is not one of the timetable's four timepoints, which are 4th Av. & Broadway, America Plaza / Santa Fe Depot, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Anchor on the Santa Fe Depot times, then add the walk from Harbor Drive. Note too that the airport's 4:15 a.m. figure describes the service window rather than a departure: the timetable effective June 07, 2026 shows the first downtown departure at 4:21a.
Amtrak and the Santa Fe Depot
Trains arrive downtown at Santa Fe Depot, on Kettner Boulevard, which is the closest rail arrival to the piers and the same station MTS Route 992 uses as its downtown anchor. The trolley meets the depot as well, so a rail arrival lands you on the right side of downtown for the waterfront without a transfer through the airport.
We found no published opening hours for the depot, and no published walking distance from the depot to the piers, so do not build a tight connection around either. Route 992 stops at the depot and continues along Harbor Drive past the Cruise Ship Terminal, which is the simplest last leg with luggage in hand.
Cost Comparison
| Option | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi & Rideshare | CostWe publish no figure. The airport prints ground transportation locations rather than fares, and the city's taxicab rate page returns a 404, so every dollar amount circulating for this trip is a third-party estimate rather than a published fare. | Best ForFamilies with luggage, anyone with mobility needs, and any arrival where the boarding slot is already close |
| Driving & Parking Near the Piers | Cost$24.95 a day at San Diego's Park, Shuttle & Fly, which is the regular rate — the $18.95 you see advertised is a coupon rate the same page bars cruise patrons from using. Aladdin publishes $21 a day on the rooftop, $23 a day indoors and $30 a day for Quick-Valet, all three framed as airport rates. Ace Parking and ABM Parking publish no rate on the pages we read; both quote by phone or email instead, and Ace's cruise line is staffed weekdays only. | Best ForAnyone driving in from Los Angeles, Orange County or Arizona, and anyone who would rather deal with a lot than an airport |
| From San Diego International Airport (SAN) | CostNot published by the airport. San.org lists where each mode picks up and prints no fare for taxi or rideshare, and the city page that once carried taxicab rates now returns a 404. The one published fare on this route is transit: MTS Route 992 is $2.50 for an adult one-way and $1.25 reduced. | Best ForAlmost everyone flying in, because the drive is short enough that the transfer is rarely the weak link in the plan |
| MTS Route 992, the Airport Bus | Cost$2.50 for an adult one-way and $1.25 for seniors, riders with disabilities, Medicare recipients and youth. A day pass is $6.00 adult and $3.00 reduced. | Best ForSolo travelers and couples with carry-on luggage, and anyone who would rather spend bus fare than argue with a curb |
| Amtrak and the Santa Fe Depot | CostFares vary by origin and are sold by Amtrak, so there is no flat figure to quote here. The onward leg is the cheap part: Route 992 and the trolley both serve Santa Fe Depot, at $2.50 for an adult one-way and $1.25 reduced. | Best ForArrivals from up the coast who would rather step off a train downtown than land at an airport |
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