I was picked up at a hotel at 7:50 a.m. and taken to where the boat leaves in Long Beach. My boat arrived in Catalina at 11:00 a.m. I had to be in line for my scenic drive at 11:45 a.m. The drive was beautiful and was from 12:00 to 12:50 p.m. I had to be in line for the boat to go back at 3:20, so I really only had 2 and a half hours to look around after the drive. I shopped, had a quick bite to eat and went to the museum. I wouldn't have been able to fit in the casino as the casino tours interfered with the drive and would have taken up a lot of time. If I could do it again, I'd take an Uber to the Long Beach and buy my own tickets for everything I wanted to do ahead of time. I found the time too short and it is such a beautiful place.
I thought it was a tour but ended up as a shuttle service to Catalina island. We had to find the upgrades on our own, which was quite confusing. Nevertheless, the beautiful scenery surprised us and made up for all the hassle.