Need suggestions for 2 nights before cruise out of Long Beach

[lucy2mb]

Well, now that you've sort of settled in on Long Beach...the next question is how you plan on getting around. If you are renting a car (or a minivan in your case), you can stay in a lot of areas...but you will deal with parking and traffic. If you do not want to rent a car, you still have lots of options. For that short a time and staying in Long Beach, you can use Uber or a shuttle service to get to the hotel from the airport, you can use Sunseeker Tours for a tour of Los Angeles/Hollywood/Beverly Hills et al from LB if you want...or the Metro if you are daring...and, for getting around Long Beach, if you stay in the right place, you can walk or use the free Passport shuttle service.

 

There is a very limited area of Long Beach in which you want to stay...and, therefore, a limited number of hotels.

 

Here is my standard Long Beach hotel list:

 

"A" List: The BEST places to stay are the Hyatt, Westin, Renaissance and Hyatt Centric (also known as Hyatt at the Pike) …These put you right in the heart of the tourist area with very convenient walks to restaurants, shops and attractions and easy access to the free "Passport" shuttle...and those ARE the nicest hotels in town. Doesn't necessarily mean they are higher priced, though...and you can often get a real deal via Priceline...

 

http://www.longbeach.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

 

http://www.westinlongbeachhotel.com/

 

http://thepikelongbeach.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

 

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbrn-renaissance-long-beach-hotel/

 

"B" List: Slightly further away, but still in decent walking distance, is the Hilton. Just across the bridge (on the same side of the channel as the Carnival Pier...but convenient with the Passport shuttle) are the Marriott Residence Inn Downtown and the Maya Doubletree...

 

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hilton-long-beach-LGBLHHF/index.html

 

http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hotel-maya-a-doubletree-by-hilton-LGBMYDT/index.html

 

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbri-residence-inn-long-beach-downtown/

 

"C" List: Slightly outside the prime area and/or not necessarily the nicest hotels for one reason or another, but options if all else fails are the Marriott Courtyard and the Best Western Long Beach Convention Center...The Queen Mary is across the bridge ...and right next to the Carnival Terminal...however, I am not a big fan of the Queen Mary--unless you are on there for nostalgia's sake...It's not exactly a first class hotel by today's standards--the rooms are small, condition questionable, etc.

 

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbcy-courtyard-long-beach-downtown/

 

https://www.bestwestern.com/content/best-western/en_US/booking-path/hotel-details.05642.html?propertyCode=05642&arrivalMonthYear=&arrivalDay=&departureMonthYear=&departureDay=&sob=C05&disablenav=false

 

http://www.queenmary.com/stay-aboard/stay-aboard/

 

One word of warning: Do NOT go looking for bargains outside of this short list of hotels...Long Beach is a BIG city...there are lots of different areas, some better, some worse...some not so close to the port or the tourist areas...That bargain hotel MAY tell you it's near the Convention Center or near the port...but it may not be...it may be in an undesirable area or location. You want to have a pleasant stay--stick to this list.

 

"Reasonable" is a relative term. Decent hotels in the Greater Los Angeles area tend to sound pricey to a lot of people coming from areas where the cost of living is a lot less. Breakfast included may be difficult to find...but just figure in the price of stopping by some local place--even fast food--and picking up a cheap breakfast.

 

This area of Long Beach means you will have a large choice of restaurants nearby, you will have nice shops and picturesque scenery and places to walk and enjoy...You will be close to sites like the Aquarium and the Queen Mary if you want to have a little sightseeing... One word of warning: Do NOT go looking for bargains outside of this short list of hotels...Long Beach is a BIG city...there are lots of different areas, some better, some worse...some not so close to the port or the tourist areas...That bargain hotel MAY tell you it's near the Convention Center or near the port...but it may not be...it may be in an undesirable area or location. You want to have a pleasant stay--stick to this list.

 

This area of Long Beach means you will have a large choice of restaurants nearby, you will have nice shops and picturesque scenery and places to walk and enjoy...You will be close to sites like the Aquarium and the Queen Mary if you want to have a little sightseeing...Long Beach runs a free shuttle service called the "Passport" which will take you all over the Downtown area:

 

http://www.lbtransit.com/services/passport.aspx

 

Good luck and have fun...

Thank you SO MUCH for all the suggestions. I had thought to save money we would consider airbnb but I really wouldn't know if it was in a safe area or not. So in your opinion, would you stay in a hotel instead of a house with airbnb? Some had very good reviews but a few people did not like the area. I am going to start looking at all your suggestions tonight. Thanks again!!!

[lucy2mb]

One more question. Would staying at the Long Beach airport area be a good area?

[Langley Cruisers]

Here is my standard Long Beach hotel list:

 

http://www.longbeach.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

 

Steve, I've been meaning to mention to you that this link is broken. I have seen you post this excellent advice (using copy and paste) many times and the past two times this link was broken.

 

Here is the correct link so you can change your information:

 

https://longbeach.regency.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

 

.

[Bruin Steve]

Thank you SO MUCH for all the suggestions. I had thought to save money we would consider airbnb but I really wouldn't know if it was in a safe area or not. So in your opinion, would you stay in a hotel instead of a house with airbnb? Some had very good reviews but a few people did not like the area. I am going to start looking at all your suggestions tonight. Thanks again!!!

Long Beach is a BIG city...and many areas aren't convenient for tourists...and many areas are just unsavory...I'd really have to know the address of the property to have any idea.

 

That said, there really aren't any residential uses in that prime are of Long Beach...it is all commercial. There are some nice areas of Long Beach where an airbnb might be nice...say Naples or Belmont Shore...but they are nowhere near the cruise port or the tourist attractions. You'd likely need a car...

 

As to the hotels I've listed, a few notes:

 

The Maya Doubletree has special "Carnival" rates...but you may have to call and ask for them...

 

The Residence Inn Downtown includes free breakfast and free internet...

[Bruin Steve]

One more question. Would staying at the Long Beach airport area be a good area?

Long Beach Airport is nowhere near the port, nowhere near the tourist attractions and nowhere near the selection of restaurants and shops. It is an industrial/freeway off-ramp sort of area. I can't find a lot of reasons to stay there.

[SadieN]

One more question. Would staying at the Long Beach airport area be a good area?

 

 

 

We had cruise mates stay by the airport back in August. They said they wouldn’t book there again, simply because there was nothing nearby. They didn’t have a car.

[SadieN]

When is your cruise? Long Beach gets booked fast. Lots of Conventions, Special Events and the Grand Prix.

 

 

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[lucy2mb]

Long Beach Airport is nowhere near the port, nowhere near the tourist attractions and nowhere near the selection of restaurants and shops. It is an industrial/freeway off-ramp sort of area. I can't find a lot of reasons to stay there.

I just read your response after checking out all the places you told me about. I have a suite on hold for us now at the airport at Homewood Suites by Hilton. The man spent a lot of time on the phone with me checking out all the Hilton hotels in the area. Some places did not have any rooms available like we needed and booking two rooms in the others were going to cost over $400 more than we are paying. The rate was great that I got and includes a light dinner on Thursday night and free breakfast both mornings. The hotel rating was 9.3 on one site I looked at. He said to check back again in case there were some cancellations at the other Hiltons. I am still going to check out your C option for the Queen Mary but when I called last week they had not started booking for the days we need in January. I will keep searching but at least I have something in case I don't find anything else in our price range. He said Uber would be $14 to $18 to the area we would like to go from the hotel. I have free cancellation on the room I booked till January 22. People sure are booking early to get the best areas. I should have started looking after Christmas. I am going to search tonight and see if I can find something closer in the areas you said were good. Thanks again!

[jamesr3939]

Depending on price I have stayed at the Hilton Doubletree Carson for work and it is a really nice hotel. You might find it very cost effective. It's not to far from LB and does seem to host a lot of foreign tourist tour buses on their way to Las Vegas. Since there isn't much close it was reasonable and the staff seemed to try really hard to make things comfortable. I found the food excellent and there's free parking. Granted there isn't anything really within walking distance, but then again there never is in LA.

 

I am Hilton brand loyal member and you can join Hilton Honors for free and book up as many hotels as you want with no upfront fee. Most allow 24 hr cancellation and some are 72 hours.

 

I book many times for future dates I think I might want to visit, just to get a better price or location that might book up later. Many times I have gotten rooms at 50% of the price when it gets close to the holiday. I have three RSVP's right now for July 4th because I know they will book up and/or price will go up, or the nice rooms will be gone.

[lucy2mb]

I have been searching for a better location for the past 2 hours. Does anyone know anything about the Best Western Long Beach on Long Beach Blvd. I found good rates there for us but their rating isn't as good as the Homewood Suites at the Long Beach Airport. To get the best rates, I would need to book without the free cancellations. Let me know what you think of that hotel. Thanks!

[SadieN]

I have been searching for a better location for the past 2 hours. Does anyone know anything about the Best Western Long Beach on Long Beach Blvd. I found good rates there for us but their rating isn't as good as the Homewood Suites at the Long Beach Airport. To get the best rates, I would need to book without the free cancellations. Let me know what you think of that hotel. Thanks!

 

 

 

Not the best area. Read the reviews carefully. Not a place I’d want to be at night.

[Bruin Steve]

Agree with Sadie. NOT a desirable location. I would not stay there.

[lucy2mb]

Thank you so much! I will definitely not book there!!! I saw an Ocean Suite for 6 on different booking sites and it was 8 minute walk to the beach with good rates but it is non-refundable. I need to get free cancellation. I guess for now, I will keep Homewood Suites at the airport since the ratings were very high. I will keep checking back at the hotels mentioned above. Thanks!!!

[Airrace]

Start getting your tickets now most good show fill up quickly. Worst case scenario they always have a line for walk ups (standbys) as not everybody that reserves tickets shows up. LA hotels are expensive, I think you might be better off looking for someplace to stay near Universal City. You can visit Universal Studios.

 

 

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[Airrace]

Traffic is horrible. I once traveled during the afternoon from Universal Studios to Disneyland and it took over two hours because of traffic.

 

 

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[Airrace]

The Queen Mary is in Long Beach.

 

 

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[lucy2mb]

Agree with Sadie. NOT a desirable location. I would not stay there.

What about Best Western Plus Redondo Beach? Is Redondo Beach a good location-better than airport?

[SadieN]

When is your cruise?

 

 

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[Airrace]

Since you have two days I would spend one day in Universal Studios. You can take the back lot tram and see a lot of what the movie industry is all about. Their is also an amusement park to go on rides and other events you can enjoy while walking around. Near the entrance several of the tv show are arranging tickets for the tv shows. My suggestion is get a show being filmed at night and spend the day in Universal Studios.

 

The next day I would spend at Disneyland!

 

 

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[Airrace]

Since you have two days I would spend one day in Universal Studios. You can take the back lot tram and see a lot of what the movie industry is all about. Their is also an amusement park to go on rides and other events you can enjoy while walking around. Near the entrance several of the tv show are arranging tickets for the tv shows. My suggestion is get a show being filmed at night and spend the day in Universal Studios.

 

The next day I would spend at Disneyland!

 

 

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City walk is an option for entertainment at night and is right next door to Universal Studios. Several types of restaurants, Woff Gang Puck has a restaurant their.

 

 

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[Bruin Steve]

What about Best Western Plus Redondo Beach? Is Redondo Beach a good location-better than airport?

I would take that over Long Beach Airport...It's not right on the beach (about 5-6 blocks walk) or near most of the better restaurants (wish it were closer to King Harbor)...but there are some eateries nearby...and it's a much nicer neighborhood.

If all things are even, I'd take that over LGB...

[lucy2mb]

I would take that over Long Beach Airport...It's not right on the beach (about 5-6 blocks walk) or near most of the better restaurants (wish it were closer to King Harbor)...but there are some eateries nearby...and it's a much nicer neighborhood.

If all things are even, I'd take that over LGB...

Thanks for your help! I will look at it later tonight when I get home.

[lucy2mb]

I would take that over Long Beach Airport...It's not right on the beach (about 5-6 blocks walk) or near most of the better restaurants (wish it were closer to King Harbor)...but there are some eateries nearby...and it's a much nicer neighborhood.

If all things are even, I'd take that over LGB...

I found Homewood Suites at Redondo Beach is available. It will cost a little more than the airport but it looks nice. Do you think it is a good location and would there be places we could walk to. I hope it is still available.

[Bruin Steve]

I found Homewood Suites at Redondo Beach is available. It will cost a little more than the airport but it looks nice. Do you think it is a good location and would there be places we could walk to. I hope it is still available.

Actually not a great location...just a generic freeway offramp off the 405...industrial area...nowhere near the beach. I had to check twice to imagine that it's actually got a Redondo Beach address. There's not much within walking distance at all...unless you count crossing under the freeway to the In and Out Burger...

[lucy2mb]

:)

Actually not a great location...just a generic freeway offramp off the 405...industrial area...nowhere near the beach. I had to check twice to imagine that it's actually got a Redondo Beach address. There's not much within walking distance at all...unless you count crossing under the freeway to the In and Out Burger...

I am so glad you told me. I was thinking about switching. I was getting ready to call and ask them what was within walking distance. I did see it would take us a lot longer to get to the port. When I looked back at the Best Western, it was only double beds. I will keep what I have for now. At least it is a new hotel and closer to the port. I will let you know if I find something else and if I have any more questions. Thanks!