Newbie to cruising out of Long Beach - Many Questions!

[squierjosh]

Hi. I've been on a lot of cruise, but never out of Long Beach. I'm perfectly comfortable finding a hotel and pre/post cruise transportation in Miami. Takes me an afternoon of research and I'm done. Long Beach seems way more complicated, mostly due to the distance between LAX and the Long Beach cruise port.

 

Two adults, two kids. Flying in late on Friday night. Should we stay near LAX and then find transportation to the port the next morning? Or, find a hotel in Long Beach and get there really late, but have a short commute in the morning? 

 

How far away from LAX can I expect to find free hotel transfers? I realize I'll also need transportation to the port Saturday morning, as the only hotels I see with free port shuttle are hundreds of dollars more per night, so not worth it.  A nice balance between free airport to hotel shuttle and an Uber or whatever from hotel to port would be ideal. 

 

Getting back to the airport after the cruise...What can I expect an Uber to cost? Are they readily available? The Carnival shuttle is insane. 

[Bruin Steve]

Friday night and the cruise leaves Saturday?  How late Friday?

 

Assuming it's an arrival well after dinner time (There is little in the way of restaurants near LAX)...

The only "free" shuttles you will find will be LAX area hotels--from LAX, maybe some in El Segundo (just south of LAX) as well.  LAX is not an attractive location--except if you have a very early flight out or, perhaps, like you, a very late flight in.

 

My personal preference would be to head immediately to Downtown Long Beach--just to get the longer ride out of the way.  I'd especially head down to Long Beach if I arrived earlier in the day since there is so much more to do, more restaurants, etc....as well as to have a less stressful embarkation morning.  Of course, for you, you may find a less expensive hotel choice near LAX.  If there, stay in the area immediately east of LAX along Century Blvd., but stay west of the 405...Or, stay in El Segundo if you can find a good price and shuttle.

 

If you want to head straight to Long Beach, take a good look at the Maya Doubletree or the Residence Inn Downtown--they are on the same side of the channel as the Carnival terminal. Do not venture to other locations in Long Beach other than this or just across the channel--Hyatt Regency, Hyatt at the Pike, Renaissance, Westin, Hilton.  Long Beach is a big city--some parts are not good.

 

A compromise is to stay in Torrance (about halfway to the port from LAX), taking an Uber LAX-hotel and hotel-port...if you can find a better hotel price there (I assume from your post that budget is a concern).  

 

I've never Ubered Long Beach to LAX...I have done San Pedro (slightly closer to LAX) to LAX--around $50 plus tip...but, beware, if a lot of people get off the ship and all call Uber at once, surge pricing pops up.  Keep both the Uber app and the Lyft app handy to see who's got the best price.

Edited July 26, 2023 by Bruin Steve

[squierjosh]

Thanks for the response. Right now I'm looking at a late Friday night flight for a Saturday cruise. So staying near LAX and heading down in the morning might be the best option. 

 

If I find a better flight for Friday, do any of the Long Beach hotels offer port shuttle service? Budget isn't a huge concern, but $$ add up quickly with 4 people. 

 

Are the residence inn and Maya really considered downtown? Looks like they are across the channel from downtown, surrounded by industrial stuff. Maybe it's a short walk across that bridge? I'd like to find a place for pop and snacks for the cruise.

[Bruin Steve]

Yes, the Maya and Residence Inn are across the channel--in a mostly industrial area--BUT very close to the Queen Mary and to the Carnival facility.  But here is the good part--The City of Long Beach provides a FREE shuttle (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) called the "Passport" that does a loop around the downtown area--including the "other" side of the channel!

 

Passport | ridelbt.com Long Beach Transit

 

Especially with kids, I would encourage you to come in early if you can, stay in Long Beach...Use the free Passport shuttle to take you everywhere--including the Aquarium of the Pacific (great for kids), to all sorts of shopping and to a large choice of restaurants. It would be like adding an extra day to your vacations...and much nicer than stressing out at the airport.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

Late long flight with kids, stay by LAX and go down on Saturday AM rather than anytime on a Friday afternoon or evening.  We like the airport Hilton but I'm brand loyal.   

[Dormouse99]

We have a cruise out of San Pedro in December and arriving two days earlier.  Flying from SFO to LAX and renting a car from Hertz, to be returned to the office in San Pedro.  We're staying at the Best Western in Wilmington, it's called the Best Western Los Angeles Worldport.

Edited August 20, 2023 by Dormouse99
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[KeepCalmBearOn]

You are flying in "late" California time, but you'll be even later on your body clock. So if you arrive at LAX at 10PM, that is midnight MN time. I'd pick an LAX hotel, Marriott, Homewood Suites, Residence Inn, etc and Uber the next day.

[travelin.sisters]

On 8/20/2023 at 4:51 PM, Dormouse99 said:

We have a cruise out of San Pedro in December and arriving two days earlier.  Flying from SFO to LAX and renting a car from Hertz, to be returned to the office in San Pedro.  We're staying at the Best Western in Wilmington, it's called the Best Western Los Angeles Worldport.

there is not a lot right around that Best Western, but since you will have a car you should do fine there, easy freeway access & quick access to the port either on city streets or freeway

[CoW mAn]

Your Uber plan is solid, book ahead to save more