Queen Mary and Coral Princess

Hi Folks,

We are sailing on the Coral in May 2019. I would like to book a stay on the Queen Mary the evening before our cruise. From what I understand Carnival uses the pier next to the QM.

Will a cab ride/Uber be reasonable to the Coral on the morning of our cruise?

Also what about shops for wine etc. We like to carry our 2 bottles plus some soda.

I am planning on dinner on the QM. Is this a good idea?

Thanks in advance. :)

Queen Mary is about a $20 cab ride. taxi fare finder dot com should be able to give you a better idea about fares.

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There are no stores near the Queen Mary.

You can see its location if you put it into Google and click on the map that will appear. There are liquor stores in downtown Long Beach across the causeway. You can either stop on your way to the Queen Mary or on your way to the Coral the next day.

The Coral does NOT leave from that port near the Queen Mary. It leaves from San Pedro which is about 15min away by car/taxi.

We prefer staying closer to the port from which we are leaving so if we sail on Carnival we stay near the Queen Mary and if we sail on Princess(on the Coral) we stay in San Pedro.

Hi Folks,

We are sailing on the Coral in May 2019. I would like to book a stay on the Queen Mary the evening before our cruise. From what I understand Carnival uses the pier next to the QM.

Will a cab ride/Uber be reasonable to the Coral on the morning of our cruise?

Also what about shops for wine etc. We like to carry our 2 bottles plus some soda.

I am planning on dinner on the QM. Is this a good idea?

Thanks in advance. :)

As has been noted by Riff above, your ship embarks in San Pedro--NOT Long Beach...Only Carnival embarks/disembarks at that pier next to the Queen Mary...But, yes, if you must stay there, you will need to take a taxi or Uber (I'd go with Uber) to get to the Coral Princess in San Pedro that next morning--it's over six miles away, crossing Terminal Island and the Vincent Thomas Bridge (small trivia footnote here: The Vincent Thomas Bridge is where Director Tony Scott ("Top Gun") committed suicide back in 2012)...The route gets a lot of truck traffic in the mornings...

If you are talking about dinner at Sir Winston's, note that it's closed Mondays and open only until 9:00 pm, 10:00 pm on Friday and Saturday...and, IMHO, vastly overpriced...There are lots of other restaurants--of all types--in Long Beach that I'd consider...and all easy to get to from the QM by using the free Passport shuttle...

Which brings us to "why the Queen Mary?". I am not exactly a big fan. I stayed there once, many years ago, for three nights and found it severely lacking as a hotel. ONLY reason to stay there is for nostalgia's sake...or if you just want to see how cruise ships have changed in the last 80 years...

So, if you're just a big history buff, go ahead...But, if you were looking to have a relaxing evening pre-cruise and to have the convenience of being near the ship and being able to sleep in and take your time in the morning while avoiding taxis and ubers, stay in San Pedro at the Crowne Plaza or the Doubletree.

If you're looking to pick up really good wine before your cruise, head to "Off the Vine" wines...about two blocks west of the Crowne Plaza. If you just want a liquor store, there's one right across Harbor Blvd. from the San Pedro Cruise Terminal...Or, if you're Ubering or taxiing ind from Long Beach, have them buzz by the Vons Supermarket at 12th and Gaffey, the Ralphs Supermarket or Trader Joe's on Western...any of those three are a short detour past the pier before heading back over...

We stayed on QM many years ago (in fact Disney managed it). It reeks of history and is worth an overnight stay. We had a great room.

If you do stay in Long Beach, make sure to tell your driver that you're going to the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, and not from the Port of Long Beach.

I'd love to spend at least one night on the Queen Mary. I'm booked on a Carnival cruise in 2020 and am getting some ideas.

I'd be flying to Los Angeles....as far as I know. Does anyone have any tips as to how to get to Long Beach from the airport? Can one fly directly to Long Beach? I know this is early....but was just wondering if I could pick the brains of the experienced....:D

Thank you for any help and information.....:)

Yes, Long Beach has an airport but fewer planes fly there so you'll have to check from your home airport. Folks get from LAX to the cruise port by using:

taxis, shuttle vans, Uber/Lyft cars with the app on your phone etc.

Yes, Long Beach has an airport but fewer planes fly there so you'll have to check from your home airport. Folks get from LAX to the cruise port by using:

taxis, shuttle vans, Uber/Lyft cars with the app on your phone etc.

I was reading that one can catch the SuperShuttle to the Long Beach pier from LAX....it's not far, but could take a while with traffic....so lots of options.

Thanks for the information!!

I'd love to spend at least one night on the Queen Mary. I'm booked on a Carnival cruise in 2020 and am getting some ideas.

I'd be flying to Los Angeles....as far as I know. Does anyone have any tips as to how to get to Long Beach from the airport? Can one fly directly to Long Beach? I know this is early....but was just wondering if I could pick the brains of the experienced....:D

Thank you for any help and information.....:)

Long Beach has an airport...it's slightly closer to the port than LAX...about 12 miles by freeway versus 22 miles from LAX...

Distance, though, really isn't the main advantage...the big plus is that it is a much, much smaller and less intimidating airport to deal with...

However, the big problem is in actually finding flights in and out--there are far fewer flights from far fewer places...and that number could be going down. Jet Blue recently announced it was drastically cutting its schedule out of LGB. Also, with so many more cruise passengers coming in and out of LAX, it's easier to find a choice of ground transportation options to and from LAX.

Getting to and from LAX to Long Beach (or from LGB as well), you have several options:

1. Shared shuttle. There are several companies including the two major ones--SuperShuttle and Prime Time Shuttle but also several smaller ones including RoadRunner, Karmel and others. It is a fairly cheap method, but be prepared to waste a little time waiting for them to fill up the shuttle and, perhaps, dropping off others at other locations.

2. Car services, Limo companies, etc. More expensive but very convenient and you get a car all to yourself. There are lots of limo companies in LA--and some are VERY expensive. For a reasonably priced car service, look at SuperShuttle's "Execucar"...they will give you a price quote when you use SuperShuttle's website for a shuttle price quote.

3. Uber or Lyft. Perhaps the most reasonably priced non-shared service...price actually rivals a shared shuttle.

4. Taxi. I NEVER recommend this in LA...the meter keeps ticking and the price tends to get out of hand.

5. Car rental...yes, drive it yourself...but remember, you'll pay a one-way cost and have to return the car in Long Beach. Check rental company office hours there. This option lets you do a bit of self-directed touring along the way. Make sure you use GPS.

You MIGHT also get there using public transportation--the Metro, buses or some combination...It is dirt cheap...But I really don't recommend it...in fact, I recommend strongly against it...You'll end up making multiple changes, it will take you an extraordinary amount of time and the buses/trains have no place for you to put your luggage...and you will likely encounter the ire of locals who rely on those buses/trains to get to work and such...and you will make many stops in bad parts of LA...

Definitely come into town AT LEAST one day prior to your cruise...You'll have a chance to see some local sights, relax a bit and alleviate all stress in getting to your cruise...

Good luck and have fun planning...

Thank you Bruin Steve. You've been very helpful. I definitely will arrive at least one day ahead of the cruise....it's also tricky leaving Canada sometimes....you never know what the weather might be like after Nov. 1. Chances are it will still be good, but one never knows.

I'm very interested in staying at the Queen Mary Hotel. I'm already reading about it. A friend of mine will be staying there later this summer, so I will have to get her thoughts on it.

I have lots of time to plan and I know it will be fun.

Thanks again! :)

http://Www.laxflyaway.org $9.00 shuttle to long beach

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Www.laxflyaway.org $9.00 shuttle to long beach

 

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Thank you for that information!! :D

Bruin Steve seems to have the best information.

We stayed on the Queen Mary in October. Our cabin was on the land side and there was a Halloween carnival going on until after midnight. It was noisy. Just be aware that people of the 20's and 30's were much smaller than Americans today. The bed was only about 5 feet long and even my feet hung over the end. My husband is 6 ft.

I had dinner in the restaurant. More like a cheap cafe that was very expensive. the cabin was about the size of a small inside cabin on the modern ships. It was a pre-cruise non-cruise to see what the ship was like. Park is now $20 per night.

Been there & Done that. We stay at the Double Tree for comfort and convenience now.

Norine

We are booked on the Emerald for Feb 2020 LA to FLL. Personally, my fav southern CA airport is John Wayne. Our TA recommended the Doubletree, also. I am Hilton brand loyal so that works for me. Any other input on hotels near the port?