Carnival Cruise Out Of Long Beach

[Thebosn1]

I have never departed out of the West Coast. I am taking a Carnival cruise out of Long Beach next fall and have a few questions.

 

Is there an airport closer than LAX to the cruise port, and if so do you recommend using it instead of LAX?

 

Can anyone suggest a hotel near the port, maybe one that has a shuttle to the port?

 

I plan to come in a day or two prior to the sailing, does anyone have a tip regarding some simple sight seeing in the area? Never been to LA before at all.

 

I know most of this is probably covered some place in here, and I am looking but anything anyone can affer up in this thread would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

[ozbuc]

Long Beach airport is the closest but has limited flights both in and out so you would have to check if an airline serves this area. Everyone that uses Long Beach airport loves it.

 

Since I live here in Long Beach I can't tell you about the hotels. I never had a reason to use one.

 

As far as sight seeing is involved well we have a ton. You need to decide whether it be beaches, mountains, amusement parks, museums or whatever you're interested in.

[AzCruiseGurl]

Check out these two threads a lot of great info on Long Beach hotels and airports..

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1856852

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1856420

[Bruin Steve]

I have never departed out of the West Coast. I am taking a Carnival cruise out of Long Beach next fall and have a few questions.

 

Is there an airport closer than LAX to the cruise port, and if so do you recommend using it instead of LAX?

 

Can anyone suggest a hotel near the port, maybe one that has a shuttle to the port?

 

I plan to come in a day or two prior to the sailing, does anyone have a tip regarding some simple sight seeing in the area? Never been to LA before at all.

 

I know most of this is probably covered some place in here, and I am looking but anything anyone can affer up in this thread would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Here is my standard advice:

 

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

 

The BEST places to stay are the Hyatt, Westin, Renaissance and 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...

 

Slightly further away, but still in decent walking distance, are the Hilton, the Marriott Courtyard and the Best Western Long Beach Convention Center...

 

Just across the bridge (on the same side of the channel as the Carnival Pier) are the Marriott Residence Inn Downtown and the Maya Doubletree...The Queen Mary is across the bridge as well...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.

 

Getting to any of these hotels from LAX, you'd either have to take a taxi or a shuttle...Try Super Shuttle or Prime Time Shuttle...From hotel to pier, some of these hotels may have free shuttles, but policies change time to time, so I would check individually with the hotel...

 

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

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1003

 

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

 

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

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

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

http://bestwesterncalifornia.com/index.html

 

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

 

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

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

As to Airports, Long Beach Airport (LGB) is the closest--but also the smallest...so, flights and times are limited. But, because of its compact size and limited crowds, many people love it...If you can get convenient, low cost nonstop flights in and out of LGB, grab them...

LAX is the next closest...and has, by far, the most flights in and out from anywhere in the world...and at all sorts of times...On the other hand, it is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world and that intimidates a lot of people...You hear stories of long lines for check-in and security (though we seem never to have any of those issues)...but, chances are, this is where you fly in and out of...

Three other LA area airports are John Wayne (SNA), Burbank (BUR) and Ontario (ONT)...All are smaller than LAX...SNA is in the Newport Beach/Irvine area and ideal for those doing a pre- or post-cruise in the OC or at Disney...BUR is very convenient for Hollywood/Universal...Ontario isn't really convenient for anyone--except those living in the "Inland Empire"...

As far as sightseeing in LA, you need to realize that LA is B I G...

Being in Long Beach, you will be pretty far away from most of the typical tourist sights most first time LA visitors want to see: Hollywood (Walk of Stars, Grauman's Chinese, the "Sign", etc.), Beverly Hills (Rodeo Drive), Universal and the studios, Santa Monica (Santa Monica Pier, Third Street Promenade, Venice Beach Boardwalk) and Disneyland (In Anaheim--the complete other direction from the above sights) are all a considerable distance from Long Beach and the port. If you get in just the day before, you likely won't have the time to see much if anything except for the sights in Long Beach itself--Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific...Two nights ahead, you've at least got some options...If you want to rent a car, you can go out and explore...If you don't want to brave LA traffic on your own, the best thing to do is to use that middle day on an organized tour with Sunseeker Tours...

http://sunseekertours.us/

They are the only tour company I know of that does pickups in Long Beach/Harbor area hotels...and they can take you to all of the main tourist sights in LA...

Some might tell you that you can get to sights in Hollywood using public transportation...You can, but, for a tourist, I really don't recommend it...Transit lines are a bit time consuming, you go through some of LA's worst neighborhoods and make several stops...and you need to change trains at the busy Union Station Downtown LA...but, for those brave souls, it is a cheap ride from Long Beach to Union Station to Hollywood and Highland and back...and you can pick up the HOHO bus tour once you get to Hollywood...But, again, I would not do it that way...especially with never having been to LA before...

Good luck...

[Cruisin' Chick]

I would go by Steve's advice. BTW, I've heard this morning that some of the Metrolink trains will be out of action this morning so those commuters will have to use the bus system or beg a friend for a ride.

 

My daughter went with some friends to the county fair this weekend, but they needed a ride to Union Station as Metrolink service through the Valley doesn't operate on the weekend. On their way back from the fair, their train broke down and they ended up stuck on the train for over two hours. And one of the girls had her friends (except for the ones with her) and family waiting for her back home for her birthday party since she was so late.

 

So I would definitely avoid public transportation if you're playing tourist -- a stuck train or a broken down bus will cut into your limited time here. Go with a credible tour bus (which won't want its customers waiting for a repair -- they'll send a replacement bus) or plan a specific area to sightsee in with a rental car.

 

If you're staying in a hotel that's around the waterfront in Long Beach, you can walk or take the free shuttle and see the Aquarium, Shoreline Village, the QM, even an amusement park (the Pike).

[SadieN]

I would go by Steve's advice. BTW' date=' I've heard this morning that some of the Metrolink trains will be out of action this morning so those commuters will have to use the bus system or beg a friend for a ride.

 

My daughter went with some friends to the county fair this weekend, but they needed a ride to Union Station as Metrolink service through the Valley doesn't operate on the weekend. On their way back from the fair, their train broke down and they ended up stuck on the train for over two hours. And one of the girls had her friends (except for the ones with her) and family waiting for her back home for her birthday party since she was so late.

 

So I would definitely avoid public transportation if you're playing tourist -- a stuck train or a broken down bus will cut into your limited time here. Go with a credible tour bus (which won't want its customers waiting for a repair -- they'll send a replacement bus) or plan a specific area to sightsee in with a rental car.

 

If you're staying in a hotel that's around the waterfront in Long Beach, you can walk or take the free shuttle and see the Aquarium, Shoreline Village, the QM, even an amusement park (the Pike).[/quote']

 

The Orange line runs on the weekends. (We have taken it on Sundays to get to Long Beach. Orange-Red-Blue-Passport Bus) Take the Orange line to the end in North Hollywood. Across the street is the entrance to the Red Line. The Red line goes into Union Station. We catch the Orange line in Chatsworth. The Metrolink ticket is also valid on the Metrorail. Just tap your card, need to buy the San Bernardino line tix - Union Station to Pomona.

[SadieN]

Thebosn1--

 

The Passport bus route hits all the tourist points in Long Beach.

The Aquarium of the Pacific is world-class. Can't miss touring the Queen Mary.

 

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

 

http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/

 

http://www.queenmary.com/

[Cruisin' Chick]

The Orange line runs on the weekends. (We have taken it on Sundays to get to Long Beach. Orange-Red-Blue-Passport Bus) Take the Orange line to the end in North Hollywood. Across the street is the entrance to the Red Line. The Red line goes into Union Station. We catch the Orange line in Chatsworth. The Metrolink ticket is also valid on the Metrorail. Just tap your card, need to buy the San Bernardino line tix - Union Station to Pomona.

 

This group needed to get to Pomona and when I checked on the Metrolink website to help them out, the option of using the Red Line (if they got a ride there or took the Orange line to that station) didn't even come up. And I'm guessing when the kids tried to figure out how to get there, they didn't get this option either.

 

I would imagine (from occasionally checking out the LA transit site) that for someone not familiar with LA, it would be very difficult to plan a viable and safe route.

[Thebosn1]

THANK YOU all for the perfect advise. Just exactly what I was looking for!

[SadieN]

This group needed to get to Pomona and when I checked on the Metrolink website to help them out' date=' the option of using the Red Line (if they got a ride there or took the Orange line to that station) didn't even come up. And I'm guessing when the kids tried to figure out how to get there, they didn't get this option either.

 

I would imagine (from occasionally checking out the LA transit site) that for someone not familiar with LA, it would be very difficult to plan a viable and safe route.[/quote']

 

Two different systems. The info for transferring from one system to the other is buried in the websites.

 

Metrolink is for the trains going to the Greater LA area- San Bernardino, Antelope Valley, etc. MetroRail is for the colored lines within the city- red, blue, orange, green, silver, etc.

[Mintpattie]

Check out Sunseeker Tours. They do full and half-day tours of Los Angeles, Hollywood, and the beaches. They pick up at most Long Beach hotels and will drop you at the airport if you have an evening flight, thus solving your transfer problem if your departure time works with their schedule.