would you stay in Long beach if you were cruising out of sand pedro?

[maui07]

Looking if a hotel in long beach might be a more affordable option than staying in san pedro the night before departure? If so what would a taxi cost to get us from LB to San Pedro cruise pier? Thanks!

[Keith1010]

On this board, many of the locals seem to recommend San (not sand) Pedro but I will tell you that I would not stay in San Pedro and would stay in Long Beach. With respect to anyone who lives in San Pedro I don't care for it and much prefer Long Beach. Cost of taxi is around $25.00 to get to the port but that depends where you stay in Long Beach. A nice place is the Hyatt and I like its location to restaurants, stores and other places such as the Aquarium.

 

I don't feel particularly safe in San Pedro and it just doesn't feel good to me and I have stayed there and have traveled extensively.

 

Like I said others will chime in about San Pedro but I would go with Long Beach over San Pedro.

 

Keith

[Bruin Steve]

Looking if a hotel in long beach might be a more affordable option than staying in san pedro the night before departure? If so what would a taxi cost to get us from LB to San Pedro cruise pier? Thanks!

 

Do NOT "stay in Long Beach" to save money...not unless you get a really good deal on a top rate hotel...

 

San Pedro is not quite as bad as some make it out to be...There are two nice hotels--The Crowne Plaza and the Doubletree--and in good locations...It drops off from there--in terms of location (convenience and environment) and in terms of how nice the hotels are...But, if you are cruising out of San Pedro, nothing beats the convenience...Say you stay at the Crowne Plaza--There are lots of good restaurant choices within a couple of blocks...and you are within just a few blocks from the Cruise pier--walkable, even--if you have manageable rolling luggage. And you need only a shuttle from airport to hotel--no additional costly taxis.

 

Long Beach is a big city--population of over a half a million. There are good parts and bad parts. There is one area that I would recommend staying in--and in certain particular hotels. They are in the area called the "Convention Center" area...but don't be fooled...many hotels claim themselves to be in this area and aren't. Here is the short list: Hyatt Regency, Hyatt at the Pike, Renaissance, Westin, Hilton, Maya Doubletree, Residence Inn Downtown--I especially like the first three for location and quality of the hotel...They are nicer properties than even the best of San Pedro if you are looking for a first class hotel...

 

But, likely, you are not saving any money over staying in San Pedro--especially if you factor in the extra taxi.

 

A reason to stay in Long Beach rather than Pedro would be if you had a little extra time and wanted to tour the Aquarium and/or the Queen Mary...or if you were more comfortable with big name national chain restaurants (lots in this area of Long Beach, none in San Pedro--all local joints).

 

But one mistake to be careful NOT to make is to stay in a hotel with a Long Beach address but off of this list. There are many parts of Long Beach that will make you wish you had stayed in San Pedro--even though some folks like Keith don't like San Pedro. Parts of Long Beach will make San Pedro look like Beverly Hills in comparison. People trying to save money in Long Beach often end up booking hotels a little too far north in Long Beach--and one gets into some pretty scuzzy gang/high crime neighborhoods there--with some shoddy motels...

 

So, if your reason for considering Long Beach over San Pedro is in order to find a more affordable option, drop that notion immediately. Perhaps, instead, try using Priceline (San Pedro, 3.5 stars only--that should get you either the CP or the Doubletree).

[Bruin Steve]

Just a little more on San Pedro and Long Beach...

...since I am one of those "locals" Keith alludes to...

 

The history and feel of the two towns is a bit different...

 

San Pedro is the original LA Harbor area and was long the home of a lot of blue collar types--the folks who worked the docks...and, therefore, a lot of immigrants--working people--nothing fancy, nothing upscale...and it is an old neighborhood in LA terms. The wealthier folks lived in the hills west of San Pedro--in Rolling Hills and Palos Verdes--VERY upscale areas. But over the past several years, with Palos Verdes outpricing even most young professionals, San Pedro has undergone a bit of "gentrification"...some nicer shops and restaurants, some folks remodeling old houses, etc. Of course, it still has a lot of blue collar folks with the gentrification being mostly in certain neighborhoods...And, it hasn't been a massive urban redevelopment...So, most of the buildings are the same as they have been for decades...and, since it was pretty much filled in almost 100 years ago, there were few large open properties--so no large shopping malls, no massive commercial projects. Old neighborhoods scare some people...so do somewhat urbanized areas...But, if you really know San Pedro, it doesn't phase you...it has a great deal of character.

 

When I was a kid, Long Beach was pretty scuzzy...The streets were fairly filthy...Lots of sailors on leave roaming around...strip joints, tattoo parlors (and, in those days, tattoos were something you only saw on sailors, motorcycle gangs and ex-cons)...But, maybe 40-50 years ago or thereabouts, the City of Long Beach invested in a major Convention Center, trying to attract major conventions and business...They spent a whole lot of money redeveloping this scuzzy area of downtown--tearing down block after block around the convention center site...and bringing in all of the major hotel chains--Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Westin et al...they also spent money buying the old Queen Mary and setting it up as a hotel and tourist attraction...and they built a fantastic state-of-the-art Aquarium...and they brought in lots of big chain moderate to upscale restaurants...

 

To this day, this area is still a major ongoing concern for Long Beach. They offer free shuttle service around the area...they have more police resources dedicated to this area proportionately than most of the city.

 

So, what you have in this area of Long Beach is strikingly different than you have in San Pedro...It's a modern, tourist and convention-oriented area. It doesn't have much historical significance or any cultural aura. It is all fairly modern, planned and designed. It makes folks like Keith feel more comfortable...

 

I would stay in either place, depending on where I was cruising from, how much time I had and what I planned to do. I wouldn't base it on price or affordability. If I had just a flight in the day before a cruise and I was cruising out of San Pedro, I'd probably book the Crowne Plaza, take a shuttle or Execucar to get there, eat a nice dinner at the San Pedro Brewing Company (next block down from the CP), get a good night's sleep, not worry about time or logistics in the morning...and head down to the pier when I was ready...

[Cruisin' Chick]

If you do stay in Long Beach, make sure to tell your driver that you're going to the Port of Los Angeles. Else, the driver might assume you want to go to the Carnival berth in Long Beach.

[YubaSutter]

 

When I was a kid, Long Beach was pretty scuzzy...The streets were fairly filthy...

 

I was also raised in Long Beach in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. It was the best place to grow up. Living in Bixby Knolls and El Dorado Estates wasn't scuzzy at all. We lived 3 houses from Billie Jean King. She taught us how to play tennis.

Edited November 11, 2015 by YubaSutter

[Bruin Steve]

I was also raised in Long Beach in the 60's, 70's, and 80's. It was the best place to grow up. Living in Bixby Knolls and El Dorado Estates wasn't scuzzy at all. We lived 3 houses from Billie Jean King. She taught us how to play tennis.

 

I think you SHOULD know what I am talking about--the specific neighborhood downtown where the convention center, aquarium and the big hotels are now.

 

Of course there were, and still are, some nicer parts of Long Beach...

But that Convention Center area underwent some massive redevelopment for good reason.

 

Of course, I remember my parents taking us down to the Pike to go on the rides. I loved the Wilde Maus...but I always felt like that creaky old thing was going to fall apart while I was riding on it...

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pike

 

Edited November 11, 2015 by Bruin Steve

[Travel To Be Free]

So if we're going on a princess in March, we will be going out of which port?

[calisilent]

Looking if a hotel in long beach might be a more affordable option than staying in san pedro the night before departure? If so what would a taxi cost to get us from LB to San Pedro cruise pier? Thanks!

 

Please read my review of the Best Western Inn and Suites in San Pedro on Gaffey Street. I would stay there again and I thought San Pedro was a charming town. We went to dinner at a great Mexican restaurant called the Green Onion, then went walking along the harbor and looked through cute shops and had ice cream. The next morning was very relaxing at a great breakfast cafe across the street from the Princess Pier. The Best Western offers parking during the cruise, or shuttle service from the hotel if you don't have a car.

[Bruin Steve]

So if we're going on a princess in March, we will be going out of which port?

 

Princess will cruise out of San Pedro...

For the extreme majority of the time, only Carnival uses the Long Beach facility...The main exception is usually for port stops on other Carnival lines--Princess or Cunard--but not for cruises embarking or disembarking in the LA area.

[maui07]

Looking if a hotel in long beach might be a more affordable option than staying in san pedro the night before departure? If so what would a taxi cost to get us from LB to San Pedro cruise pier? Thanks!

 

Thank you all, ended up getting the crown plaza for $99/night on January 30th, one more thing booked. Thank you!

Edited November 11, 2015 by maui07

[Travel To Be Free]

Thanks for the info!!