Hotel recommendations near Long Beach Cruise Terminal

[Coog.78]

Looking for some recommendations for a good hotel near the Long Beach Cruise Terminal. Nothing extremely expensive, but also close by. I had looked at Air BNB, but not many non-shared places to stay that are close by that are cheaper than a hotel.

[4hunters]

Hotel Maya by Hilton is a nice place that offers cruise packages.  It's within walking distance of the ship, at least for some like myself, others will say it's too far to walk.  

[jdemps]

what is extremely expensive?  We stayed at the Hyatt across from the port and it was about $200 per night and very convenient.  The taxi to port was around $10 from that location as I recall in 2017.

My parents have stayed at the Best Western that is about a mile further east and it was about $200 for one night lodging and 7 nights parking if you need that feature.  Good Luck.

[glrounds]

For those DRIVING to the port, even if the room rate seems a bit steep, staying at one of the hotels that offers FREE parking for the week can save you a lot of bucks. They tend to be a higher rate than the normal rate, however. When I lived further from the port I looked into CURRENTS (Free parking for the week and shuttle to and from the port !) and MAYA (free parking for the week and walk to embarkation, but a shuttle is available). These rates were always higher than I would normally pay, but when you subtract the $20 per day for a week for the parking garage at the port they start looking pretty good. 🙄

[bakersdozen12]

Well, my first choice would be the Queen Mary Hotel.  You can walk right from the hotel to the terminal.  The place is absolutely amazing and rich with cruise ship history.  We stayed there for a couple days post-cruise and loved every minute of it. The many areas that you can tour are fascinating, especially the engine room and the propeller.  And the movies that they show onboard, showing you the history of the ship, are incredible.

 

But, that hotel might be a bit more than what you are looking to pay.  Pre-cruise we stayed at the Hotel Royal which was great and also a bit more affordable.  Not within walking distance to the hotel, but there's always Uber. The hotel is about 3 miles away.

 

https://www.hotelroyallb.com/

[tksauter]

We have stayed at the Hotel Maya three times for cruises from both Long Beach and San Pedro, they have a cruise and stay package that includes parking for the week and transportation to the terminal.  But usually we walk the 15 minutes it takes to get from the hotel to the Long Beach terminal.  And its a beautiful hotel with water views that allow you to see your ship come in in the AM

 

[Coog.78]

49 minutes ago, jdemps said:

what is extremely expensive?  We stayed at the Hyatt across from the port and it was about $200 per night and very convenient.  The taxi to port was around $10 from that location as I recall in 2017.

My parents have stayed at the Best Western that is about a mile further east and it was about $200 for one night lodging and 7 nights parking if you need that feature.  Good Luck.

Nothing like $300 after all the taxes and fees for one night. 

[Tapi]

We stayed at the Hyatt Centric The Pike. There are two Hyatt’s in Long Beach and this is the smaller boutique style one. We loved our pre-cruise stay at this hotel. It has a rooftop pool area and you can see the cruise terminal from there. It’s also an easy walk across the street from the Shoreline Village with several restaurants and attractions to choose from. 

[tallnthensome]

1 hour ago, Coog.78 said:

Looking for some recommendations for a good hotel near the Long Beach Cruise Terminal. Nothing extremely expensive, but also close by. I had looked at Air BNB, but not many non-shared places to stay that are close by that are cheaper than a hotel.

Try the west coat departures forum for hotel questions as this isn’t Carnival related.

[ano]

We stayed in the Varden Hotel.  Pretty tiny room, but located walking distance from many restaurants, and the area seemed safe.

Varden Hotel

[Bookworm1985]

We stayed at the Best Western Plus convention Center twice. Close to a grocery store and down the street from a great creperie. Its the one at 517 E First Street. easy walk to the beach. Shuttle to/from the airport and the port. 10/10 would stay there again if we ever do a cruise from Long Beach again. 

[Saint Greg]

I was just able to get the Queen Mary for $137 after tax for the Friday night before my Panorama Cruise. Saved $150 off of booking direct. I use Hotwire.

 

 

Edited November 4, 2019 by Saint Greg

[AHS123]

1 hour ago, ano said:

We stayed in the Varden Hotel.  Pretty tiny room, but located walking distance from many restaurants, and the area seemed safe.

Varden Hotel

Those brick wall views from the rooms in the photos are stunning 😉 

[ano]

10 minutes ago, AHS123 said:

Those brick wall views from the rooms in the photos are stunning 😉 

No, if you are just going to just stay in your room and stare out your window, this probably isn't the hotel for you.  If you want one ideally located, with 4 1/2 stars on Trip Advisor, with a free light breakfast, for under $140/night, you might want to consider it.  When I was there, they even gave free wine for Happy Hour. But as a negative, THERE IS NO ELEVATOR, so if you can't get your bags up one flight of stairs, look elsewhere.

[thenexus2k]

My wife and I just got back from a cruise out of Long Beach this past weekend and we stayed at the Maya. It is a tad pricey, but it is wonderful. The grounds themselves were amazing and the staff is super friendly! We were able to watch our ship come in from our balcony. They also have a free shuttle to the port. 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

Every hotel mentioned so far is a good, viable option. It comes down to personal style, taste and budget.

 

Hotel Queen Mary is my favorite because of the uniqueness. Hyatt Centric is a great hotel in a great location. The Hotel Varden is well regarded, a good location and budget friendly. Hotel Maya DoubleTree is a place I could spend several days and be happy watching the ships come and go. Best Western Plus Hotel at the Convention Center is a good location and good value.

 

Look at them all and pick the one that suits you.

[PekingeseLady]

You need to call Hotel Maya in Long Beach locally directly, not the corporate number.  Ask for the Carnival rate, it is considerably less.  They have a park and cruise package as well as no parking.  My reservation for this January is $189 including parking, not taxes though 😉  It really is a beautiful hotel!!!

[mkcurran]

On 11/4/2019 at 12:11 PM, Saint Greg said:

I was just able to get the Queen Mary for $137 after tax for the Friday night before my Panorama Cruise. Saved $150 off of booking direct. I use Hotwire.

 

 

The street tacos at the restaurant during happy hour are wonderful. The margaritas aren't bad either. The breakfast buffet is a tad pricey, but is really good and enough food to cover you until you get on the ship.

[diane.in.ny]

 

I was just reading some reviews on the Queen Mary and they were pretty bad ... about the condition of ship and the staterooms. 

 

I would really like to stay there but was hesitant after those reviews. Should I discount them? We don't need anything fancy. Just clean and comfortable.

[princeton123211]

3 minutes ago, diane.in.ny said:

I would really like to stay there but was hesitant after those reviews. Should I discount them? We don't need anything fancy. Just clean and comfortable.

If you are into the heyday of the transatlantic liner and are willing to overlook a few things here and there (not unsafe or dirty things, just old and sometimes dinged) then you will love it. If you want a newer hotel experience than it wont be your cup of tea.

 

I've always found that booking on the Queen Mary things are perfectly fine if you book one of the wood paneled first class cabins. Any of the lower category ones with the white walls that they retrofitted are pretty dismal and thats where most of the complaints I've heard from. 

 

The ship itself isn't in horrible shape-- its actually seen a lot more TLC in the past year or so than it has in a while. But it is old and it's sitting in salt water, and old things in salt water are not as easy to maintain as a newer concrete building sitting on land. 

 

 

[diane.in.ny]

6 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

If you are into the heyday of the transatlantic liner and are willing to overlook a few things here and there (not unsafe or dirty things, just old and sometimes dinged) then you will love it. If you want a newer hotel experience than it wont be your cup of tea.

 

I've always found that booking on the Queen Mary things are perfectly fine if you book one of the wood paneled first class cabins. Any of the lower category ones with the white walls that they retrofitted are pretty dismal and thats where most of the complaints I've heard from. 

 

The ship itself isn't in horrible shape-- its actually seen a lot more TLC in the past year or so than it has in a while. But it is old and it's sitting in salt water, and old things in salt water are not as easy to maintain as a newer concrete building sitting on land. 

 

 

 

Was thinking of booking the upper class cabin with the king bed and sitting area. Based on what you are saying that should be fine.  Thanks so much.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

18 hours ago, diane.in.ny said:

I would really like to stay there but was hesitant after those reviews. Should I discount them? We don't need anything fancy. Just clean and comfortable.

 

The Queen Mary is clean and comfortable, but beyond that it is a unique experience and a peek into a bygone era. I'd book and not think twice about it.

[LandlockedCruiser01]

On 11/5/2019 at 11:51 AM, scottca075 said:

Hotel Queen Mary is my favorite because of the uniqueness. Hyatt Centric is a great hotel in a great location. The Hotel Varden is well regarded, a good location and budget friendly. Hotel Maya DoubleTree is a place I could spend several days and be happy watching the ships come and go. Best Western Plus Hotel at the Convention Center is a good location and good value.

 

I second the Queen Mary hotel choice.  (See Day 0 portion of my review for a first-hand account.)  It's not cheap, and the on-site restaurants are obnoxiously overpriced, but the history is amazing.  It's like time-warping to 100 years ago, although the prices kind of jar you back to 2019.  There's AquaLink and the free Passport bus right in front of the hotel, and the Carnival cruise port is just a 10-minute walk away.  The only negative is that the Queen Mary is kind of isolated from the rest of Long Beach; you gotta get on a bus or shuttle boat if you want to go anywhere.  

Edited November 10, 2019 by LandlockedCruiser01

[TOMTOMRN331]

We are sailing 12/1/2019. 

 

We have stayed and are staying at the Westin Long Beach. 

[Bruin Steve]

Since this discussion keeps going, I'll pipe in once again with my opinion on the Queen Mary and other options:

 

I stayed just once at the QM...and, yes, it was some time ago...but from most reports, it has NOT gotten any better.  There are a lot of things about it that they just cannot change.  AND, YES, BTW, I understand that it has some fans...

 

But, basically, it IS an old ship...cabins are small, dark, and set at standards of 1934.  It is NOTHING like a modern luxury hotel.

The main reason one would stay there would be to experience what it would have been like to have been on a cruise ship (or, really, to use the correct term here, an "ocean liner") a century or so ago.  When I stayed on it, it seemed the pipes creaked, the room felt dank and stale and the beds seemed almost tilted.  The location is very close to the Carnival pier--but little else--though you can pick up the free shuttle into the main part of town...

 

OTOH, Downtown Long Beach has some very nice, very modern, first class hotels--close to lots of restaurants and shops...and from which one can always take that same fee shuttle in the other direction to visit the Queen Mary.  The Hyatt Regency, the Hyatt Centric at the Pike, the Renaissance and the Westin are, IMHO, the four best and best located hotels in Long Beach.  The Maya Doubletree and Residence Inn Downtown are also nice, modern hotels and are on that same side of the channel with the Queen Mary and the Carnival terminal and I would also take either of them over the QM.  And the Hilton, though slightly less convenient than the first four, is also a nice hotel and a good choice.

 

My advice is to stay at one of the much nicer hotels...and VISIT the Queen Mary to get your fill on nautical history.