Trying this again, lol. Where to stay part 2

[ams1130]

I apologize in advance for this vague request. We’re cruising on the Royal Princess out of San Pedro at the end of February of 2020. We’re Canadian, and for peace of mind re: weather issues on our end are flying into LAX a full day and a half early. We don’t know to stay! We have read that maybe not to stay in San Pedro for that long?  Our interests, to add to the confusion, are vague as well lol.  We’re happy walking around, eating, drinking, shopping (not big league stuff,  just regular if that makes sense). We won’t be renting a vehicle, so will rely on public transport/Uber. Does Long Beach sound like it makes sense for us? We’re all ears! Thanks in advance.

[riffatsea]

You have lots of choices based on your own interests and budget.

IF you stay in Long Beach you could go to their lovely aquarium or visit the Queen Mary ship.

That's about it there.

IF you have not been to LA before this trip you might want to do some sightseeing there for one day and then just go to the port the day of your cruise.

You might want to read a bit about what LA has to offer as it is not just about movie stuff!!

Really up to you.

IF you were just coming in the day before the cruise in the afternoon I'd just stay in San Pedro and go out for a nice dinner.

[Bruin Steve]

Anna,

I'll try to give you a few options...

First, though, let's assume that, since the Royal Princess typically departs on a Saturday, this means that you are arriving some time on a Thursday at LAX...So, you will have whatever is left of that Thursday after making it out of the airport and getting to and checking into a hotel, then the full day Friday...followed by Saturday morning before boarding the ship in San Pedro...

 

Long Beach works, in a way...You would need an Uber or shuttle from LAX to your hotel in Long Beach on Thursday...and an Uber from Long Beach to the pier in San Pedro on Saturday morning.  I would recommend staying at one of these hotels in Long Beach:  Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Centric at the Pike, Renaissance or the Westin...Those are the four best hotels in Long Beach and put you right in the middle of the most attractive part of Long Beach with the most restaurants and shopping in close walking distance.  There are, basically, two main attractions in the area--The Aquarium of the Pacific and the Queen Mary.  The Aquarium you could walk to from those hotels, the Queen Mary is reachable using the free Passport shuttle.  There are also two specialty shopping centers--Shoreline Village and the Pike...both walkable from those hotels...and a number of restaurants of all kinds in very close proximity.  IF you wanted to do a sightseeing tour of LA on that Friday in between instead, Sunseeker Tours does pick-ups at any of those hotels for the standard tour up to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, etc.

 

Another option would be to stay in Santa Monica...Santa Monica doesn't have attractions like those two in Long Beach, but it does have more to do in the area of just shopping, eating and hanging out.  It is, perhaps, the quintessential Southern California tourist experience. extremely scenic with Palisades Park on the cliffs overlooking the beach and the Pacific, a wide white sand beach, the most classic amusement pier-The Santa Monica Pier, with roller coasters, ferris wheels and other rides...and a location you will recognize from a large number of movies, and the Third Street Promenade--a pedestrians-only walking street with lots of trendy and exotic shopping, restaurants and a large number of street performers.  Hotels in this area tend to be a bit pricey--but there are several of them in this core area--Loews, Marriott Le Merigot, Shutters-on-the-beach, the Fairmont Miramar, Huntley, Georgian, Wyndham, Hampton Inn and Marriott Courtyard among others...even the lower -priced CarMar is a reasonable option.  It would, though, require an Uber Ride about 10 miles north of LAX to get there...and a longer Uber ride down to San Pedro on Saturday morning...but the experience may be well worth it.  Personally, though I like Long Beach, I love Santa Monica...

 

An alternative to Santa Monica is Marina Del Rey/Venice Beach, though February is not exactly the prime season for the Venice Boardwalk, it is that crazy California experience with the body builder on the beach, the girls roller skating in bikinis, and all of the assorted street crazies--though it is much busier in the summer months...It's just a little north of LAX and there are a good number of nearby restaurants...

 

BTW, Uber would be the preferred way to get around.  LA mass transit is not the best answer for most tourists (with rare exceptions)...It is difficult to navigate, especially with luggage--it's just not set up for that...And the routes aren't really designed for what you need--you'll end up with too many changes and long time requirements.

[ams1130]

Thank you both for your very helpful comments! 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

I think Long Beach works fine with the amount of time you have.

 

Besides Downtown Long Beach you can Uber to Belmont Shore to walk around, shop and get a nice meal.

[PekingeseLady]

When we sail out of San Pedro we stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel San Pedro.  They offer a free shuttle and are in walking distance of restaurants.  They have a decent buffet or  order from menu restaurant.  Room service too.  We have also stayed at the Double Tree  Hilton in San Pedro.  No restaurants to walk to.  But it does have its own restaurant too.  And its very nice to walk around the marina.  They also have a shuttle.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

12 hours ago, PekingeseLady said:

When we sail out of San Pedro we stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel San Pedro.  They offer a free shuttle and are in walking distance of restaurants.  They have a decent buffet or  order from menu restaurant.  Room service too.  We have also stayed at the Double Tree  Hilton in San Pedro.  No restaurants to walk to.  But it does have its own restaurant too.  And its very nice to walk around the marina.  They also have a shuttle.

 

I'd agree on the day before the cruise, but two days before, Long Beach offers more options of things to do, places to walk to, eat etc.

[Northumberland]

We are also from Canada and are sailing out of San Pedro On Mar.30th, 2020 on the Emerald Princess.

We heard about the Double Tree Hilton and the Crowe Plaza in San Pedro, but we chose the Best Western Plus which is only about a mile from the port and also has a free shuttle service. As we are driving, we chose the Best Western as they also offer covered long term parking for $10.00 per day where as the port parking I'm told is $19.00 per day.  I guess your choice also depends on your budget.