Could anyone help with some info/advice on Long Beach please

[happycruzer]

My DH and I are sailing on the Summit in March '07 to the Panama Canal.

As we are travelling from the UK we thought that we would try and squeeze as much as possible into our itinerary to make our long flight worth while!!.

So we intend to stop over in Las Vegas for a few nights...take in the sights there etc, then fly onto Los angeles for 2 nights pre-cruise.....I've checked with Celebrity and we sail from San Pedro.....but after reading great posts on here, we will give S.P a miss and have opted to stay at the Hyatt in Long Beach.(again thanks to these boards) So I now wonder if anyone can advise me that if we stay in LB will we be able to take a tour of LA...eg Hollywood sign, Walk of fame, farmers market etc. We have never visited the west coast before and we would love to do at least some of the Must do things, Does anyone know if such tours exist especially from the Long Beach area.

Also can anyone give me an idea as to the cost of a taxi/town car from LAX to LB and then from the hotel in LB to the Port. We fly in at lunch time Thurs and sail on a Sat.

For anyone with good knowledge of the area does all of this sound ok ? or are we not really planning correctly and should perhaps stay in another area of LA.

i would really appreciate any help/advice offered.

Thank you in advance

 

Happycruzer

[mojo4trav]

If you stay at the Hyatt you will be very close to the Port. (Just a few minutes by taxicab.) The only real drive will be your taxi from LAX to the Hyatt and then your cab from the Port back to LAX (I'm not mentioning the tour here since you will have already paid for transportation via the tour ticket, I assume.) I've been to LA/Long Beach/Southern California dozens of times, but never had a cab so I can't comment on the cost. As far as a tour of the area you might be best off checking with the Concierge when you get to the hotel, or grab one of the many brochures that are likely to be in the hotel lobby for such things. Enjoy!

[ronrythm]

Welcome to Southern California! Yes, what you are looking at sounds reasonable. Long Beach is pretty centrally located. For the trip from the airport, you'll probably find it easiest to arrange a shuttle ahead of time through one such as www.karmel.com or www.supershuttle.com. Both of those can also give you the price on-line. I know that there are tours such as http://www.grayline.com/franchise.cfm/action/details/id/106, but for some reason, I never have gone on one.:D There are others available, but this will give you some idea. Just remember,you can't do everything! I haven't been able to, but I've only lived here for 50 years:eek: If I get time I'll try to stop by one of the local hotels this week and pick up a brochure or two.

Enjoy

Ron

[happycruzer]

Thank you both for your very helpfull replies !

I will have a look at the possibility of a taxi/town car from Lax to Long beach, I think we would prefer this over the shuttle. I imagine the supershuttle will have quite a few drop off points on route and we would prefer getting from A >B as simply as possible (enabling us to spend our time there better)

I have tried e.mailing the Hotel Hyatt at Long Beach with regards to tours from there. Unfortunately it seems to be a link to Hyatt in general and as of today I still have not heard from them...I live in hope....Due to the time differences and high cost of telecalls at international rate I am not so keen on calling the hotel, but if I haven't heard from them in the next day or so I may have too make a call.

 

Again thank you for all of your help, advice and kindness, it has been most helpful and appreciated.

We are really looking forward to this trip and even more so the more I learn of the area.

Thanks and kind regards

 

Happycruzer in Scotland

[Darcy03231]

We took a taxi from Long Beach to LAX and it was about $40 each way.

[LornaT]

First since you are staying in Long Beach here is the Visitor's web-site for info: http://www.visitlongbeach.com and then if you are not going to have a car and you are able to walk around some, then you might want to check out our Metrolink system (http://www.mta.net), there is a Blue Line stop just up the street from the Hyatt (haven't stayed there but have eaten their, nice restuarant) and you can take it to the Red Line which will take you into Hollywood (Kodak Theater, Chinese Theater, Hollywood Walk of Fame, Farmer's Market, and Universal Studio's (Universal City station), along going into Union Station which takes you to Olvera Street and China Town and from Union Station you can catch other lines to places like Pasadena.

 

There is The Pike at Rainbow Harbor right across the street from the Hyatt (http://www.shopthepike.com), SeaPort Village (there is shuttle buses available to get around Long Beach) the Aquarium of the Pacific, Queen Mary, etc. I think the Long Beach Visitor's guide would give you some good info.

 

Just some idea's. The Hyatt itself offers information about getting to their propoerty on their web-site (http://longbeach.hyatt.com).

[oceannotion]

Just got off the phone with the hotel...email for the manager of the concierge is...salaura@hyatt.com. Hope this helps.

[happycruzer]

I really cant thank all of you guys enough for all of the help and advice you have given me !!!!!!!!!!!!!

LornaT...I used the link for long beach and have requested a visitors guide to be sent by snail mail...thank you for the link it was wonderful and great photos too.

 

Oceannotion....How very kind of you to call the Hotel for me, I cant believe how helpful and kind people have been to me here on the CC board. THANK YOU so very much, I will be sure now to e.mail them with my questions.

 

Darcy...thank you too for the info on a taxi...sure looks like this is the way we will go both from LAX to hotel and then from hotel to SP to board our ship.

Thank you all again !!!

If ever any of you decide to cross the pond and come to the UK I hope that I can be as helpful and gracious as you have all been.

 

Kind regards

 

Happycruzer