Leaving from Los Angeles... HELP??

[hylasgirl]

Is there anyone out there that has left from the Los Angeles port? I would like to know... Is the LAX airport the closest, or is Orange County closer? I would like to fly into the closest airport.

 

Also... how is the area by the cruise terminal? Is there somewhere nice to stay the day after a cruise where you can walk around the harbor and stay and eat in a nice place???

 

Thanks for any help on this port.

[BarBug]

Is there anyone out there that has left from the Los Angeles port? I would like to know... Is the LAX airport the closest, or is Orange County closer? I would like to fly into the closest airport.

 

Also... how is the area by the cruise terminal? Is there somewhere nice to stay the day after a cruise where you can walk around the harbor and stay and eat in a nice place???

 

Thanks for any help on this port.

 

Actually, Long Beach airport is the closest to the port, but the other two, LAX & SNA are about even.....sanity is better at the Orange County airport, as it's a bit smaller and easier to deal with.

[hylasgirl]

Thanks so much for the reply... I think I will try for Long Beach then. Have you sailed out of that port before?

[doublenickelgal]

If price is an issue, you might do better flying into LAX. We live in Northern California and we got a better rate with Southwest direct to LAX. There are a number of places to stay near the port. We are staying at the Crowne Plaza in Long Beach. I've read a number of posts about bidding on rooms through Priceline and other internet sites.

 

Follow this link to information about shopping, lodging, and restaurants in San Pedro:

http://www.sanpedro.com/panoramas/ports_ocall.htm

[hylasgirl]

Thanks for the heads-up on the Crown Plaza... I love priceline!!! I will try that for sure! I am hopefully doing this mini cruise with a friend of mine... just the 4 nighter... for the money, you can't beat it... and the perfect way to see if cruising is for her (AS IF!!!) :D

[newmexicoNita]

Of course we all wish we could fly into Long Beach. It is a nice little airport, never crowded and only a 15 drive from the pier. Only a few airlines fly into Long Beach. I would choose LAX. It is a nightmare and yet I think it's a little closer than John Wayne airport.

 

As for places to stay. Again Long Beach has some awesome hotels, but they can be pretty pricey. Priceline usually works. The problem with staying in Long Beach and flying out of LAX is the location and transportation. They are nowhere near each other.

 

As for the pier in San Pedro, it isn't the nicest in the world, but who cares. All you are going to do is stand in line, get on the ship and sail away.

 

Nita

[doublenickelgal]

You can follow this link to the CC board on West Coast departures:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413

 

This can give you more hotel information. You may also find info. on airport transfers. I think that Super Shuttle may be around $34 round trip.

[hylasgirl]

Thanks again for all your help... luckily Delta flies into Long Beach... only on a RJ which isn't my favorite airplane... but there are lots of flights, and it is much nicer than LAX. Now to decide on the cruise...

[doublenickelgal]

:D Now that the really fun part!!!:D

[Cuizer2]

San Pedro ...

 

 

San Pedro and Long Beach ...

 

 

Long Beach Airport ...

 

[Keith1010]

I have sailed out of the port multiple times. It is located in San Pedro.

 

If you can, yes, fly into the Long Beach Airport. It is a nice, small arirport, in close proximity to San Pedro. The challenges is that there are far fewer flights in and out of this airport but if you can make it work, it's a very convenient airport over LAX.

 

Keith

[Marooned]

Just wondering if any of the car rental companies offer shuttle service to th Carnival terminal at Long Beach. We are flying into LAX the day before our Xmas cruise, and would prefer to rent a car for the day before heading to the port.

Any one know if this kind of arrangement is available ?

We do it all the time when sailing from any of the Florida ports.

Look forward to some responses.

[critterchick]

Is there anyone out there that has left from the Los Angeles port? I would like to know... Is the LAX airport the closest, or is Orange County closer? I would like to fly into the closest airport.

 

Also... how is the area by the cruise terminal? Is there somewhere nice to stay the day after a cruise where you can walk around the harbor and stay and eat in a nice place???

 

Thanks for any help on this port.

 

I'll add my endorsement of Long Beach airport - I fly out of there when I got to the East Coast and it's very nice. There are only about 45 flights per day, so it's not crowded and security is a breeze to clear.

 

As for a post-cruise stay, are you thinking of staying overnight or just looking for a way to spend the day? If you do fly from Long Beach, I'd say try for a hotel in downtown Long Beach - in the circle Cuizer2 shows of downtown, most of the major chains are well represented, and there's lot of fun stuff to do within walking distance - the Aquarium of the Pacific, Pike Place, restaurants galore, the Queen Mary, etc.

 

If you're flying out of LAX, think about renting a car from Enterprise (they're the only ones near the SP port) and driving up to the beach communities near LAX - Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan. You can spend the day people watching and there are lots of good places to eat. If you're flying out that day, you can drop the car (for a fee, I think $25?).There are also plenty of hotels near the airport - not scenic, but convenient.

[Cuizer2]

If you're flying out of LAX, think about renting a car from Enterprise (they're the only ones near the SP port) and driving up to the beach communities near LAX - Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan. You can spend the day people watching and there are lots of good places to eat. If you're flying out that day, you can drop the car (for a fee, I think $25?).There are also plenty of hotels near the airport - not scenic, but convenient.

 

Enterprise is only open half days on Saturday (Saturday morning) and not at all on Sundays.

 

This is from the Enterprise office in San Pedro ...

 

[Cuizer2]

Thanks for the heads-up on the Crown Plaza... I love priceline!!! I will try that for sure! I am hopefully doing this mini cruise with a friend of mine... just the 4 nighter... for the money, you can't beat it... and the perfect way to see if cruising is for her (AS IF!!!) :D

 

The Crown Plaza in San Pedro ...

 

[critterchick]

Enterprise is only open half days on Saturday (Saturday morning) and not at all on Sundays.

 

This is from the Enterprise office in San Pedro ...

 

She's said she's sailing "the 4-nighter," which would be Monarch, who is in port on Monday and Friday.

[Cuizer2]

She's said she's sailing "the 4-nighter," which would be Monarch, who is in port on Monday and Friday.

 

I might have missed that. However, whenever someone mentions Enterprise in San Pedro I like to point out the light weekend hours, since a lot of people cruise out of San Pedro on Saturday via Princess and Sunday via RCI as well as NCL (which docks every eight days when not in Alaska).

 

Nonetheless, you are correct that the four nighter out of San Pedro is the Monday to Friday sailing of the Monarch, and Enterprise is open during normal business hours on Mondays and Fridays.

[FarmAnimal]

I'm in the process of putting this trip together, but the is the first time I have done it all by myself. I left everything to the cruise line and ended up paying a lot more for hotels and airfares that I thought I should.

 

We will be sailing from Honolulu on December 8th and our ship is the Pride of America. This is our second cruise on NCL and have sailed on RCL 8 or 9 times. I've had fairly good service from RCL except for our trip to Hawaii two years ago. Our ship left us and 700 other people in Maui when a storm came up. We were left onshore without and clothing other than the wet clothes we had on our backs. All my super duty pain meds were also on the ship. I can't live without my meds. There were people with diabetes, heart conditions, and other serious health issues that were stranded and I ended up paying for a 60 mile drive in a taxi at 2 AM to go to a hospital ER that had nothing. RCL blew it badly and I wasn't the only person.

 

We also endured a strange storm on the 5 day trip from Hawaii to Mexico. It was never above 50 degrees and never stopped raining and the winds were always over 30 knots. It was the worst 5 days eve... oh wait, I spent 2 years in Viet Nam. never mind.

 

We are flying SkyBus to Bob Hope airport in LA on the 7th and are leaving early the next morning on Hawaiian Airlines to Honolulu. The trip from Columbus is only $75 to and $100 fro. Cheap, but still has a ton of little fees associated with it. The trip from LAX to Honolulu is HA and the price is only $150 per person. We got a penthouse cabin because my wife just got a major promotion and will be working very hard all summer and fall to do a major merger and the trip is a way to unwind and celebrate the job and relax from the stress of the job.

 

My questions are:

 

Where is Bob Hope airport located and how far is it from LAX?

 

Where would you experts suggest we stay the night of the 7th that would make the trip out Saturday morning easier?

 

What could be do in LA that night that would be close to a suggested hotel?

 

Any suggestions as to the things we can do that would make the trip better? Secret information that you experts could share with a farmer who knows a John Deere better than a cruise ship.

 

 

I'm convinced that RCL deliberately makes the time on ship as much as possible so they can sell artwork and spa trips. I can do that anywhere. I love having a cute therapist rubbing my body as much as anyone, but if the option is bicycling down Haleakala or getting a massage, I will take the bike trip any day. This cruise on NCL is only 7 days, but my calculations show that we will be on shore twice the time we were there on an 11 day cruise.

 

Thanking you in advance for your assistance. We are 61 and 60 and are looking forward to a relaxing trip.

 

( I think I loaded this in the wrong place. Please forgive a newby.)

[Cuizer2]

My questions are:

 

Where is Bob Hope airport located and how far is it from LAX?

 

Where would you experts suggest we stay the night of the 7th that would make the trip out Saturday morning easier?

 

What could be do in LA that night that would be close to a suggested hotel?

 

Bob Hope Airport used to be known as the Burbank Airport or the Burbank, Glendale Pasadena Airport. So, think Burbank.

 

Across the street is the Hilton Hotel. You could walk there if you want (the Bob Hope Airport is a small regional airport). From baggage claim to the hotel is about 1/3 of a mile.

 

There is not much to do within walking distance of the hotel/airport. However, if you go to the Burbank Town Center (aka Burbank Media Center) you will find EVERYTHING. Moves, a mall, all sorts of restaurants (click on the link below and explore) ...

 

http://www.burbanktowncenter.com/html/index6.asp

 

The Burbank Town Center is about five miles from the airport. There are several hotels in the area, and of course then EVERYTHING will be within walking distance.

 

Here is a link to the Holiday Inn - Burbank Media Center ...

 

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hotel/laxbb;jsessionid=DWYOOPMVNEUXICTGWANCJBQKM0YBWIY4?_requestid=463766

 

and more info on the same hotel ...

 

http://www.travelpost.com/hotels/Holiday_Inn_Burbank/h20438

 

http://www.mytravelguide.com/hotels/reviews-15137001-Holiday_Inn_Burbank_Media_Center_reviews.html

 

Here is a map that might help ...

 

 

The Bob Hope Airport is in the upper left corner. See the "y" in N Hollywood Way at the east end of the east/west runway? Well the Hilton is on the east end of that that "y".

 

Just above the red A (middle of the right side) is the Burbank Town Center. That is where all the action (shopping, movies, restaurants ...) is.

 

Jay Leno and the NBC Studios are very close. If you can get tickets for the day you will be here, and if you are interested in seeing the show taped, you could go.

[FarmAnimal]

Thanks for the information. The Leno show sounds like an exellent idea. We might just do that. Thanks for all the other great suggestions. I'm new here and I know I posted this in the wrong place. Thanks for helping an old geezer. ha ha ha

[Cruisin' Chick]

One thing to note about being in Burbank, but needing to be at LAX early the next morning: those two areas are not really convenient to each other, especially with heavy duty traffic that starts early in the am. (The 5 to the 134 that becomes the 101 to the 405.)

 

I would suggest a hotel near LAX if you're leaving early in the morning (many will shuttle you to your terminal).

 

If you're interested in seeing Leno, make sure you send for tickets as early as possible. You can find out more info on nbc.com. The show will send out more tickets than seats, so if it's a popular date (esp. if the guests are major), you will need to arrive early, say around 3-3:30, and stand in line to make sure you get in. Same applies to Ellen tickets.

[Cuizer2]

I'm new here and I know I posted this in the wrong place. Thanks for helping an old geezer. ha ha ha

 

You did post in the wrong place, but it is easier to answer the question then it is to explain why your post is in the wrong place. :)

[Cuizer2]

One thing to note about being in Burbank' date=' but needing to be at LAX early the next morning: those two areas are not really convenient to each other, especially with heavy duty traffic that starts early in the am. (The 5 to the 134 that becomes the 101 to the 405.)

 

I would suggest a hotel near LAX if you're leaving early in the morning (many will shuttle you to your terminal).

 

If you're interested in seeing Leno, make sure you send for tickets as early as possible. You can find out more info on nbc.com. The show will send out more tickets than seats, so if it's a popular date (esp. if the guests are major), you will need to arrive early, say around 3-3:30, and stand in line to make sure you get in. Same applies to Ellen tickets.[/quote']

 

Oops, I didn't catch that. See, there used to be a flight from the Bob Hope Airport to Honolulu.

 

Now I wish I had provided you with links to hotels closer to the 134 Freeway, or even along the 101 near Universal Studios (both of which are fairly close to the NBC Studios).

 

Cruisin' Chick is correct, getting to LAX from Burbank is not a good idea if you are from out of town. If you are using a taxi then it will be okay, but expensive. If you are using a taxi, allow 75 minutes for the 30 mile drive (even on a Saturday morning) unless you are planning to arrive at LAX by 7:00am for the 8:45 flight. Then allow 45 minutes.

 

If you are driving yourself, allow two hours for late Saturday morning flight and 90 minutes for the early Saturday morning flight. This includes the time to return the rental car. It does not include the extra one or two hours early that you need to arrive to clear security.

[Cruisin' Chick]

There are lots of places to eat at the town center (used to be the Media center, right?) and around there. If it's a nice day, you can also walk along San Fernando Blvd. and window shop.

[Cuizer2]

There are lots of places to eat at the town center (used to be the Media center' date=' right?) and around there. If it's a nice day, you can also walk along San Fernando Blvd. and window shop.[/quote']

 

If they are shopping for windows, they should at least wait until the cruise is over. :D