Long Beach Hotel

I keep hearing about the Hotel Current in Long Beach & thinking of staying here the night before our cruise. I've looked up reviews on other sites & they're pretty good. Any one stayed there before? Thoughts?

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I keep hearing about the Hotel Current in Long Beach & thinking of staying here the night before our cruise. I've looked up reviews on other sites & they're pretty good. Any one stayed there before? Thoughts?

First know that Long Beach is a big city in and of itself--a population of over half a million. Also, there is a prime tourist section--the area immediately around the Convention Center--where you find the Aquarium of the Pacific, Shoreline Village, the Pike, the Queen Mary and a large number of restaurants...also tourist-focused shopping and a free public shuttle bus. Prime hotels in this area include the Hyatt Regency, the Hyatt Centric at the Pike, the Renaissance and the Westin. Close by are the Hilton, the Maya Doubletree and the Residence Inn Downtown. That is the area I always recommend staying in. It is the most convenient, close to the Carnival Terminal and has an atmosphere that makes you feel like your vacation has already started.

The Hotel Current is NOT in this area. It is clear across the City of Long Beach, several miles away. OTOH, there is nothing wrong with the hotel or neighborhood. It is on a busy street, but otherwise in a quiet residential area of Long Beach. Not a bad location, say, if you have a child attending Cal State University Long Beach and are there to visit your kid. But, for a pre-cruise stay, rather remote. It doesn't work out poorly, for example, for people driving in, arriving late the day before a cruise and getting a cheaper "park and cruise" rate who only want to get a good night's sleep, leave their car parked there to avoid high parking rates at the pier and take a shuttle to and from the cruise--though it is a rather long shuttle ride. And those people have their cars with them, so they can drive to dinner anywhere.

But, it is not a good location for people arriving by plane with no car and having more time than just the night's sleep.

The hotel itself is rather ordinary--It is a two story motel-style property built in 1968--centered around a parking lot and a small swimming pool. There is a restaurant adjacent and a bit of neighborhood shopping centers with a few small restaurants and several fast food joints all within a 6-10 block walking distance.

Personally, I would pay a bit more to stay in one of the first class hotels I mentioned above...but, for some people, they tend to think this is just fine. All depends on what you want.

First know that Long Beach is a big city in and of itself--a population of over half a million. Also, there is a prime tourist section--the area immediately around the Convention Center--where you find the Aquarium of the Pacific, Shoreline Village, the Pike, the Queen Mary and a large number of restaurants...also tourist-focused shopping and a free public shuttle bus. Prime hotels in this area include the Hyatt Regency, the Hyatt Centric at the Pike, the Renaissance and the Westin. Close by are the Hilton, the Maya Doubletree and the Residence Inn Downtown. That is the area I always recommend staying in. It is the most convenient, close to the Carnival Terminal and has an atmosphere that makes you feel like your vacation has already started.

 

The Hotel Current is NOT in this area. It is clear across the City of Long Beach, several miles away. OTOH, there is nothing wrong with the hotel or neighborhood. It is on a busy street, but otherwise in a quiet residential area of Long Beach. Not a bad location, say, if you have a child attending Cal State University Long Beach and are there to visit your kid. But, for a pre-cruise stay, rather remote. It doesn't work out poorly, for example, for people driving in, arriving late the day before a cruise and getting a cheaper "park and cruise" rate who only want to get a good night's sleep, leave their car parked there to avoid high parking rates at the pier and take a shuttle to and from the cruise--though it is a rather long shuttle ride. And those people have their cars with them, so they can drive to dinner anywhere.

 

But, it is not a good location for people arriving by plane with no car and having more time than just the night's sleep.

 

The hotel itself is rather ordinary--It is a two story motel-style property built in 1968--centered around a parking lot and a small swimming pool. There is a restaurant adjacent and a bit of neighborhood shopping centers with a few small restaurants and several fast food joints all within a 6-10 block walking distance.

 

Personally, I would pay a bit more to stay in one of the first class hotels I mentioned above...but, for some people, they tend to think this is just fine. All depends on what you want.

Thank You. I appreciate your reply.

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What about the Marriott Long Beach? I don't see that mentioned above.

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What about the Marriott Long Beach? I don't see that mentioned above.

Again, it's a big city...

The Long Beach Marriott is at the Long Beach Airport--right at the end of the runway...There is absolutely nothing nearby except the airport. And it is about 11 miles from the Carnival cruise port, 16 miles from the World Cruise Center...

Here is a re-post of my standard Long Beach hotel advice:

"A" List: The BEST places to stay are the Hyatt, Westin, Renaissance and Hyatt Centric (also known as Hyatt at the Pike) …These put you right in the heart of the tourist area with very convenient walks to restaurants, shops and attractions and easy access to the free "Passport" shuttle...and those ARE the nicest hotels in town. Doesn't necessarily mean they are higher priced, though...and you can often get a real deal via Priceline...

http://www.longbeach.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

http://www.westinlongbeachhotel.com/

http://thepikelongbeach.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbrn-renaissance-long-beach-hotel/

"B" List: Slightly further away, but still in decent walking distance, is the Hilton. Just across the bridge (on the same side of the channel as the Carnival Pier) are the Marriott Residence Inn Downtown and the Maya Doubletree...

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hilton-long-beach-LGBLHHF/index.html

http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hotel-maya-a-doubletree-by-hilton-LGBMYDT/index.html

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbri-residence-inn-long-beach-downtown/

"C" List: Slightly outside the prime area and/or not necessarily the nicest hotels for one reason or another, but options if all else fails are the Marriott Courtyard and the Best Western Long Beach Convention Center...The Queen Mary is across the bridge ...and right next to the Carnival Terminal...however, I am not a big fan of the Queen Mary--unless you are on there for nostalgia's sake...It's not exactly a first class hotel by today's standards--the rooms are small, condition questionable, etc.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbcy-courtyard-long-beach-downtown/

https://www.bestwestern.com/content/best-western/en_US/booking-path/hotel-details.05642.html?propertyCode=05642&arrivalMonthYear=&arrivalDay=&departureMonthYear=&departureDay=&sob=C05&disablenav=false

http://www.queenmary.com/stay-aboard/stay-aboard/

Getting to ANY of these hotels from LAX, you'd either have to take a taxi, car service or a shuttle...Try Super Shuttle or Prime Time Shuttle or Super Shuttle's Execucar...From hotel to pier, some of these hotels may have free shuttles, but policies change time to time, so I would check individually with the hotel...All would be a very short taxi ride from the Carnival Pier...From the Maya Doubletree, Residence Inn Downtown or Queen Mary, one could even walk...LAX is 20 miles from the San Pedro World Cruise Center, 23 miles from the Carnival Terminal in Long Beach…could take anywhere from a half an hour to an hour depending on day, time and traffic…

One word of warning: Do NOT go looking for bargains outside of this short list of hotels...Long Beach is a BIG city...there are lots of different areas, some better, some worse...some not so close to the port or the tourist areas...That bargain hotel MAY tell you it's near the Convention Center or near the port...but it may not be...it may be in an undesirable area or location. You want to have a pleasant stay--stick to this list.

This area of Long Beach means you will have a large choice of restaurants nearby, you will have nice shops and picturesque scenery and places to walk and enjoy...You will be close to sites like the Aquarium and the Queen Mary if you want to have a little sightseeing... One word of warning: Do NOT go looking for bargains outside of this short list of hotels...Long Beach is a BIG city...there are lots of different areas, some better, some worse...some not so close to the port or the tourist areas...That bargain hotel MAY tell you it's near the Convention Center or near the port...but it may not be...it may be in an undesirable area or location. You want to have a pleasant stay--stick to this list.

This area of Long Beach means you will have a large choice of restaurants nearby, you will have nice shops and picturesque scenery and places to walk and enjoy...You will be close to sites like the Aquarium and the Queen Mary if you want to have a little sightseeing...Long Beach runs a free shuttle service called the "Passport" which will take you all over the Downtown area:

http://www.lbtransit.com/services/passport.aspx

Thank you again.

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Bruin Steve

Thanks for your comments and ideas. We (retirees) are staying at the Hyatt Regencybefore our Panama Canal cruise in February2018. I down loaded interested info from the sites you recommended. Great stuff. Steve -- you've always been very helpful to fellow cruisers.

John

Bruin Steve

Thanks for your comments and ideas. We (retirees) are staying at the Hyatt Regency before our Panama Canal cruise in February2018. I down loaded interested info from the sites you recommended. Great stuff. Steve -- you've always been very helpful to fellow cruisers.

John

John,

Glad I could be of help. I've lived in the Los Angeles area (and in several parts of the area between Orange County and Santa Barbara) virtually my entire life and think I have a fairly decent understanding of the region...and love to share that knowledge with visitors here. And, having traveled to many other places in my life, I've often found it important, to me, to get information from natives of those areas. It's one of the things that makes Cruise Critic such a great community. I consider everyone else here "friends"...and I want my friends to have an enjoyable visit when they come here. And so many of my "friends" here on Cruise Critic have given me so much great information on their home areas or on ports to which they have traveled.

Great info! Thanks for sharing.

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I personally have stayed at Hotel Current 6 times in the last 3 years and have another reservation in October. I am one of the:

"people driving in, arriving late the day before a cruise and getting a cheaper "park and cruise" rate who only want to get a good night's sleep, leave their car parked there to avoid high parking rates at the pier and take a shuttle to and from the cruise--though it is a rather long shuttle ride. And those people have their cars with them, so they can drive to dinner anywhere.

I think it is a great hotel. It is safe, clean, they have a great breakfast included, and great service, I also love the rain shower and the decor. They watch my car and all I do is tip the shuttle driver both ways. It is about a 10-15 minute shuttle ride.

1. As we have 4 nights, would it be best we rent a vehicle and stay other than in the area of the cruise port?

Yes...With multiple nights and post cruise, it is a disadvantage to stay near the port...You would be 20-40 miles from most things you'd want to see...

2. If so, what are some recommended areas where hotels may be a little cheaper, but yet a neighborhood that we dont have to be concerned with.

This is where it gets tough...The most desirable and well-located neighborhoods are also the most expensive. If you have a car, you can stay almost anywhere--but be prepared to drive a bit. It is such a big city that it would be impossible for me to run through every neighborhood and hotel...But know that you can't just pick an area. I could, for example, tell you to look in Hollywood (since it sounds like you want to do some things relating to show business)--but most of it is rather seedy...and there are a limited number of hotels there you would want to stay in (Loews, Roosevelt)--and they are the most expensive ones, generally...Nicer than Hollywood itself...and just up the road and actually closer to most of the studios, is Universal City...

An area that is convenient, if you have a car, and not too expensive, is Culver City...it's just north of LAX and the home of Sony Studios (Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune are taped here)...stick to the area around the Fox Hills Mall (Doubletree, Marriott Courtyard, Four Points).

You might also want to consider the Westwood Village area near UCLA--the Luxe or the Angeleno at Sunset and the 405 or one of the smaller hotels South of Campus in Westwood Village (usually a little less expensive than Beverly Hills next door, but very convenient and a great neighborhood).

When choosing hotels with a rent a car, pay close attention to parking charges...This is LA, many hotels in good areas have them.

4. Things to do - I have researched and see that there are several tours available, Sunsetter Tours an 8 hour which seems to bring you to the sights to see, Hollywood Tours which seems to concentrate more on the homes of the rich and famous....

Sunseeker is good if you are staying in the harbor area...if elsewhere, forget them and go with someone else. From what I can tell, ALL of these tour companies offer substantially the same tour. Just make sure they pick up at your hotel.

what are some other suggestions?

We are in fact interested in seeing as above, not as though we have two weeks there.. however, would love to know of some other great ideas. We are not into museums or theatre, but concerts ,yes ( cant find anything for January 2018 i been searching greater LA area)

Would love to see any of the award shows that may be happening at that time... thoughts?

American Idol or similar

Talk shows in the area

All i guess to experience it just once... whats a Dr Phil or Ellen show really like OR, lets see how American Idol goes.. does the price is right still happen, other game shows, talk shows etc etc.

Awards shows are virtually impossible to attend as an outsider. Tickets are allotted to academy members with no real room for the public. Game shows, talk shows, other TV shows, yes, you can get them--but, plan ahead. You need to write to the show way in advance. Jimmy Kimmel is taped at the El Capitan Theater in the heart of Hollywood. Price is Right is filmed at CBS--in the Fairfax District (Southwest of Hollywood--about Fairfax and Third). Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, as previously stated, taped at Sony in Culver City. Dr. Phil tapes at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. A lot of shows are filmed in Burbank/Universal City.

Even if you get tickets, be prepared to show up very early and wait in line--they often give out more tickets than they really have room for.

Do a little research on the internet...You'll find lots of sites like this:

http://www.visitcalifornia.com/feature/how-see-live-tv-shows

What are the best beaches? are there any that are well known for movies or Beach Boys or ...

"Best Beaches" depends on what you are looking for...SoCal beaches are not great for swimming--the water is colder than most outsiders expect since the prevailing currents come down from Alaska--not like the Caribbean. That said, the most famous beaches--the ones you'd likely want to visit--are:

1) Venice Beach...Mostly for its Boardwalk. This is the beach you see depicted on countless films and TV shows--the one with the bodybuilders lifting weights on the beach, the girls in bikinis on roller skates, the street performers and merchants...This is fun...and prototypically Southern Californian...

2) Santa Monica Beach...because of its famous pier--that you've also seen in many movies (it's Merry-go-round building was used in The Sting, the climax of Falling Down with Michael Douglas was at the end of the pier, lots more) and Palisades Park, which runs along the cliffs above the beach.

3) Malibu. Malibu is 27 miles long and runs all along the beach...so, it's actually many beaches...All of those Beach Party movies of the 60s were filmed here--usually up at Paradise Cove but also at the main Malibu Beach (near Malibu Civic Center)

4) Redondo Beach/Manhattan Beach. Remember the TV show, the OC? It wasn't actually filmed in the OC...it was filmed here--a lot near the Redondo Beach Pier. More recently, the movie LaLa Land--the Light house Cafe is at the Hermosa Beach Pier.

Have fun...

Nice !!

Yes...With multiple nights and post cruise, it is a disadvantage to stay near the port...You would be 20-40 miles from most things you'd want to see...

 

This is where it gets tough...The most desirable and well-located neighborhoods are also the most expensive. If you have a car, you can stay almost anywhere--but be prepared to drive a bit. It is such a big city that it would be impossible for me to run through every neighborhood and hotel...But know that you can't just pick an area. I could, for example, tell you to look in Hollywood (since it sounds like you want to do some things relating to show business)--but most of it is rather seedy...and there are a limited number of hotels there you would want to stay in (Loews, Roosevelt)--and they are the most expensive ones, generally...Nicer than Hollywood itself...and just up the road and actually closer to most of the studios, is Universal City...

 

An area that is convenient, if you have a car, and not too expensive, is Culver City...it's just north of LAX and the home of Sony Studios (Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune are taped here)...stick to the area around the Fox Hills Mall (Doubletree, Marriott Courtyard, Four Points).

 

1) Venice Beach....and prototypically Southern Californian...

It sounds like someone hasn't been to Hollywood for decades..... Hollywood was very seedy at one time, but that started to change drastically when the Kodak Theater opened in 2001 and the Academy Awards moved to the location. Since then Disney renovated the El Capitan Theater and premieres most of its movies there; the American Cinematheque redid the Egyptian Theater, luxury hotels like the W Hollywood and Redbury have opened; Hollywood has become one of the hottest dining destinations and has some of the hottest clubs in LA.

If the luxury hotels are too dear there are numerous, reputable hotels in Hollywood like the Best Western Plus Hollywood Hills Hotel, Holiday Inn Express Hollywood, Hilton Garden Inn Hollywood, Magic Castle Suites, Hollywood Orchid Suites, The BLVD and the Best Western Hollywood Plaza.

More budget hotels are the Days Inn Hollywood, Comfort Inn Near Hollywood Walk of Fame, Quality Inn, Motel 6, Rodeway Inn, Hollywood Celebrity Hotel,Travelodge Hollywood-Vermont/Sunset, Coral Sand Motel and The Dixie Hollywood Hotel.

Universal is a terrible place to stay since the only hotels there are expensive and isolated.

Culver is another rotten place to stay. The "Fox Hills Mall" hasn't been called that for almost 20 years. The name changed because of its reputation as a gang hang out. As recently as January of this year the mall, now called "Westfield Culver City" the mall still has issues. Police were called because of an out of control brawl involving as many as 150 youths. Downtown Culver City is fine, avoid the mall area like the plague.

Venice Beach is full of tattoo parlors, medical marijuana dispensaries and any number of other unsavory characters. Manhattan Beach is a much better representation of a southern California beach town.

I would post your question in the Los Angeles forum of TripAdvisor, Cruise Critic's parent company.

It sounds like someone hasn't been to Hollywood for decades...

Interesting views from way down there in Extreme south Orange County...

I am in Hollywood often...and I wouldn't stay in most of it...Motel 6? Seriously? (And I used to work for Motel 6, Inc.)... As I said, I'd stay at Loews...and have...my company used to have annual offsites there...

The hotels I list in the Venice Beach area are in Marina Del Rey--which is very nice. And, I do recommend visiting there as a tourist. I take all of my out of town visitors there.

Culver City? I recommend it as a budget alternative on the West Side...since it is less expensive than Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, etc all...and it is very convenient to LAX...and you can get tour companies to pick you up there. Yes, I know it's now Westfield Culver City...but us "locals" ( my sister lives there and my late mother lived there toward the end of her life) still call it Fox Hills--as the area has always been that...I wasn't telling people to go shopping at the mall (though I have...and have eaten at BJs there)...what I was recommending were the hotels in THAT area--rather than the cheap hotels further up along Sepulveda...

Scott, my friend, I think at times you post just to be contrary...

Interesting views from way down there in Extreme south Orange County...

 

Scott, my friend, I think at times you post just to be contrary...

Rather than address why you left off luxury hotels in Hollywood like The W and Redbury, and ignored highly regarded budget hotels like the Hollywood Orchid Suites, Magic Castle Suites and yes, even bargain basement Motel 6 you decide to make snide personal remarks.

You also ignore the changes that have occurred in Hollywood and then recommend an area that had a major public disturbance in the last six months.

The hotels you mention in Culver City aren't budget friendly, they are twice the cost of the Motel 6 and several of the others and the Culver City hotels in that area have poor public transportation options. The hotels in Hollywood are close to where the tours for LA originate and it has some of the best public transportation in the area with multiple subway stations.

The OP will have the opportunity to evaluate the opinions and options. They should be allowed to do so with petty snipping.