tarheelschik

Does anyone have any experience with tour companies in/around LA, or suggestions for good/bad ones, that will take you around to the sightseeing locations, such as the Hollywood sign, Rodeo Drive, etc?

Definitely. Santa Monica is actually my number one recommendation on where to stay in the LA area...but some find it a bit pricey.

 

Look at these hotels: Loews, Marriott LeMerigot, Fairmont Miramar, Shutters at the Beach would be the “A” group. Also the Wyndham, Huntley...and there’s a brand new Courtyard and Hampton near the new Metro Station...all a short walk from the pier...

 

Oh...and as to free shuttles: The only hotels offering free airport shuttles are those in the immediate LAX area...Don’t let that be a determining factor...shuttles, Uber’s and town cars are reasonably priced and easy to get from anywhere. Just consider it part of the cost. If any hotel were to offer a shuttle, they’d just blend the price into the room rate anyway.

This is great info! Thanks for all the suggestions/recommendations! Since we are still a year out from our cruise next summer, it gives me plenty of time to look through everything and pick the perfect one!

About how far of a ride from LAX are the hotels you recommended in Santa Monica?

As others have noted, there are NO hotels near LAX that offer free shuttles from the port...The Long Beach terminal is approximately 23-24 miles from LAX area hotels. But it is easy to find shuttles from the ship to LAX for a reasonable price...or Uber may be a better choice since you won't have to share or make other stops.

 

As to things to do around LAX within walking distance, sorry, there really is NOTHING within walking distance of LAX that you'd want to see or do...LAX hotels generally refers to the area along Century Blvd. East of LAX--which is a largely industrial area with only big airport-related hotels, the hotel restaurants and parking lots, rental car lots, industrial warehouse buildings and office buildings.

 

If you want to go to an area close to LAX but with lots to see and do around the hotel, I'd recommend staying a little north of LAX in the Marina Del Rey/Venice Beach area...There are a few nice hotels there (Marina Del Rey Marriott, Jamaica Bay Inn, Foghorn Harbor Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Inn at Venice Beach, Venice Beach House B&B, Ritz Carlton and a couple of others). You would have lots of restaurant choices nearby (I like C&O Trattoria)...and the stroll along the Venice Beach Boardwalk, around the Marina and over to the Venice Canals...You can rent bicycles and ride up to Santa Monica...or take an Uber or even the public bus...and visit the Santa Monica Pier, the Third Street Promenade and Palisades Park...and you'd be only a few minutes north of LAX...

My daughter is dying to go to the Santa Monica Pier, so that definitely might be an option. Do the hotels you listed in that area, offer shuttle service to LAX? Are there any hotels that you would recommend that are within walking distance of the Pier, as that would be the main thing we would want to be close to/around in that area?

Thanks for all the helpful info!!

LAX hotels don't offer shuttles to/from long Beach. The port is about an hour from the airport.

Depending on your arrival time , I would go straight to Long Beach or San Pedro for the night before the cruise,

Taxi is about $90 with tip to Lon Beach or San Pedro.

Thank you for the quick reply!

LAX and the port in LB are a good distance apart. No hotel at LAX will have a shuttle. There are several shuttles and vendors frequently mentioned here...execucar, SuperShuttle, plus Uber and Lyft.

Thank you!

Hello all! I am looking for suggestions for hotels around LAX, that are preferably within walking distance of things to see/do in that area. This will be for early June.

Hello! We will be cruising out of Long Beach in June (2019), and I was needing some suggestions on hotels near LAX, that possibly offer shuttle service to/from the port? We are planning on staying at the Queen Mary a couple of days before the cruise, but are needing suggestions of hotels near LAX for our stay after our cruise.

Would prefer something within walking distance of things to do around LAX (if that is even possible)? I know nothing about this area.

Any help/suggestions/recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Can you provide me with the website or the contact information for both the trikes and Sonny, as we are looking for things to do in Aruba, and these both sound very interesting.

thanks!

Any ideas at all?

My group of 6 is wanting to get some custom t-shirts made for our upcoming cruise on the Carnival Conquest in June. This will be a 4 generation cruise.

Does anyone have any catchy slogans that include the Conquest?

I would love to hear some ideas!!

tar heel ~ here's the info I provide to family/friends who want to visit St. John while on a cruise with a stop in St. Thomas:

 

Getting There & Cost

• Roundtrip taxi from ship to Red Hook ferry: approximately $20

• Roundtrip ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay: $14

• Roundtrip from Red Hook to Trunk Bay: $14

 

 

• Disembark the ship as soon as they allow you to get off. If your ship is in early and you can possibly catch a taxi by 7:30 you might be able to make the 8:00 AM ferry.

• Jump in a taxi and head to the Red Hook Ferry ($10 per person)

• The ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay departs on the hour and is approximately 20 minutes long.

 

The Island

There are only two towns on St. John. Cruz Bay on the west end of the island where the ferry will drop you off and Coral Bay on the east end. Cruz Bay is far bigger (lots of shops, restaurants, grocery stores, car rental agencies, hotels, etc). Coral Bay is barely a town but it’s a great place.

 

Beaches

The best beaches are along the north shore of the island. North shore beaches are easily reached from both Cruz Bay. Hawksnest, Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Maho and Leistner are among our favorite north shore beaches. Trunk and Cinnamon have snack bars (yes they serve alcohol) and facilities to rent snorkel gear, beach chairs, and lockers. You can take a taxi (safari type) right at the ferry dock to your beach of choice.

 

Shopping & Restaurants

For a small island, St. John has a lot of great restaurants and some fun shopping. Mongoose Junction in Cruz Bay is a pretty high end outdoor shopping area with great shops, restaurants and a fun atmosphere. There is also a fun area to the right when you get off the ferry. It’s called Wharfside Village and there are bunches of great bars that line the beach here. High Tide (the first bar next to the ferry dock) and the Beach Bar (a short walk down the beach) are two good ones to grab a bite to eat and enjoy a blender drink!

 

Returning to the Ship

The ferry returns to St. Thomas every hour, on the hour. We always take the ferry three hours before our ships departure. For you cruise that would be the 1:00 PM ferry. Afternoon traffic on St. Thomas can be heavy but you'll be going back early enough it shouldn't be an issue for you. Between the ferry ride and the taxi back to the ship, you are typically looking at about 45 – 50 minutes total. There are plenty of taxis waiting at the Red Hook ferry terminal when you return to St. Thomas.

 

Have a great time. There's no place like St. John for me!

Thank you so much for all this helpful information! That is exactly what I needed, all in 1 message!! We are super excited about visiting St. John, as it has been on my bucket list for years now!! Just a little nervous about wandering that far out of our comfort zone lol :)

There's a Full Service bar at Trunk Bay! No Problem! :D

 

LuLu

That is great news!!!!

We actually won't be there until next June, but we are trying to get all of our plans lined out before :)

Is there a great place to eat in Cruz Bay, that you would recommend?

Thanks for all the helpful advise!! I am super excited about St. John, and even if I can only make it to the beach there for 3 hours, I will be beyond pleased with that :)

Is the ferry pretty reliable with their schedule and timing?

Thanks for the reply! Does anyone have an idea of the cost of food or drinks at Trunk Bay?

And suggestions for the best spot on the beach?

Do each of the beaches in St. John offer alcoholic drinks, or is it just water, soda, etc?

We are traveling outside of our comfort zone while we are in St. Thomas, and are wanting to take a trip over to St. John, as Trunk Bay looks beautiful, but are still pretty uncertain of what all we need to do or get lined out before we are certain that we have it all planned out.

Carnival does not offer any trips over to St. John on the day we are in St. Thomas, which was really a big letdown for us. We are in St. Thomas from 7:30 - 3:30. If you have any suggestions/recommendations for the quickest route to get to the ferry, and what time we would need to come back over on the ferry to get back on the ship, I would greatly appreciate it!

Any pictures of the different beaches would also be greatly appreciated :)

One dose of Z (I think there are 5 or 6 caplets in the bottle) is around $30 US. (if I remember correctly) and Imitrex is expensive.....$60 for the bottle, but I don't know how many are in there (I get them for my sister). She always gives me $60 when I go and I pick one up for her.

 

I will get you current pricing after our week's stay starting on Saturday!! I'll be back in about 11 days and let you know more details.

Thank you so much!!! I would appreciate any pricing you can get :)

It's been hit or miss for us. We've always stocked up on amoxicillin, ZPacks and Imitrex for migraine. The last two times we could not get the amox or Z Packs. We are heading to Playa on a mainland vaca this Saturday and will see what we can get.

 

As far as the "safety" only you can decide whether or not you want to do it. I've been using Mexican Amoxicillin for about 8 years. We just keep it on hand in case we need it. My family is an extended household of pharmacists and we all stock up when one of us goes down there. I can't tell you if it's a potent as the US product, but we've never had an issue.

 

I would never "recommend" to purchase Rx items in Mexico. But I am just informing you so that you can make your own decision.

What are the prices that you normally pay for Z-Packs and Imitrex?

Cozumel has great shopping!

Belize has the reef. Check out an excursion to Goff's Caye. You can book them through Island Marketing.

Roatan is my favorite port. You won't be disappointed with Victor Bodden. The monkey farm is a great place to go and West Bay Beach is the best beach you will find anywhere. Ask them to drop you off at the Bananarama resort for just a short walk down to the water. If you book with Victor, request Lany as your tour guide. He is fantastic and his knowledge of Roatan is unbelievable!

I have been to Goff's Caye twice and going back for the 3rd time in June. The whole experience is great! The snorkeling is wonderful and the water is amazing. Super friendly people and very informative guides. The BBQ'd chicken was great as well!