Splinter

If her scooter comes apart and can be loaded in a car trunk, just take a cab to Chankanaab Park.  The locker rooms there are wheelchair accessible, so you can change into your suit there, and if she is unable to get down to the water (it requires walking over some rocks), the botanical garden behind the beach area has a paved level path.  She would be safe doing this on her own while others in the party are swimming, if she desires.

On 6/27/2019 at 2:18 PM, hallasm said:

Also flying the day of the cruise, Norwegian Air might not be the best choice - 22% flights delayed with an average delay of 47 minutes - might be risky at the day of your cruise - in particular if multiple stops.

However, has improved a bit over the last months.  

While my Norwegian Air flight from LAX was on-time, it was late leaving for my return trip. Due to the limited number of flights from LAX to Bergen, I chose to fly into Oslo, stay overnight there, then take the beautiful train ride from Oslo to Bergen and spent two nights there. Returning from my cruise, I also took the train back to Oslo, taking the spur from Myrdal to Flam and back, then onto Oslo. It made a long day, but it was wonderful. I stayed 3 more days in Oslo before flying back to LAX.

Your title says you are cruising out of Long Beach, but your text says LA. The Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro) is different than the Port of Long Beach; they are about 10 miles apart. What cruise line are you on? Carnival goes out of Long Beach, while most other cruise lines go out of San Pedro. Be sure you are looking at the right port.

Traffic across the bridge can be an issue if there is a big Navy ship (like an aircraft carrier) departing or arriving at North Island that day.  If that is the case, take the passenger ferry instead of a ride-share.

My bet is time of year. That is prime hurricane season for the Caribbean, and booking a cabin at that time risks your cruise being cancelled or re-routed.

On 7/21/2019 at 6:48 AM, mexico8 said:

Where do you get the Medical Equipment luggage tag?   (I need to get one).

 

Wendy

I made my own. Got a jpg off Google Image, and then laminated it myself.

On 6/27/2019 at 10:35 PM, Kartgv said:

Lots of good suggestions so far.   One thing to think about...if you get a good sunshiny day, the view looking back towards the city when the sun reflects back into the bay off all the building windows is spectacular just before sunset.    Good places to view it...Peohe's & Il Fornaio on Coronado or any of the cluster of restaurants on Harbor Island - Costerra, Island Prime, and C Level.    .   

 

Coasterrra. C level is the upscale section of Island Prime (same restaurant). Don't go to Tom Ham's (awful food).

On 6/25/2019 at 9:30 AM, grayjay said:

We loved that train journey, especially in winter it's stunning. Just a recommendation: when booking, book Comfort Class - not much more money, nicer seats, free tea and coffee. Sells out quickly.

Comfort Class is the way to go, but if you are going to/from Bergen to take the train to Flam at Myrdal, it is not available on that route; only if you go straight through Bergen < > Oslo.

On 6/26/2019 at 3:30 PM, GenghisQuan said:

I was kind of considering LA/Long Beach/SD to be the same area, as they're not too far from each other.

 

Hmm, might need to look into Southwest, then.

Long Beach is 7 miles from San Pedro, but 100 miles from San Diego. You wouldn't fly into LA to take a cruise out of San Diego!

If Disneyland is the goal, you might also consider flying into John Wayne (Orange County) Airport, and staying at a hotel near the airport or around nearby Disneyland.

There is plenty of things to do at Disneyland for adults...you can go and just not hang with the kids. Tickets are VERY expensive though.

You could then take a shuttle (Supershuttle, for example) from Anaheim to the cruise ship on Saturday morning. Depending on the size of your group, you might be able to get one for just your party for the shared shuttle price.

I would not recommend staying in either Hollywood or Santa Monica if the goal for most in your group is to go to Disneyland.

Seas are rougher going north along the Mexico and California coast compared to the southern direction. It has to do with the currents (southbound) along this stretch of coast.

HAL does 7 and 10 day Mexican Riviera cruises out of San Diego. If you are going to fly, the cost to fly into LAX and SAN from the Bay area is about the same, but the airport in SAN is only 3 miles from the pier, and there is a lot more to do there before/after your cruise if you want to extend your trip. LA is not your only option other than SF.

Southwest also has FREE 2 checked bags per person, so that can save you a lot compared to other airlines.

1 hour ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

If you want to take the ferry over to Coronado then at The Landing is Il Fornaio and Phoie's.  

Peohe’s is fine, but I think Il Fornaio is better.

I don't think you will find a bad restaurant in Little Italy! Any that are not good quickly go out of business. Avoid Born & Raised though. It is overpriced and I think it has poor service for what you pay. I would also add to your dinner list the following:

Indigo Grill

Juniper & Ivy

Herb & Wood

Prep Kitchen (Little Italy)

Kettner Exchange

The upstairs Top of the Market at the Fish Market next to Seaport Village is also very good.

In the Marina area, I like Sally's at the Marriott Hotel.

Puesto! at the Headquarters (near Seaport Village) is also very good.

While I have not eaten there myself, Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse at your hotel has had rave reviews as well.

For breakfast, add Cafe 222 and Brian's 24. Richard Walker's is good, but often long lines, especially on weekends.  Harbor Breakfast is very new...have not had a chance to try it yet. Also consider Farmers' Table in Little Italy.

For informal lunches, while I love Athens Market, I usually go there for dinner. Lots of good places for lunch in Little Italy. You might even want to check out the Food Hall there, which has great food and a nice outdoor eating area where you can people watch. Also, right on the Embarcadero near the cruise ship pier is Carnitas Snack Shack (Embarcadero location) which is excellent.

For Mexican food, check out El Agave in Old Town. Authentic gourmet Mexican food, not touristy, and they have a huge selection of tequilas as well. Coastaterra on Harbor Island is good, although not as authentic, but has a spectacular view. 

On 6/23/2019 at 12:44 AM, hallasm said:

I do not think you can find direct flights fro LAX to OSL or CPH - so you will need to have a two stop flight - a bit risky however you can always catch the ship in Ålesund the following Day if problems.

Norwegian Air flies non-stop from LAX to Oslo and Bergen. I used them for my Hurtigruten cruise in 2015. Flew in and out of Oslo, and took the train to Bergen and back.

Yes, these ports are tender v. pier:

Nawiliwili: pier

Honolulu: pier

Lahaina: tender

Kona: tender

Hilo: pier

Even if you are on a ship with a tender lift, you may not be able to access it based on sea conditions, and it will only take people in manual wheelchairs of maximum 18" seat width (no power chairs or scooters).

While my mother used a power chair on the ship, for any shore excursions, even at a pier port, we took a manual wheelchair. While Hawaii is part of the USA, it is amazing how much of it does not meet ADA regulations, so you may have to bump up a curb or two, or a step into a shop, and there are few wheelchair accessible cabs. With a manual chair, you can fold it and put it in the taxi or rental car trunk as long as you can transfer to the passenger seat.

Uber or cab there.

Nothing really close-by. The closest is Crystal Clean Laundry (0.5 miles) 1718 Bellevue Ave E, Seattle, WA 98122.

Enterprise, but I believe they are not open on Sunday either. You may have to take a cab to a rental car location in Torrance or Long Beach; even consider the Long Beach Airport.

Generally when there is lack of availability of hotels in the Marina and Gaslamp Quarter it is because a big convention or other event is going on in that area, as the SD Convention Center is nearby.

A small boutique hotel you might want to consider, in Little Italy, is Le Pensione.

The seats are right next to the entrance to the terminal. There is usually a staff person directing people right there, but there is also signage indicating that the seating is for those with mobility disabilities.

What kind of questions do you have? Hawaii is relatively accessible, although not as much as the other 49 states in my experience. If you have a tender port (Lahaina and/or Kona) HAL will not let you on the tender unless you can walk on (including steps) under your own power, so be prepared for that.

We have found some tours through HAL on wheelchair accessible (lift) buses in Hilo and Nawiliwili but not always available. Shopping shuttles are nearly always non-accessible, which is a violation of the ADA, but no one seems to care. The (city) Bus in Honolulu is wheelchair accessible and easy to catch near the cruise ship terminal to go to Waikiki. Also consider renting a car and doing your own touring since it appears you can easily transfer to a car and put your wheelchair in the trunk. Just a caution that most of the shuttles to the rental cars are not accessible, so someone in your party would need to pick up the car and drive back to the pier to pick you up. 

I actually don't like to be on the first crush of passenger that is usually standing in line for a long time when they first start boarding. You can drop of your luggage around 10AM, then head out and do something fun, then go back to the ship around 2PM and usually walk right on.

Consider the Aquarium of the Pacific if you don't want to take the tour of the Queen Mary. The Aquarium will even let you store your luggage if you want to go straight there from the airport.

I agree with the above. I would feel very comfortable walking around Little Italy alone in the evening; less so in the East Village (the eastern part of the Gaslamp), and not at all the area of Cortez Hill, where the 4 Points Sheraton is located. Look also at the Hampton Inn Bayside (rooms away from the train tracks which are on the east side). Le Pensione is a small boutique hotel right in Little Italy that is popular with some as well.

Yes, it is rare in the USA to have breakfast included at most hotels, unlike Europe. I wouldn't make that my make-or-break in a decision where to stay. Most have a coffee shop/restaurant where you can purchase a breakfast (the buffet being the most expensive option usually). You can also walk to some good places to have breakfast in Little Italy and the Gaslamp. Harbor Breakfast in Little Italy is very good, as is Cafe 222, Brian's 24, or Richard Walker's.

The hotels you mention would also not be my first choice.

Holiday Inn Express Downtown 7th Ave is actually an uphill walk from the Gaslamp Quarter and Little Italy, and in a relatively iffy part of downtown. The same goes for the Four Points Sheraton-Downtown.

Hotel Republic is a fairly new rehab of an old building. Don't know of anyone who has stayed there, but it is fairly close to Little Italy.

Hotel Indigo is in the East Village, an area that is undergoing some redevelopment and upgrading, but not an area I would like to walk around at night. Good if you are planning on going to an event in nearby Petco Park (baseball, etc.) but that's it.  Several blocks east of the Gaslamp Quarter.

Look at the Hampton Inn-San Diego Downtown. As long as you get a room on the west side (away from the railroad tracks on the east side), it is a great location and just a block or two from Little Italy. It is also close to the Trolley (light rail) tracks which you can use to go further south to the Gaslamp Quarter, or north to Old Town. The Wyndam San Diego Bayside is also popular.

If you are determined to find a hotel with a breakfast buffet, you might want to go to the Embassy Suites San Diego Bay in the Marina District, next to Seaport Village and just a few blocks from the Gaslamp Quarter.