lax ideas for weekend prior cruise

[bedfordmom]

Hi everyone:

 

I am sailing Mariner 4/18 and looking for hotel recommendations and sightseeing ideas for the greater LA area for three days prior to our cruise and one night post. We are a family of four with 13 and 16 year old girls. We will have a car. We were in this area two years ago for the weekend during a San Diego trip and we did Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and a taping of wheel of fortune and saw Gramin's (sp?) Chinese Theater district during the Oscar weekend.

 

Any ideas much appreciated as our hotel will depend upon where we are doing most of the sightseeing. So hotels recommendations will also be appreciated.

 

Also we are looking for ideas about our car return. We are renting in LAX and will either return to LGB and take taxi to port or use enterprise for their return near the Crowne Plaza. Any other ideas about that.

[Jen1000]

Hi everyone:

 

I am sailing Mariner 4/18 and looking for hotel recommendations and sightseeing ideas for the greater LA area for three days prior to our cruise and one night post. We are a family of four with 13 and 16 year old girls. We will have a car. We were in this area two years ago for the weekend during a San Diego trip and we did Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and a taping of wheel of fortune and saw Gramin's (sp?) Chinese Theater district during the Oscar weekend.

 

Any ideas much appreciated as our hotel will depend upon where we are doing most of the sightseeing. So hotels recommendations will also be appreciated.

 

Also we are looking for ideas about our car return. We are renting in LAX and will either return to LGB and take taxi to port or use enterprise for their return near the Crowne Plaza. Any other ideas about that.

 

 

Maybe your daughters would enjoy Universal Studios. That is a lot of fun, rides, shows and a tour of the working back lot. Curt likes the Sportsmen's Lodge in that area and the hotel has a free shuttle to Universal.

 

Jen in SoCal

[bedfordmom]

Maybe your daughters would enjoy Universal Studios. That is a lot of fun, rides, shows and a tour of the working back lot. Curt likes the Sportsmen's Lodge in that area and the hotel has a free shuttle to Universal.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

Thanks, we've done the Universal Parks in Florida. I wonder how they are different. I went there in 1980 when it was just a studio tour. That will definately be on our list.

[Jen1000]

The CA Universal is more like the regular Universal in FL. The big difference is that the one here is currently putting out big time movies and tv shows and you actually go thru those areas. The last time we were there we got to go down the street that is Wisteria Lane on Desperate Housewives after they finished filming for the day. Two other times they were filming so we could kind of see it but could not go down the street. They were prepping another area for a movie they were going to start filming the next day. The theme park grew up around the studio. The shows are different too. I may be biased but I think the Universal in CA is much better than the one in FL. It is nothing like when you went in 1980. It is also nothing like Islands of Adventure, except for the Jurassic Park ride.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

Thanks, we've done the Universal Parks in Florida. I wonder how they are different. I went there in 1980 when it was just a studio tour. That will definately be on our list.

[Jen1000]

Trying to think of what I liked to do at that age.....

 

It should be pleasant weather in April, but should not be hot.

 

They may enjoy a day at the beach. There is a great beach in Newport Beach, I like it down by the Balboa Pier. There is a pay lot by the pier. There is a fun/good restaurant on the end of the pier, Ruby's (famous Oreo shakes). You can rent bikes/surreys (we like the surreys) and go along the sidewalk that runs along the beach. If you cross the street to the other side of the peninsula you are on the bay side. From there you can take a harbor tour to see all the huge homes and yachts (some celebrity homes or former homes). Take both harbor tours to see it all. They also have boats to rent if you want to do it on your own. The Old Spaghetti Factory is a good and reasonably priced way to end the day for dinner (free valet parking).

 

Venice Beach and Santa Monica are also popular choices but I have not been in a while so I will not post any details.

 

You could spend a day in Catalina, not a cheap day but really nice. You can take a boat over in the morning and spend the day and take the boat back in the evening. You can rent a golf cart to give yourself a tour or sign up for organized tours. Cute shops and restaurants along the water. Small beach as well.

 

Lots of museums and sporting events if you like those types of things.

 

When we were in Hollywood last time the kids were begging to go on the Celebrity Homes tour (guests did not want to go so we did not). They did do the Wax Museum and Guinness Book of World Records (combo ticket). They liked it, two of us did not go in. There is also a Ripley's but we had done that in Buena Park recently so did not go.

 

Jen in SoCal

 

 

Hi everyone:

 

I am sailing Mariner 4/18 and looking for hotel recommendations and sightseeing ideas for the greater LA area for three days prior to our cruise and one night post. We are a family of four with 13 and 16 year old girls. We will have a car. We were in this area two years ago for the weekend during a San Diego trip and we did Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and a taping of wheel of fortune and saw Gramin's (sp?) Chinese Theater district during the Oscar weekend.

 

Any ideas much appreciated as our hotel will depend upon where we are doing most of the sightseeing. So hotels recommendations will also be appreciated.

 

Also we are looking for ideas about our car return. We are renting in LAX and will either return to LGB and take taxi to port or use enterprise for their return near the Crowne Plaza. Any other ideas about that.

[bedfordmom]

Thanks Jen1000

 

Thanks lots of good ideas. What part of the greater LA area would you suggest that I stay?

[Cruisin' Chick]

Since you're staying three days prior to your cruise, you can pin down what kinds of things you plan to do and stay at one hotel. I definitely suggest staying away from the airport and away from downtown LA.

 

If you want to do the Hollywood thing, there's Hollywood. There's also the Sportsman Lodge mentioned above. That's in Studio City, which is in the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley, not far from Universal Studios and Warner Brothers.

 

There's also Santa Monica, which has the beach (even though it still won't be beach weather), the Third Street Promenade, the Getty Museum nearby in Brentwood.

 

San Pedro will be better if you're coming just the day before and Long Beach too, but I believe that's the weekend of the Grand Prix anyway.

[californiagurl]

We spent some time in the SoCal area w/our DD 13. We visited LA/Hollywood for a day and did the hop on hop off bus tour. We got a chance to stop at Rodeo Drive/Beverly Hills and so many other great places. That was enough of this city for us though! We spent the rest of our time near Huntington Beach as DD fell in love with Surf City!! We will be going back to Huntington in Feb when we take our cruise out of San Diego. We will stay there for 4 or 5 days after the cruise! We may do Disneyland this trip, though!

[bedfordmom]

Hi everyone:

 

I am sailing Mariner 4/18 and looking for hotel recommendations and sightseeing ideas for the greater LA area for three days prior to our cruise and one night post. We are a family of four with 13 and 16 year old girls. We will have a car. We were in this area two years ago for the weekend during a San Diego trip and we did Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and a taping of wheel of fortune and saw Gramin's (sp?) Chinese Theater district during the Oscar weekend.

 

Any ideas much appreciated as our hotel will depend upon where we are doing most of the sightseeing. So hotels recommendations will also be appreciated.

 

Also we are looking for ideas about our car return. We are renting in LAX and will either return to LGB and take taxi to port or use enterprise for their return near the Crowne Plaza. Any other ideas about that.

 

Just found this thread again. Here is an update of our great precruise trip. We stayed in the OMG.travel apartments in West Detroit Street in the Miracle Mile area. It is an independent apartment and it was perfectly situated for our needs.

 

Evening of day one Dodgers Game

Day #2 Universal Studios

Taping of Wanda Sykes show (kids stayed home)

Day #3 La Brea Tar Pits

Farmers Market

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Pinks Hotdogs

Santa Monica Boardwalk and Venice

 

Day 3 was way too much. If I had it to do again, I would have skipped Pinks as we waited over one hour for OK hotdogs. For cars, we rented round trip at LAX for very little money. Rented an entire Supershuttle van for my family and my sisters family and had two separate pickups. For the return, we rented at Enterprise at San Pedro and returned that evening at LAX and got the shuttle to our airport hotel. The last day was crazy, we went to 6 Flags (way too crowded) and then Rodeo Drive. I would have skipped the 6 Flaggs and spent more time in Rodeo. Overall a great pre and post cruise trip as well as a fantastic cruise.