family cruising out of Long Beach

[Candie]

We are a family of 4 cruising on the Splendor in Feb from Long Beach. We will fly in the day before and are wondering if the easiest and safest transportation with 2 kids (4 and 7) would be Carnival's bus from LAX or something else. Staying near the port sounds nice and it seems like there might be more to do the next morning than spending the night at an airport hotel. But, if we have to worry about booster seats and transportation on our own it might be a pain. It doesn't look like there is a car rental drop off at the port. I look forward to your suggestions, thanks!

[Starlight Durban Cruising]

Definitely more convenient to spend the night at one of the hotels in the Long Beach area instead of LAX area. Some of the Long Beach hotels apparently have a shuttle in the morning to the Cruise terminal.

 

Look up on the Splendor 9/11/11 Roll Call as it was discussed quite a bit there as to which hotels had good rates/shuttle etc.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I would recommend staying at a LAX area hotel only if you have an early morning flight the next day. There really is nothing in the area except strip malls (think literally as well as figuratively:eek:) so if you want to do a little sightseeing or grab a meal, you would have to get a taxi.

 

Much better to check out the list of recommended hotels in Long Beach (either on that roll call mentioned or do a search for posts by Bruin Steve in the Western destinations area as he has some great advice on hotels to look at and hotels to skip). If you were getting in early enough the day before, your family could go to the Long Beach aquarium which is on the waterfront. It's really excellent (if you have an Auto Club card, you can get a discount). There's also a quaint shopping/eating area called Shoreline Village on the waterfront too -- near the Queen Mary and across from the Carnival berth.

 

I couldn't see having too much time to do sightseeing on the day of your cruise -- we always want to get on the ship as early as possible.

[PatriciaF]

If you rent a car, a car seat would be mandatory for your two children. I think the shared van services would also require you to bring your own car seats.

 

Here is the info from Prime Time Shuttle--I would assume that SuperShuttle would be the same. A large bus, like the one Carnival would use to transport you, would not require a car seat.

 

welcomes the opportunity to serve our "junior" passengers. Children two (2) years of age and younger travel free with a paying adult. If making an online reservation, please indicate the number of children traveling so that we can set a seat aside, as California state law does not allow children to ride in the lap of an adult.

 

Please be aware that we do not supply child safety seats. If your child is under the minimum age/weight standards set by the state of California (less than 6 years of age or weighing less than 60 pounds), we strongly recommend that you supply an approved child safety seat for your child. Although it is not mandatory that a child safety seat is supplied, it is the responsibility of the parent or guardian traveling with the child to make sure that the child is transported safely.

 

California Child Passenger Restraint Requirements

Effective January 1, 2002

(California Vehicle Code) 27360.

1. No parent or legal guardian, when present in a motor vehicle, as defined in Section 27315, shall permit his or her child or ward to be transported upon a highway in the motor vehicle without providing and properly securing the child or ward, in a child passenger restraint system meeting applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards unless the child or ward is at least one of the following:
   1. 
      
   2. Six years of age or older.
      
   3. Weighs 60 pounds or more.
      

[*]No driver shall transport on a highway any child in a motor vehicle, as defined in Section 27315, without providing and properly securing the child in a child passenger restraint system meeting applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards unless the child is at least one of the following:

1. Six years of age or older.
   
2. Weighs 60 pounds or more.
   

[Candie]

Thanks for the replies so far! We are arriving around 6pm the evening before. Our main concern is safe and convenient transportation. I know a lot of the Long Beach hotels have a shuttle to the pier, but how will we get to them from LAX?

This is why I thought LAX area hotels and Carnival transfers would be easier since we don't have to worry about booster seats and there does not seem to be a car rental at or near the port. It would be nice to visit the aquarium, and if we get to Long Beach early enough we will consider it. We don't have to be on the ship super early.

[PatriciaF]

If you google Car Rental 90801 you should be able to find car rental locations near the pier that might have shuttle service to the port (some say on their web sites, other you would have to call.) But--I think only one of them (Avis?) is open on Sunday if that is the day you are returning your car.

 

But again--you would be required to bring your car seat or booster seat for both children.

[AnotherJenny]

If there is a charter bus option, that is the best choice.

 

As of Jan. 1st the booster seat law will actually be age 8 or 4'9" tall.

[bakergeek]

Here is one method for getting between LAX and Long Beach without car seats: I have taken the blue line before with my little one when he was under 1 and the blue line is safe enough during the daytime, but I wouldn't try it after dark as there are some shall we say sketchy characters on the train. It is also not the fastest method of getting from point A to point B.

 

By rail

Long Beach is linked via the Metro Blue Line to downtown Los Angeles with connections to Hollywood, Union Station, Universal Studios, Pasadena, and East LA among other locations.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) [7], Toll free +1-800 266-6883 See below, Get Around.

Amtrak and Metrolink service Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. To reach Long Beach from Union Station, take the Metro Red Line to the 7th St./Metro Center station then transfer to the Blue Line into Long Beach. Note: the Blue Line goes through some inner city locations (Watts and Compton) and there are not dedicated security guards on the trains. It may be discomforting to take the Blue Line late at night.

 

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What we actually do is take a car service and when we get to the port we check our car seat and then when it shows up at our room we ask our cabin steward to store it for us for the duration of the cruise, thus far they say as long as we don't want access to it during the cruise they will store it for us. This has always seemed like the best option to us.