Park and Stay in San Pedro?

[Busybears]

Hi, we are driving to San Pedro so we are looking for a hotel/motel that offers "park and stay". Any suggestions? Thank you so much!!

[SadieN]

Crown Plaza or DoubleTree are always mentioned on these boards.

 

For comparison parking at the pier is $12/day.

[Busybears]

Thanks, Sadie. Those two hotels were mentioned everywhere, but I was under the impression that people were asking for shuttles to the pier, and not necessarily discussing leaving their cars at those hotels. I will look into the options. In the meantime, I'll continue to check online.

[Busybears]

Yes, Sadie - after checking out the hotel reviews on DoubleTree and Crown Plaza, I believe parking at the pier is the way to go especially we are only going on a 4-day cruise. A lot of people complained about waiting a long time for the free shuttle... Thanks for your help!

[artist47]

Hi BusyBears and Sadie,

 

I too am worried about this. I have cruised out of this port many times, but it was several years ago...my last cruise from LA was in 2006.. I am going in March on NCL (thank you GOD!LOL I need this so bad!) and I just booked the Sunrise Hotel, across from the pier. They used to have a park and stay program and I just got off the phone with them and they said yes, it's still free to park there, as long as you stay in the hotel the night before. My worry is also about the timetable of the shuttle. Years ago, their shuttle ran from about noon to 4pm, every half hour.

 

May I ask what you found out? (even if it is with a different hotel?)

 

Believe me, the Sunrise has never been any great shakes...it was always just a cheap (and basically clean) place to stay (it used to be a Best Western --- now it's privately owned I guess)...I'm a starving artist so I gotta cut corners so I can afford paint. LOL! :) For me, it's all about saving money where I can, especially since I'm cruising solo and have to pay the ss $ fare

 

Anyway, any info you are willing to share will be great. I have an email sent out to someone about the free shuttle from the Sunrise Hotel and will post the answer when I get it. I'm just wondering what you found out, either way? Thanks!!! Happy sailing!

Edited January 11, 2014 by artist47

[Busybears]

Hi, Artist47 - I decided to park at the pier for $12/day and booked a "mystery" hotel from Hotwire in Long Beach for like $54. I got Best Western Long Beach. It's a great value - free parking and breakfast, perfect for pre-cruise stay. The area is a bit sketchy but the hotel itself is very nice and 2 miles away is the beach and shopping area. I'd highly recommend it.

 

 

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[Busybears]

One of the main reason for parking at the pier is that so we don't have to wait for the free shuttle as I read somewhere that you could be waiting for a long time to get on one which would be maddening for me :).

 

 

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[Bruin Steve]

Hi, Artist47 - I decided to park at the pier for $12/day and booked a "mystery" hotel from Hotwire in Long Beach for like $54. I got Best Western Long Beach. It's a great value - free parking and breakfast, perfect for pre-cruise stay. The area is a bit sketchy but the hotel itself is very nice and 2 miles away is the beach and shopping area. I'd highly recommend it.

 

I would ABSOLUTELY NOT recommend the Best Western Long Beach. Maybe a little over two miles to the coastal area--but not to any beach you would use as a "beach"...Yes, about two miles to the better tourist area of Long Beach...but neighborhoods here change quite a bit in two miles...

 

You are in a fairly scuzzy part of town, wedged between auto body shops, auto repair, laundromats and the Metro Station...The Metro line runs right along the motel...

 

And, yes, it is a "motel", not a "very nice hotel"...

 

The best thing for you is that you have a car and can leave...

BUT, if you were merely going to drive to the pier in San Pedro in the morning, you could have stayed anywhere...so why HERE??? You could have just spent the night in Seal Beach (as was recently discussed on another thread here) or in Manhattan Beach...or in Torrance by the Del Amo Mall...or several other nearby cities (and I didn't even mention the more expensive ones, realizing you were looking for something inexpensive)...

 

Heck, the other two Best Westerns in Long Beach--Convention Center or the Golden Sails in East Long Beach--would have been preferable to this one...

 

There are good reasons this hotel is going for $54 per night...

 

To MOST Long Beach visitors--especially those who will be there without a car--Stay at one of these hotels: Westin, Hyatt, Hyatt at the Pike, Renaissance...or the Maya Doubletree, Residence Inn or Hilton...Those are in the desirable area of Long Beach...I believe the Maya and maybe the Hilton have Park and Cruise rates...Parking at the pier in Long Beach is pretty pricey...

 

IF you are cruising out of San Pedro...Parking at the pier in San Pedro is more reasonable...If you have no car, the major hotels have free shuttles...It's not that much of a hassle and the ride is very short...You can always take a very short taxi ride if you'd prefer that...or even walk and roll your luggage from the CP...Stay at the Crowne Plaza or Doubletree...

 

Do NOT go looking for bargains here in SoCal...A bargain price at a hotel here often means that you are in a very undesirable neighborhood or location...or in a fleabag motel...and there are often other questionable issues...

 

If you want a bargain, try using Priceline--but only plug in 3.5 stars for San Pedro or "Downtown" Long Beach...

[Bruin Steve]

Hi BusyBears and Sadie,

 

I too am worried about this. I have cruised out of this port many times, but it was several years ago...my last cruise from LA was in 2006.. I am going in March on NCL (thank you GOD!LOL I need this so bad!) and I just booked the Sunrise Hotel, across from the pier. They used to have a park and stay program and I just got off the phone with them and they said yes, it's still free to park there, as long as you stay in the hotel the night before. My worry is also about the timetable of the shuttle. Years ago, their shuttle ran from about noon to 4pm, every half hour.

 

May I ask what you found out? (even if it is with a different hotel?)

 

Believe me, the Sunrise has never been any great shakes...it was always just a cheap (and basically clean) place to stay (it used to be a Best Western --- now it's privately owned I guess)...I'm a starving artist so I gotta cut corners so I can afford paint. LOL! :) For me, it's all about saving money where I can, especially since I'm cruising solo and have to pay the ss $ fare

 

Anyway, any info you are willing to share will be great. I have an email sent out to someone about the free shuttle from the Sunrise Hotel and will post the answer when I get it. I'm just wondering what you found out, either way? Thanks!!! Happy sailing!

 

Artist,

The Sunrise has always been "privately owned" and has gone through a series of owners over the years. "Best Western" does not own its hotels. Best Western operates as a nonprofit membership association, with each franchisee acting and voting as a member of the association in the manner of a marketing co-operative. The present owners of the Sunrise merely opted out of the association.

It's not a great hotel, but, you are right, it is cheap and it is close...If someone isn't going to spring for the Crowne Plaza or Doubletree, the location is, at least, much better than the cheap hotels up on Gaffey Street near where the 110 dumps out...

If the hotel isn't offering a shuttle, you could even walk to the pier from there...or, during limited hours, there's the San Pedro Trolley...The Trolley operates every Friday and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The Free Downtown San Pedro Trolley operates on Sunday. from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM and each day there is a cruise ship in port, except Mondays. It will pick you up across the street from the Sunrise and take you the four blocks or so to the entrance of the World Cruise Center--hopefully you don't have a lot of luggage to deal with...

[Busybears]

To post #8 - all I can say is "each to their own", yes? For those who happen to read this and wonder about Best Western Long Beach, check them out on Tripadvisor website. I think non-biased reviews from 300+ people should provide a better idea. And Long Beach does have a long beach that is absolutely gorgeous :). That's me on Monday pre-cruise :). ATTACH]299954[/ATTACH]

 

 

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[Bruin Steve]

To post #8 - all I can say is "each to their own", yes? For those who happen to read this and wonder about Best Western Long Beach, check them out on Tripadvisor website. I think non-biased reviews from 300+ people should provide a better idea. And Long Beach does have a long beach that is absolutely gorgeous :). That's me on Monday pre-cruise :).

 

Yeah...The Tripadvisor reviews average 3.5 stars out of 5...by people whose standards and expectations were low enough to stay there...

 

I'll quote from the last few:

 

"The only down side is the location. It is located in a somewhat sketchy area and right across from the metro station. The room we were assigned for the first night was close to the front of the hotel. It was so noisy and loud throughout the night that we slept terribly. We then asked to be switched to a room farther back from the street, and it was much better."

 

That one was YOUR review, busybears...yet you still rated it four stars...

 

"The only downside was the area. The streets were full of debri and we didn't feel too safe leaving the hotel."

 

...and THAT guy gave it FIVE stars! I don't know about you, but, for me, any hotel where I don't feel safe leaving the hotel wouldn't merit five stars!

 

"only bad thing was you could hear guests on floor above you."

 

"The cleanliness, overall appearance, and service was very blah. It was barely acceptable for the value. "

 

"A couple of the towels had very visible stains on them, shower head pressure too low, breakfast options needs be improved, carpets need to be changed, the microwave and fridge looked like from old times. The place in general needs to be refurbished. And finally, nothing fancy about the neighbourhood either."

 

Those are just out of the reviews from the last three weeks...

 

I am guessing the people who have stayed here and reviewed it have some fairly low expectations. They undoubtedly booked it because they were looking for low rates as an overwhelming first criteria...

 

It is NOT a nice hotel nor a good neighborhood or location...Having a car helps as you will not want to walk anywhere in this area. If you are merely checking in, going to sleep and leaving by car in the morning, I guess a bed and a bathroom is enough. But your pre-cruise experience will be far from enjoyable or relaxing...

 

OTOH, if you choose to stay in the prime Long Beach tourist area, you will have a much nicer pre-cruise experience. You won't need to use your car. You can walk to a large number of nice restaurants. You can walk or take the free shuttle to the major Long Beach attractions--the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Queen Mary, etc. You can walk to nice and fun shopping at Shoreline Village, the Pike, etc. You will feel like your vacation is on...you are in a destination resort area. You will be staying in a first class hotel (Hyatt, Westin, Hilton, Renaissance, Doubletree, etc.)--with top flight amenities, nice lobby areas, swimming pools, nice furnishings, reasonably soundproof walls. You will feel safe, relaxed and comfortable.

 

It is well worth spending a few more dollars.

 

Of course, yes, to each his/her own. We all have different standards...

Edited January 25, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[artist47]

To post #8 - all I can say is "each to their own", yes? For those who happen to read this and wonder about Best Western Long Beach, check them out on Tripadvisor website. I think non-biased reviews from 300+ people should provide a better idea. And Long Beach does have a long beach that is absolutely gorgeous :). That's me on Monday pre-cruise :). ATTACH]299954[/ATTACH]

 

 

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Great photo and so glad you had a great time. :) Cheers and here's to you planning your next cruise.

 

Best wishes!

[artist47]

Artist,

The Sunrise has always been "privately owned" and has gone through a series of owners over the years. "Best Western" does not own its hotels. Best Western operates as a nonprofit membership association, with each franchisee acting and voting as a member of the association in the manner of a marketing co-operative. The present owners of the Sunrise merely opted out of the association.

It's not a great hotel, but, you are right, it is cheap and it is close...If someone isn't going to spring for the Crowne Plaza or Doubletree, the location is, at least, much better than the cheap hotels up on Gaffey Street near where the 110 dumps out...

If the hotel isn't offering a shuttle, you could even walk to the pier from there...or, during limited hours, there's the San Pedro Trolley...The Trolley operates every Friday and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The Free Downtown San Pedro Trolley operates on Sunday. from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM and each day there is a cruise ship in port, except Mondays. It will pick you up across the street from the Sunrise and take you the four blocks or so to the entrance of the World Cruise Center--hopefully you don't have a lot of luggage to deal with...

 

 

Thank you for all this info...in the end, I cancelled my reservation there because a friend IRL just got back and had a terrible experience. That doesn't mean others will, but I have decided to go with the Vagabond on Gaffey. It's probably a little better, but I do not expect much for that price range. "Low expectations mean fewer disappointments". :)

 

Thanks again Steve!

[Bruin Steve]

Thank you for all this info...in the end, I cancelled my reservation there because a friend IRL just got back and had a terrible experience. That doesn't mean others will, but I have decided to go with the Vagabond on Gaffey. It's probably a little better, but I do not expect much for that price range. "Low expectations mean fewer disappointments". :)

 

Thanks again Steve!

 

IMHO, the Vagabond is really only on a par with the Sunrise...and there's also the San Pedro Hotel and Suites on the next block of Gaffey...

 

What I don't like about these is the neighborhood...They are on a very busy street sort of where the 110 Freeway dumps out into San Pedro...The immediate area is a little scuzzy and not a lot of food options nearby...

 

I can tell that price is a major concern for you...but there may be another option: If your reservation is cancelable, what I would suggest is to keep trying to Priceline 3.5 stars and San Pedro at around the same price you are to be paying there...and see if Priceline might come through for you with the Crowne Plaza or the Doubletree--both much nicer hotels in better locations...Both have free shuttles to the pier. If you can get either for about the same price, you've done VERY well...

[Busybears]

Personal attack should be a no-no here. Just because I feel staying Best Western is a good deal of good value and now is being described as "having expectation low enough". Ouch. Why oh why being so mean? I will not get back on this thread as my expectation on fellow cruisers are high enough not to tolerate such insult :). Cheers.

 

 

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[Bruin Steve]

Personal attack should be a no-no here. Just because I feel staying Best Western is a good deal of good value and now is being described as "having expectation low enough". Ouch. Why oh why being so mean? I will not get back on this thread as my expectation on fellow cruisers are high enough not to tolerate such insult :). Cheers.

 

It wasn't "personal" nor intended as an attack...

 

I was merely noting that reviews, in general, reflect the expectations of the reviewer...

 

Someone booking and staying in a bargain motel likely does not have the same expectations as, say, someone staying at a Five-Star hotel. If you are expecting a two-star motel, you may put up with a lot more than someone with higher expectations--like thin walls, bad or unsafe neighborhood, lack of amenities, etc. and still rate the experience high. If you were booking the Hilton and found thin walls or railroad tracks outside your room, you would be scathing in your review...It is a matter of relativity.

 

So, the fact that the Best Western Long Beach gets 3.5 out of 5 rankings from 300+ reviewers does NOT mean it is a good hotel...It only means that the folks reviewing it were using lower standards and lesser criteria.

 

That is NOT a "personal attack". It is merely a response to your challenge to check out those tripadvisor reviews.

 

MY personal standards may be quite a bit higher than yours. I tend to stay, predominantly, at four and five star hotels when I travel. I like my hotels to be in safe and convenient locations with a lot of amenities nearby. I think my room should be quiet, nicely appointed and relaxing.

 

Of course, as there are different cruise lines for people with varying standards and criteria, the same is true with hotels. Rating or reviewing hotels in a complete vacuum will leave you with strange comparisons. Using broad criteria and standards, there is no way on earth that this motel is a great motel...It is not in the same class as any of the better Long Beach hotels.

 

I am guessing that, if all things were even, and you could stay at either the Best Western Long Beach or, say, the Hyatt at the Pike, there is no way that you would choose the Best Western. But, because of budget reasons or whatever, you have chosen to use lower standards as to what you feel is acceptable. Do you have a better way to state that than "lower expectations" that you would not feel was a "personal attack"?

Edited January 25, 2014 by Bruin Steve

[artist47]

Personal attack should be a no-no here. Just because I feel staying Best Western is a good deal of good value and now is being described as "having expectation low enough". Ouch. Why oh why being so mean? I will not get back on this thread as my expectation on fellow cruisers are high enough not to tolerate such insult :). Cheers.

 

 

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I agree with you. Completely unnecessary and no matter how this person decides to justify it, it still comes out as an insult. Rather like when a person says, "I don't mean to be rude, BUT...."....

 

Um...ya, but you ARE being rude...

 

In another post the person ASS-umed that "price was a major factor for you" (meaning me) and thereby implying that I don't have money to spend. This type of assumption is erroneous --- I DO have the money to spend, but I have a different set of priorities....being an artist , this is why I chose the Vagabond over the Crowne Plaza:

 

#1 reason isn't really the money --- it's because I will find more interesting faces to paint there.

 

#2 - the money I save by not staying at the Crowne can be spent on high quality paints (I prefer M. Graham and NOVA, the best and often most expensive on the market, for my work. I go through at least 4 complete sets of paints each WEEK. That's a lot of paint. And it's expensive no matter how you slice it, even for the most sucessful artist) Money was a secondary concern and not for the reason that the poster assumed.

 

So, for Busybears -- I with you neighbor. Some people simply have no manners, no matter how well-educated they may seem, or how wealthy they pretend to be. And many who are wealthy, are the poorest of all, because their souls are infested with avarice.

 

Peace!

Edited January 25, 2014 by artist47

[Bruin Steve]

Gee...

 

I TRIED to help you folks...

And, as I explained, I NEVER personally attacked anyone...You were just reading far too much into it, busybears...

 

BUT, NOW you have chosen to CLEARLY personally attack me, Artist...

 

Absolutely uncalled for.

[MauiLvrs]

It the area around the Best Western/Vagabond and between there and the pier just dumpy or dangerous?

[Cruisin' Chick]

Stepping in here as a native Angleno. And like the many other natives who check out the SoCal threads, I do so because I want to help our visitors have a good experience so that when they get home, besides talking about the enjoyable cruise they were on, they also mention what a great time they had in LA.

 

So I can understand why my fellow UCLA grad is so adamant about his advice. He knows, like many of us do, that you can be in one part of our city and be in a nice neighborhood, but go less than a mile away and you want to be checking your purse to make sure the pepper spray is there. It's an unfortunate fact of life here, but that's why we'll often say if a hotel/motel's regular rate is low, there's a reason you should consider it a red flag. You can get some good rates on the bidding sites from what I understand (I don't use them as my hubby has his criteria for what hotels he wants to stay in, so I don't want to lose control over what we get, even if we'll save some money). But generally, unless you know this area, it's a good idea to ask us experts about a location and a hotel, before you book.

 

There's been times on this board that people will insist that they're going to use public transit, even when we tell them it's not like BART or the Metro in DC. There's some people who insist on staying in downtown LA, even if it's not for a business conference (the only reason I can see for doing so, and if your company is putting you up in a really nice hotel -- even the journalists, including an ex-bf of mine, were here for the last political convention, they stayed in nice areas such as Santa Monica). There are people who insist on staying by LAX (including some who are talking about getting some sightseeing in), even though we assure them they'll be surrounded by strip (in the literal sense) malls (and yes, once we stayed at the LAX Marriott, but that was when we had an early morning flight the next morning to start our honeymoon).

 

So don't take it personally if we feel your plans are a bit risky. We're not working (I hope) for any ritzy hotels that we're plugging. We can certainly appreciate that most people don't have the money to spend on the W or Beverly Wilshire. We just want people to rave back home about our fair (if not overly large) city and want to return for a longer stay. And reading that people are willing to stay in an area that we wouldn't want to when there are some reasonable hotels and motels in nice or at least decent areas, and areas that make sense for a pre-cruise and/or sightseeing adventure.

[MauiLvrs]

Thanks for all the information.

...I have decided to go with the Vagabond on Gaffey.

We cancelled the Vagabond because we decided the area just isn't safe enough and we hope to not have a car and are sticking with the DoubleTree Torrance or Ramada Torrance if we can't get into the Crown.

 

Crowne Plaza or the Doubletree--both much nicer hotels in better locations...Both have free shuttles to the pier.

 

Our problem is that on 4-11 both are sold out along with the Queen Mary and Travelodge, not leaving many options near the pier. Complicating matters, we won't know if we'll have a car for sure till the morning we check-in.

 

Still toying around with the Sunrise because it is right across the street from the pier, but so many that have stayed there say they won't again.

 

We love being really close to the pier. It was awesome waking to watch our ship sail in from our room at the Crown last month.

IMG_3859 by MauiLvrs, on Flickr

 

Is it safe to assume that it will not be difficult to get a cab from Torrance to the pier on sail day? Thinking that that may be difficult...

 

Wonder if the Crown has a waiting list?

[MauiLvrs]

Some rooms seem to have opened up at the Crown ...

for $320/night :eek: $350/night through bookit.com

Not worth $220/night more than last month :mad:

Edited February 18, 2014 by MauiLvrs

[MauiLvrs]

Priceline wouldn't give it up for $109 :(

[kenish]

@MauiLvrs- April 11, 2014 is the weekend of the Long Beach Grand Prix. Between fans, race teams, media, and corporate sponsors it absorbs almost all hotel rooms in South Bay (roughly the area from LAX down through Long Beach between the 405 Freeway and the coastline). This is the reason for prices and lack of availability you're encountering. You will have to either grit your teeth and pay up, or stay at a hotel farther away but cheaper (I'd recommend Santa Monica, LAX, or Huntington Beach). Definitely check TripAdvisor or ask here before booking an inexpensive hotel farther away. Some of the inexpensive ones are in dodgy areas and in all cases you will probably need a car. Hope this helps

[kenish]

By the way, one tip is to pull up lodging you're considering on Google Maps, then go to Street View. You can do a virtual "walkabout" of the neighborhood and get a sense of the restaurants, parking, and general safety. I was going to book a hotel that seemed nice, but changed my mind when Google Street View showed businesses in the area had window bars and fences topped with razor wire, and there were stripped cars on blocks around the corner from the hotel!

 

@MauiLvrs- Nice avatar picture...is that an RV-6?

Edited February 18, 2014 by kenish