Ruby Princess January 28, 2017 Mexican Riviera

[summersbreeze]

Hi - anyone else on this cruise?

 

I am investigating pre-cruise hotels right now. Princess recommends the Airport Marriott but I am going with a group of women who want to arrive a few days early to "shop till they drop."

 

We depart San Pedro so will also check out Long Beach area.

 

So far I've not found any other roll calls or any "Meet & Greet" that's been organized. If you know of one, let me know.

[Working 2 Cruise]

[/centerhttp://www.cruisecritic.com/rollcalls/?cruise_line_id=28

 

Check the roll call tool at the top of the page or the link I just copied from it.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Hi - anyone else on this cruise?

 

I am investigating pre-cruise hotels right now. Princess recommends the Airport Marriott but I am going with a group of women who want to arrive a few days early to "shop till they drop."

 

We depart San Pedro so will also check out Long Beach area.

 

So far I've not found any other roll calls or any "Meet & Greet" that's been organized. If you know of one, let me know.

 

I would only suggest a LAX area hotel if you have an early morning flight the next day. It's not a decent area and every time you want to go shopping or eating elsewhere, it's an expensive taxi ride. We did stay at this hotel for the night following our wedding, but because we had an early flight to Honolulu in the am.

 

Much better to find a nice hotel in a nice area to stay. Are your friends wanting to go to Rodeo drive in Beverly Hills or don't have a preference. Santa Monica has pricey hotels by the beach, but you can walk to the 3rd Street Promenade and Santa Monica Mall.

 

Talk it over with your friends and then post what areas you're thinking of on the Western Destinations board here. Don't book anything until you do this so we locals can help you. You might get some ideas by reading the threads there.

 

One thing to be aware is that January is in the middle of our so-called rainy season. We didn't really get affected by El Nino down here but definitely it won't be beach weather.

[mrswallace2012]

We did this cruise in February ( on the Ruby too!) and it was awesome! We stayed in the Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles Westside in Culver City. There is a mall right across the road, and a cool downtown area not too far away.We had own our car so we drove ourselves to the port and long termed parked. We chose that hotel because I work for Starwood, and I got a good deal but it's a reasonable place to stay with you don't have rates.

 

Hotels very close to the cruise port are typically more expensive, and might fill up faster if you have a large party.

 

Check out some hotels more inland and see how much it would be for an uber or other transportation ( the hotel can set something up)

 

I really loved the Ruby and this cruise, it was fun and relaxing!

[Pam in CA]

You can book the Marriott LAX airport independently. One of the pros is that if you rent a Hertz car at the airport or the hotel, you can drop it off at the hotel. Very convenient. You can then book a van with either SuperShuttle or PrimeTime shuttle to San Pedro.

 

Not sure what kind of shopping you want to do. Souvenirs? I don't see LA as a big shopping destination. If you decide to stay in San Pedro, the Ports O' Call is delightful with lots of restaurants and shops.

[elliair]

Hi - anyone else on this cruise?

 

I am investigating pre-cruise hotels right now. Princess recommends the Airport Marriott but I am going with a group of women who want to arrive a few days early to "shop till they drop."

 

We depart San Pedro so will also check out Long Beach area.

 

So far I've not found any other roll calls or any "Meet & Greet" that's been organized. If you know of one, let me know.

 

The airport is at least 25-30 minutes from San Pedro. Long Beach is just across the bridge. If you go to the top of the page to search, type in "hotels Long Beach or San Pedro" you'll get plenty of links recommending different hotels. Do you plan to rent a car and drive around shopping? There's buses, taxis, Uber and the like that will take you wherever you choose to go. We book Super Shuttle to take us to and from the airport. Cheaper than a Princess transfer and you're in control not Princess. There's not much shopping in San Pedro so you might be better off staying in Long Beach.

Edited July 17, 2016 by elliair

[summersbreeze]

You can book the Marriott LAX airport independently. One of the pros is that if you rent a Hertz car at the airport or the hotel, you can drop it off at the hotel. Very convenient. You can then book a van with either SuperShuttle or PrimeTime shuttle to San Pedro.

 

Not sure what kind of shopping you want to do. Souvenirs? I don't see LA as a big shopping destination. If you decide to stay in San Pedro, the Ports O' Call is delightful with lots of restaurants and shops.

 

Thanks Pam Mariott LAX shows "full" for independent travel. Appreciate the shuttle info.

I read that a lot of shops at Ports O'Call are closed now.

[summersbreeze]

The airport is at least 25-30 minutes from San Pedro. Long Beach is just across the bridge. If you go to the top of the page to search, type in "hotels Long Beach or San Pedro" you'll get plenty of links recommending different hotels. Do you plan to rent a car and drive around shopping? There's buses, taxis, Uber and the like that will take you wherever you choose to go. We book Super Shuttle to take us to and from the airport. Cheaper than a Princess transfer and you're in control not Princess. There's not much shopping in San Pedro so you might be better off staying in Long Beach.

 

Thank you for the information. Will look up Super Shuttle shortly.

I think we may stay at Embassy Suites LAX as there is a bus for $5 that takes you to the mall and Manhattan Beach which isn't a bad little place to wander around. We stayed next to that at the Sheraton last time.

 

We have done this cruise before and quite enjoyed it but see that the time in Cabo is short. When we went before, they removed the stop in Mazatlan on us. We had booked a private tour for the day with Mazatlan Frank but it appears he is no longer in business.

[Astro Flyer]

I read that a lot of shops at Ports O'Call are closed now.

 

Recent Trip Advisor reviews are bad & here's the most recent article (March 2016) about replacing Ports O'Call Village with a new facility...San Pedro Public Market.

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ports-o-call-renovation-20160302-story.html

[jennybenny]

We don't like to stay near LAX because it's further from the port. We like to stay at the Doubletree Hilton in San Pedro. We are flying down for our next cruise, but we have friends meeting us and they are driving and leaving their car at the hotel. They have a deal to stay at the hotel and leave your car for the week. This is pre cruise.

 

Post cruise I would probably stay closer to the airport.

LA traffic is terrible

[summersbreeze]

Recent Trip Advisor reviews are bad & here's the most recent article (March 2016) about replacing Ports O'Call Village with a new facility...San Pedro Public Market.

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ports-o-call-renovation-20160302-story.html

 

Guess it will be a year or a few before it's a viable spot - sounds wonderful and glad they are going to improve and update. With the cruise terminals close by it would be a great location one would think.

Thanks for sharing that information.

[RJGallagher1955]

May I suggest, rather than staying at LAX, consider Torrance. There is both a Marriott there and a DoubleTree. The Marriott is just across from what used to be the largest mall in the world, Del Amo Fashion Center.

 

LAX is fine if you simply need a night at a hotel, but it is far from the shopping areas.

 

You could also consider Downtown Long Beach, for example the Hyatt. There are shops around the area and on Pine Avenue, but no mall.

 

Or as suggested you could do Beverly Hills or Santa Monica, but they are further from the Port.

 

Both Torrance and Long Beach are close to the Port, since they are considered South Bay Cities.

 

And yes, January can be the rainy season in LA.

 

Enjoy.