Looking for Hotel

[spotdog32]

Sailing on The Splendor in September of 2019 first time out of L A so not sure what Hotels are out there or what areas we should be looking into any help would be greatly help us 

[wheezedr]

First question is whether you are just looking for a single night for precruise convenience or if you are planning to spend time on a precruise trip.  The location and needs would vary based on that criteria.

[Bruin Steve]

wheezedr is right--it is important to know exactly what you are planning to do in Los Angeles pre-cruise...it is a very large city and most of what most tourists want to see is a long way from the harbor...

 

That said, here's my "long version" take:

 

IF you are only flying in the day before your cruise, you are not going to see much in Los Angeles.  You might as well stay in Long Beach.  Long Beach is the city on the Eastern side of the harbor--where the Carnival Terminal/pier is located.  (Other cruise lines cruise out of San Pedro on the Western side of the harbor--about 6-8 miles away).  Long Beach is about 24 miles from LAX.

 

Here is my oft-posted standard advice on Long Beach hotels:

 

There is a very limited area of Long Beach in which you want to stay...and, therefore, a limited number of hotels.

"A" List:  The BEST places to stay are the Hyatt, Westin, Renaissance and Hyatt Centric (also known as Hyatt at the Pike) …These put you right in the heart of the tourist area with very convenient walks to restaurants, shops and attractions and easy access to the free "Passport" shuttle...and those ARE the nicest hotels in town. Doesn't necessarily mean they are higher priced, though...and you can often get a real deal via Priceline...

https://longbeach.regency.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

http://www.westinlongbeachhotel.com/

http://thepikelongbeach.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbrn-renaissance-long-beach-hotel/

"B" List:  Slightly further away, but still in decent walking distance, is the Hilton.  Just across the bridge (on the same side of the channel as the Carnival Pier) are the Marriott Residence Inn Downtown and the Maya Doubletree...

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hilton-long-beach-LGBLHHF/index.html

http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/california/hotel-maya-a-doubletree-by-hilton-LGBMYDT/index.html

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbri-residence-inn-long-beach-downtown/

"C" List:  Slightly outside the prime area and/or not necessarily the nicest hotels for one reason or another, but options if all else fails are the Marriott Courtyard and the Best Western Long Beach Convention Center...The Queen Mary is across the bridge ...and right next to the Carnival Terminal...however, I am not a big fan of the Queen Mary--unless you are on there for nostalgia's sake...It's not exactly a first class hotel by today's standards--the rooms are small, condition questionable, etc.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lgbcy-courtyard-long-beach-downtown/

https://www.bestwestern.com/content/best-western/en_US/booking-path/hotel-details.05642.html?propertyCode=05642&arrivalMonthYear=&arrivalDay=&departureMonthYear=&departureDay=&sob=C05&disablenav=false

http://www.queenmary.com/stay-aboard/stay-aboard/

Getting to ANY of these hotels from LAX, you'd either have to take a taxi, car service or a shuttle...Try Super Shuttle or Prime Time Shuttle or Super Shuttle's Execucar...From hotel to pier, some of these hotels may have free shuttles, but policies change time to time, so I would check individually with the hotel...All would be a very short taxi ride from the Carnival Pier...From the Maya Doubletree, Residence Inn Downtown or Queen Mary, one could even walk...LAX is 20 miles from the San Pedro World Cruise Center, 23 miles from the Carnival Terminal in Long Beach…could take anywhere from a half an hour to an hour depending on day, time and traffic…

One word of warning: Do NOT go looking for bargains outside of this short list of hotels...Long Beach is a BIG city...there are lots of different areas, some better, some worse...some not so close to the port or the tourist areas...That bargain hotel MAY tell you it's near the Convention Center or near the port...but it may not be...it may be in an undesirable area or location. You want to have a pleasant stay--stick to this list.

This area of Long Beach means you will have a large choice of restaurants nearby, you will have nice shops and picturesque scenery and places to walk and enjoy...You will be close to sites like the Aquarium and the Queen Mary if you want to have a little sightseeing... One word of warning: Do NOT go looking for bargains outside of this short list of hotels...Long Beach is a BIG city...there are lots of different areas, some better, some worse...some not so close to the port or the tourist areas...That bargain hotel MAY tell you it's near the Convention Center or near the port...but it may not be...it may be in an undesirable area or location. You want to have a pleasant stay--stick to this list.

This area of Long Beach means you will have a large choice of restaurants nearby, you will have nice shops and picturesque scenery and places to walk and enjoy...You will be close to sites like the Aquarium and the Queen Mary if you want to have a little sightseeing...Long Beach runs a free shuttle service called the "Passport" which will take you all over the Downtown area:

http://www.lbtransit.com/services/passport.aspx

IF you have multiple days to spend in the Los Angeles area, then you probably don't want to be stuck all the way down in Long Beach since it is a far distance from most LA tourist sites...but, if you do...and don't want to rent a car, then you may want to spend a say doing a tour with Sunseeker Tours--the only tour company that does pick-ups at Long Beach hotels:

https://sunseekertours.com/

Otherwise, the two biggest questions for you would be:

1.  What do you want to see/do while in Los Angeles?  ...and...

2.  How do you plan on getting around?

If it is Disneyland, know that Disneyland is in Anaheim--a considerable distance to the Southeast.

If it's movie and TV studios, they are mainly located in Hollywood/Universal City/Burbank...though Sony is in Culver City and CBS is in the Fairfax District.

If it's other typical tourist sites--Walk of Fame/Chinese Theater/Hollywood Sign are in Hollywood...Rodeo Drive, the Getty Museums, Venice Beach, Santa Monica Pier, etc. are in an area usually referred to as the "West Side"--nearer the Pacific, North of LAX.

For multiple day stays without a rental car, my usual recommendation is Santa Monica--the area around Ocean Avenue, the Santa Monica Pier, Third Street Promenade , etc.  A little pricey for some--but the nicest hotels, upscale neighborhood, lots to see and do night and day and lots of restaurants within walking distance...and all of the tour companies do pick-ups from Santa Monica hotels...and the HOHO bus uses it as a hub...or, if you dare to brave our Metro system, Santa Monica is the terminus of one of the lines.  If your concentration is specifically with "show biz", Universal City is not badly located--but nowhere near the location Santa Monica is...

But, always come back here and ask before you commit to any plan or hotel...Lots of areas of LA are NOT where you would want to be...

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

If 1-2 nights pre-cruise I would stay at the Queen Mary Hotel.