Hotel in Los Angeles

[martinimadam]

Much to my surprise, Crystal has no pre-cruise hotel in LA for the Mexican Riviera cruise in March. I know last year they did, cuz I remember the wonderful relief when I got down to the luggage carosels at LAX and there was a wonderful "Crystal Lady" waiting for me with a luggage cart! Any suggestions? I know there are a million hotels, it's a little overwhelming.

Thanks.

[ab0si]

Well, the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey is a great hotel and quite close to the airport. When forced to cruise out of LA (sorry, but not my favorite city), this is my first choice (we are staying there before the cruise right after yours). Since my wife has a bit of a mobility limitation, we make it easy on ourselves and have the Ritz pick us up (even better than the Crystal Lady <grin>) and also take us to the ship a few days later.

 

Say hello to my friend Michael Robinson on the cruise. Just ask him about the Sydney Swans and his scooter. Then sit back and enjoy the stories.

 

Paul

[Kissing Seahorses]

Obviously, you will be staying pre-cruise, but just an overnight prior to your cruise or a few days? If overnight, any of the airport hotels are quite close to San Pedro, Long beach, of course is close and as the previous post recommends, Marina Del Rey.

 

If you have a few days, my favorite LA hotel, and IMHO the best located(for a stay in LA, not to the San Pedro), is the Beverly Hills Peninsula, but even I wouldn't battle traffic (both ways) for only an overnight stay.

[martinimadam]

Thanks ab0si and Kissing Seahorses. I'll just be staying overnight. I'm flying in from Boston, my sister is flying in from Hawaii, so we both want to come in a day early. I'll look into the Ritz at Marina Del Ray. How do you arrange for them to come pick you up?

[Kissing Seahorses]

Martinimadam,

 

Although I've not stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey, what I've always done at other hotels is after I have a hotel reservation and of course my flight details, call up the concierge desk at the hotel and schedule an airport pick-up and the following days transfer to the port.

 

This is not always the cheapest transfer alternative but because the hotel's reputation is at stake, they deal with only the most reputable and reliable suppliers (not to mention best vehicles!) instead of hit or miss contracting on your own.

[martinimadam]

Kissing Seahorses - Thanks for your reply. The Ritz-Carlton is going to be a bit "rich" for my sisters budget. She's already a little shocked at the cost of the cruise itself. It will be her first Crystal Cruise and I'm sure she'll recognize the value for the money once she's onboard. I'll get on to one of the online sites and see what I can find.

[ab0si]

If it is just overnight, I'd suggest staying by the harbor. The Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor is nice and should cost you about $125 or so. Free shuttle to ship.

 

You might not agree with my reasoning, so here it is:

The travel day sucks big time, by definition. LAX sucks big time. ou have to make the ride through LA traffic sometime, so get it done on travel day and be done with it. This makes the next day (when the cruise starts) hassle-free and enjoyable.

 

Paul

[ab0si]

oops,sorry. That was supposed to be $175

[Keith1010]

Kissing Seahorses - Thanks for your reply. The Ritz-Carlton is going to be a bit "rich" for my sisters budget. She's already a little shocked at the cost of the cruise itself. It will be her first Crystal Cruise and I'm sure she'll recognize the value for the money once she's onboard. I'll get on to one of the online sites and see what I can find.

 

I just want to offer one more suggestion since you mentioned that you are staying for just one day prior to the cruise and that the Ritz Carlton might be tough on your sister's budget.

 

Another good option is to stay in Long Beach. It is on the way to San Pedro from LAX. We stayed at the Hyatt. We were able to walk to many nice restaurants, plus it was close to the downtown area, about a 10 minute walk from the Aquarium, and about a 30 minute walk to the Queen Mary.

 

Regardless of whether you get in early or late it makes getting over to the ship the day you embark very easy. On the weekend the hotel was about a 15 minute drive over to the Pier. On the weekday it will be longer but I would think aound 30 minutes.

 

There are many options from getting from the airport over to the Hotel. One is to call the Hotel to get names of car services. Our last time we used Execucar. The number on their web site is 1-800-410-4444. Not sure if it is their national number or their Los Angeles area location.

 

While it is certainly closer to the Pier, I do not recommend staying in San Pedro.

 

Keith

[shoshona2]

Keith,

 

I live in the L.A. area and I agree with you! The Long Beach Hyatt Regency is in a perfect location. I just looked at my 2006 AAA guidebook and their rates start at $129. The restaurants are very nice and walking distance from the hotel. I totally agree with you about San Pedro!

 

Sheila