I have stayed in downtown Long Beach twice now (on Navigator as I type this). There is a Westin, Renaissance & Courtyard all basically around the corner from each other. I'm a Marriott guy but there are others also. downtown Long Beach has its problems like any other city, but it's a block from the beach where you can walk or bike on the paved path all the way down to Belmont Pier & beyond. plenty of places to eat and get libations. the residential areas in Belmont Shores are lovely and sprinkled with mom-and-pop accommodations if you don't want to stay downtown.
You can't beat the ease of getting in and out of the Long Beach Airport compared to LAX, but its only served by a few airlines, the largest being Southwest. There's also Delta to SLC and American to PHX/DFW. I think Hawaiian flies there now also.
full disclosure: I despise Uber, and I'm kind of a public transport nerd, so this might not be for everyone, but-
There's a public bus operated by Long Beach Transit (LBT) from LGB Airport to downtown that cost $1.25. the Uber was $39. The next day I took another bus from downtown to San Pedro (drops off by the Crowne Plaza) and it's about a half mile walk to the pier. again, $1.25.
@bazingau, after the last cruise, we flew back home from LAX, and the Uber from the Port to LAX airport was $65 and that was in light traffic. 😒
