Good hotels/area for Panama Canal Los Angeles departure?

[Bowen]

I'm looking around for a hotel to stay in the night before departure. I don't know the area at all so I'm hoping to get some recommendations for a good hotel or good area to choose that's close to the port (or within easy Uber) while not breaking the bank. I don't need there to be any draw for what's outside of the hotel. We'll be in late so we'll get right to the hotel and go to sleep. Thanks!

[Zacharius]

Plenty of good hotels in San Pedro and Long Beach. I tend to just find that area on Google Maps, search "hotels", and it'll show you the ones around and their ratings. They also give some pricing, though I've found that to be frequently incorrect. I recommend booking directly with the hotel on refundable/cancellable rates, as those can be cancelled and re-booked if the rate comes down.

[Bowen]

15 minutes ago, Zacharius said:

Plenty of good hotels in San Pedro and Long Beach. I tend to just find that area on Google Maps, search "hotels", and it'll show you the ones around and their ratings. They also give some pricing, though I've found that to be frequently incorrect. I recommend booking directly with the hotel on refundable/cancellable rates, as those can be cancelled and re-booked if the rate comes down.

Thanks! I was looking at Long Beach, but I wasn't sure if that was the right area. There are two ports, right? Long Beach and Los Angeles?

[deButler]

Headed to San Pedro Wednesday and decided on the DoubleTree Hotel there at the Marina. Close easy access to the Pier on embarkation day. 
 

Crowne Plaza is also a popular spot for pre-cruise lodging to see the ship come in. 

[Srp431]

We stayed at the DoubleTree San Pedro this past summer, very nice hotel on the marina and the restaurant was surprisingly good.  The city itself, was pretty run down in our opinion.

[Zacharius]

44 minutes ago, Bowen said:

Thanks! I was looking at Long Beach, but I wasn't sure if that was the right area. There are two ports, right? Long Beach and Los Angeles?

As far as I know, the "Port of Los Angeles" is the one in San Pedro (right next to Long Beach). San Pedro is actually a neighborhood of Los Angeles, despite being quite a bit south of the rest of Los Angeles. It's an odd setup where Los Angeles city limits extend south to San Pedro via a narrow corridor only a few blocks wide (not sure the history, but I assume it's to include the port within the city limits...kind of like Chicago's weird panhandle to include O'Hare)

[smokeybandit]

We stayed in Long Beach before our Navigator cruise and if I sail out of there again I'd stay in LB again.

[Cactus527]

The ports (Long Beach and LA) are just on the other side of a bridge from each other. RC sails out of San Pedro (LA), but some other cruise lines use Long Beach. That being said, San Pedro port is approximately 10 minutes from downtown Long Beach.

I recommend either of the Hyatts that are in Long Beach for your night before departure. The Uber/Lyft from LAX is a bit steep ($70) to get out to Long Beach, but the ride to port is around $10 and only about 10 minutes depending on traffic.

Enjoy your cruise!

[twangster]

Now that the Queen Mary has reopened I'm back on board with staying on her every chance I get.  

15-20 minute Uber ride to Navigator from the QM.

[BMW Hoosier]

3 hours ago, Cactus527 said:

The Uber/Lyft from LAX is a bit steep ($70) to get out to Long Beach

Flying in and out of LGB is one of the few flying pleasures left. It is sometimes pricey. 

[Cactus527]

3 hours ago, BMW Hoosier said:

Flying in and out of LGB is one of the few flying pleasures left. It is sometimes pricey. 

I've flown out of LGB too, but my hesitation in recommending it is because if there's a delay/cancellation, there aren't a huge amount of other options like you would have at LAX. I won't fly in/out of LGB in the winter because of it. However, the airport is AMAZING, definitely love the casualness of it!

[BMW Hoosier]

58 minutes ago, Cactus527 said:

I've flown out of LGB too, but my hesitation in recommending it is because if there's a delay/cancellation, there aren't a huge amount of other options like you would have at LAX. I won't fly in/out of LGB in the winter because of it. However, the airport is AMAZING, definitely love the casualness of it!

Fair enough but if there is a cancellation most airlines will still let you route to LAX or SNA. 

[Zacharius]

11 hours ago, BMW Hoosier said:

Fair enough but if there is a cancellation most airlines will still let you route to LAX or SNA. 

It can depend on your fare, too. There are some discounted fare codes (including some that cruise lines use) that don't allow for a re-route, even including connection cities. That means, for example, even if you are routed JFK-PHX-LGB, and the JFK-PHX flight cancels, they will only re-route you JFK-PHX-LGB (not, say, JFK-DEN-LGB). 

[Bruin Steve]

On 10/2/2023 at 7:44 AM, Bowen said:

I'm looking around for a hotel to stay in the night before departure. I don't know the area at all so I'm hoping to get some recommendations for a good hotel or good area to choose that's close to the port (or within easy Uber) while not breaking the bank. I don't need there to be any draw for what's outside of the hotel. We'll be in late so we'll get right to the hotel and go to sleep. Thanks!

A "local" here.  For the utmost in convenience, stay in San Pedro.  There are only two hotels in San Pedro I would recommend (and I have personally stayed in both before cruises).  The most convenient is the Crowne Plaza--which is just a few blocks fron the pier...A very short Uber ride...or the hotel has a shuttle for a small fee...or you can even walk it (flat, only crosses one major street, easy with rolling luggage).  The Doubetree is the other.  A couple of miles outside of Downtown San Pedro, on the small boat marina.  The DT will shuttle you to the port for free, but an Uber would be relatively inexpensive as well.   would not call the town of San Pedro "run down"...it's just an older community with a long history.  The city is spending a lot of money currently to revitalize the port area.

With you getting in late, there is really no reason to stay in Long Beach (a complicated hotel town to explain since it is a large city with both good and bad areas).  Hotels in the better part of Long Beach can be a bit more expensive than San Pedro and add additional transportation time and cost.  Long Beach is worth staying in for some cruising out of San Pedro if they have additional time and want to see the Queen Mary and/or the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Though I always prefer getting as close to the port as possible to stay for the night prior--in order to have the most simple and easiest embarkation morning, if you are getting in very late and want to stay closer to LAX (and not caring about sightseeing or restaurants, etc.), and are looking to cut your costs, you might also look at hotels near LAX in El Segundo (some have airport shuttles) or cutting your initial Uber or taxi ride in half and staying in Torrance near the Del Amo Mall where there are lots of chain hotels.  But, again, my advice is to head straight from LAX to the Crowne Plaza in San Pedro.

A little history:  The combined Los Angeles/Long Beach harbor is, by far, the busiest port in the Western Hemisphere.  Physically, in terms of land area, it contains a combined 10,700 acres with 68 miles of shoreline.  

The World Cruise Center is located in San Pedro, on the Western edge of the harbor.  It has two main berths dedicated to cruise ships...and a third auxiliary berth a little way down the channel if needed.  All cruise lines other than Carnival use this facility.

Carnival built a separate facility in Long Beach, approximately 6 miles away, on the eastern edge of the harbor--utilizing the geodesic dome originally built to house Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" airplane as a terminal.  To get from one terminal to the other, the shortest route crosses two bridges and "Terminal Island", spanning the ocean side of the harbor.  The Carnival terminal hosts Carnival ships only for embarkation/disembarkation, but occasionally also hosts other Carnival Corp. affiliated lines for intermediate port stops.

The history of the city is this:  Originally, the Los Angeles area was comprised of many smaller towns or cities.  The Spanish Franciscans opened missions in different areas...the main two in the Los Angeles area were in San Gabriel and San Fernando--in two separate inland valleys--trying to locate near the native populations...They also opened missions in San Juan Capistrano to the south in nowadays Orange County and in Ventura and Santa Barbara going up the coast.  They then founded a "Presidio", a military fort in what is now Downtown Los Angeles.  Settlements grew up around all of these establishments.  The area around the Presidio became "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porcuncula" ("The Town of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of Porcuncula")...which became Los Angeles.  Completely different cities were established by different people or groups of people all over the area...Anaheim, for example, was founded by German settlers, Pacific Palisades by Methodist missionaries.  Most were subdivisions of old Spanish land grants set up by whoever came into possession of those tracts of land.  Many have interesting stories.  Tarzana, for example, was a subdivision of a ranch owned by Edgar Rice Burroughs--author of "Tarzan"...hence "Tarzana".  The developer of Venice subdivided his parcel and dug canals--trying to emulate the original Venice.

So, back in the early 20th Century, the still small but powerful City of Los Angeles decided it needed a harbor...But Los Angeles was completely landlocked--several miles into the interior.  So, in a political power move, they annexed the formerly incorporated cities of San Pedro and Wilmington--giving them half of the harbor area (Long Beach wasn't "for sale").  But, state law requires cities to be contiguous...so they also annexed an extremely narrow strip of land--about two blocks wide and several miles long--connecting Los Angeles to San Pedro/Wilmington.   Shortly after that, the Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, William Mulholland, devised a scheme to bring a large amount of water into the area by "purchasing" the rights to the water of the Owens River  (the drainage off the Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada) and building an aqueduct to the San Fernando Valley. (Ever see the movie "Chinatown"?  Based on real history...at least as to the background story).

The City of LA then annexed several smaller towns in the San Fernando Valley and offered deals on water to cities--provided they agreed to be annexed into Los Angeles.  Some cities with their own sources of well water or other sources chose NOT to annex--hence, cities like Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Culver City and others maintain their separately incorporated identity...even though completely surrounded by LA.  The map of the City of Los Angeles looks like a Swiss cheese octopus.   And most of the cities incorporated over this time still do not identify as "Los Angeles"--they all still go by their original names--San Pedro, Venice, Pacific Palisades, Hollywood...and every former town in the San Fernando Valley--Encino, Tarzana, Van Nuys, Chatsworth, Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, Northridge, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, etc.  Even though all of those towns are, politically, within the City of Los Angeles.  Ask any resident of any of those areas and they will tell they live in one of those places--not "Los Angeles"...
 

[BeachGal]

20 hours ago, twangster said:

Now that the Queen Mary has reopened I'm back on board with staying on her every chance I get.  

15-20 minute Uber ride to Navigator from the QM.

As someone who has visited the QM many times, but never stayed overnight, I'm curious about what you like about her?  For me, the QM was one of those attractions that we visited for the day, and never thought about an overnight stay because it seemed so extravagant to stay in a hotel so close to home.  Now that I am on another coast, and wanting to come back and visit Navigator, you have me intrigued.

[twangster]

2 hours ago, BeachGal said:

As someone who has visited the QM many times, but never stayed overnight, I'm curious about what you like about her?  For me, the QM was one of those attractions that we visited for the day, and never thought about an overnight stay because it seemed so extravagant to stay in a hotel so close to home.  Now that I am on another coast, and wanting to come back and visit Navigator, you have me intrigued.

Staying in a cabin on the QM makes me feel like I am sailing on her across the Atlantic.  The tiny port holes open and I can imagine sitting by the window for days with the cold North Atlantic breeze coming in.  Seeing the fresh and salt water fixtures on the bathtub and even just walking the halls coming back to my cabin makes it feel like a cruise. 

Such history, the origins of cruising in many ways.  

[smokeybandit]

9 minutes ago, twangster said:

Staying in a cabin on the QM makes me feel like I am sailing on her across the Atlantic.  The tiny port holes open and I can imagine sitting by the window for days with the cold North Atlantic breeze coming in.  Seeing the fresh and salt water fixtures on the bathtub and even just walking the halls coming back to my cabin makes it feel like a cruise. 

Such history, the origins of cruising in many ways.  

You just want to find the ghosts that haunt that ship.

[BeachGal]

12 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

You just want to find the ghosts that haunt that ship.

Ha ha, those stories are part of what kept me from staying there!

 

23 minutes ago, twangster said:

Staying in a cabin on the QM makes me feel like I am sailing on her across the Atlantic.  The tiny port holes open and I can imagine sitting by the window for days with the cold North Atlantic breeze coming in.  Seeing the fresh and salt water fixtures on the bathtub and even just walking the halls coming back to my cabin makes it feel like a cruise. 

Such history, the origins of cruising in many ways.  

I like your 'pre-cruise' mindset.  The QM is a wonderful ship to wander through, and so well taken care of that you can't help but wonder what it would have been like to sail across an ocean surrounded by the history and class she embodies.

 

**Sorry to all for the thread hijacking**

 

[Bruin Steve]

My take on the Queen Mary:

I have actually stayed on it once...for three nights, albeit several years ago...1978, believe it or not.  I was taking the California Bar Exam at the Long Beach Convention Center and a friend and I stayed there during the exam.  The "cabin" was dark...and the place creaked almost as if it were haunted...though there re many more explainable reasons why the old lady creaks.  The room felt to be on a slant--seriously.  I kept feeling like I was rolling into the wall all night,  My buddy, who was across the cabin, said he kept rolling off the bed all night.

Yes, it's nostalgic.  It feels like you're on an ocean liner from the 1930s.  Of course, nowadays, we all complain when we find ourselves cruising on an "old" ship--from like the 2000s!  Remember, this antique of a ship was designed in a day when they didn't have balconies in the cabins...or even large windows.  Amenities are limited.

And there are bigger problems:  Cunard sold this 1930 ship out of the fleet to the City of Long Beach back in 1967--because it was outdated and had all sorts of problems not worth fixing...and, for the past 56 years, Long Beach has leased the hotel operation to several operators...all of whom spent minimal funds on upkeep and renovation.  There has even been talk, from time to time of scrapping the ship due to various issues making her integrity questionable.

It SOUNDS COOL to say you've stayed there, but, seriously, there are so many really nice hotels nearby, why not stay in one of those and just VISIT the relic?

[Bowen]

Thank you so much for all the detail here, it was a wonderful read (in addition to the much appreciated hotel recs).

 

[BMW Hoosier]

On 10/3/2023 at 10:21 AM, Zacharius said:

It can depend on your fare, too. There are some discounted fare codes (including some that cruise lines use) that don't allow for a re-route, even including connection cities. That means, for example, even if you are routed JFK-PHX-LGB, and the JFK-PHX flight cancels, they will only re-route you JFK-PHX-LGB (not, say, JFK-DEN-LGB). 

My experience with Delta is that all rules are off on IROPS regardless of fare class. 

[WannaCruise]

We stayed at Crowne Plaza at San Pedro. Nice hotel with good breakfast.  One thing, and maybe it was just us, is that it was a very quiet, almost strangely deserted area. Not sure if it's just the time of year or day of the week that we went.  It was a bit creepy.  But we did find a good restaurant in the area for dinner, and it was neat to be able to walk to the port (took an uber morning of, but we walked day before to check it out).