Originally Posted by
Erome
Hi all,
Have 2 nights in December with the family before boarding a cruise out of the terminal by Long Beach CA.
Looking around at hotels - there's the Marriott Redonda and the Renaissance Long Beach. Anyone have recommendations?
2 adults, 2 grandparents, 2 kids (3 and 5).
Ideally a great club lounge with breakfast and hors d'oeurves would be great.
I assume you're departing from the Carnival Cruise Terminal in Long Beach, not from the San Pedro World Cruise Terminal.
In addition to the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel, which you noted, there are a number of other Marriott Bonvoy properties closer to the Carnival Cruise Terminal than the Torrance Marriott Redondo Beach.
The closest is the Residence Inn Long Beach Downtown. Other Marriott Bonvoy properties in Long Beach are The Westin Long Beach, Courtyard Long Beach Downtown, Residence Inn Long Beach, Long Beach Marriott, and Courtyard Long Beach Airport.
The only one of these I've stayed at was the Long Beach Marriott, which is by Long Beach Airport, not by the cruise port. Still, it's closer than Torrance / Redondo Beach. It's been quite a few years, but I remember that the hotel made a good impression on me, with everything I would expect at a full-service Marriott.
Lounge Access (at the brands that provide this benefit) is officially for one Platinum Elite (or above) member, plus one additional guest occupying the same room. According to the Terms & Conditions, "Additional charges may apply for Lounge Access where the guest count is greater than the Member plus one allowance (including children)." The lounge attendant is likely to look the other way for young children, but not for two additional adults -- unless one of them is also a Platinum Elite (or above) member, occupying and paying for a separate room.
I would look into 2-bedroom/2-bathroom suite at the Residence Inn Long Beach Downtown (with each adult couple getting a bedroom and the kids getting the living room sofa bed). I'm not familiar with this particular Residence Inn, but other Residence Inns served us well when our kids were that age. Everyone gets breakfast, without the issue of club lounge access. There are usually refreshments in the evening.
If you have some extra time in Long Beach, especially with children, you might want to add the Aquarium of the Pacific to your plans. It's a top-notch aquarium.
Have a fine hotel stay and then a great cruise. Bonvoy and then Bon Voyage!