TravelingbeebryantRN & Flicks_withNick

Are you looking for things to do in Los Angeles prior to your next cruise? Hello old readers, and welcome new readers. My husband and I have been traveling the world enjoying travel nursing. Last summer, we took a cruise to Ensenada out of San Pedro to celebrate my husband’s birthday. We had such a good experience with Royal Caribbean on the Navigator of the seas. Check out some of my Navigator of the Sea blogs!

Where to Stay in Los Angeles Pre and Post Cruise

Obviously, there are so many good places to stay in Los Angeles. There’s so many hotels, airbnb’s, and vrbo’s. If you are looking for somewhere to stay near the port, I would recommend the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Pedro- Port of Los Angeles. It’s close to the port, and also has a shuttle service. It has mixed reviews, but we had a good experience. I wouldn’t recommend the restaurant in the hotel, as it’s expensive.

Transportation

We arrived in Los Angeles the day before our cruise took off. You most likely will fly into Los Angeles, and catch the cruise in the San Pedro port. I suggest renting a car in Los Angeles for multiple reasons. First reason, transportation to and from the airport. Ubers get expensive. Second, you will have better flexibility in exploring Los Angeles pre and post cruise. Not saying public transportation and ubers aren’t a thing in LA, but it gets expensive, and limits where you can visit. Nick and I Ubered from the Los Angeles Airport to the hotel on Thursday night when we arrived. We explored by foot/Uber Friday morning prior to boarding the cruise. On Monday when we got off the cruise, we rented a car to have more flexibility in visiting Los Angeles. If I were to do this again, I would have wanted to take an earlier flight Thursday, arriving in the afternoon. If we did this, we would want to rent a car for the whole weekend. We wanted to save Nick’s PTO, therefore, we took an afternoon flight on Thursday, so we didn’t use PTO Thursday.

What to do in Los Angeles pre and post cruise

These are some great activities to do in LA. We’ve done them at some point or another, whether it was prior to our cruise or on our honeymoon. A lot of people suggest buying a Go City All Inclusive Pass.This pass is about 240 dollars and has access to 40 attractions and tours. FYI, it does not include Disneyland. For more information about the Go City pass, visit Go City Pass. Attractions that are included in the go city pass, are listed here.

Hit up an amusement park

From Disneyland to Universal, you’ll find no shortage of a fun filled day with thrilling rides and experiences. Nick and I visited both on our honeymoon on the way to Hawaii. The fast pass for Universal is definitely worth it, if you are planning on doing a half day. The studio tour at Universal was awesome, and the Harry Potter world was great at Universal

Visit Santa Monica Pier

Visit Santa Monica Pier, and enjoy the sunset, views, and some good food. They also have a lot of great gift shops!

Go Visit LA Hollywood

LA is known for the glitz and glam of California. How else to celebrate it, other than visiting hollywood. The Griffith Observatory, and the Hollywood sign are great places to start. Did you know that you actually can’t get up and personal with the Hollywood sign? Typically, the up close spots are on private property and you don’t want to take that chance! There is always the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is always fun!

UCLA Campus

Did you know that UCLA was used for filming Gilmore Girls and Legally Blonde? It’s supposed to represent Harvard University

Visit Venice Beach

Venice Beach honestly looks like the movies. The muscular men working out on the beach is a thing and of course, the skate park was actually impressive. Down Venice Beach, there’s a lot of good gift shops and food. A lot of the time, people are performing music or acts. 

Remembering Kobe

My husband is a huge Lakers fan, and with that territory, he is a huge Kobe Bryant fan. Check out the Staples Center, and the new Kobe Bryant statue. Along with the statue, there are so many murals across the city.

Korean Friendship Bell

If you are staying at the doubletree, the Korean Friendship Bell is walking distance from the hotel. It’s located in a cute park, and has some of the best views in LA.

Places to eat near the Cruise Port

Now that you have tons of ideas about what to do in LA, let’s discuss where to eat in LA. 

Breakfast

Lighthouse Cafe

This cute little cafe was walking distance from the doubletree. We visited the morning we boarded the cruise ship. It had great service, and great mimosas! What else do you need?

Address: 508 W 39th Street, San Pedro, CA, 90731 

Yelp Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.4 / 5.0

Travelingbeebryantrn’s Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 / 5.0

Flicks_withNick’s Review: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.0 / 5.0

Lunch

In and Out

If anyone knows me, they know I hate burgers. In and Out serves fries and burgers. Honestly, this place is overrated. The fries suck. My husband is a die hard fan, and I can’t convince him it’s not overrated. Whenever we are in the LA area, we end up here. 

Address: 1090 N. Western Ave, San Pedro, CA, 90731

Yelp Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.6 / 5.0

Travelingbeebryantrn’s Review: ⭐ 1.0 / 5.0

Flicks_withNick’s Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.8/5

Dinner

San Pedro Fish Market and Restaurant

This famous fish market and restaurant was not open when we arrived in Los Angeles, or the morning of. It’s top rated and definitely worth visiting (according to the reviews). Nick and I haven’t made it here yet!

Address: 706 S Harbor Blvd, San Pedro, CA 90731

Yelp Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.3 / 5.0

22nd St. Landing Seafood Grill and Bar

Restaurant overlooking the marina serving seafood and steak in an upscale restaurant. Nick and I haven’t made it here yet!

Address: 141 W 22nd Street Ste A, San Pedro, CA, 90731

Yelp Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.4 / 5.0

I know LA is full of good restaurants, and you won’t have a problem finding a good one. These are the restaurants we knew of or ate at. What’s your favorite restaurant near the cruise port? In LA?

I hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise and exploring Los Angeles prior. Hopefully this blog gives you some ideas and helps you start planning your trip! Stay up to date with all things travel, nursing, and of course Flicks_withNick movie reviews. Give us a follow on instagram or subscribe to this blog.