Port of Los Angeles Cruise Guide

A 24-hour LAX shuttle and a full-service airport hotel, for anyone flying in rather than driving down.

Why we picked it: Flying into Los Angeles the day before is the safest way to make a San Pedro sailing, and this is the airport hotel that makes the landing painless. Hyatt's own page lists a complimentary LAX shuttle running 24 hours a day every 15 to 20 minutes, picking up on the departures level of the domestic terminals. Beckett's handles dinner, and the port is a straight run south the next morning.

Pro tip: Book the car to the port the night before rather than hoping on the morning: the shuttle here serves LAX only, and no cruise-port service is listed on the hotel's parking and transportation page. Valet is the only parking option, so this is the wrong hotel if you are driving and hoping to leave the car for a week.

Parking: Valet parking only, per the hotel's own parking and transportation page — no self-parking, and no cruise parking package listed on the pages we read.

Per hyatt.com, checked 2026-08-17

A 70th-floor lobby in the tallest building on the West Coast, for turning the pre-cruise night into part of the trip.

Why we picked it: The hotel's own page calls the Wilshire Grand the tallest building on the West Coast, puts the lobby on the 70th floor, and lists a rooftop pool and two restaurants. If you are flying in two nights early and want to see Los Angeles rather than a marina, downtown is the base to do it from, and the 110 runs south almost door to door to San Pedro.

Pro tip: Give the drive to the port a full hour on a weekday morning, more if your ship boards early. There is no cruise parking arrangement on the hotel's own pages, so treat this as a fly-in choice and let a car service handle the transfer rather than parking a rental downtown for a week.

Parking: On-site parking with EV chargers per the hotel's own page. It publishes no rate and no cruise parking package on the pages we read.

Per ihg.com, checked 2026-08-17

Boats to watch from your own balcony, a pool and hot tub, and a free shuttle that saves a cruise-morning taxi for five.

Why we picked it: A marina to stare at beats a hotel corridor when the kids are wired the night before a ship. Hilton's page for this property lists an outdoor pool, a hot tub, cribs, connecting rooms and a free shuttle to the World Cruise Terminal, and rooms with two queen beds sleeping four are on the standard rate list. For a family of five, one shuttle run replaces two taxis.

Pro tip: Ask for the shuttle at check-in and give the front desk a headcount. It is advertised as free, but no timetable is published on the pages we read and a family of five is a whole run rather than a couple of spare seats. Self-parking is secured with in-and-out privileges, so a forgotten bag is a walk to the car rather than a second parking fee.

Parking: Self-parking on site at $25.00 daily, secured, with in-and-out privileges; no valet. The hotel's page does not state how long you may leave a car while you sail, so settle that before you plan around it.

Per hilton.com, checked 2026-08-17

Two pool areas and a cruise package that carries the car and two adults down to the ship.

Why we picked it: This is the closest full-service hotel to the World Cruise Center, and the one that bundles the awkward parts of a driving family's embarkation day. Per the hotel's own page, its Cruise Package includes round-trip shuttle service for two to the LA Cruise Terminal, parking for one vehicle for up to five nights, and breakfast for two adults. Two pool areas and a restaurant downstairs cover the evening without moving the car again.

Pro tip: Read the package terms against your actual party before you book: the shuttle covers two people and breakfast covers two adults, with extra guests charged more, and parking past the package's nights is billed at the hotel's daily rate. On a seven-night sailing the eight-night Park Stay & Go package may work out better even though it names no shuttle.

Parking: On-site parking, listed at $25 daily on the hotel's own page. The Cruise Package includes parking for one vehicle for up to five nights; Park Stay & Go runs to eight.

Per ihg.com, checked 2026-08-17

Cheap and functional: free parking, a pool open until 9pm, and a free lift to the port on cruise morning.

Why we picked it: Families driving in from Arizona or the Central Valley mostly want a bed and a pool, not a lobby. The chain's own page for this property lists free parking, a swimming pool open 9am to 9pm, and a complimentary one-way drop-off at the San Pedro port the morning of your cruise, which is the whole of what a last night before the ship has to do.

Pro tip: Swim before dinner — the pool shuts at 9pm, and an overtired child at 8:55 is nobody's idea of a good start. The drop-off is one way, so work out how you get back to the car, and note that the page states the hotel does not run a shuttle to the Long Beach port if your paperwork names that one instead.

Parking: Free parking per the hotel's own page. It does not say how long a car may sit there while you sail, so confirm long-term parking with the front desk before you rely on it.

Per vagabondinn.com, checked 2026-08-17

Two-room suites, a free made-to-order breakfast and an indoor pool, for the night you land rather than the night you sail.

Why we picked it: Flying into LAX with children and driving straight to a ship is how embarkation days go wrong. Hilton's page for this property lists two-room suites, a free made-to-order breakfast, a complimentary evening reception, an indoor pool and a complimentary LAX shuttle, which covers an arrival night without anyone needing a rental car yet.

Pro tip: Treat this as the arrival-night hotel and move to San Pedro for the night before you sail. Self-parking is $69.45 daily on the hotel's own page, which is airport pricing, and no cruise shuttle is listed on the pages we read. The evening reception doubles as a light dinner if your flight lands late and nobody wants a restaurant.

Parking: Self-parking $69.45 daily, covered, with in-and-out privileges, per the hotel's own page. No valet, and no cruise parking package on the pages we read.

Per hilton.com, checked 2026-08-17

Suites with kitchens, free hot breakfast, an outdoor pool and a complimentary LAX shuttle.

Why we picked it: The kitchen is the whole argument. Landing at LAX in the afternoon with a child who will not eat what the restaurant has, you want a fridge, a microwave and cereal in the morning. Hilton's page lists free hot breakfast, an outdoor pool and a complimentary shuttle running to and from the airport, so the first night costs almost nothing beyond the room.

Pro tip: Stop for groceries on the way in rather than after check-in, and let everyone swim while the bags sort themselves out. Self-parking is $60.50 daily on the hotel's own page, so if you drove to Los Angeles rather than flew, park in San Pedro and stay down there instead.

Parking: Self-parking $60.50 daily, covered, with in-and-out privileges, per the hotel's own page. No valet, and no cruise parking arrangement on the pages we read.

Per hilton.com, checked 2026-08-17

A heated rooftop pool over L.A. LIVE, for families adding a downtown day to the front of the cruise.

Why we picked it: Marriott's own page describes a fourth-floor deck open year-round with a heated pool, a hot tub, cabanas and a sun patio looking over L.A. LIVE, and calls it one of the largest pools downtown. Crypto.com Arena, the Peacock Theater and the Convention Center are all on foot from the door, so an extra night here is a day out rather than a wait.

Pro tip: Give the run down to the port a full hour on a weekday, and more if your ship boards early. This is a two-nights-early choice: there is no cruise shuttle on the hotel's own pages, so book a car service or a large rideshare in advance rather than trying to flag one with four people and six bags.

Parking: The hotel publishes no parking rate on the pages we read, and no cruise parking package. Downtown garages charge by the day, so plan on a car service to the port rather than a car left behind.

Per marriott.com, checked 2026-08-17

White-tablecloth Italian on 7th Street, the room San Pedro books for anniversaries and the night before a big trip.

What to order: Pasta and veal are the backbone of the menu. The kitchen does a serious Caesar and a long wine list for a room this size.

Pro tip: Book ahead for the night before you sail — this is the dressiest room in walking distance of downtown, and a cruise weekend fills it. We could not read its posted hours from a page we trust on 2026-08-17, so call before you set a time.

Parking: Street parking on 7th Street; the surrounding downtown blocks are the fallback. Check the signs before you leave the car.

A corner market up the hill that has been building oversized sandwiches to order since the 1970s, with nowhere to sit.

What to order: The pastrami is what the line is for. Everything is made to order at the counter, so decide before you get there.

Pro tip: Takeout only — there is no dining room, so this is a sandwich you eat in the car or carry aboard. Listings we read on 2026-08-17 disagreed about which weekdays it opens and whether it takes cards, so bring cash and call first rather than driving up the hill on faith.

Parking: Residential streets around Walker Avenue. Check the signs for street-sweeping restrictions.

A 7th Street coffee house that opens at 6:30am, which is earlier than almost anything else within walking distance downtown.

What to order: Espresso drinks and loose-leaf tea, plus pastries. It is a coffee stop, not a breakfast destination.

Pro tip: The useful thing here is the opening time — a 6:30am coffee before a morning drive to the terminal. Its own site showed only the current day's hours when we read it on 2026-08-17, so do not assume every day starts that early.

Parking: Street parking on 7th Street. Early morning is the one time downtown parking is easy.

Order shrimp by the pound at the counter, watch it hit the grill, and eat it on an outdoor deck over the water.

What to order: One Shrimp Tray fed a family long before it fed the internet — grilled shrimp with peppers and onions, served on a tray the table shares. Plain grilled fish and fries cover the child who will not eat anything with a shell.

Kids: Outdoor deck seating, loud enough that a restless toddler goes unnoticed, and food that arrives on shareable trays rather than plated courses.

Pro tip: Nobody is quiet here and nobody minds, which is the whole appeal with small children. It is counter service, so somebody stays with the table while somebody else orders. The Ports O' Call village that used to surround it is gone; the wider West Harbor project replacing it was still opening in stages when we checked on 2026-08-17.

Parking: Waterfront lots off Harbor Boulevard. Check the posted rates before you walk away from the car.

A plain diner breakfast at 7am, every day of the week, ten minutes from the terminal gate.

What to order: Pancakes, eggs and bacon, omelets. Nothing on the breakfast menu needs explaining to a seven-year-old, which is the point on boarding morning.

Kids: Ordinary diner menu, quick turnaround, and booth seating. Familiar food is the whole reason to pick this one.

Pro tip: The 7am open runs seven days a week with no weekend exception, so it survives an early boarding time. It closes at 3pm, so it cannot also be your dinner the night before.

Parking: Street parking on Pacific Avenue and the numbered cross streets. Read the posted signs.

One kitchen that covers a 9am breakfast and a 7pm dinner, so a family with one fussy eater only has to negotiate once.

What to order: Breakfast plates early, sandwiches and pasta later. The menu is broad enough that a table of five ordering five different things is normal here.

Kids: Patio seating, an all-day menu rather than fixed service windows, and plain pasta and sandwiches for a child who will not try anything new.

Pro tip: Ask for the patio if the weather holds — outdoor seating buys a lot of patience from a bored child. Sunday it closes at 2:45pm, which rules it out for a Sunday-night dinner.

Parking: Street parking around 5th and Pacific Avenue. The downtown blocks are metered and the rules vary, so read the signs.

Neighborhood pizza on 6th Street, five minutes from the terminal and the safest order in town with children in tow.

What to order: Pizza is the reason to come. Pasta and salads round it out for the adults at the table.

Kids: Pizza, and a counter-service pace that suits a family who need to eat and get back to the hotel.

Pro tip: A pizza nobody argues about is worth more the night before a cruise than a meal somebody has to be talked into. We could not read its posted hours from a source we trust on 2026-08-17 — its own website would not load a valid certificate — so call before you go.

Parking: Street parking on 6th Street and the blocks around it. Read the posted signs before you leave the car.

Handmade chorizo on a quiet residential corner, served on plates with eggs and in tacos through the morning.

What to order: Chorizo and eggs is the plate to get. The red Zacatecas chorizo is milder than the green Toluca style, which matters if you are feeding a child who does not do heat.

Kids: Small, casual and fast. Ask which chorizo is the mild one before you order for a child.

Pro tip: A morning-only shop, so it is a boarding-day breakfast and never a dinner. We could not confirm its posted hours from a first-party page on 2026-08-17; recent listings put it at Wednesday to Sunday mornings, so call rather than assume.

Parking: Residential street parking around Alma Street. Check the signs for street-sweeping days.

Breakfast and brunch at the south end of Pacific Avenue, where the omelets are the size of the plate.

What to order: Omelets, waffles and pancakes. Portions run large enough that two children can reasonably split one order.

Kids: Straightforward breakfast food, generous portions built for sharing, and a room used to families.

Pro tip: Further from the terminal than the downtown diners, which is exactly why it is the one to try when a cruise weekend has filled everything closer in. We could not read its posted hours from a source we trust on 2026-08-17, so call ahead.

Parking: Street parking along Pacific Avenue at the south end of town, which is easier than the downtown blocks.

The burger stop at the end of the LAX runway, where the planes come in low enough to stop a table of children mid-fry.

What to order: Burger, fries and a shake. Order the fries well done if you have opinions about fries.

Kids: Simple menu, fast counter, and low-flying aircraft every couple of minutes. Few restaurants entertain a five-year-old this cheaply.

Pro tip: This is the answer to a landing at LAX with tired children and an hour to fill before the drive south. It sits at the end of runway 24R, so arrivals pass overhead low and often — the entertainment is free and it works on adults too. Open to 1am most nights, later on weekends.

Parking: Its own lot, plus a drive-thru. In-N-Out's store page lists dine-in seating at this location as well.

Sawdust on the floor, communal benches, and a French dip carved to order since 1908 — a downtown Los Angeles stop that entertains itself.

What to order: A French dip in beef, pork, turkey, ham or lamb. Go easy on the house hot mustard with children — it is genuinely hot, which is half the fun and half the problem.

Kids: Long communal tables, no dress code, and a counter you walk up to rather than a wait for a server. The sawdust floor and the old cash registers do a lot of the babysitting.

Pro tip: Open 6am to 10pm daily and closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, so it absorbs a delayed flight. You queue at a carving counter and carry your own tray, which suits children who cannot sit still through table service.

Parking: Philippe's own site says its parking is free while you are inside eating, and that cars left there afterward can be towed.

An hour and a quarter across open water to a car-free island town, leaving from a terminal three minutes from where your ship docks.

Best for: Families flying in two days early, teens who would rather be somewhere than see something, a real day out

Pro tip: Note where the child fare stops: 2 to 11. A twelve-year-old pays the full $99 adult round trip, so this gets expensive fast with teenagers. Do it two days before you sail if you possibly can, and the day before at the absolute latest — it is a timetabled boat on open water and the return leg is the part that can slip. The Catalina Sea and Air Terminal is at Berth 95, on the same 100 Swinford Street road as the cruise terminal parking, which is the whole reason this works as a pre-cruise day at all. The single most important thing here is what day you do it on. This is a full-day, weather-and-sea-dependent round trip on a boat, and the return can be delayed — do it the day before you sail at the very latest, and preferably two days before. The upside is the geography: the Catalina Sea and Air Terminal is at Berth 95 on the same 100 Swinford Street road as the cruise terminal parking, so if you are already parked in San Pedro you are already there. Book the specific crossing in advance rather than turning up; sailings are timetabled, not continuous.

Open until 10pm six nights a week, free to walk into, and the view of Los Angeles from the terrace is the one they will actually post.

Closed Mon

Best for: A fly-in evening, families staying in Los Angeles rather than San Pedro, teens who want one recognizable thing

Pro tip: Go in the evening. It is open noon to 10pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 10pm at weekends, closed Mondays, and the late hours are when the telescope on the lawn and the city lights below both work. The observatory's page separates paid parking near the building from free parking downhill without pricing either, so budget for the paid lot. Thirty-odd miles from San Pedro on Los Angeles freeways means this is a night-before plan and never a sailing-day one. The late close is the point: go after dinner, when the traffic out of downtown has eased and the city is lit up below you. This is a Los Angeles evening rather than a San Pedro one — thirty-odd miles each way, on freeways that can double the trip, so it is not an embarkation-morning idea under any circumstances.

Free to walk into, small enough to finish before anyone melts down, and full of Southern California species a child can put a hand in the water next to.

Closed Mon

Best for: Toddlers through about ten, families on a budget, a first stop before the beach next door

Pro tip: Weekday hours start late — noon to 5pm Tuesday to Friday, 10am to 5pm at weekends, closed Mondays — so a morning plan needs a Saturday or Sunday. A morning plan only works at a weekend, and a Monday plan does not work at all. The great advantage over a big-city aquarium is scale — it is a one-hour building, not a three-hour one, so nap schedules survive it. It shares the Cabrillo Beach lot, so the aquarium and the sand are one $9 parking day, and the machines take cards only. It sits at Cabrillo Beach, so the aquarium and the beach are one parking session rather than two, and the parking machine takes cards only. The aquarium's focus is Southern California species specifically, which makes it a better primer for the coast you are about to sail down than a big-tank aquarium would be.

The harbor side of the point is flat, shallow and breakwater-sheltered, which is the version of the Pacific a four-year-old can actually stand up in.

Best for: Sand-and-bucket time with small children, families who need somewhere to put the afternoon before an evening flight or a morning sailing

Pro tip: There are two beaches here and the difference matters with little ones. The inner beach faces the harbor and is calm; the outer beach around the point faces open ocean and has real waves. The inner beach faces the harbor and is calm and shallow; the outer beach faces open water and has actual surf, and they are a two-minute walk apart across the same lot at 3800 Stephen M White Drive. The lot runs on cards only. Do the beach the day before you board rather than boarding morning — sand plus a check-in queue plus a stroller is a bad hour for everybody. That lot is the aquarium's lot too, so one $9 day covers both. Bring a card — the machines do not take cash. This is the swim to have the day before you board rather than the morning of, because sandy teenagers and a check-in queue is a bad combination.

The museum hands small children a scavenger hunt for Vicky the dog, which turns a warship into a treasure map for the length of an adult's visit.

Closed Tue & Wed

Best for: Kids from about five up, grandparents and grandchildren together, one big memorable thing before a week at sea

Pro tip: Vicky's Scavenger Hunt comes with general admission and is the single reason this works with a young child — the museum's own copy says so, and following a cartoon dog around seven decks beats reading placards. Be realistic about the ship itself: it is a stair-and-ladder environment, so a toddler will be carried and a stroller will be parked. Check the day first — the site's header and footer say Thursday to Monday, 10am to 5pm with last entry at 4pm, while one interior page still claims seven days a week, so a Tuesday or Wednesday drive is a gamble. Vicky's Doghouse Cafe on site solves the snack problem. For a teenager the paid add-ons are the difference between a museum and an experience: the museum describes the Gun Tour as a behind-the-scenes route through the weapons systems, the Engineering Tour as a trip below to the eight boilers and four steam turbines, and Escape the Fleet as an adventure built around the 2011 campaign that pulled the ship out of the Navy's reserve fleet. All three are ticketed on top of general admission. Seven decks means steep ladders between them, which is a warning for some families and the whole appeal for others. Treat Tuesday and Wednesday as closed unless a phone call says otherwise. Allow the full two to three hours the museum asks for — seven decks and more than 75 exhibits is not a walk-through. Parking is the Berth 87 lot next door, which the Port of Los Angeles covers under the same Parking Concepts rate card as the cruise terminal itself.

A surrey with a canopy and four sets of pedals on a flat mile of new waterfront path — the closest thing San Pedro has to a stroller with entertainment built in.

Best for: Getting wiggles out near the ship, families with a mix of ages, an hour that costs nothing if you skip the rental

Pro tip: Trust the operator over the landlord on hours: Wheel Fun's own West Harbor page gives summer hours of Monday to Friday 10am to sunset and Saturday, Sunday and holidays 10am to 9pm, while West Harbor's site still lists it as weekends only. Call (424) 482-1858 if your date falls midweek. The surreys are the right rental for a family — canopy, bench seats, no balance required. Set expectations about the district: West Harbor is 42 acres still opening in stages on the old Ports O' Call site, so finished waterfront sits next to construction fencing, and what is running is the Berth 84 Waterfront Park area, the San Pedro Fish Market pop-up, the harbor cruises and the tall ships.

Open bluff-top lawn above the ocean with a storybook 1874 lighthouse in the middle of it — and one height rule worth knowing before you promise anything.

Closed Mon

Best for: Running around on grass, picnics, families who need free and outdoors

Pro tip: Read this before you promise a child the tower: the city states that children under 48 inches tall are not admitted to it, and that anyone under 18 must be with an adult. The grounds and the park are the real draw for little ones anyway — lawn, ocean below, and a lighthouse to look at. The scarcity is real and worth planning around: interior access is guided-tour-only, tours run at 1, 2 and 3pm Tuesday through Sunday, they are first come first served, and each one takes eight people. Grounds are open 1pm to 4pm and the lighthouse is closed Mondays, and the city notes it can also close for major holidays and park events — the number to call ahead is (310) 241-0684. Turn up at the hour, not after it. That is the whole of the day's capacity, so arrive at the hour rather than ten minutes past it. Point Fermin Park around it is open lawn on a bluff with the water below, which is where the actual view is. Closed Mondays, and (310) 241-0684 confirms holiday closures.

Children twelve and under get in free, the whole thing is one floor of ship models and harbor history, and it takes an hour.

Closed Mon & Tue

Best for: A cheap indoor hour, rainy or too-hot days, kids who like boats

Pro tip: The price is the point: two parents and three children under twelve is $10 in total. Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 5pm, last entry 4:30, and closed Monday and Tuesday. It sits at Berth 84 in the old ferry building, a short walk from the West Harbor waterfront and the Harbor Breeze ticket booth, so you can chain all three onto one parking session instead of moving the car twice with children in it. Wednesday to Sunday only, noon to 5pm, with last entry at 4:30 — the Monday and Tuesday closure catches people who assumed a museum this small keeps park hours. It is a short walk from the West Harbor waterfront and the Harbor Breeze ticket booth, so the three make one easy loop on foot rather than three separate parking sessions. There is a research library and a ham radio station inside as well as the exhibits.

Under-threes ride free and three-to-elevens are $35, which makes a real whale-watching boat cheaper than most family outings on land.

Best for: Families with children who like boats and can sit for three hours, a day-before outing rather than a sailing-morning one

Pro tip: Be honest with yourself about the length. Two and a half to three hours on open water with a small child is a real commitment, there is nowhere to get off, and swell outside the breakwater is not the flat harbor water you can see from the shore. If that sounds fine, the vessels are double-deck catamarans with a snack bar and lavatories, and dolphins and sea lions are near-certain even when the whales are not. Book online in advance — the operator says it costs less than the walk-up rate and that trips fill in migration season. The ticket booth and boats sit at 550 S Harbor Blvd, right beside the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, and West Harbor's own site lists Harbor Breeze as running Friday through Monday, so confirm your date against the operator's schedule. A teenager counts as an adult here — the $50 rate starts at 12, so a family of four with two teens is priced as four adults. Do this the day before you sail, never on embarkation morning: it is a three-hour round trip and the boat comes back when it comes back. Whales are seasonal and unguaranteed; dolphins and sea lions are close to certain. This is a three-hour commitment on a boat, so it belongs on the day before you sail rather than embarkation morning — a late return and a boarding deadline do not mix. Whale sightings are seasonal and nobody guarantees them; dolphins and sea lions are the near-certain part.

Wide open grass on a clifftop with a giant bronze bell in a painted pavilion, ten minutes from the ship and free.

Best for: A short free stop, running on grass, families who want a view without paying for one

Pro tip: Time it against the parking lot rather than the park. The park runs 6:30am to 10pm, but the lot only runs sunrise to sunset, so late afternoon is the practical cutoff with children in tow. It is windy and exposed up on the bluff even when the terminal below is warm, so bring a layer for everyone. Point Fermin Park and the lighthouse are a couple of minutes further down the coast road, which makes the two an easy pair for one outing. The park itself runs 6:30am to 10pm, but the parking lot only runs sunrise to sunset, so an evening visit means parking on Gaffey Street and walking in. The bell sits on the old Fort MacArthur upper reservation, and the Fort MacArthur Museum is on the same 3601 Gaffey Street site — its hours are not published on the city's page, so call (310) 548-7705 before you plan around it. Bring a jacket: the bluff is exposed and it is reliably windier and colder up there than at the terminal.