Skip LAX when cruising

My wife and I took a cruise out of San Pedro, California, on the Celebrity Summit, March 31-April 14, 2007, visiting the Mexican Riviera, Costa Rica, Panama and Aruba and disembarking in Ft. Lauderdale. Based on our experience, we suggest that if you are flying to Los Angeles to pick up a cruise, consider using the Long Beach airport (LGB) rather than Los Angeles International (LAX).

Long Beach’s is a small, easy-to-navigate airport that is closer than LAX to both the San Pedro and Long Beach cruise terminals. In addition, JetBlue flies into Long Beach, and its all-coach seating is much more comfortable than coach on other airlines we have flown.

If you want to stay overnight before the cruise, a good choice is the Long Beach Hyatt Regency (562/491-1234). The taxi fare was a flat $19 from the Long Beach airport to the hotel. It is less than that from the Hyatt to the San Pedro cruise terminal, and the Long Beach terminal (servicing Carnival Cruises ships) is even closer.

The hotel is within easy walking distance of many restaurants, and the rates are good value; our room, in low season and with a senior discount, was $200 a night. This included access to the hotel’s concierge club room, where we could get free Continental breakfast, enough appetizers to make a dinner, free soft drinks and free access to a computer for e-mail and Internet.

HARVEY LAMPERT

N. Bethesda, MD