Sleeping near the pier the night before you sail removes the biggest embarkation-day risk: a late flight or a freeway jam. By Cruise Day Guide’s straight-line figures, the best hotels near Long Beach Cruise Terminal sit roughly 0.1 to 1.4 miles from the ship, though other listings give longer distances for the Hilton. They differ mainly in how you reach the terminal and what happens to your car. The terminal is at 231 Windsor Way and is used almost exclusively by Carnival. If you sail with another line, confirm your terminal before you pick a hotel.
Prices below come from the named sources and change by date, so confirm the rate for your sailing before you book. Distances are straight-line figures from Cruise Day Guide unless noted, so the drive is longer. Hotels.com figures are drive times and are labeled separately.
Hotels near Long Beach Cruise Terminal at a glance
| Hotel | Distance | Terminal transfer | Car | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Maya | 0.7 miles | Free shuttle, included in the daily destination fee | $40 to $50 a night depending on the source, or the Bon Voyage package from $229+ with 7 nights | Drivers who want a waterfront hotel and a hotel-run shuttle |
| The Queen Mary hotel | 0.1 miles | None needed | $39 a night; multi-day parking December to June only | Travelers with heavy bags, or anyone arriving by air or rideshare |
| Hilton Long Beach | 1.4 miles straight-line per Cruise Day Guide; Cruise Port Advisor says 1.5; other listings say 2.1 to 2.2; Hotels.com gives a 3-minute drive of about 1.9 miles (confirm) | Hotels.com, Cruise Port Advisor and Park Sleep Hotels list a free cruise shuttle, and Tripadvisor reviews describe a free but crowded hotel shuttle, but Hilton’s own page mentions only select airports; confirm with the hotel in writing | Park, Stay & Go: up to 7 nights included, one vehicle per room | Drivers who want a downtown base and will confirm how they reach the terminal first |
| Hyatt Regency | 0.8 miles straight-line | No shuttle reported | Park and Cruise package: 7 days included, then $17 a night | Drivers happy to take a taxi or rideshare for the last stretch |
The terminal garage can fill up
Cruise Hive lists $23 a day in the terminal garage, which is $161 for seven nights. Sail Away Escapes says the garage can reach capacity on busy sailings or when several ships are in port, and overflow may go to off-site lots with a shuttle.
A Cruise Critic thread from February 2025 quotes a Carnival notice for Panorama departures. It said limited garage capacity meant parking would be at an off-site location about 10 minutes from the terminal, at US$20 per day. Carnival’s help page says terminal garage parking is not available to Panorama guests, and Cruise Hive reported off-site parking notices in June 2025, August 2025 and winter 2025-26. If you sail on Panorama, expect off-site parking, and the $23 garage figure in the worked example below may not apply to you. Look for Carnival’s message about your own sailing. A hotel parking package keeps the car at the hotel and sidesteps the question.
The four hotels in detail
The Maya: a hotel-run shuttle for every guest
The Maya’s FAQ says a daily destination fee of $30 plus tax per night is added to each stay and includes complimentary shuttle service to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal. So the shuttle comes with a plain room rate as well as the package. The hotel’s offers page says shuttle times may vary and must be scheduled with the front desk on arrival.
Parking is the catch, and the hotel’s own pages disagree. The hotel’s contact page lists standard overnight parking at $50 per car per night, subject to change, while its FAQ says $45. Cruise Hive says $40, and September 2026 Tripadvisor reviews mention $50 a night; confirm the current rate with the hotel. All of these are higher than the $23 terminal garage rate. The hotel’s special offers page lists Bon Voyage Park & Cruise rates from $229+ with seven nights of parking and the shuttle. The page gives no month for the rate, its booking link dates from April 2025, and it does not say whether the destination fee and tax are added, so confirm the current rate and ask for an itemized quote.
The Queen Mary hotel: the walkable option
The hotel is on the historic liner beside the terminal. Cruise Day Guide puts it 0.1 miles from the terminal, so you can roll your bags over instead of waiting for a shuttle. The rooms are ship staterooms.
Prices vary widely, so get a current quote for your night. Hotel Planner’s page lists a mandatory $23 fee and total taxes of 16.20%. Other Queen Mary listings show a $100 per-night deposit. Confirm both with the hotel. Kayak’s 12-month averages run from $181 in December, the cheapest month, to $259 in February, the most expensive.
Parking is where drivers need care. The hotel’s FAQ lists $39 a night for overnight guests and says multi-day parking for Carnival cruises is offered from December to June. For a sailing outside those months, plan on moving the car to the terminal garage. The hotel’s parking page says that on event dates hotel guests park at Southshore Launch Ramps, 590 Queensway Drive, with a complimentary shuttle for Queen Mary guests. For hotel guests the page lists only Oct 17; Oct 10 and 17 are for day visitors. Check the page for your own date.
Hilton Long Beach: a downtown base, with a shuttle to confirm
The Hilton is on the World Trade Center campus at 701 West Ocean Boulevard. Sources disagree on distance. Cruise Day Guide gives 1.4 miles straight-line, and Cruise Port Advisor lists 1.5 miles. Other listings give 2.1 to 2.2 miles. Hotels.com gives a drive-time figure rather than a straight-line one: a 3-minute drive of 3.0 km, about 1.9 miles. Confirm the drive time with the hotel.
Hilton’s Park, Stay & Go page for this hotel says a 1-night stay includes parking for up to 7 nights, plus shuttle service to select airports. Hilton’s general offer page adds that some hotels offer service to nearby cruise ports, and you should check with your hotel before booking. Hilton’s terms also allow one vehicle per room, say an early departure fee may apply, and say the offer cannot be combined with other offers; confirm these terms with the hotel. Hotels.com lists a free cruise terminal shuttle, and Cruise Port Advisor and Park Sleep Hotels also list a free cruise shuttle. Tripadvisor reviews, including one from Nov 2024, describe a free but crowded hotel shuttle. All of these are third-party sources, and Hilton’s own page mentions only select airports. Confirm with the hotel in writing how you will reach the terminal on embarkation morning.
The package covers only 7 nights, so check your cruise length against that cap if you are on an 8-night sailing. No Hilton room rate or fee is quoted here, because the figures found came from undated third-party pages. Ask for an itemized quote.
Hyatt Regency Long Beach: waterfront, but plan a taxi
Cruise Day Guide puts the Hyatt 0.8 miles from the terminal in a straight line. A parking listing puts the hotel lot about 1.8 miles from the terminal. The hotel’s own page lists a Park and Cruise Package with 7 days of self-parking, then $17 for each additional night, and a daily destination fee of $30.00 per room, subject to change. The package covers only 7 days, so check your cruise length if you are on an 8-night sailing. The same page advertises ocean or harbor views.
Transport is the weak point. One Tripadvisor guest on a park-and-cruise rate wrote that the hotel had no shuttle, so they took taxis. That review is undated. The parking listing above says free shuttles are not available, and reviews on that listing mention Uber and a $15 taxi; confirm current fares. Rates vary by date, so get a quote for your night.
A worked example for a driver
These figures are for one night before a seven-night Carnival sailing. They leave out the room rate and tax, which change by date. Where the car sleeps at the hotel for one night before moving to the garage, the garage cost is seven nights at $23. Panorama sailors should expect off-site parking, so the $23 garage figure may not apply to them.
| Hotel | Fee | Parking | Transfer | Fixed costs before room and tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Maya, room only | $30 destination fee | $50 hotel night (contact page; the FAQ says $45), then $161 in the garage | Free shuttle | $241, based on the $50 figure |
| The Maya, Bon Voyage | Ask if the fee is extra | 7 nights included | Free shuttle | Package from $229+ covers room, parking, shuttle; no month given and the booking link dates from April 2025 |
| The Queen Mary hotel | $23 mandatory fee; other listings show a $100 per-night deposit | $39 hotel night, then $161 in the garage | Walk | $223, before any deposit |
| Hilton Long Beach | Not confirmed | Up to 7 nights included with Park, Stay & Go | Confirm with hotel; Hilton’s page lists select airports | No confirmed fixed costs |
| Hyatt Regency | $30 destination fee | 7 days included in package | Taxi or rideshare; fare not confirmed | $30 plus the fare |
Add the room rate quoted for your date to get your own total. The Queen Mary, Maya and Hyatt figures above are fixed costs only, so ask each hotel for an itemized quote.
Embarkation morning: check-out, luggage and shuttles
Check-out is 11 AM at The Maya, at the Queen Mary and, per Hotels.com, at the Hilton. Confirm each hotel’s check-out time, and compare it with the boarding window on your Carnival documents. The Maya’s FAQ says complimentary luggage storage is available for early arrivals and late departures. For the Queen Mary, Hilton and Hyatt, ask whether they hold bags and what time the shuttle or your taxi can leave.
If you are flying in
The terminal is 23 miles from LAX. If you land late, sleeping in Long Beach is easier than crossing the freeways the next morning. Our guide to the closest airport to Long Beach Cruise Terminal compares LGB, LAX and SNA.
How to choose
If you are driving, start with the car. A package that parks it for the week (The Maya’s Bon Voyage rate or the Hyatt’s Park and Cruise) avoids the nightly parking rates and the garage-capacity risk. The Hilton’s Park, Stay & Go also includes parking, but it is not a settled package: confirm in writing how you will reach the terminal, because Hilton’s own page lists shuttles only to select airports, while third-party sources list a free cruise shuttle. The Hilton and Hyatt packages cover only 7 nights, so check an 8-night sailing against that cap. If you have heavy luggage or are not driving, the Queen Mary hotel removes the transfer. Whichever you pick, ask for an itemized quote covering room, fees, tax, parking and transfer, and get the shuttle pickup time in writing for your sailing date. For arrival times and the drop-off process, read our guide to Long Beach Cruise Terminal parking, drop-off and arrival time.
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