Things to Do in Long Beach Before a Cruise: One-Day Plan

The things to do in Long Beach before a cruise cluster around Rainbow Harbor, but only the Queen Mary sits next to the cruise terminal. The Aquarium of the Pacific and Shoreline Village need a free Passport bus ride or a rideshare. Passport runs only Friday to Sunday, so this guide gives one plan for those days and one for Monday to Thursday.

Before you plan: terminal, luggage and boarding

The Long Beach terminal is used almost exclusively by Carnival Cruise Line ships, and some Carnival affiliates. The terminal is at 231 Windsor Way. Visit Long Beach says it is owned and operated by Carnival Corporation and sits alongside the Queen Mary, whose address is 1126 Queens Highway.

Cruise Hive says there are no lockers in the terminal, so you keep your bags until you board. On a sightseeing day, leave your bags at your hotel. Ask the front desk whether it will hold them after check-out. Boarding and check-in windows are set per sailing, so use the times in your Carnival documents.

Getting around: Passport bus and the weekday fallback

Long Beach Transit’s Passport is a free circulator. The current timetable, effective August 23, 2026, lists service on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only, and Visit Long Beach lists the same days. There is no Passport Monday to Thursday.

The trip times in this guide come from the LBT route 37 timetable (effective August 23, 2026). On that page, the Friday southbound table has a first trip leaving 10th & Pine at 6:26, and trips run roughly every 30 minutes (for example 6:26, 7:25, 7:51, 8:21 and 8:51 at 10th & Pine). Plan around the listed times rather than a fixed interval. The 1:30 p.m. trip from the Shoreline & Village stop reaches Queen Mary / Cruise Terminal at 1:40. Friday runs between Shoreline & Village and the Queen Mary take 9 to 10 minutes, and Saturday’s take about 12 minutes. Saturday and Sunday have their own tables on the same page. The times here are Friday’s, so confirm your day’s times in its table. LBT describes the route as serving the Aquarium of the Pacific, but the timetable lists no aquarium stop. Confirm the nearest stop with Long Beach Transit or a map app.

Monday to Thursday, use a rideshare. No official fare is published for these short hops. Check your rideshare app for a price and pickup wait before you fix your times.

Things to do in Long Beach before a cruise: the three stops

The Queen Mary

The Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner kept in Long Beach as a hotel and museum. The ship’s pricing page, dated 09/07/26, lists daily general admission from 10 AM to 6 PM at $45 for adults and $40 for children. That includes one 30-45 minute Embarkation tour while availability lasts and 23+ exhibits. The page lists no senior rate. It also lists a $15 off-hours ticket for select exhibits, early morning and evening.

Hours: The ship’s FAQ page says most historic exhibits are open daily from 10AM to 8PM. The pricing page gives 6 PM for general admission, and neither page states a last-entry time. Don’t plan to arrive late.

From the port: It is next to the terminal, and Passport’s Queen Mary / Cruise Terminal stop is there.

How long: A visitor guide suggests two to three hours for a self-guided visit. The plans below use two and a half hours as a planning estimate.

Halloween nights: Dark Harbor, the Queen Mary’s Halloween event, runs select nights from September 18 to November 1, 2026, including Monday to Thursday, according to Haunted Attraction Network. That guide gives 8 p.m. start times, with Early Entry and VIP guests admitted at 7 p.m. Prices vary by night. As of October 1, the guide listed $58.99 for October 13 and 26 and $75.99 for Saturdays. Prices change, so confirm dates and prices with the ship before you book. The plans below finish aboard well before 8 p.m. Check whether your evening falls on an event night before you plan to be on the ship after dark.

Mobility: The ship’s FAQ page has no accessibility information, so anyone with mobility limits should phone the ship before buying tickets. The FAQ page lists agents available 7AM to 9PM Pacific.

Aquarium of the Pacific

The aquarium’s exhibits page says it has more than 12,000 animals and more than 100 exhibits. Its prices page lists general admission at $49.95 for adults, $46.95 for seniors (62+) and $34.95 for children (3-11).

Hours and booking: The aquarium’s prices page gives 9:00 am to 6:00 pm daily. The same page carries a banner reading “Reservations Required Weekends & Holidays”, and Go City also says booking is required. Reserve your time slot before you go, especially for a Saturday or Sunday visit.

From the port: Friday to Sunday, take Passport. Monday to Thursday, take a rideshare. From a downtown hotel, Friday-to-Sunday riders can catch an early Passport, since the first Friday southbound trip leaves 10th & Pine at 6:26. The LBT timetable has no aquarium stop, so confirm the nearest stop with Long Beach Transit or a map app. Weekday riders should check their rideshare app for a pickup wait and book so they are at the gate by 9:00.

How long: Go City lists up to three hours. The Better Vacation guide says a standard visit takes about 3 hours, and 4 to 5 hours if you see the shows. Allow more time if you want shows and talks.

Combo ticket: The aquarium’s prices page lists an Aquarium + Queen Mary combo at $87.01 for adults and $68 for children. Separate adult tickets total $94.95. For a 62+ visitor, the aquarium senior ticket plus the Queen Mary adult ticket comes to $91.95. The aquarium’s page itself hands the combo’s BUY button to Tiqets, so the $87.01 price is a Tiqets price. Compare the totals at checkout before you pay.

Shoreline Village

Shoreline Village is a waterfront strip of shops and restaurants on Rainbow Harbor, with bike rentals. It is free to wander. The village’s contact page lists shops open 10 am to 9 pm, with hours to 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays that apply only from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and says restaurant hours vary. The page is not consistent on this: its intro says 10 pm daily, while its hours block says Friday and Saturday only. Confirm hours with the village before you go.

From the port: Friday to Sunday, take Passport between Queen Mary / Cruise Terminal and the Shoreline & Village stop. Friday trips take 9 to 10 minutes, and Saturday’s take about 12 minutes. Confirm Sunday travel times on the LBT route 37 timetable. Monday to Thursday, take a rideshare. How long: Allow 90 minutes with lunch.

Plan A: Friday, Saturday or Sunday

This plan assumes a downtown hotel the night before and a sailing the next day. Passport trips are not fixed here, so pick them from your day’s timetable. Friday, Saturday and Sunday have separate tables.

1. By 9:00 a.m.: Aquarium of the Pacific. Reservations are required on weekends and holidays, so book your 9:00 slot ahead. Take an early Passport. The LBT timetable has no aquarium stop, so confirm the nearest stop with Long Beach Transit or a map app. A standard visit takes about three hours, so plan to leave around noon. If you want the shows, the visit can run 4 to 5 hours.
2. About 12:15 p.m.: Shoreline Village. Use a map app to check the walk or ride from the aquarium. Have lunch and browse for about 90 minutes. If you stayed longer at the aquarium for shows, shorten or skip this stop so you reach the Queen Mary in good time before the 6 PM end of general admission.
3. Early afternoon: Passport to the Queen Mary. Choose a trip from your day’s timetable. Friday runs take 9 to 10 minutes, and Saturday’s take about 12 minutes.
4. Queen Mary, about two and a half hours. Start with the Embarkation tour, then explore the decks. Finish well before the 8 p.m. Dark Harbor start.
5. Evening: Passport from the same stop heads back toward downtown. Check the northbound table for the last trip.

Plan B: Monday to Thursday

With no Passport, cut one ride. Take a rideshare to be at the aquarium by 9:00. A standard visit takes about three hours, so plan to leave around noon, or later if you want the shows (4 to 5 hours in total). Then rideshare to the Queen Mary and allow about two and a half hours aboard. If the aquarium runs long, check that you will reach the ship before the 6 PM end of general admission. The ship’s FAQ says there are multiple dining options aboard, so eat there instead of making a Shoreline Village stop. Boarding the ship to eat needs a ship admission ticket, a hotel stay or a restaurant reservation, and the FAQ gives restaurant admission as $15, applied to the bill. Then rideshare to your hotel. If you want Shoreline Village, add it after the aquarium, and get a rideshare quote first. Dark Harbor can run on these days too, so check the event dates if you plan to stay on the ship into the evening.

If you can’t arrive the day before

The Queen Mary is the only stop next to the terminal, but you would carry your bags, since the terminal has no lockers. Cruise Hive says you can arrange early baggage check-in with Carnival. Unless your Carnival documents show a late check-in window, skip sightseeing. For arrival times, drop-off and parking, see our guide to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal: parking, drop-off and arrival time. If you are still choosing an airport, LGB vs LAX vs SNA for the Long Beach cruise terminal compares the options.

Top photo: Canadian-Nature-Visions on Pixabay.