Have you booked the swingers and lifestyle Couples Cruise swingers on the Celebrity Century that leaves from Los Angeles in May of 2014?  If so, have you thought about where you will be staying prior to, or after the cruise?  For those of you who don’t know Los Angeles, the Celebrity docks in San Pedro, which is about 20 miles due south of downtown Los Angeles, in the Port of LA.  San Pedro is a sleeping little town at the foot of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and there is not much to see or do in San Pedro.

However, about ten minutes from the cruise ship terminal, across the Vincent Thomas Bridge and Gerald Desmond Bridge, you’re in the heart of Long Beach.  Long Beach is one of Southern California’s undiscovered gems.  While tourists coming to LA visit Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica, many visitors bypass one of the nicest cities in California.

So for those of you who don’t want to stay in San Pedro, we’ve booked a block of rooms in downtown Long Beach on the world famous Queen Mary hotel/ocean liner and best of all we’ve got a super rate of only $105 per night, plus local taxes.  When she was launched in 1936, she was the grandest ocean liner in the world.  Anyone who was anyone crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary.  After serving as a troop ship in World War II, and transporting hundreds of thousands of passengers across the Atlantic, the Queen Mary retired in 1967, was brought to Long Beach, California, and has been a Long Beach institution ever since.  She is now a floating hotel, event venue, museum and tourist attraction, and you can sleep aboard the Queen Mary and relive those elegant days-gone-by when royalty and the Hollywood elite graced her decks and restaurants. 

The Queen Mary’s rooms have all been refurbished to modern standards, but they still carry the character and classic elegance from those glory days.  Staying on the Queen Mary, with its art deco bar and award winning restaurants, is truly an experience not to be missed.

You can book your Queen Mary pre-cruise accommodations by clicking on this link, or by call (877) 342-0742 and using code DPT0514 to get the special Dream Pleasure Tours price.

You can book your Queen Mary post-cruise accommodations by clicking on this link.

When at the Queen Mary, you can also visit the Soviet submarine Scorpion, which is docked right next to the Queen Mary.  The Soviet Foxtrot class submarine was one of the most successful classes of submarine ever in service to the Soviet Navy. Seventy-nine Foxtrot's were constructed by the Soviet Union, the second largest class of submarines ever built by them, and the B-427, code named "Scorpion”, was one of their best!

Just outside the entrance to the Queen Mary you can catch the Long Beach red “Passport” free shuttle.  This shuttle, which runs about every 15 minutes, will take you across the short Queens Way bridge into Downtown Long Beach where you’ll find the Pike shopping and entertainment center, Shoreline Village restaurant and entertainment center, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the Long Beach Convention Center, the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, Shoreline Marina, Pine Avenue entertainment district, the Arts District shopping and entertainment area, and five miles of sandy beaches with a convenient beachfront walkway that runs the entire length of Long Beach right down to Seal Beach and Orange County.

Long Beach is known as one of California’s best walking cities.  The downtown area, which is right at the water’s edge, is safe day or evening, and packed with hundreds of restaurants, bars, theaters, and shops.  It’s also great for biking and you’ll find a number of bike rental locations in downtown Long Beach and in Shoreline Village.  In addition to riding the bike path to south Long Beach and Seal Beach, the downtown area is crisscrossed with designated bike lanes; some streets even have bike signals. For the more adventurous, downtown Long Beach is the terminus of the Blue Line train that runs from Long Beach right into downtown Los Angeles, where you can catch the Red Line right into the heart of Hollywood and Universal Studios. 
 
A visit to Long Beach is not complete without visiting the Aquarium of the Pacific.  The Aquarium of the Pacific is the fourth-most-visited Aquarium in the nation.  It features 11,000 animals in more than 50 exhibits. In addition to its animal exhibits, it has a variety of multimedia presentations on ocean science and important environmental topics. On selected evenings, the Aquarium hosts cocktail receptions and other adult-oriented events.

Downtown Long Beach is famous for its festivals.  Almost every weekend, starting with the Grand Prix in April, when the streets are closed off for this energy-charged week of racing, the city hosts a series of music and entertainment festivals and events.  To name just a few, there is the Jazz Festival, the Blues Festival, Funk Fest, Cajun Festival, Lobster Festival, Gay Pride Festival, Beer Festival, Grand Cru Long Beach and many more.

For beer lovers, Long Beach boasts many brew-pubs, restaurants and bars with a wide selection of beer on tap.  The Yard House in Shoreline Village has more than 100 beers on tap.  Rock Bottom Brewery at Pine and Ocean has its own brews and guest beers on tap, as does Beachwood BBQ on the Promenade.  Congregation Ale House, also on the Promenade, features about 30 beers on tap.  In the Pike you’ll find a Long Beach tradition - the Auld Dubliner Irish Pub. Walk along the beach and you’ll come to Belmont Brewing which also brews its own beer and where you can enjoy ocean front dining (Too lazy to walk? The red Passport bus will take you there for $1.50).  Best of all, you can visit all of these places without ever having to get in a car or taxi.

If you’re into wines, downtown Long Beach also has numerous wine bars and wine tasting rooms, including the District Wine Bar, the Wine Down Lounge, and the Wine Bar.  Sevilla on Pine Avenue, one of the best Spanish tapas restaurants we’ve ever visited, features a vinoteca wine lounge with 45 wines available for tasting.  This restaurant also features Spanish guitarists and other Latin entertainment every night of the week.

If you’re looking for food, downtown Long Beach has everything you’re looking for.  Yes, you’ll find those same chain restaurants you’ll find in all big cities, such as PF Chang’s, Dave’s Famous Barbeque, Hooters, Bubba Gump’s, Chili’s and more.  But we urge you to try the many locally owned restaurants such as Beachwood BBQ for great smoked meats, Georges Greek Restaurant (if you’re lucky, you’ll get to meet George in person), Sevilla for Spanish tapas and entertainment, Gaucho Grill for Argentinian steaks and empanadas, Wokano for Asian fusion, Belmont Brewing Company for the fish tacos, Kabob Curry for great Indian food, the Sky Room for old fashioned elegance (even if you don’t eat here, it’s worth heading up to the Sky Room bar for a martini and views from downtown Los Angeles to Catalina), 555 for a traditional steak house, l’Opera for upscale Italian, Utopia for creative eclectic dining or Asha for Moroccan food (Asha does not have a liquor license but BYOB is fine. There is no corkage charge, and you can pick up a bottle at District Wine right around the corner).

In addition to staying at the Queen Mary and enjoying all that Long Beach has to offer, Dream Pleasure Tours is planning a couple of special events just for travelers on the Couples Cruise and special invited guests.  We’ll have more information on those events soon.  Plus, we’ll be meeting in the Queen Mary Observation Bar and Art Deco Lounge for a meet and greet the night before the cruise.

Two of the owners of Dream Pleasure Tours live in sunny Long Beach California, and we are so pleased that the May 2014 Couples Cruise will be docking right in our backyard.  Please join us for this very special pre-cruise  (or post-cruise) adventure.  Stay at the Queen Mary in Long Beach where there is plenty to see and do before you get on the Century Celebrity. 

You can book your Queen Mary accommodations by clicking on this link, or by calling (877) 342-0742 and using code DPT0514 to get the special Dream Pleasure Tours price.

You can book your Queen Mary post-cruise accommodations by clicking on this link. 

Haven't book the Celebrity Cruise yet?  Click on Couples Cruise May 2014 and book your cabin now!