The ship is at San Pedro. I thought I’d stay closer to the waterfront for a hotel, maybe an airport hotel? Thanks a lot for the beach information! I thought Santa Barbara or Malibu would be nice.
You can’t go wrong hugging the Pacific on the PCH. I do not enjoy large cities so I wouldn’t go in to LA proper. The beaches south of SP are busy and tough to find parking. North a few miles has better access. Maybe a theme park but that is a full day and very expensive. You can spend some time at Santa Monica Pier and do some rides only a few miles from the airport. Disneyland is at least an hour drive and there is nothing nice along the way. LAX is quite cheap and easy for car rental and easy to get in and out of. Hotels are around $100 a night. Anything less wild be far from the beach. What are the kids interested in? LA is so huge it has something for everyone.