SAN PEDRO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The departure of the Grand Princess at the Port of Los Angeles on September 25 signaled the start of a big comeback for cruise ship operations at the World Cruise Center on the LA Waterfront.
The Port is forecasting more than 200 sailings during the 2022 calendar year – the most since 2008. Vacationers can choose itineraries from 11 unique cruise brands, anchored by the Port’s longest-standing cruise partner Princess Cruises, along with Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, which makes its return to the Los Angeles market after a decade.
Luxury cruise lines Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Viking Cruises, Crystal, Seabourn, Cunard and NYK also have scheduled sailings from the LA Waterfront this coming year.
“Resumption of cruises from the LA Waterfront is not only great news for our cruise partners and local economy, but also the tens of thousands of vacationers who will have a variety of cruise options, itineraries and exciting destinations conveniently accessible from the Port of Los Angeles,” said Christopher Chase, marketing manager at the Port of Los Angeles.
“Many of these cruise ships are less than five years old, and can be considered destinations in and of themselves, featuring incredible amenities that passengers of all ages can appreciate,” added Chase.
Sailing from the Port of Los Angeles since 1965, Princess Cruises and its iconic LA-based Pacific Princess introduced cruise vacations to a new generation of travelers when the ship was featured on The Love Boat television series starting in the 1970s. More than a half century later, Princess Cruises’ 70 departures out of Los Angeles in 2022 include sailings on the Discovery Princess, the cruise line’s newest 3,600-passenger flagship vessel, slated to arrive in the first half of next year.
In 2022, Princess Cruises’ itineraries out of Los Angeles will largely focus on week-long trips to the Mexican Rivera, with stops in Cabo San Lucas, Puerta Vallarta and Mazatlán. Once Hawaii lifts its current COVID-19 travel restrictions, Princess Cruises will once again offer its popular 14-day itineraries to the Hawaiian Islands.
Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy, also newer vessels, will continue to sail from the LA Waterfront. With capacity for up to 4,500 passengers, they are the largest cruise ships serving the U.S. West Coast and also sail Mexican Riviera itineraries.
For 2022, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines will return to the LA Waterfront with its 3,200-passenger Navigator of the Seas, offering year-round, twice-weekly three-day getaways to Ensenada, Mexico, and four-day cruises to Ensenada and Catalina Island. Since the early 2000s, Ensenada has grown into an emerging Baja California culinary hub, known for its fish and lobster tacos, plus an expanding wine region.
Los Angeles remains a top market for cruises, widely recognized as a convenient embarkation and disembarkation point for sea-going travelers. Its new and expanded cruise offerings solidify Los Angeles as an exciting gateway to cruises throughout the Pacific.
Cruise travel is also a valuable component of L.A. tourism economy. A busy cruise weekend, with three or four ships in port, brings as many as 20,000 travelers to the LA Waterfront. Each cruise ship call generates more than $1 million in economic activity.
L.A. is also the nation’s largest “drive-to” cruise market, attracting motorists from as far as Phoenix and Las Vegas. Farther north, cruise vacationers from San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, BC, Canada, appreciate the fly-in convenience of Los Angeles World Airport, 22 miles north of the Port, as do the frequent wintertime Canadian “snowbirds” from Edmonton and Calgary. Click here for cruise schedules.
