Cruises from Long Beach and Los Angeles: terminals, parking and the best trips
Cruises from Long Beach and Los Angeles are mostly short Baja trips and 7-night Mexican Riviera sailings, with longer Hawaii, Pacific Coast and Panama Canal cruises in some seasons. Carnival sails from its own Long Beach Cruise Terminal next to the Queen Mary, while most other lines use the World Cruise Center in San Pedro, across the harbor.
Book it if
- You want a 3- or 4-night cruise without flying.
- A 7-night Mexican Riviera trip to Cabo, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta sounds right.
- You want Hawaii round trip without a long flight, and you like sea days.
Skip it if
- You get bored on sea days. Hawaii round trips spend most of the voyage at sea.
- You want lots of different islands in a week. The Caribbean does that better.
- You want Alaska. Seattle is the better port for it.
Two terminals: Long Beach and San Pedro
The Los Angeles cruise port and the Long Beach cruise terminal sit on neighboring harbors run by two different port authorities. Your booking names the terminal, and the two are far enough apart that going to the wrong one can cost you your sailing.
- Long Beach Cruise Terminal
- 231 Windsor Way, Long Beach, CA 90802. Next to the Queen Mary. Owned and operated by Carnival Corporation and used by Carnival.
- World Cruise Center (San Pedro)
- 100 Swinford St, San Pedro, CA 90731 (Harbor Blvd and Swinford St). The Port of Los Angeles cruise terminal, under the Vincent Thomas Bridge. Home port for Princess, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Virgin Voyages, with visits from other lines.
- Airports
- LAX is about 18 miles from San Pedro and about 25 miles from the Long Beach terminal. Long Beach Airport is about 5 miles from the Long Beach terminal and about 10 miles from San Pedro.
- Season
- Year round
Long Beach cruise terminal parking
- Parking: there’s a parking structure at the terminal, paid by the day for the length of the cruise. It’s the simplest option for a Carnival cruise from Long Beach. The height limit is 7 feet, and oversized vehicles can’t park there. Check the current daily rate with Carnival before you go.
- Off-site lots: private lots nearby run shuttles to the terminal and are often cheaper. Check reviews and the shuttle schedule before you book one.
- From Long Beach Airport: the closest airport to the Carnival terminal, about 5 miles away.
San Pedro cruise terminal parking and getting there
- Parking: the World Cruise Center has secured lots with about 2,560 spaces, run by Parking Concepts for the port. The Port of Los Angeles lists the first hour free, then $2 an hour up to $23 a day for a standard vehicle and $40 a day for an oversized one (checked September 2026). No reservation is required.
- From LAX: about 18 miles to San Pedro. Allow extra time on a weekday afternoon. Taxis, rideshares and line transfers are the usual options.
LAX to Long Beach cruise terminal
It’s about 25 miles, so plan on a long ride if the freeways are busy. There’s no simple rail link with luggage, so book a taxi, a rideshare or the cruise line’s transfer.
Lines sailing from Los Angeles and Long Beach
Five lines are based here in 2026–2027: Carnival in Long Beach, and Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Virgin Voyages in San Pedro. Celebrity, Cunard, MSC, Regent and other lines call at San Pedro on longer trips. The table below shows sample sailings from our monthly snapshot.
- Carnival Cruise LineThe biggest presence here, with year-round 3- to 8-night Mexico trips on Carnival Radiance and Carnival Panorama. Carnival Firenze leaves Long Beach in early 2027. Usually the lowest fares.From $88 per personChecked September 2026
- Princess CruisesThe pick for longer trips: 16-day Hawaii round trips on Emerald Princess, 7-day Mexican Riviera sailings on Discovery Princess, and California coast trips. The new Star Princess makes one Mexican Riviera round trip from LA in April 2027 before its Seattle summer.From $114 per personChecked September 2026
- Royal CaribbeanShort getaways and Mexico cruises on activity-heavy ships from San Pedro. A good family option from LA.From $91 per personChecked September 2026
- Norwegian Cruise LineNorwegian Encore runs week-long Mexican Riviera round trips from Los Angeles in winter 2026–27, its first season here, and Norwegian Star sails the same route from San Diego. No fixed dining times.From $509 per personChecked September 2026
- Virgin VoyagesAdults-only sailings from San Pedro: Brilliant Lady runs 7-night Mexican Riviera trips from Los Angeles in November 2027.From $459 per personChecked September 2026
Royal Caribbean’s Los Angeles ships for 2026–27 are Voyager and Ovation of the Seas, with Serenade of the Seas in San Diego.
| Departs | Line and ship | Nights | Itinerary | From | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25, 2026 | Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Radiance | 4 | 4 Day Baja Mexico (from Los Angeles, California) | $194 | Check price |
| Oct 30, 2026 | Royal Caribbean, Voyager of the Seas | 6 | 6 Night Cabo Overnight & Ensenada (from Los Angeles, California) | $91 | Check price |
| Nov 1, 2026 | Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Panorama | 6 | 6 Day Mexican Riviera (from Los Angeles, California) | $129 | Check price |
| Nov 3, 2026 | Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Radiance | 5 | 5 Day Mexican Riviera (from Los Angeles, California) | $209 | Check price |
| Nov 22, 2026 | Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Radiance | 6 | 6 Day Mexican Riviera (from Los Angeles, California) | $534 | Check price |
| Dec 17, 2026 | Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Radiance | 3 | 3 Day Baja Mexico (from Los Angeles, California) | $109 | Check price |
| Jan 3, 2027 | Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Radiance | 4 | 4 Day Baja Mexico (from Los Angeles, California) | $88 | Check price |
| Jan 8, 2027 | Royal Caribbean, Voyager of the Seas | 7 | 7 Night Cabo, Vallarta & Mazatlan (from Los Angeles, California) | $280 | Check price |
| Jan 12, 2027 | Carnival Cruise Line, Carnival Radiance | 5 | 5 Day Mexican Riviera (from Los Angeles, California) | $404 | Check price |
| Jan 21, 2027 | Oceania Cruises, Oceania Vista | 18 | 18 Night Transpacific Cruise (from Los Angeles, California) | $7,499 | Check price |
| Jan 29, 2027 | Royal Caribbean, Voyager of the Seas | 5 | 5 Night Catalina & Ensenada Cruise (from Los Angeles, California) | $236 | Check price |
| Mar 2, 2027 | Princess Cruises, Island Princess | 16 | 16 Night Transcanal Cruise (from Los Angeles, California) | $1,399 | Check price |
Best cruises from LA and Long Beach by season
- Year round: Baja and Ensenada. A 3-day cruise from Long Beach to Ensenada, or a 4-night trip adding Catalina Island or San Diego, is the classic first cruise. See our short cruise guide.
- Year round: the Mexican Riviera. Seven nights to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. It’s warmest in winter, when the rest of the West Coast is cold.
- Fall to spring: Hawaii. Princess’s Hawaii round trips from LA run 16 days, from September 2026 to March 2027, and more than half the trip is at sea. Foreign-flagged ships have to stop at a foreign port, usually Ensenada.
- Spring and fall: Pacific Coast, Panama Canal and repositioning. One-way sailings when ships move between Alaska and the Caribbean. Good value per night if you can manage one-way flights.
For summer Alaska, fly to Seattle instead. See our Alaska cruises from Seattle guide.
Which terminal is easier?
Long Beach is the easier start: the terminal is next to downtown Long Beach, with hotels, restaurants and the Queen Mary nearby, and Long Beach Airport is close. San Pedro is quieter and more industrial, but it’s the terminal for most lines other than Carnival, so your line usually decides for you. If you’re staying the night before, downtown Long Beach works for either terminal.
Three insider picks
1. Short Baja trips are a cheap trial run. If you’re not sure cruising is for you, a 3-night Ensenada trip is one of the cheapest ways to find out. Expect a lively, party-leaning crowd on weekend departures.
2. Mexican Riviera in winter, not summer. From December to April, a Mexican Riviera cruise gives you reliable warm weather when California is cool. In late summer and early fall it’s hot and humid, and it’s hurricane season on Mexico’s Pacific coast.
3. Hawaii round trips are for people who love sea days. Round trips to Hawaii from LA spend about four days at sea each way. That’s a feature if you want the ship, and a problem if you want the islands. Fly to Honolulu for Norwegian’s Pride of America, which sails 7-night inter-island trips from Honolulu through the 2026–27 season, if the islands are the point.
Long Beach and LA cruise FAQ
Which cruise lines sail from Long Beach?
Carnival is the main line at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal. Most other lines sail from the World Cruise Center in San Pedro, the Port of Los Angeles. Check your booking for the terminal.
Where do I park for a Carnival cruise from Long Beach?
The parking structure at the terminal is the closest, paid by the day for the whole trip, with a 7-foot height limit. Private lots nearby with shuttles are often cheaper.
Do I need a passport for a Mexico cruise from Long Beach?
On a round trip from Long Beach or Los Angeles, U.S. citizens can sail with a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID, because it’s a closed-loop cruise under CBP rules. A passport is safer in case you have to fly home from Mexico. More in our no-passport cruises guide.
Are there Alaska cruises from Los Angeles?
A few. In 2027 Princess runs two 16-day Inside Passage round trips from Los Angeles on Emerald Princess, with a day in Glacier Bay, and some ships sail one way between LA and Alaska when they reposition in spring and fall. For most people, flying to Seattle for a 7-night round trip is quicker and gives you more time in Alaska.
Is the San Pedro cruise terminal the same as the Los Angeles cruise port?
Yes. The World Cruise Center in San Pedro is the Port of Los Angeles cruise terminal. It’s a separate port from Long Beach, across the harbor.
Sources
- Port of Los Angeles: Los Angeles Cruise Terminal (World Cruise Center)
- LA Waterfront: cruise lines and parking at the World Cruise Center
- Visit Long Beach: Long Beach Cruise Terminal information
- Princess Cruises: 2026–2027 West Coast season
- Princess Cruises: 2027 Alaska season (Emerald Princess round trips from Los Angeles)
- Travel Market Report: Royal Caribbean's Los Angeles and San Diego ships from fall 2026
- Norwegian Cruise Line: 2026–27 winter itineraries (Norwegian Encore from Los Angeles)
- Cruise Industry News: Norwegian Cruise Line 2026–27 deployment
- Cruise Hive: Carnival's Long Beach ships through 2029 and Carnival Firenze's 2027 move
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (closed-loop cruises)