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Cruises from San Diego: terminals, Disney sailings and Mexico trips

Updated by Andrew J.

Cruises from San Diego are mostly 3- to 7-night Baja and Mexican Riviera trips between fall and spring, led by Disney Wonder, which is based here from October 2026 to April 2027, and Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas, plus longer Holland America voyages to Hawaii and the Panama Canal. Ships leave from two downtown piers on the North Embarcadero, about 2 miles from the airport.

Aerial view of cruise ships docked at the North Embarcadero in San Diego
Photo: Port of San Diego, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Book it if

  • You want Disney Wonder on a Baja or Mexican Riviera cruise.
  • You'd like a 3- or 4-night trip to Ensenada or Catalina without flying far.
  • You want a long Holland America voyage to Hawaii, the Panama Canal or the South Pacific.

Skip it if

  • Your dates are in summer. Most lines have moved to Alaska by then.
  • You want Carnival. Its West Coast ships sail from Long Beach.
  • You want Alaska on a 7-night trip. Seattle or Vancouver is the better port.
120°W115°W110°W105°W20°N25°N30°N35°NSan DiegoEnsenadaCabo San LucasMazatlánPuerto VallartaLa PazCatalinaLos Angeles
The ringed mark is the departure port; open marks are other places named in this guide. Not for navigation. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

San Diego cruise terminals

San Diego has two cruise terminals, next to each other on the downtown waterfront. B Street handles most ships; Broadway Pier takes the overflow. Your cruise documents say which one.

B Street Cruise Ship Terminal
1140 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101. The larger pier and the one most ships use.
Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier
1000 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101. A block south of B Street, used when two ships are in or for smaller ships.
From San Diego airport (SAN)
About 2 miles, under 10 minutes by car.
By train
Santa Fe Depot (Amtrak, Coaster and the Trolley) is two blocks east of the terminals.
Season
Mainly fall to spring. The 2026–27 season runs from mid-September 2026 to late May 2027, with 183 scheduled cruise calls and more than 700,000 passengers expected, the most in over 15 years.
Boarding
Don't arrive before 10 a.m.; come at your assigned boarding time.

San Diego cruise port parking

You can’t park on the pier during your cruise, and the Port of San Diego doesn’t run cruise parking itself. It lists these private options, all booked on their own reservation sites, which show the current rates:

  • Ace Parking hotel lots and garages. The Wyndham, BRIC North and BRIC South lots are across the street from the terminals. Other Ace locations need a taxi or rideshare.
  • Aladdin Airport & Cruise Ship Parking, 2548 Kettner Blvd, about 1.4 miles away, with a free shuttle to the terminals. Covered, with a 6’9” height limit.
  • San Diego’s Park, Shuttle & Fly, 3405 Pacific Highway, about 2.8 miles away, with a 24/7 shuttle. No RVs.
  • ABM lots: two surface lots about 0.6 miles away and the Campus at Horton garage (800 4th Ave), under a mile away. No shuttles.
  • San Diego International Airport parking plaza, about 2 miles away. Take a taxi, rideshare or the MTS 992 bus to the pier.

Book ahead for holiday sailings, when two ships can be in port the same day. If you’re flying in, skip the car. The airport is so close that a taxi or rideshare is a short ride, and you can be at the pier within minutes of landing.

Cruise lines sailing from San Diego

Disney, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are the lines based in San Diego in 2026–27. Royal Caribbean is new here this season, and Disney has added a second ship for part of it. Princess, MSC, Virgin Voyages, Viking and Silversea call on longer or one-way voyages. The table below shows sample sailings from our monthly snapshot.

  • Disney Cruise LineDisney Wonder sails 3- to 7-night trips from October 2026 to April 2027, to Catalina, Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. Disney Magic adds 3- to 7-night sailings in October 2026, then leaves for Texas in November. Disney has extended its San Diego deal through at least 2031.
    From $582 per personChecked October 2026
  • Holland America LineSan Diego's longtime partner, with Koningsdam, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam among the ships here in 2026–27. Mexico, Hawaii and Panama Canal voyages, many of them long, plus short Pacific Coast trips north in spring. Best for retirees and people with time.
    From $264 per personChecked October 2026
  • Royal CaribbeanNew to San Diego in 2026–27, with 47 calls. Serenade of the Seas sails 3- to 7-night Ensenada, Catalina, Cabo, La Paz and Mazatlán trips. A mid-size ship, without the big-ship attractions of Royal's newer fleet.
    From $67 per personChecked October 2026
  • Norwegian Cruise LineNorwegian Star sails 6- and 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises from San Diego in winter 2026–27, the line's second San Diego season, with no fixed dining times.
    From $289 per personChecked October 2026
  • Princess CruisesOccasional sailings from San Diego, such as Island Princess's 16-night Panama Canal voyage in winter 2026–27. Its main California base is Los Angeles.
    From $1,619 per personChecked October 2026

Ship guides: Disney Wonder and Disney Magic.

Sample sailings from San Diego, 2026–2027. From-prices per person, checked October 2026.
DepartsLine and shipNightsItineraryFrom
Oct 16, 2026Disney Cruise Line, Disney Magic33 Night Baja Mexico Cruise (from San Diego, California)$747Check price
Oct 18, 2026Disney Cruise Line, Disney Wonder44 Night Baja Mexico Cruise (from San Diego, California)$608Check price
Oct 19, 2026Disney Cruise Line, Disney Magic55 Night Baja Mexico Cruise (from San Diego, California)$800Check price
Oct 22, 2026Disney Cruise Line, Disney Wonder55 Night Baja Mexico Cruise (from San Diego, California)$675Check price
Oct 24, 2026Disney Cruise Line, Disney Magic66 Night Baja Mexico Cruise (from San Diego, California)$1,008Check price
Oct 27, 2026Disney Cruise Line, Disney Wonder66 Night Baja Mexico Cruise (from San Diego, California)$822Check price
Oct 30, 2026Disney Cruise Line, Disney Magic77 Night Baja Mexico Cruise (from San Diego, California)$1,057Check price
Nov 13, 2026Disney Cruise Line, Disney Wonder33 Night Baja Mexico Cruise (from San Diego, California)$582Check price
Nov 15, 2026Royal Caribbean, Serenade of the Seas77 Night Ensenada, Cabo & La Paz Cruise (from San Diego, California)$136Check price
Nov 28, 2026Holland America Line, Koningsdam1010 Night Mexico Cruise (from San Diego, California)$649Check price
Nov 29, 2026Disney Cruise Line, Disney Wonder55 Night Baja Mexico Cruise (from San Diego, California)$750Check price
Dec 3, 2026Royal Caribbean, Serenade of the Seas33 Night Ensenada Cruise (from San Diego, California)$67Check price

Disney cruise from San Diego

Disney Wonder is Disney’s West Coast ship. From San Diego it sails short Baja trips to Ensenada and Catalina, and 5- to 7-night Mexican Riviera trips to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, including over the 2026 holidays. It’s one of Disney’s two oldest and smallest ships, so book it for Disney’s service and characters rather than big-ship attractions. In summer it moves to Alaska from Vancouver; see our Alaska cruise from Vancouver guide.

Best cruises from San Diego by season

  • Fall to spring: Mexico cruises from San Diego. Three nights to Ensenada, four or five nights adding Catalina or Cabo, or seven nights on the Mexican Riviera to Cabo, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. Winter has the best weather in Mexico. More in our Mexico cruise guide.
  • Fall and spring: Hawaii. Holland America runs long round trips to Hawaii, with several sea days each way. Compare them in our Hawaii cruise guide.
  • Fall to spring: Panama Canal and repositioning. One-way trips through the canal as ships change seasons, such as Island Princess’s 16-night voyage in winter 2026–27. Disney Magic’s 14-night Panama Canal repositioning from San Diego comes in fall 2027, not 2026.
  • Spring: Pacific Coast. As Holland America’s ships head north for Alaska, short 4- to 6-night Pacific Coast trips leave San Diego in April.
  • Summer: almost nothing. The 2026–27 season ends in late May. Look at Alaska from Seattle or Vancouver instead.

Three insider picks

1. The 3-day cruise from San Diego is the easy first cruise. A short Ensenada trip, with Catalina on some four-night sailings, is a low-cost way to try cruising or a Disney ship. Expect lots of families on Disney and a younger crowd on weekend sailings.

2. Book holiday Disney sailings early. Disney Wonder’s Christmas and New Year sailings are some of the most in-demand West Coast cruises. See our Christmas and New Year cruises guide.

3. Stay downtown the night before. The terminals are a walk from many Embarcadero and Little Italy hotels, so you can drop the car at home, fly in the day before and walk to the pier.

San Diego cruise FAQ

Which cruise lines sail out of San Diego?

In 2026–27, Disney, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are based here, and Princess, MSC, Virgin Voyages, Viking and Silversea call on longer or one-way voyages. Carnival’s California ships sail from Long Beach; see our Long Beach and Los Angeles guide.

Where do I park for a cruise from San Diego?

Not on the pier, and the Port doesn’t run cruise parking. The closest lots are Ace Parking’s Wyndham and BRIC lots across the street; Aladdin Airport & Cruise Ship Parking and Park, Shuttle & Fly are a little farther out but run shuttles to the terminals. Book on each operator’s site, which shows the current rate.

Do I need a passport for a Mexico cruise from San Diego?

Under CBP’s closed-loop rule, U.S. citizens on a round trip from San Diego can sail with an original birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. But the Port of San Diego’s own boarding tips say passports are required for Mexico cruises, so check your cruise line’s document rules before you go. A passport is the safe choice, and you’ll need one if you have to fly home from Mexico. See our no-passport cruises guide.

Are there Alaska cruises from San Diego?

Not really. We found no regular Alaska round trips from San Diego for 2027. In spring, Holland America runs short one-way Pacific Coast trips north as its ships head to Alaska, but for a 7-night Alaska cruise go from Seattle or Vancouver.

When is the San Diego cruise season?

Mainly from mid-September to late May, when ships sail to Mexico. The 2026–27 season runs from September 16, 2026 to May 24, 2027. Most ships leave for Alaska in summer.

Sources

  1. Port of San Diego: navigating the cruise terminals
  2. Port of San Diego: Disney Cruise Line homeport partnership extended through at least 2031 (April 2026)
  3. Port of San Diego: long-term cruise parking options
  4. CruiseNews.io: San Diego opens its largest cruise season in more than 15 years (2026–27)
  5. Disney Parks Blog: fall 2026 and spring 2027 itineraries (Disney Magic and Wonder from San Diego)
  6. Cruise Industry News: Norwegian Cruise Line 2026–27 deployment
  7. U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (closed-loop cruises)