Guides

Getting to the ship in Los Angeles

The schedule tells you when to sail. These guides cover the rest: which of the two terminals you need, parking, the three airports, hotels the night before, the documents to bring and where each route goes. Each one lists its sources and the date we last checked them.

Aerial view of the Vincent Thomas Bridge over Los Angeles Harbor, with a cruise ship at its berth in San Pedro, parking lots beside the pier and container terminals on both sides of the channel

Los Angeles cruise port: San Pedro or Long Beach cruise terminal?

A cruise sold as Los Angeles leaves from one of two separate ports, about 10 miles apart. San Pedro is the Port of Los Angeles, seaport code LAX, and Long Beach, code LGB, is where Carnival sails. San Pedro ships use the World Cruise Center or, less often, the Outer Harbor, so check the row for your date.

Updated 2026-11-01

The Norwegian Star docked at Berth 91 of the World Cruise Center in San Pedro, seen across the parking lot in front of the terminal, with parked cars and a coach

Cruise parking in Los Angeles: San Pedro and Long Beach rates

Parking Concepts posted a $23 daily maximum at the World Cruise Center lot in San Pedro on 1 November 2026, which is $161 for a 7-night cruise by our arithmetic. The Port of Los Angeles tariff allows up to $24. Carnival, which runs the Long Beach terminal, publishes no rate and says parking there is limited, and the city's visitor bureau listed $23 a day.

Updated 2026-11-01

The Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport, with its white arched legs holding a saucer-shaped restaurant above a blue tower, against a clear sky

LAX to the San Pedro and Long Beach cruise ports: airports and transfers

LAX is about 22 road miles from the World Cruise Center in San Pedro and about 24 from the Long Beach Cruise Terminal by our own measurement, and Long Beach Airport is closer to both. On 1 November 2026 Carnival listed transfers from $34.99 a person from LAX and $31.99 from Long Beach Airport, and LAX's SkyLink train was not open. The Vincent Thomas Bridge between San Pedro and Long Beach closes for 16 months from 7 November 2026.

Updated 2026-11-01

Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas docked at the cruise pier in Ensenada, Mexico, seen from the shore with port cranes at the right and a road and fence in the foreground

First cruise from Los Angeles or Long Beach: questions and answers

Check your port first, because seaport code US LAX means San Pedro and US LGB means Long Beach. Arrive in the slot you pick at online check-in, not before it. Daily gratuities ran from $17 to $25 a person on the lines' pages on 1 November 2026, depending on the line and the cabin.

Updated 2026-11-01

Three dark blue United States passports standing side by side, each with the gold eagle emblem and the word Passport on the cover

Do you need a passport to cruise from Los Angeles or Long Beach?

On a round trip from Los Angeles or Long Beach, a U.S. citizen can board with a birth certificate and government photo ID, though the lines recommend a passport and you need one to fly home from Mexico. One-way voyages and Panama calls need more. Hawaii round trips stop in Mexico because of the Passenger Vessel Services Act.

Updated 2026-11-01

The Vincent Thomas Bridge over San Pedro Harbor in Los Angeles, seen from the San Pedro waterfront with palm trees, the cargo ship SS Lane Victory moored at the quay and container cranes beyond

Hotels near the San Pedro cruise port

The Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor is the closest hotel we measured to the World Cruise Center, a 17-minute walk or a 6-minute drive. Four of the 19 hotels here offer a ride to the terminal, free at Vagabond Inn San Pedro and DoubleTree San Pedro, and four sell cruise parking. Drive times already assume the Vincent Thomas Bridge is closed.

Updated 2026-11-01

Downtown Long Beach at dusk, seen across the harbor from the Queen Mary, with office towers, the Pike Ferris wheel and a marina full of boats under a pink and blue sky

Hotels near the Long Beach cruise terminal

The Queen Mary is next to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal, a 5-minute walk on our route. Four hotels sell a stay with up to 7 nights of parking: The Maya, The Cove Hotel, Hotel Current and Marriott Long Beach Downtown. Hotels near Long Beach Airport are 16 to 20 minutes away by car.

Updated 2026-11-01

The Arch of Cabo San Lucas in Baja California Sur, Mexico, with blue sky, turquoise water and a small tour boat below the arch

Cruises from Los Angeles to Mexico: Baja or the Mexican Riviera?

Baja cruises from Los Angeles last 3 to 8 nights and go no further than Cabo San Lucas. Mexican Riviera cruises last 7 nights or more and carry on to Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. On 2 November 2026 the lowest fares were $193 and $299 per person.

Updated 2026-11-01

Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, with hotel towers and palm trees on the left, beachgoers on the sand and Diamond Head rising at the far end of the shore

Cruises to Hawaii from California: why no 7-day trip leaves Los Angeles

No 7-night cruise to Hawaii leaves Los Angeles or Long Beach, because the islands are more than 2,100 nautical miles away. Round trips on this schedule last 14 to 17 nights, on Carnival from Long Beach and on Princess and Celebrity from San Pedro. Fares started at $1,074 per person on 2 November 2026.

Updated 2026-11-01

Johns Hopkins Glacier at the head of Glacier Bay, Alaska, with snow-covered mountains rising behind it and broken ice floating on the water in front

Alaska cruises from Los Angeles: a short list of long trips

This schedule has 7 Alaska cruises from Los Angeles, lasting 10 to 18 nights and leaving in late April, May or September. Emerald Princess sails 3 round trips, and the other 4 end in Vancouver. Fares started at $1,524 per person on 2 November 2026.

Updated 2026-11-01

The cruise ship Coral Princess in a lock at the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal, with the lock walls and canal buildings beside it and hills and a bridge in the distance

Panama Canal cruises from Los Angeles: full transits and the flight home

Every Panama Canal cruise from Los Angeles is one way, and most last 14 to 20 nights and end in Fort Lauderdale or Miami. All but one go through the canal, and that one ends in Panama City. Fares started at $1,199 per person on 2 November 2026, not counting the flight home.

Updated 2026-11-01

Avalon Harbor on Santa Catalina Island, California, with palm trees in the foreground, hillside houses behind the bay and the round Catalina Casino at the far right

Short cruises from Los Angeles and Long Beach: 3-day, 4-day and weekend trips

The schedule has 146 3-night and 154 4-night cruises. Nearly all the 3-night trips leave on a Friday for Ensenada, and most 4-night trips leave on a Monday and add Catalina. On 2 November 2026 starting fares were $209 for 3 nights and $193 for 4 nights, per person with taxes and port fees included.

Updated 2026-11-01

The cruise ship Ruby Princess passing the Angels Gate Lighthouse at the entrance to Los Angeles Harbor, with port cranes behind the ship

Cheap and last-minute cruises from Los Angeles and Long Beach

The lowest starting fare from Los Angeles and Long Beach was $193 per person on 2 November 2026, with taxes and port fees included, and the lowest per night was $43. Gratuities, drinks and parking are extra, and two people on 3 nights add about $180 at San Pedro by our arithmetic. We hold no fare history, so we cannot say whether waiting lowers a fare.

Updated 2026-11-01

Sunset over the Pacific Ocean from the cliffs at Point Fermin in San Pedro, Los Angeles, with the sun on the horizon behind a bare tree and the dark silhouette of a person at the left

Best time to cruise from Los Angeles, month by month

There is no off-season for 3- and 4-night cruises from Los Angeles, which leave in every month. The Mexican Riviera runs mostly from October to April, and Hawaii from late September to April. The eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from 15 May to 30 November, the National Hurricane Center says, with a peak in late August.

Updated 2026-11-01