Best time to cruise from Los Angeles, month by month

The Los Angeles cruise season runs all year, from both San Pedro and Long Beach, and what changes is where the ships go. Short trips to Ensenada leave every month, the Mexican Riviera ships are here mostly from October to April, and summer is almost entirely short trips.

The table at the end of this guide shows the departures, destinations and 7-night fares for each month. It is rebuilt from the schedule every day.

When is the best time to cruise from Los Angeles?

The best time depends on the route, because each one has its own months. For a short trip any month works, and for Mexico beyond Ensenada, go between October and April.

Route	When it leaves	Sailings listed	Length in nights
Baja and Ensenada	Every month	375	3 to 8
Mexican Riviera	Mostly October to April	193	7 to 14
Hawaii	Late September to April	30	14 to 17
Pacific Coast	March to May, a few in fall	36	3 to 12
Panama Canal	September to May, none in summer	25	12 to 44
Alaska	Late April, May and September	7	10 to 18

The schedule runs from 2 November 2026 to 29 October 2028. Our destinations page has every route.

Is there an off-season for 3- and 4-night cruises from Los Angeles?

No, the 3- and 4-night trips have no off-season. They leave in every month on the schedule, mostly on Fridays and Mondays from both ports. What changes is who else is sailing. In June 2027 the schedule has 20 departures, and the only ones outside the Baja list are Carnival Panorama's 8-night trips from Long Beach.

The weather in Ensenada does change. Average highs run from about 67°F in December to 79°F in August and September, so a winter trip is a cooler one. The short cruises guide has the ships and days.

What sails from Los Angeles each month?

This is the number of departures in each month, and what they are. October 2027 is the busiest month on the schedule. The 2028 column shows only what Cruisebound sells today, so compare months within a year and not 2027 against 2028. A zero means nothing is listed yet.

Month	2027	2028	What leaves
January	43	41	Short trips, Mexican Riviera and Hawaii, plus many of the world cruises and South Pacific voyages
February	31	35	Short trips, Mexican Riviera, Hawaii and a few long voyages
March	30	31	Short trips and Mexican Riviera, a Panama Canal voyage, Princess's California coast round trips in 2027 and Carnival's Hawaii trips in 2028
April	42	32	Short trips and the last full month of Mexican Riviera. Ships start heading north to Vancouver
May	35	18	Short trips, one-way Pacific Coast trips to Vancouver and, in 2027, Alaska voyages
June	20	13	Short trips and Carnival Panorama's 6- and 8-night trips
July	22	14	The same, with Grand Princess's long voyage to Sydney in 2027
August	22	12	The same as June
September	28	16	Short trips, Carnival Panorama and an Alaska voyage. In 2027 Panama Canal and South Pacific voyages and a Hawaii trip are added
October	46	24	The Mexican Riviera returns, with Hawaii, Pacific Coast and short trips. Panama Canal is busiest
November	41	0	Short trips, Mexican Riviera and Hawaii, plus South Pacific voyages in 2027
December	36	0	Short trips, Mexican Riviera, Hawaii and a Panama Canal voyage

The cruises by month pages list every sailing.

When is the best time to cruise to Mexico from California?

For Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, go between October and April, and March and April fit best. Most Mexican Riviera ships are still sailing then, and from March to May all three ports average under 0.2 inch of rain a month. By May most of the ships have gone north. Ensenada works in any month.

Summer is hotter and wetter. Mazatlan averages over 7 inches of rain in each of July, August and September, and the station near Puerto Vallarta over 9. Cabo San Lucas is drier, with 3.4 inches in August and 4.3 in September.

These are average daily highs in °F, converted from Celsius for the Mexican stations:

Month	Long Beach	Ensenada	Cabo San Lucas	Mazatlan	Near Puerto Vallarta	Honolulu
January	67	68	80	78	85	81
February	67	68	81	79	87	81
March	69	69	83	80	88	81
April	71	71	86	82	91	83
May	73	71	90	86	93	85
June	76	73	91	90	93	87
July	81	78	94	92	93	88
August	83	79	94	92	93	89
September	82	79	93	92	92	88
October	78	76	92	90	92	87
November	73	73	87	86	91	84
December	67	67	81	80	86	82

Long Beach and Honolulu are NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, and Cabo San Lucas is the Mexican weather service's for the same years. Mazatlan and the La Desembocada station near Puerto Vallarta are its 1981 to 2010 normals. Ensenada is its long-run average for the observatory, which has no published normals. The periods differ, so read small gaps with care. Our Mexico guide compares the routes.

When is hurricane season for cruises from Los Angeles?

The eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from 15 May to 30 November, the National Hurricane Center says, and storms occasionally form outside those dates. It notes a peak in activity in late August, less pronounced than the Atlantic's. An average season has 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes.

That covers every summer sailing to Cabo San Lucas, and October and November, when the Mexican Riviera ships return. Most of the Mexican Riviera schedule, from December to April, falls outside it.

Lines can change a trip for weather. Carnival's ticket contract says it may change the itinerary or omit ports for any reason, naming weather, and that it owes no compensation in most such cases. Read your own line's terms if you are booking for late summer or fall.

What is the weather like when you leave Los Angeles?

Long Beach is mild all year, with average highs of 67°F in winter and 83°F in August, on NOAA's normals. Rain falls mostly in winter, about 3 inches in each of January and February, and almost none from June to September. Winter nights are cooler, with an average low of 47°F in December and January.

Expect cloud at the coast in early summer. A National Weather Service page says marine layer clouds are most likely to form from April to August, and that local winds most often bring them over the coast in May and June.

Are there summer cruises from Los Angeles?

Yes, but summer is the narrowest part of the year. From June to August the schedule is almost all 3- and 4-night trips to Ensenada and Catalina, on Carnival Radiance from Long Beach and, in 2027, Ovation of the Seas from San Pedro. Carnival Panorama adds its 6-night trips to Cabo San Lucas and 8-night trips to the Mexican Riviera.

If you want Hawaii, a Panama Canal crossing or a choice of 7-night Mexico ships, summer is the wrong time to sail from here. Long Beach is at its warmest, with average highs of 76°F to 83°F, and Cabo San Lucas averages 91°F to 94°F. These sailings also fall inside hurricane season.

When do Hawaii cruises leave Los Angeles?

Hawaii cruises leave between late September and April, and the schedule has none from May to August. Princess sails 16 nights from San Pedro and Carnival 14 nights from Long Beach. In Honolulu, average highs are 81°F to 82°F from December to March, and rain is highest from November to March, at about 2 inches a month. See the Hawaii guide.

When do Panama Canal and Pacific Coast cruises leave Los Angeles?

Panama Canal cruises leave from September to May, with October the busiest month and none on the schedule from June to August. They are one way, and most end in Florida. The Panama Canal guide has the voyages.

Pacific Coast cruises cluster in April and May, when ships sail north to Vancouver, one way. Princess adds round trips along the California coast in spring and fall. Alaska has only a few sailings from here, and the Alaska guide covers them.

Are there cruises from Los Angeles in December?

Yes, cruises leave every week in December, from both ports. December 2027 has 36 departures on the schedule, and December 2026 still has 39. They include 3- and 4-night trips, 5- to 8-night trips to Cabo San Lucas, the Mexican Riviera, Hawaii and Panama Canal voyages.

December falls outside the eastern Pacific hurricane season, and it is a cool month to leave. Long Beach averages a 67°F high, and Cabo San Lucas 81°F. On 2 November 2026 the lowest December 2027 fare was $319 per person, with taxes and port fees included. Our holiday cruises page lists the sailings over Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.

Which month is cheapest for a cruise from Los Angeles?

We cannot name one. We have no fare history yet, so we cannot tell you when fares fall, and a month's low depends on which ships sail in it. The table below shows 7-night fares for each month as they stand today. Our cheap and last-minute guide explains how to compare them.