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

Your terminal depends on your ship and your date. "Los Angeles" on a booking can mean either of two separate ports, about 10 miles apart by road. The quickest check is the seaport code on your itinerary: LAX for San Pedro, LGB for Long Beach.

• World Cruise Center, Berth 93, 100 Swinford Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. Most San Pedro sailings use it.
• Outer Harbor, Berth 46, 3011 Miner Street, San Pedro, CA 90731. A few ships use it.
• Long Beach Cruise Terminal, 231 Windsor Way, Long Beach, CA 90802, beside the Queen Mary. Carnival sails from here.

The bridge between the two ports closes on 7 November 2026, so the drive from one to the other gets longer. The distance section below has the detour.

This site is independent. It is not a port, a terminal operator, a cruise line or a travel agent.

Which cruise terminal does a cruise from Los Angeles use?

It depends on the port on your itinerary, so read the seaport code before anything else. The Port of Los Angeles calls this the easiest test: LAX means its terminal in San Pedro, and LGB means Long Beach. They are two different ports.

The words "Los Angeles" do not settle it. Carnival markets cruises from Los Angeles and says on its own page that it means cruises from Long Beach. Cruisebound's catalog files Carnival under Los Angeles too, yet Carnival's sailings start at Long Beach.

The schedule shows where each sailing leaves from. Today 281 of the 696 sailings here show the World Cruise Center, 9 show the Outer Harbor and 309 show Long Beach. Your boarding documents have the last word.

Which cruise lines use San Pedro and which use Long Beach?

Carnival uses Long Beach, and no Carnival ship appears on the San Pedro schedule. The other lines spread across the San Pedro berths. This table is the pattern in the Ports America schedule file we read on 1 November 2026, which ran to 31 December 2027.

Where	Lines in that file
World Cruise Center, Berth 92	Norwegian
World Cruise Center, Berth 93	Virgin, Cunard, Oceania, MSC, Silversea, AIDA
World Cruise Center, Berths 92 and 93	Royal Caribbean, Costa
World Cruise Center and Outer Harbor	Princess, Regent, Celebrity
Outer Harbor, Berth 46	Viking, Explora Journeys, Phoenix Reisen

Read that as a pattern, never as a rule for one sailing. Some of those lines make only a few calls, and the line is no guide to the berth. Eight ships in that file used more than one berth:

• Emerald Princess and Crown Princess at 92, 93 and 46
• Star Princess at 92 and 46
• Celebrity Summit at 93 and 46
• Coral Princess, Voyager of the Seas, Costa Deliziosa and Seven Seas Prestige at 92 and 93

Emerald Princess shows how quickly it can change. On 1 November 2026 the file had her at Berth 93 on 25 January 2027, Berth 92 on 10 February and Berth 46 on 26 February.

Why some San Pedro sailings show no berth

We take the berth from the Ports America schedule and never guess it from the line. That schedule currently ends on 31 December 2027, so later sailings show San Pedro with no berth. If yours shows none, use your boarding documents. Long Beach is a separate port and is not on that schedule.

How far apart are the San Pedro and Long Beach cruise terminals?

The terminals are about 10 miles apart by road, the same round figure the Port of Los Angeles gives for Long Beach. Our routing check on 1 November 2026 gave about 8.5 miles and 16 minutes with no traffic, over the Vincent Thomas Bridge.

That route is about to close. Caltrans says the bridge shuts at 12:01 am on Saturday 7 November 2026 for 16 months, and it aims to reopen in early March 2028. Drivers will detour mainly along I-710, I-110, State Route 103 and Harry Bridges Boulevard. The same routing check with a stop on Harry Bridges Boulevard gave 10.2 miles from San Pedro to Long Beach and 11.5 miles the other way, before any detour traffic.

The two ports are not interchangeable on the day, so confirm yours before you book a car or a hotel. For the night before, see hotels near the San Pedro cruise port or hotels near the Long Beach cruise terminal.

World Cruise Center

The San Pedro cruise terminal is at Berth 93, 100 Swinford Street, San Pedro, CA 90731, at Harbor Boulevard and Swinford Street, and Ports America operates it. The Port's cruise page now calls it the Los Angeles Cruise Terminal, so expect both names. That page says Berths 92-93 in one place and 91-93 in another, and the schedule uses 92 and 93. The World Cruise Center page lists its sailings.

• Phone. The terminal is on (310) 519-2342 or (310) 561-4992.
• By car from LAX or downtown. The Port's FAQ directions take I-110 south to the Harbor Boulevard exit, straight through the intersection, then right into the terminal. That page refers to the 2025 season, and a new SR 47 off-ramp at Harbor Boulevard opened on 30 October 2026, so check a live map on the day. The Port puts the terminal about 18 miles from LAX and 25 miles from Union Station.
• By car from Long Beach. The Port's FAQ route uses the Vincent Thomas Bridge, so from 7 November 2026 follow the Caltrans detour instead.
• Parking. See cruise parking in San Pedro.
• By Metro. Line 950 of the J Line runs between El Monte and San Pedro through Union Station. Line 910 stops at Harbor Gateway Transit Center and does not reach San Pedro. Metro's timetable effective 7 June 2026 shows Pacific and 21st and the Harbor Beacon Park and Ride lot as its San Pedro timing points, so plan the last stretch with a trip planner.
• By bus from Long Beach. LADOT Commuter Express 142 runs between Miner Street at Harbor Boulevard in San Pedro and the Long Beach Transit Mall, every day of the year. The one-way fare was $1.50 on 1 November 2026. From 7 November 2026 it takes a detour route and runs free during the closure, every 30 to 40 minutes. The eastbound stop at Ocean and Magnolia will not be served.
• Around San Pedro. The Port also lists LADOT DASH and the San Pedro Red Trolley.
• Rental cars. Enterprise, 235 W. 6th Street, and Hertz, 222 W. 6th Street, offer free pick-up and drop-off at the terminal. Both open Monday to Friday 8 am to 6 pm and Saturday 9 am to 1 pm, and both close on Sunday.

Outer Harbor

The Outer Harbor is a separate site about 2 miles south of the World Cruise Center by road, on our routing check. A ship at Berth 46 does not sail from the main terminal, so check the berth for your date.

The Port's current page lists Outer Harbor as Berths 45 to 49 at 3011 Miner Street, San Pedro, CA 90731, phone (310) 732-3860. It describes one berth on a multi-use site that is both a cruise ship berth and a venue for major public events. The Port's June 2024 news release gives 3011 Dave Arian Way for its planned terminal on Berths 46 to 50. If your map app struggles with one address, try the other. In 2019 the Port called the area a temporary berth location for cruise ships.

We found no current page from the Port, Ports America or a cruise line on parking, drop-off or shuttles at Berth 46. Ask your line how it works on your date, and do not assume the World Cruise Center arrangements apply. The Outer Harbor page lists its sailings.

The Port has plans for this site. It announced in January 2026 that Pacific Cruise Terminals had been selected to build a new cruise center in the Outer Harbor. Its 8 October 2026 Harbor Commission agenda proposed an exclusive negotiating agreement for a long-term lease covering both the Outer Harbor and the World Cruise Center berths. We found no opening date.

Long Beach Cruise Terminal

Carnival sails from this terminal at 231 Windsor Way, Long Beach, California 90802. The City of Long Beach says it has a long-term lease with Carnival to own and operate the terminal, which is not part of the Port of Los Angeles. City documents place it at Pier H beside the Queen Mary, in the geodesic dome next to the ship, at the south end of I-710 across Queensway Bay from downtown. The Long Beach page and Carnival's line page list the sailings.

• Parking. Carnival says terminal parking is limited. See cruise parking in Long Beach.
• From the airports. Carnival sells transfers from LAX and Long Beach Airport on sailing day. Our airport guide covers those and the other options.
• By free bus. Long Beach Transit's Passport bus has a Queen Mary / Cruise Terminal stop, number 4099. The timetable effective 23 August 2026 runs it from 10th and Pine through Long Beach Boulevard at 1st Street and Shoreline at Village.
• By Metro. The A Line reaches the First Street Transit Gallery, on First Street between Long Beach Boulevard and Pacific Avenue. Long Beach Transit routes and LADOT buses connect there too.
• By bus from San Pedro. Long Beach Transit points riders to LADOT route 142, covered under World Cruise Center.

How does check-in work at the Los Angeles cruise terminals?

Your cruise line sets the check-in rules, so follow its boarding documents. Carnival's help page gives these rules for its guests:

• Complete Online Check-in by midnight Eastern time before your sailing date. You pick an arrival appointment there, and everyone in the stateroom should arrive within it.
• At check-in, show your boarding pass, picture ID and citizenship documents.
• Checked baggage service ends 2 hours before the ship's published departure. If you arrive after that, you take your own bags on board.
• Be on board by the Final Boarding time on your boarding pass, or you will not sail.

At the World Cruise Center, the Port says the terminal cannot store bags. Carry-on bags stay with you until you are on board, and you take all your bags with you after you disembark. Our documents guide and first-cruise FAQ cover the rest.

Where do you get dropped off at the San Pedro and Long Beach cruise terminals?

At the World Cruise Center, the Port recommends dropping passengers and luggage at the front of the terminal before you park. Cars enter on Swinford Street off Harbor Boulevard. Carnival's page gives no drop-off instructions for Long Beach, so follow the emails it sends before you sail.