Cabo by Wednesday, and the 405 is somebody else’s problem.
More than 800 sailings a year leave from San Pedro and Long Beach: Mexican Riviera weeks to Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta, 3 and 4 night Ensenada and Catalina weekends, 15 night Hawaii round trips, summer Alaska, Panama Canal and transpacific voyages. SmartCruiser shows every sailing leaving Los Angeles from every line, prices them with taxes and fees included, and puts the sailings with SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit and better-than-public fares at the top.
Three ways to sail from Los Angeles
Pick the trip and the list filters itself; San Pedro and Long Beach are both under an hour from LAX.
Mexican Riviera, 7 nights
- Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta with two sea days each way
- Saturday and Sunday departures year-round on Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival and Virgin
- Warm water from October through May when the rest of the country is cold
Best for: a classic first cruise, families on school breaks, anyone who wants a week without a flight.
Baja weekends, 3 and 4 nights
- Thursday or Friday to Monday to Ensenada, often with a Catalina Island day
- Carnival from Long Beach and Royal Caribbean from San Pedro, every week
- The lowest fares on the West Coast; often less than a hotel weekend
Best for: first-timers, birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette groups, a quick reset.
Hawaii, 15 nights round trip
- Four or five islands and ten sea days, no flight to Honolulu
- Princess and Royal Caribbean, mostly fall through spring
- Often with an Ensenada stop; a balcony pays for itself on this one
Best for: retirees, honeymooners with time, anyone who loves sea days.
Los Angeles deals: SmartCruiser picks first
Every sailing from San Pedro and Long Beach from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings, bonus onboard credit, a Special SmartCruiser rate, or a senior, resident or police & fire fare that beats the public price. Below them, every other sailing with full sorting.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery sailing from Los Angeles
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Where ships from Los Angeles sail
Seven destinations from two terminals. Pick one and the list above filters to it.
Which line from Los Angeles?
Six lines, two terminals, very different ships. Our one-line take on each.
When to go
Los Angeles sails all year. Here is when fares are lowest, and when the sun is worth paying for.
Los Angeles cruise questions we answer every day
Which terminal does my ship use, and what does parking cost?
Carnival sails from the Long Beach Cruise Terminal beside the Queen Mary, where the terminal garage runs about $23 a day, paid on exit, and fills up on busy weekends. Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Virgin and the other lines sail from the World Cruise Center in San Pedro, where the official lot is about $22 to $24 a day. Both are secure, both are a short walk to the ship, and your confirmation names the terminal.
How far is the airport?
LAX to San Pedro is about 20 miles and 35 to 60 minutes depending on the freeway; LAX to Long Beach is similar. Long Beach Airport is only about 10 miles from the Carnival terminal and a good alternative on Southwest, Delta and JetBlue. Shared shuttles and private cars are easy to add to your booking.
Should we come in the night before?
If you live in Southern California, drive in the morning of sailing; boarding starts around 11 a.m. and ships leave about 4 p.m. If you are flying, come in the night before. San Pedro and Long Beach both have waterfront hotels within ten minutes of the ship, many with park-and-cruise rates.
Do I need a passport to cruise from Los Angeles?
Round-trip Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska sailings are closed-loop, so US citizens can sail with a birth certificate and government photo ID. One-way Panama Canal, transpacific and Alaska sailings that end in Vancouver require a passport. We recommend a passport for everyone: if you need to fly home from Cabo or Puerto Vallarta, you cannot board a flight without one.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Gratuities, drinks packages, excursions and parking are extra.
What does SmartCruiser add that I would not get booking direct?
Bonus onboard credit per stateroom on sailings where the line allows it, instant savings on selected departures, Special SmartCruiser rates we hold on popular Los Angeles sailings, and senior, California, Arizona and Nevada resident, and police and fire fares when they beat the public price. The picks at the top of the list are the sailings where that extra applies.
Talk to a Los Angeles cruise specialist
Tell us your dates and who is coming, and we price every ship sailing from San Pedro and Long Beach side by side with the fares you qualify for. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.