Port Of San Diego Embarks On Busiest Cruise Season In Over 15 Years

SAN DIEGO, CA — The Port of San Diego set sail Monday on what is scheduled to be its biggest cruise season in more than 15 years, starting with Princess Cruises and continuing with 183 total voyages during the 2026-27 season.

The season will feature new home ports from Royal Caribbean and a second Disney ship, Disney Magic.

"We cannot wait to welcome more than 700,000 cruise passengers who will visit San Diego this year," said Michael Zucchet, vice chair of the port's Board of Commissioners. "We are grateful for Princess Cruises and all our cruise customers and we look forward to welcoming them each season. The year-over-year growth shows that passengers and cruise lines come to San Diego for our beautiful waterfront, strategic location on the West Coast, and our proximity to Baja Mexico."

City, port and cruise leaders kicked off the season Monday as the Ruby Princess docked at the B Street Pier Cruise Terminal for a seven-day Classic California Coast tour. This year's calls are up 68% from 109 calls last year and 75 in the 2024-25 season.

"San Diego has been an important part of the Princess Cruises story for more than 50 years, and we're proud to continue our longstanding relationship," said Marie Lee, Princess Cruises chief marketing officer. "With an exciting lineup of ships and itineraries ahead, we look forward to helping more guests discover this incredible West Coast destination and create unforgettable memories both on land and at sea."

This season's schedule also includes Holland America Line, as well as Norwegian in its second year of home-port calls in San Diego, Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages, Silversea Cruises, Viking Cruises and others.

"San Diego is a destination people around the world want to visit, and this milestone cruise season is another sign of the strength of our tourism economy," Mayor Todd Gloria said. "More ships calling on San Diego means more visitors staying in our hotels, eating at our restaurants and supporting local businesses and jobs.

"Their spending also generates hotel tax revenue that helps us provide the services San Diegans rely on and invest in what makes America's Finest City such a great place to live and visit."

According to the port, an agreement with Disney through 2031 will double the number of Disney cruises out of San Diego. More than 1 million Disney passengers are anticipated during the course of the agreement -- the first time in more than 20 years that a cruise line has offered a minimum annual guarantee at the port.

San Diego is the state's third busiest cruise port behind Long Beach and Los Angeles, and is the closest West Coast cruise port to Mexico, making it a key location for voyages to the Mexican Riviera.

— City News Service