189 “ Our popularity as an embarkation and disembarkation port for cruise lines is rising” Following a record-breaking 2023 and an impressive 2024, the Port of Los Angeles in California, USA, is anticipating 240 cruise ship calls in 2025, which will bring an estimated 1.5 million passengers to the port. “Royal Caribbean International’s Ovation of the Seas will visit for the first time in May, followed by Quantum of the Seas in October,” says Christopher Chase, assistant director of marketing at the Port of LA. “The cruise line is committed to our port and this year will offer three-, four- and seven-day itineraries to Mexico and the Pacific Coast year-round onboard Navigator of the Seas. In September, Royal Caribbean will offer a 15-day cruise from the Port of LA to Tokyo, Japan.” In December, Princess Cruises’ 60th anniversary cruise onboard Royal Princess will depart from the Port of LA. The 14-night ‘Mexican Riviera Voyage’ will feature Motown vocal group, The Temptations, who will perform their 60-year-old hit song ‘My Girl’. The itinerary will include stops at some of the same ports as Princess Cruises’ ship Princess Patricia’s inaugural sailing from LA in 1965. Princess Cruises will also sail a sevenday ‘Mexican Riviera’ cruise, a 15-day journey to Hawaii and trips through the Panama Canal and to the South Pacific, as well as a 15-day roundtrip to Alaska, from the Port of LA in 2025. In addition, passengers can embark on voyages to Mexico, the Pacific Coast and Alaska from Port of LA onboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Encore. “Our popularity as an embarkation and disembarkation port for cruise lines, as well as a stop on itineraries, is rising thanks to improvements at the port and the surrounding area,” says Chase. “The West Harbor development, the first phase of which is expected to be completed later this year, will benefit both cruise passengers and crew, as there will be more activities for visitors to the San Pedro area. West Harbor, a 42-acre development along the port’s LA Waterfront, will feature entertainment, activities, dining, and potentially a 6,200-seat amphitheatre and parking area, all built on Port of LA land. “We’re also working to add a third berth with shore power for visiting cruise ships and will send the construction contract out to bid by the middle of 2025.” NORTH AMERICA: INTERVIEW Why cruise calls are on the rise at the Port of Los Angeles Phase I of the Port of LA’s West Harbor development will open within the year The West Harbor development and additional shore power capabilities are making Port of LA more attractive to cruise lines. Christopher Chase shares more with Laura Hyde Photo: Studio One Eleven
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