San Diego Opens Busiest Cruise Season in Over 15 Years With 183 Calls
Disney Cruise Line's agreement runs through at least 2031 and is the port's first cruise deal in more than 20 years with a minimum annual guarantee.
San Diego opened its busiest cruise season in more than 15 years on Sept. 14, with 183 scheduled calls and more than 700,000 passengers expected during 2026-27. Ruby Princess started the fall-to-spring program at B Street Pier with a seven-day Classic California Coast sailing.
The call total is 68% above last season’s 109. That is more than double the 75 calls in 2024-25. Passenger volume is also set to rise from 389,000, producing the port’s largest increase in 16 years, although traffic remains below the nearly 1 million passengers recorded annually in the late 2000s.
“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 of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners.
The port had previously projected as many as 780,000 passengers for the season. Officials lowered that estimate after adopting more conservative assumptions for budgeting purposes.
Royal Caribbean and Disney expand homeport operations
Royal Caribbean, previously an occasional San Diego caller, is running a 47-call homeport program expected to carry 177,660 passengers. Its schedule will exceed that of Holland America Line, historically the port’s largest cruise customer.
Disney Cruise Line is adding Disney Magic alongside its sister ship Disney Wonder under an agreement with the port that runs through at least 2031. Disney Magic will operate from San Diego from October through November, while Disney Wonder will remain through April 2027.
The agreement is expected to approximately double Disney’s annual San Diego sailings and generate more than 1 million passenger movements over its duration. It is the port’s first cruise agreement in more than 20 years to include a minimum annual guarantee.
Other operators scheduled during the season include Princess Cruises, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages, Silversea Cruises and Viking. Norwegian is entering its second year of homeport operations in San Diego.
Homeport calls increase local passenger spending
About 80% of the season’s calls are homeport visits, meaning cruises begin or end in San Diego. Renee Rose, the port’s maritime commercial manager, said passengers on those sailings often add hotel stays, restaurant visits and shopping before or after they sail.
“Those home ports tend to have more of an impact,” Rose said.
The port estimates that cruise activity supports more than 2,000 tourism and maritime jobs and contributes millions of dollars to the regional economy. Mayor Todd Gloria said the fall-to-spring schedule also brings visitors after the traditional summer tourism period.
San Diego is California’s third-busiest cruise port, behind Long Beach and Los Angeles, and is the closest West Coast cruise port to Mexico. Its B Street and Broadway cruise terminals are on the downtown waterfront, with Broadway serving as a second terminal and overflow berth.
Princess plans further growth in 2027-28
Princess Cruises’ relationship with San Diego dates to Island Princess’s first call on Feb. 9, 1973. “Our relationship with San Diego spans more than five decades,” said Marie Lee, the line’s chief marketing officer.
By October, the port expects at least one cruise ship on most days, with the final departure of the current season scheduled for May 24. For 2027-28, Princess plans to raise its San Diego calls from six to 17, with much of the increase coming from itineraries that begin elsewhere.
