Five ports on the Pacific coast send ships out all year — Long Beach and San Diego for Mexico, Seattle and Vancouver for Alaska, and San Francisco for both. The fares are lower than the Caribbean, the ships are the same ones, and if you live in the Valley two of the five ports are close enough to drive to. Here is what actually sails from each, with what it costs.
Ships, itineraries and lowest fares showing on Trip.com as of 5 September 2026. Every sailing below is one we loaded and confirmed.
The Los Angeles cruise terminal is in Long Beach, not Los Angeles proper — a twenty-minute drive south of LAX and right beside the Queen Mary. Carnival keeps three ships here year round, and it is the cheapest place in America to try a cruise: a four-night run to Ensenada starts under two hundred dollars a person. The short sailings are famously lively; the nine-day Mexican Riviera loop is the grown-up one.
San Diego’s terminal sits downtown on the Embarcadero, walking distance from the Gaslamp Quarter — the easiest embarkation on the coast, and the prettiest. Disney bases a ship here in the cooler months and Norwegian runs the longer Mexican Riviera loops. The four-night Catalina and Ensenada run is the classic short break.
The only West Coast port where the sail-away is the attraction: every ship leaves under the Golden Gate Bridge, and the whole passenger list is on deck for it. Pier 27 is on the Embarcadero near Fisherman’s Wharf. Carnival and Princess split the year here — Alaska in summer, Mexico and the long Hawaii crossings the rest of the time.
America’s Alaska port. Round-trip Inside Passage sailings leave Seattle all summer, call at Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, stop in Victoria on the way home because U.S. law requires a foreign port, and return you to the airport you flew into. That last part is why most people choose Seattle over Vancouver. Two terminals — Pier 66 downtown and Pier 91 in Magnolia — so check your ticket.
Canada Place, under the white sails on the downtown waterfront, is the loveliest cruise terminal on the coast and the traditional start of the Alaska season. Vancouver is where the one-way Gulf of Alaska voyages tie up — the ones that run between here and Whittier or Seward and connect to the Denali land tours. You will need a passport, and you should allow a day for the city.
Two of these ports you can drive to before lunch. This is the quiet advantage of living in Phoenix.
Lines you can book through the Guild:
If you have never cruised, start with a four-night Ensenada run out of Long Beach — it is the cheapest cruise in America and it will tell you in ninety-six hours whether you like being at sea. If you want the holiday of a lifetime, that is Alaska in June or July from Seattle or Vancouver, and it is worth the balcony. If you want warm weather in February, the Mexican Riviera out of San Diego or Long Beach is running while Alaska is shut for the winter.
One practical note that catches people out: a one-way Alaska sailing between Vancouver and Whittier or Seward is a wonderful trip, but you fly into one city and home from another, which costs more and takes more arranging than the round trips from Seattle. Read the itinerary line carefully before you fall in love with a fare.
Alaska runs May through September and then stops dead — the ships leave the region for the winter, so there is no such thing as an Alaska cruise in January. Mexico from Long Beach, San Diego and San Francisco runs all year and is at its best from November through April. The two seasons hand off to each other almost perfectly, which is why the same ship you sailed to Ensenada in March may be in Juneau in July.
Which West Coast port should I sail from?It depends on where you want to go rather than where you live. Seattle and Vancouver are the Alaska ports — nearly everything leaving them in summer is an Inside Passage or Glacier Bay sailing. Long Beach and San Diego are the Mexico ports, running short Ensenada breaks and longer Mexican Riviera loops all year. San Francisco does both, plus the long Hawaii runs. If Alaska is the goal, fly to Seattle or Vancouver; if you want sunshine and a short first cruise, Long Beach is the cheapest door in.
When is the best time to sail from the West Coast?Alaska from Seattle and Vancouver runs May through September and stops entirely in winter. Mexico from Long Beach, San Diego and San Francisco runs all year, with the best weather from November through April — which is also when Alaska is closed, so the two seasons hand off neatly. Hawaii sailings cluster in autumn and spring when the ships reposition.
Do I need a passport?Take one. Every Alaska itinerary calls in Canada, and a passport is required outright if you fly into or out of Vancouver. Mexican Riviera and Ensenada sailings that begin and end at the same U.S. port may allow a birth certificate and photo ID, but that will not get you home by air if you miss the ship in Cabo. Confirm the current requirement with your cruise line before you sail.
Are the fares on this page per person?Yes — per person, and they include port fees. They are the lowest fare showing on Trip.com for that sailing on the day we checked, which was 5 September 2026, usually for an inside cabin at the quietest date in the run. A balcony in July costs a great deal more. Prices move daily, so treat these as a guide to what a sailing costs rather than a quote.
Does Trip.com sell Royal Caribbean cruises?No. Trip.com carries Carnival, Disney, Norwegian, Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, Cunard, MSC and Costa, but not Royal Caribbean International. If you search for Royal Caribbean you will be shown Celebrity sailings instead, because the two lines share an owner. We would rather tell you that plainly than send you to a page that is not what you asked for.
Should I fly in the night before?Always, if you can. Every ship on this page sails in the afternoon and none of them wait. A cancelled morning flight is the single most common way people miss a cruise, and cruise insurance rarely covers a missed sailing caused by a late aircraft. Each port below has a link to hotels near the terminal for exactly this reason.
Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Updated September 2026
Destinations Guild is an independent travel company and a proud partner of Trip.com. Book through our links and you pay the same price while the Guild earns a small commission that keeps our guides free. Fares shown are the lowest per-person price including port fees seen on Trip.com on 5 September 2026 and will change; confirm the current fare before you book.