Spotted: Royal Caribbean will change cruise ships based from Los Angeles

In:
06 Jan 2025
By: 
Matt Hochberg

It looks like Royal Caribbean may be bringing a new cruise ship to the west coast.

Bow of Voyager of the Seas

Ever since Royal Caribbean started sailing again from Los Angeles in 2021, Navigator of the Seas has been based there to offer sailings.

Based on the updated port schedule, that could soon be changing.

The Ports America Los Angeles website schedule shows Voyager of the Seas will seemingly replace Navigator of the Seas in late 2026.

Navigator docked in Los Angeles

It's worth noting Royal Caribbean has not made any official announcements about a change yet.  The port schedule is merely a glimpse into what could be changing.

In looking at the schedule Voyager of the Seas arrives to begin cruises October 5, 2026.

Since Los Angeles is presumably Voyager's home port, we can deduce her sailing schedule:

  • October 5, 2026: 3 night cruise
  • October 8, 2026: 8 night cruise
  • October 16, 2026: 5 night cruise
  • October 22, 2026: 6 night cruise
  • October 30, 2026: 8 night cruise
Navigator of the Seas

Navigator remains listed sailing from Los Angeles through November 5, 2026.  After that date, Navigator disappears from the schedule, while continues through at least December 2026.

December 2026 LA port schedule

The port schedule is only published through the end of December 2026.

Navigator of the Seas

It's not unusual for cruise ships to be redeployed around the world. No ship remains in the same port forever, as changing market needs compel Royal Caribbean to switch where ships sail from.

Moreover, there can be market needs to change ships. Shifting priorities, demands, and internal research are all reasons a cruise line will position one ship in one market over another.

Other returning ships

Quantum-Docked-Icy-Strait-Point-Alaska

Something else worth mentioning in looking at the port schedule is the return of two Quantum Class ships.

Quantum will take her first cruise ever out of Los Angeles on October 2nd, 2025. Quantum will remain in Los Angeles through September 2026. After that date, she disappears from the schedule.

Ovation of the Seas

Royal Caribbean had already announced Ovation of the Seas will sail from Los Angeles in summer 2025, with cruises listed through September 23, 2025.

According to the schedule, Ovation of the Seas returns to the west coast and begins sailing from Los Angeles in September 2026.

  • September 21, 2026
  • September 24, 2026
  • September 28, 2026
September 2026 schedule

Ovation's arrival in Los Angeles coincides with the end of her scheduled cruises to Alaska in summer 2026.

Both Quantum and Ovation of the Seas are Quantum Class ships and notably larger ships than Navigator or Voyager.  

Quantum Class ships are designed for warm and cold weather climates. Both ships have a passenger capacity of 4,905 guests. That's about 900 more passengers than Navigator of the Seas.

They measure 1,138 feet in length and have a size of 168,666 gross tons, making them more than 100 feet longer and 30,000 gross tons bigger than Navigator.

A growing cruise market on the west coast

Navigator of the Seas anchored off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Royal Caribbean had been absent from Los Angeles for a decade, but is now committed to offering more cruises from there.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley told investors last summer he sees growth opportunities from LA sailings, "We have strong ambitions to grow the West Coast in the US."

Navigator arriving in LA

Bayley said that Navigator, which has been on the West Coast for two years, has been "performing exceptionally well."

Bookings are selling quickly, and the cruise line is responding to high demand.

Upcoming deployments

Ship in Puerto Vallarta

We may know the official answer to how accurate Los Angeles' port schedule is in a few weeks when Royal Caribbean resumes its 2026-2027 deployment announcements.

Royal Caribbean had already announced 2026 Alaska cruises, some of its Europe 2026 cruises, and Summer & Yearlong Caribbean Northeast cruises.

Over the next few weeks, more cruises in 2026 and 2027 will be announced:

  • Week of January 27, 2025: Europe 2.0
  • Week of February 17, 2025: Short Caribbean & West Coast
  • Week of February 24, 2025: Seasonal Caribbean
  • Week of March 31, 2025: Australia
  • TBD: China & Singapore

If this deployment schedule holds true (sometimes the cruise line delays its deployments), Royal Caribbean would confirm the ship line up for Los Angeles sometime during the week of February 17, 2025.


Matt started Royal Caribbean Blog in 2010 as a place to share his passion for all things Royal Caribbean with readers. He oversees all the writers at Royal Caribbean Blog, and writes a great deal of content on a daily basis.  He has become one of the foremost experts on a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Over the years, he has reached Pinnacle Club status with Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program.

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