Royal Caribbean's homebase is always going to be Florida, but it's ready to bet big with adding more ships in California.

While west coast cruises may never become as popular as their east coast compliment, we're about to see a shift in adding more ships than it's ever had there.

The Australia cruise season is coming to an end, and that signals the migration of cruise ships across the Pacific Ocean.

While many will head to Seattle and Vancouver to begin Alaska cruises, Royal Caribbean is ready to invest more further south.

Welcome to LA, Ovation

Ovation of the Seas will head to Los Angeles soon to start her summer season. 

Up until now, Royal Caribbean has only had one ship in the LA cruise market, and that came after a decade of completely omitting sailings from there.

Navigator of the Seas had been the only ship operating from Los Angeles ever since the cruise industry restarted operations in 2021.  

Ovation will not only add another ship to the California cruise roster, but it's no slouch of a ship either.

This is one of Royal Caribbean's newer and bigger ships. Ovation of the Seas is less than a decade old and is over 30,000 gross larger than Navigator.

The Quantum Class ships first entered service in 2014, and are known for being big ships with innovative features. They have an observation pod, sky diving simulator, robots that are part of a show, and more climate controlled pool space. 

There are even bumper cars on this ship, which are included in the cruise fare and it's a fantastic family activity.

My favorite spot on these ships is the theater at the back, with sweeping views of the ocean called Two70. It's anything but a conventional theater, as there are robot arms and moving platforms that can transform the show immediately. There are some shows that use the roboscreens to project fun and imaginative scenes that are captivating to watch.

When there isn't a show, it's a beautiful lounge for enjoying coffee, reading a book, or talking with friends.

Her arrival for summer 2025 will offer sailings down Baja California, including destinations like Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas. 

Fares for these new LA cruises on Ovation of the Seas for her 2025 season start at $309 per person based on double occupancy, for a quick 3-night cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. Five or six night sailings begin at around $600 per person.

More ships are coming soon

Ovation's arrival marks a turning point in Royal Caribbean's attitude towards west coast cruises.

The cruise will bring two more ships to California soon.

Quantum of the Seas will also sail from Los Angeles, and for a short period, become the third ship to operate there at the same time.

Navigator paved the way for Royal Caribbean's return, and business has been so good that they wanted to add more ships.

Vicki Freed, Senior Vice President of Sales and Trade Support & Service for Royal Caribbean International, is just as excited as future passengers to have so many ships sailing from the west coast, "As a Los Angeles native, I'm thrilled about this, but what excites me the most is the announcement that Royal Caribbean will have a brand new home port in San Diego starting Fall 2026. San Diego holds a special place in my heart since I went to college there, so I can't wait to go back soon to experience the new adventure for myself."

Beginning in October 2026, Royal Caribbean will homeport a ship in San Diego.

One advantage a cruise from San Diego has over LA is the convenience factor, as the cruise terminal is just 3 miles from the airport. Plus, it's convenient for many residents of Southern California to easily drive to without dealing with notoriously bad LA traffic.

Serenade of the Seas will offer a variety of sailings from San Diego to Ensenada, Mexico and the Mexican Riviera.

This many ships operating out of California means more choices in itineraries and ships for consumers.  And it offers those on the west coast far more convenient options.

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

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.

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 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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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."

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

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.

It looks like Royal Caribbean may be gearing up to announce a second cruise ship will be deployed to the west coast.

Royal Caribbean had originally planned to announce its 2025-2026 deployments from Los Angeles this week, but the cruise line delayed that deployment until the week of February 26, 2024.

In the meantime, the Port of Los Angeles schedule for 2025 shows there will be two Royal Caribbean cruise ships based there.

Quantum of the Seas is listed as scheduled to depart from Los Angeles across dates in the last part of 2025.  The 2026 schedule is not available yet.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader Ron Hiller shared his findings with us. Based on what we can tell from the port schedule, Quantum's first cruise out of Los Angeles will be October 2, 2025 and offer a 4-night sailing. Quantum then has an array of 3, 4, 5 and 6 night cruises for the rest of the year. 

Read more: Mexican Riviera cruise guide

Logically, it makes sense Quantum of the Seas could fit into the west cruise market. She's already scheduled to offer cruises to Alaska in 2025.

Navigator of the Seas is also on the schedule, and will continue its normal schedule. 

Royal Caribbean has not confirmed or announced anything yet, so this is all speculation. In the past, port schedules have been good indicators of what Royal Caribbean intends to do.

Official confirmation could come at some point during the week of February 26, with it likely occurring midweek based on when other deployments have been published.

Adding a second cruise ship to the west coast market is a strong indication of the cruise line's commitment to the market.

Royal Caribbean was absent from the LA cruise market for ten years, due to violence in Mexico and dwindling profits. However, they resumed sailing from there in 2022 with Navigator of the Seas.

New deployments for 2025-2026 have been slowly coming out since November 2023, and there are just a handful of deployments left.  Cruise fans can't help but wonder where the remaining ships that have not been deployed will end up.

Quantum of the Seas was one such ship, but Wonder of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas two other notable ships missing from the schedule.

Short Caribbean deployment also delayed

Initially, Short Caribbean cruises in 2025 and 2026 were scheduled to launch around the same time as those from Los Angeles; however, they got pushed back a week.

Short Caribbean was delayed before the Los Angeles deployment was, and now both are scheduled for the week of February 26.

These voyages are ideal for those seeking a shorter getaway or who might be new to cruising and cannot commit to the idea of spending a week on a ship.

Short Caribbean itineraries refer to primarily weekend cruises, as well as 3-, 4-, and 5-night cruises. Typically it's from ports such as Tampa, Miami, and Port Canaveral.

Currently, the only sailing to the Caribbean that's fewer than 5 nights is onboard Allure of the Seas from Galveston. This cruise departs in March 2026 and costs $749 per person, before taxes and fees. 

Read more: Is it worth it to book a short 3-night cruise?

Upcoming deployments

The remainder of the deployment schedule is as follows:

• Week of February 26: Los Angeles & Short Caribbean
• Week of March 11: China
• Week of April 8: Australia
• Week of May 13: Singapore

It's important to remember that the sailings could be released at any point within that week; they're not bound to be published on the first day of the listed week. In addition, the deployment schedule can be changed at anytime.

Anything beyond early 2026 will be released in the next deployment cycle, which typically commences in November.

For many years, Royal Caribbean has been absent from offering cruises on the west coast of the United States and that has many fans wondering when that would change.

Royal Caribbean senior vice president, sales, trade support and service, Vicki Freed, spoke with Travel Agent Central about the possibility of Royal Caribbean returning to the west coast.

Freed pointed at the fiscal situation of offering cruises on the west coast, "We always look at the West Coast. But we continue to look at the rates that the other cruise lines are getting, and we offer an experience that we can't afford to be selling at those low rates."

"If when we see the rates start to bounce back, and we feel we can get paid for what we offer for our product, then we’ll be back there. But right now, unfortunately, it's a bath out there. They're selling four-day cruises at $199 per person and we’re not just talking Carnival."

"We spend more on food, more on entertainment and more on our overall onboard experience [than other lines] and so we cannot be the low-price leader out in any market."

Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas left Los Angeles back in 2011 due to violence in Mexico as well as to find bigger profits.

Royal Caribbean has added two roundtrip cruises out of the port of Los Angeles, California, which marks the cruise line's return to the west coast after a number of years absence.

Jewel of the Seas will offer 7-night cruises on September 26 and October 03, 2015.

The cruises will visit the ports of Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Monterey and Ensenada, Mexico.  The stop at San Francisco will be overnight.

The news confirms a report we posted back in December of a possible return to the west coast for Royal Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean hasn't had a cruise ship based out of Los Angeles since 2010 when Mariner of the Seas left due to violence in Mexico.

It's been a few years since Royal Caribbean had a cruise ship on the west coast of the United States but there may be indications Royal Caribbean plans on returning in the coming years.

According to the Port of Los Angeles cruie ship schedule web site, Jewel of the Seas will be making stops there in September and October 2015.  It isn't clear if the cruise will begin and end in Los Angeles, but for at least 3 weeks the Royal Caribbean ship is on the schedule.

Royal Caribbean has not made any announcement about returning to Los Angeles, but in the past port schedules have been good indicators of what Royal Caribbean intends to do.

Royal Caribbean hasn't had a cruise ship based out of Los Angeles since 2010 when Mariner of the Seas left due to violence in Mexico.

It's no secret that Royal Caribbean has been moving its ships from North America to Europe in large part to seek out the higher demand and bigger profits to be found in Europe.  The Los Angeles Business Journal is reporting that the real reason Mariner of the Seas is sailing to Europe after a short stint in Los Angeles is not to find bigger profits but because of the recent surge of violence in Mexico.

The widely publicized war between the country’s federal government and its powerful drug cartels has led to nearly 30,000 deaths since 2007. And on the West Coast – where 90 percent of cruises depart for the Mexican Riviera and other points south – the number of passengers in the last two years has dwindled by 21 percent.

Royal Caribbean stands by its claim that the move to Europe is just for economic reasons and not because of the violence.