Los Angeles is accelerating its transformation into one of the world’s most dynamic cruise gateways, with port officials quietly preparing a major handover of cruise operations to a new private partner and moving ahead on a multibillion dollar vision that will reshape how visitors arrive at the city’s waterfront through the end of the decade.

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Port of Los Angeles Moves to a New Era of Cruise Operations

The Port of Los Angeles is in the midst of a pivotal reset of its cruise business model, one that officials say will unlock capacity for larger ships, more year round sailings and an upgraded visitor experience in San Pedro. After years of record passenger growth, the port has moved from studying its options to actively choosing a long term operator to help deliver a new Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal and a comprehensive redevelopment of the aging World Cruise Center.

In June 2024 the port issued a high profile request for proposals seeking a single private concessionaire to finance, build and operate a brand new cruise complex on the Outer Harbor while also modernizing and running the existing terminals at Berths 90 to 93 on the Main Channel. Port leaders framed the move as the next step in a waterfront strategy that has already seen more than 1 billion dollars invested in promenades, road realignments and public spaces over the last two decades.

Officials have not yet publicly named the winning bidder, but industry sources and local reporting indicate that Pacific Cruise Terminals, a venture tied to global terminal operator SSA Marine and its parent company Carrix, has emerged as the preferred concessionaire following a competitive process. That selection, once finalized by the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, would mark the start of a multi decade partnership designed to expand cruise capacity and link the terminals more tightly with the fast evolving West Harbor entertainment district.

Pacific Cruise Terminals Poised to Anchor a Cruise Expansion Drive

Pacific Cruise Terminals is expected to be at the center of what port insiders are already calling a cruise expansion revolution, bringing heavyweight maritime expertise to a part of the business that the port has traditionally managed more conservatively. SSA Marine, whose parent Carrix took a significant equity stake in the West Harbor development in 2025, already operates a range of cargo terminals across Los Angeles and Long Beach and has been aggressively positioning itself in the passenger sector.

The new cruise concession would represent a strategic extension of that footprint as the company aligns terminal operations with an adjacent 42 acre dining and entertainment district, a mile long waterfront promenade and growing demand from major cruise brands homeporting in Southern California. The Port of Los Angeles is already the year round base for Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International, among others, and expects close to 250 sailings in 2025 alone.

By consolidating operations under a single private operator with an equity stake in surrounding real estate, port leaders aim to move faster on capital intensive upgrades, streamline berthing and baggage handling, and design terminals that function as all day destinations rather than simple embarkation points. For cruise passengers, that could mean shorter processing times, more integrated parking and hotel options, and more reasons to arrive early or stay late on the LA Waterfront.

New Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal Promises Larger Ships and New Itineraries

At the heart of the expansion plan is the proposed Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal, a brand new complex to be built at Berths 46 to 50 on Dave Arian Way in San Pedro. The 13 acre site, with two existing wharves and access to roughly 20 acres of off site parking, has long been eyed as the logical next step for cruise growth in Los Angeles. The port’s 2024 solicitation calls for a flexible design that can support the latest generation of 4,000 passenger plus ships and quickly adapt to future vessel classes.

The concept envisions a terminal that is not only bigger but smarter, with staging areas that can convert to revenue generating uses in the off season and on non cruise days. Officials have signaled interest in layouts that can accommodate filming, conferences, consumer shows and special events when ships are not alongside, part of a broader push to ensure scarce waterfront land is active year round.

For the cruise lines that have driven a resurgence in West Coast deployment, the Outer Harbor promises deeper water, ample maneuvering room and more berth options during peak winter and spring seasons when Mexico, Hawaii and Pacific Coast sailings are in high demand. Port forecasts project continued growth in both ship calls and passenger totals as lines reposition newer and larger vessels to Los Angeles through 2030, making additional berth capacity an operational necessity.

World Cruise Center Set for Comprehensive Modernization

While the new Outer Harbor facility garners much of the attention, port planners stress that the World Cruise Center at Berths 90 to 93 will remain the backbone of the operation, serving as an upgraded front door for hundreds of thousands of guests each year. The complex, which already underwent a major renovation in the early 2000s, is now slated for a more extensive overhaul under the cruise concession agreement.

The 22 acre site currently includes two terminal buildings, a baggage handling structure and substantial surface parking directly adjacent to the Vincent Thomas Bridge. Under the redevelopment framework, the eventual concessionaire will be responsible for modernizing passenger processing areas, enhancing security and baggage systems, updating interiors and facades, and reconfiguring traffic and parking to improve flow on busy embarkation days.

Recent board agendas point to early enabling projects already in motion, including an Alternative Maritime Power modernization at Berths 91 to 93 to upgrade shoreside electrical infrastructure and support a wider range of visiting vessels. The World Cruise Center is expected to remain operational throughout the modernization effort, with phased construction designed to minimize disruption to scheduled sailings.

West Harbor and LA Waterfront Create a New Cruise District

The cruise expansion is unfolding alongside the rapid buildout of West Harbor, a 42 acre waterfront destination rising on the former Ports O’ Call Village site directly along the port’s Main Channel. Developed by the Ratkovich Company and Jerico Development in partnership with the Port of Los Angeles, West Harbor is now targeting a 2026 grand opening, with several operators already active on site in a limited capacity.

Port funded infrastructure, including an 85 million dollar, nearly mile long San Pedro Promenade and a new town square at Harbor Boulevard and Sixth Street, is knitting the cruise terminals, the future amphitheater and the retail district into a continuous pedestrian experience. The second phase of the promenade project, now underway, runs from Berths 74 to 83 and will effectively extend the waterfront walkway toward the World Cruise Center and Battleship Iowa.

When fully built out, visitors arriving for a cruise will step into a landscape of open air restaurants, markets, performance spaces and maritime attractions that stretches from the Outer Harbor to downtown San Pedro. For the port and its private partners, that connectivity is critical, turning what has historically been a utilitarian embarkation zone into a tourism corridor capable of capturing more local spending before and after each sailing.

Economic Stakes: A Cruise Call Worth More Than a Million Dollars

Port officials routinely cite the economic power of cruise ships in justifying the ambitious program. Each vessel call in Los Angeles is estimated to generate more than 1 million dollars in local economic activity, from provisioning and stevedoring to passenger spending on hotels, dining and transportation. With roughly 1.3 million passengers moving through the port in 2023 and additional growth believed to be underway in 2024 and 2025, the multiplier effect is already substantial.

The LA Waterfront itself receives about 1.5 million visitors annually and hosts more than 100 events ranging from LA Fleet Week to concerts and festivals. As the cruise side of the business expands, those numbers are expected to rise, further supporting local jobs in hospitality, retail, entertainment and maritime services. The port has publicly committed to investing a total of around 1 billion dollars into waterfront access and attractions by the end of 2025, a figure that does not include private capital from West Harbor investors or a future cruise concessionaire.

For neighboring communities in San Pedro and Wilmington, the cruise buildout brings both opportunity and scrutiny. Local neighborhood councils and business groups have pressed for assurances that new development will include robust public access, thoughtful traffic management and hiring commitments that benefit residents. The port’s environmental review and public engagement processes, which began several years ago for the San Pedro Waterfront Connectivity Plan, are expected to continue as individual projects advance.

Passenger Experience: From Parking Lots to Waterfront Promenades

On the traveler side, much of the revolution will be felt in the small but meaningful details of arrival and departure. The current World Cruise Center terminals, though functional, can feel utilitarian compared with newer facilities in Florida and the Gulf Coast. Port and industry planners talk openly about bringing Los Angeles into a new league of passenger experience, blending the operational efficiency demanded by cruise lines with the entertainment sensibility of one of the world’s leading tourism markets.

A reimagined terminal district could feature streamlined curbside drop off, multi level parking linked directly to check in halls, expanded security queues designed to avoid outdoor backups and upgraded interior spaces with natural light, digital wayfinding and hospitality areas. The port’s emphasis on shore power modernization will allow more ships to plug into clean electrical power at the berth, reducing emissions and noise for passengers and neighbors while ships are in port.

Perhaps most noticeable for travelers will be the ability to step out of the terminal and immediately access waterfront dining, boutique retail, small boat excursions and cultural attractions rather than a sea of parking lots. With the San Pedro Promenade connecting the World Cruise Center to West Harbor, Battleship Iowa and other nodes, a pre cruise afternoon or a post cruise overnight in the district may become an increasingly attractive part of the itinerary.

Timeline and What Travelers Should Watch in 2026

The next 18 to 24 months will be decisive for Los Angeles as a cruise hub. The port’s selection of Pacific Cruise Terminals as its cruise partner, once formally approved and announced, will trigger detailed design work, environmental permitting and negotiations over phasing and financing. Construction of the Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal is expected to take several years, suggesting that the first ships may not sail from the new facility until later in the decade.

In the near term, passengers sailing in 2026 will see a World Cruise Center that is still operating much as it does today, but against a backdrop of escalating construction activity along the waterfront. Sections of the San Pedro Promenade are expected to reach completion, and West Harbor’s first phase, including restaurants, public spaces and an events lineup, is scheduled to come online. As those pieces fall into place, day of cruise logistics may be adjusted, with updated parking patterns, signage and shuttle options.

For travelers weighing their options for Mexican Riviera, Hawaii or Pacific Coast itineraries, Los Angeles will increasingly compete not just on the strength of its ship offerings but on the appeal of its homeport experience. With a new private operator preparing to take the helm of cruise terminals and a fully reimagined waterfront district nearing debut, 2026 is shaping up as the year when the Port of Los Angeles’ long planned cruise expansion begins to move from drawings and board agendas into visible reality for passengers.