Sailing from Los Angeles
Los Angeles is the West Coast’s principal cruise port and it operates from two terminals that are not in the same town. The World Cruise Center is at San Pedro; Carnival sails from Long Beach, in the dome that used to house the Spruce Goose, across the harbor. They are about twenty minutes apart and confusing them is the local version of missing your ship.
Check your terminal, not just your city. Your booking says San Pedro or Long Beach. A driver told “the Los Angeles cruise port” will make a guess.
Two spellings, one port. The feeds file this as Los Angeles and as
Long Beach (Los Angeles). The count on this page covers both.
The itineraries are seasonal in a way Florida’s are not. Mexican Riviera runs year-round, Hawaii is a winter product, and the Alaska repositioning sailings run north in spring and south in fall. Those repositioning cruises are among the better-value two-week itineraries in cruising and they only exist twice a year.
LAX is not the only option. Long Beach airport is small, pleasant and fifteen minutes from the Long Beach terminal. If the fares are close, it is the easier arrival by a wide margin.