Officials celebrate the start of the San Diego cruise season with a check presentation to Emerald Keepers. (Photo courtesy of Port of San Diego)
Port of San Diego leaders this week joined Holland America Line to kick off the 2025-2026 cruise season, which will include 107 voyages and is expected to welcome more than 389,000 passengers to the region.
“We’re excited to set sail on another cruise season alongside long-time partners, Holland America Line,” said Danielle Moore, chair of the port’s Board of Port Commissioners. “We’re grateful for all our cruise line partners including Norwegian Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and more for choosing San Diego as a homeport or as a destination on their journeys.
“Each cruise is an opportunity to welcome new and returning visitors to our beautiful waterfront, while also supporting local jobs and bringing guests to experience our region’s amazing attractions, hotels and restaurants.”
The region’s cruise season actually began with Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas on Sept. 19, followed by Holland America’s 51-day excursion of the South Pacific onboard the Zaandam and Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess on Monday.
Cruise season is officially here!
Each arrival to our city brings new visitors and a big economic boost for our waterfront and our local businesses and landmarks.
Thank you to the Port of San Diego for being a great partner in helping our city’s tourism sector grow. pic.twitter.com/3MCgkIZqgx
— Councilmember Stephen Whitburn (@CMWhitburnD3) September 29, 2025
“San Diego is a vital and vibrant homeport for Holland America Line, offering the perfect combination of convenience, sunshine and access to some of the world’s most iconic destinations — for both locals and out-of-towners,” said Dan Rough, vice president of revenue management for Holland America Line.
“The season we’ve built allows travelers to experience bucket-list journeys as well as quick getaways, all from downtown San Diego’s convenient B Street Pier — and across the season, our sailings will infuse nearly $56 million into the San Diego economy, supporting local jobs, businesses and the broader tourism community.”
The port has seen an uptick in the cruise lines making call in San Diego, including 21 visits by Norwegian Cruise Line for the first time this year. Port leaders said they expect to reach 190 total calls and 800,000 passengers next season thanks to new Royal Caribbean homeports and expanded service from Disney Cruise Line.
San Diego is California’s third busiest cruise port behind Long Beach and Los Angeles, officials said.
City News Service contributed to this article.
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