The Long Beach Cruise Terminal is one of two cruise terminals in or near Los Angeles, California. If you are going on a cruise on one of the Carnival Cruise ships that call Southern California home, you will cruise from the Long Beach Cruise Terminal, also known as the Carnival Cruise Terminal. All other cruise lines leaving out of Los Angeles will embark and disembark at the Los Angeles World Cruise Center in San Pedro, California. For the purpose of this article, we will be focusing on the Carnival Cruise Terminal in Long Beach.
Carnival Cruise Ships Sailing from Long Beach
Long Beach Cruise Terminal is currently the home port for three Carnival Cruise Ships. The three ships calling the port of Long Beach home are the Carnival Panorama, the Carnival Radiance, and the Carnival Firenze.
The Carnival Panorama is the largest cruise ship that currently sails out of Long Beach. The Carnival Firenze is one of the Italian-themed cruise ships in the Carnival fleet. It will be sailing out of Long Beach until 2027, when it is scheduled to leave for Miami. After the Carnival Firenze departs Long Beach, the Carnival Legend will make Long Beach its home port with a focus on sailings to Hawaii. The Carnival Radiance is the smallest of the Carnival cruise ships that sails from Long Beach.
Cruise Destinations for Sailings Out of Long Beach
Carnival cruise ships that set sail out of Long Beach focus on West Coast itineraries. The port stops include a popular California vacation spot, Catalina Island. Mexico port stops include Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and La Paz. Another popular sailing is a transpacific cruise to Hawaii with stops in Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. This cruise also makes a port stop in Ensenada.
A few sailings offer multiple-day port stops, such as a two-day stop in Cabo San Lucas or Ensenada. Other stops are included when ships are repositioned. In 2027, the Carnival Firenze will sail to South America on its way to Miami.
The Best Time to Cruise Out of Long Beach
The best time to cruise out of Long Beach depends on your preferences; however, anytime is a great time to sail out of Long Beach. The Long Beach Cruise Terminal is one of our local cruise terminals, so we frequently cruise from Long Beach at any given time of the year.
One thing to note is that the weather can be a bit chilly and windy when cruising in the Pacific Ocean during the evenings. While it is generally hotter during the summertime, it can still feel chilly on deck when cruising the West Coast. Packing a sweater is always a great idea. This is in contrast to sailing in the Caribbean, where the evenings feel nice and warm.
Hurricane Season on the West Coast
Similar to the Caribbean, the West Coast also has a hurricane season. Hurricane season runs from July through November, just like the Caribbean. If you plan to cruise to the Mexican Riviera during this time, the same care should be taken, just as when booking a cruise out of cruise terminals in Miami, Tampa, and Puerto Rico.
Hurricanes form lower on the West Coast, closer to Mexico. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on the weather around Cabo San Lucas during this time. On our most recent cruise to Baja Mexico, a Hurricane developed and our itinerary changed. Our itinerary went from two days in Cabo and a day in Ensenada to a day on Catalina Island and two days in Ensenada.
Airports Near the Long Beach Cruise Terminal
If you are flying into the Los Angeles area, you might be wondering which airport is best to fly into. There are several airports in the area to choose from. The two closest airports to the Carnival Cruise Terminal are the Long Beach Airport (LGB) and the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). You can also fly into the Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) in Burbank or the John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County. The last two mentioned are further away from the cruise terminal than the first two.
The easiest airports to fly into for a cruise out of Los Angeles are LAX and Long Beach. While you will still have to deal with LA traffic, both of these are your best bet.
Transportation to the Carnival Cruise Terminal From the Airport
If you are flying into LAX or Long Beach Airport, a convenient way to reach the cruise terminal is to book a shuttle through Carnival Cruise Line. This option is available for passengers arriving on the same day of the cruise.
While this is convenient, we don’t recommend arriving at a port town on the same day you are scheduled to sail. It is better to arrive the day before in case there are any travel delays. Other options include ride-sharing and taxis.
Location of the Long Beach Cruise Terminal
The Long Beach Cruise Terminal, the Los Angeles home port for Carnival Cruises, is located at 231 Windsor Way, Long Beach, CA 90802. It is a good idea to note the address, as the Los Angeles Cruise Terminal, used by Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, and other cruise lines, is only 7 miles away from the Long Beach Cruise Port. If there is any confusion, you could end up at the wrong cruise port.
The Long Beach Cruise Port is also located right next door to the Queen Mary. If you can see the Queen Mary, you are at the right location.
Getting to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal
There are various ways of getting to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal. You can drive, take a taxi, use a ride share, or take public transportation if you are fearless and courageous. Depending on the hotel you stay at, there might even be a shuttle to the cruise terminal.
Driving to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal
Driving is one of the main ways to reach the Carnival Cruise Terminal in Long Beach. The directions to the cruise terminal will vary depending on where you are driving from. The main freeway to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal is the 710 freeway. The 710 ends in Long Beach, and the highway will head to Downtown Long Beach, the Queen Mary/Carnival Cruise Terminal, and Terminal Island for cargo shipments.
You will stay on the 710 as it ends and take the exit onto Piers F-J Queen Mary. If you miss this exit, you will end up on the bridge to Terminal Island and will need to exit and turn around after crossing the bridge. We’ve made that mistake before. When you exit to the Piers F-J Queen Mary, stay to the left, and the road will become Queens Hwy and then Winsor Way ending at the Carnival Cruise Terminal.
If you are driving from the Long Beach Area, you can easily get to the cruise terminal without getting on the freeway. The nearest point of interest to the cruise terminal is the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Shoreline Village area. From this area, you can take Queens Way, off Shoreline Drive, onto Queens Hwy, and exit towards the Queen Mary.
Take a Taxi or Ride Share to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal
If you are staying in Long Beach or a nearby area, or coming from the airport, you can take a taxi or a ride-share. Hotels may recommend a taxi over a ride-sharing service if it’s cheaper. Both Uber and Lyft are widely available in Southern California.
Take a Shuttle to the Cruise Terminal
Sometimes local hotels offer stay-and-cruise packages. These packages will typically offer transportation to the cruise terminal. Some hotels may also offer shuttle service to the cruise terminal for an extra cost.
Note that while some hotels offer shuttle service to the cruise terminal, they may not offer shuttle service from the terminal back to the hotel. If you stay at a local hotel, you will want to confirm whether it offers this service.
As mentioned earlier, Carnival Cruise Line offers shuttle services from LAX and the Long Beach Airport to the cruise port on the day of cruise embarkation.
Public Transportation to Long Beach Cruise Terminal
If you are fearless and want to take public transportation to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal, it is possible, even in Los Angeles. Depending on where you are coming from, you may need to take a couple of buses or the Metro Rail Line and a bus. If you need to take the Metro Rail Line, you will need to take the A Line to Downtown Long Beach. For information on the LA Metro A line, you can visit the LA Metro website.
If you are taking the bus, you will need to take a bus to Downtown Long Beach’s Transit Gallery. Depending on where in the Los Angeles area you are coming from, the number of buses you may need to take will vary. If you do take the bus, give yourself plenty of time to make it to the cruise terminal or plan to get to Long Beach the day before the cruise. For information on the local bus lines, you can visit the Long Beach Transit website.
Once in Downtown Long Beach, no matter if you take the bus or the Metro A Line, you will need to get on the Long Beach Passport Bus Line. The Passport Line will take you to the Queen Mary. The Passport Line schedule is available on the Long Beach Transit site.
Once at the Queen Mary, it is a short walk to the cruise terminal. The Queen Mary is located right next door to the Carnival Cruise Terminal.
Parking Information for the Carnival Cruise Terminal
If you are driving to the Long Beach Cruise Terminal, an on-site parking garage is available. Parking is $23 per day, but rates could be subject to change per the cruise terminal. When parking at the cruise terminal, you will receive a ticket stub and pay for your parking upon leaving. Make sure you keep the ticket stub in a safe location during your cruise so you do not have any issues when you leave.
There is limited parking space for guests of all three Carnival cruise ships that call Long Beach home. If the parking structure is full or nearly full, you will receive a communication from Carnival Cruise Line informing you that you may need to use the off-site parking lot.
If Carnival ultimately decides to use off-site parking, you will receive a second email stating that off-site parking will be used. The email will have clear instructions on how to proceed on embarkation day.
When we have cruised out of Long Beach, we have received communication via phone call, text, and email regarding off-site parking. Of all the times we have cruised out of Long Beach, we have only parked off-site once.
Long Beach Cruise Terminal Off-Site Parking for Carnival Cruise Passengers
Carnival has reserved spaces with the City of Long Beach for its cruise guests. Off-site parking is typically located at the Long Beach Convention Center, operated by the City of Long Beach, but this may change depending on special events in the city.
Carnival will send a communication via email, text, or phone call if off-site parking will be used. If this is the case for your sailing, you will drive to the cruise terminal first, as you can drop your luggage off or any passengers at the terminal. You will be given instructions, including a map, on how to reach the off-site parking lot. The paperwork includes a pass designating you as a Carnival guest. The pass must be placed on your dashboard.
Patience and Extra Time are Important When Parking Off-Site
If you receive a notification from Carnival about parking off-site, give yourself plenty of extra time and plan to arrive at least an hour or so early. On our most recent cruise out of Long Beach, off-site parking was not at the Convention Center due to the Long Beach Marathon. Traffic was extra heavy that day.
We cannot emphasize enough how much you need to account for the extra time it can take to park off-site and take the shuttle back to the cruise terminal. When we parked off-site, not accounting for drive time to the terminal from home, it took nearly an hour and forty minutes to get through cruise terminal traffic, get the off-site parking info and pass, drop off our luggage with the porters, park at the off-site parking location, take the shuttle back to the cruise terminal, and make our way through the cruise terminal and onto the cruise ship. We left home early to account for this and still arrived at the cruise terminal well after our scheduled arrival appointment time and about 30 minutes until the final all on board deadline.
It is important to note that if you are doing a back-to-back cruise, you will NOT be able to park at the off-site parking location. If you do a back-to-back cruise, you will need to make other parking arrangements if you drive yourself to the cruise terminal and are required to park off-site.
Cost of Off-Site Cruise Parking in Long Beach
Parking off-site is $20 a day, and payment is due when you arrive at the parking location the day of cruise embarkation. The only payment option available is by credit card. The off-site location is about a 10-minute drive from the cruise terminal. Carnival provides a complimentary shuttle bus to transport passengers to and from the cruise terminal. The last shuttle to the cruise terminal will leave the off-site parking location 30 minutes before final boarding. So, give yourself enough time to park and catch the shuttle to board your cruise.
Navigating the Carnival Cruise Terminal
Getting around the cruise terminal is fairly easy because it’s relatively small. If your luggage is larger than 24” x 16”, you will drop it off with the porters. You can find the porters on the ground level of the parking garage near the elevators and passenger drop-off area. The porters will put your luggage on luggage racks that will then be taken on board the ship.
Across from the parking garage is the cruise terminal. As you walk towards the terminal, you will find a small building with a restroom and Scootaround mobility rentals. If you or someone in your group needs a mobility scooter for your cruise, you can rent one through Scootaround and pick up your rental at the cruise terminal.
When we arrived for our recent cruise out of Long Beach, there was also a water station set up between Scootaround and the restrooms. Outside the cruise terminal, you will find numerous places to sit, many of which are in the shade. The main cruise terminal is the dome building, and the entrance is to the left.
Embarkation Day at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal
Navigating the Long Beach Cruise Terminal on embarkation day is generally pretty easy and stress-free. When you enter the terminal, there are three lines. There is a Priority Line for Platinum & Diamond, Suites, and Faster to the Fun guests. A line for those arriving on time for their arrival appointment and a line for those arriving early or late for their arrival appointment. As you approach the entrance, you will need to show your boarding pass and travel document, either a passport or a birth certificate with ID, to the staff member to enter the building.
Document Verification Check
After you enter the building, you will wait in line until it is your turn to speak to the Carnival representative, who will verify your documents. The worker will verify your travel documentation and boarding pass, take your picture, and check you in so you can board the ship.
After your documents are verified, you will go through security and place your belongings through the X-ray machines. After clearing security, you will get in line to enter the waiting zone/guest services area. It is during this time that passengers are screened for drugs by drug-sniffing dogs. Guest screening can be random, but sometimes all guests waiting in line are screened.
Once you clear this area, you will either wait to board the ship or you will be able to proceed to board the ship. If you are required to wait until a designated time or group is called, there is an ample seating area.
So far, every time we have gone, we have continued through the terminal to board the ship. To get to the ship, you will gradually walk up an incline path to get to a passenger verification point. The incline path is long and best described as a series of switchbacks. If someone in your party would prefer to use an elevator, let a worker know, and they will take them to the elevator so they do not have to deal with the incline path.
Once you pass this point, you will finally be at the bridge where you can walk on to the ship and start your cruise vacation.
Debarkation Day at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal
Navigating the Long Beach Cruise Terminal on debarkation day is fairly simple. After exiting your cruise ship, you will cross the bridge and make your way down the same incline path you walked to get to the ship. There will be a line for those who need an elevator to reach ground level. Once on the ground level, workers will guide you to the luggage pick-up area and the lines to clear customs.
There will be two separate lines. Typically, the line to the left is for those with Passports, Permanent Resident Cards, and Passport Cards. The line to the right is for those with Birth Certificates, Enhanced IDs, Naturalization Certificates, and other travel identification documents. If you have someone in your group, like a minor who is using a birth certificate, and you have a Passport, you will be required to go in the line for birth certificates. Once you clear customs, you are free to go home, head to the airport, or head to your hotel if you are staying in Southern California for a few days.
Hotels Near the Long Beach Cruise Terminal
There are many hotels to choose from, all within a short distance of the Long Beach Cruise Terminal. The closest hotel you can stay at to the cruise terminal is the Queen Mary, which is right next door to the cruise terminal. If you are driving, you may want to call, as far as we know, the Queen Mary does not offer extended parking for cruise guests.
The Hotel Maya and the Residence Inn by Marriott are the next closest, just down the road from the Queen Mary. The bulk of the close hotels in the area are in Downtown Long Beach, near the Convention Center.
You might find a couple of hotels that offer stay-and-cruise deals that include transportation to the cruise terminal. This is something you will need to verify with the hotel, as not all hotels offer transportation to the Carnival Cruise Port.
Staying in the Downtown Long Beach area puts you close to various places to eat and explore, and it is near the cruise terminal. There are also hotels near the Long Beach Airport if you want to stay near the airport and book a shuttle through Carnival from the airport to the cruise terminal.
Things to Do Near the Carnival Cruise Terminal
If you are not local to the area, there are many things to do in Long Beach or the surrounding area before or after your cruise. If you want to explore the area around Long Beach, you can visit the Aquarium of the Pacific, tour the Queen Mary, explore shops and restaurants in Shoreline Village, go shopping at the Pike Outlets, visit the Long Beach Museum of Art, or spend time at the beach.
Looking to explore more of Los Angeles County and beyond? You can make plans to explore Downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and the San Gabriel Valley. Walk the Hollywood Walk of Fame, visit the Griffith Observatory, visit the Santa Monica Pier, go to Universal Studios Hollywood, visit various art and botanical museums from LACMA, the Getty, the Norton Simon, the Huntington Library, or visit the Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia for some time with nature.
Additionally, you can head over to Orange County and have a visit with a famous mouse. Disneyland Resort and California Adventure are located in Anaheim, about a 40-minute drive from the cruise terminal, depending on traffic. There are also great beaches, shopping, and things to do in Orange County. You can go to Knott’s Berry Farm, explore Newport Beach, and go shopping at the Irvine Spectrum. No matter what, there are plenty of things to do in Southern California before or after your cruise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about cruising from Carnival’s Long Beach Cruise Terminal in California.
Depending on how early you arrive compared to your scheduled arrival appointment at the cruise terminal will determine if you will be able to board the ship early. If the cruise ship is still in the process of clearing the ship from its previous sailing, then you may have to wait for a little bit before boarding. If the ship is already allowing passengers to board, you will more than likely be able to board the ship.
No, you do not need a Passport to sail from Long Beach if you are a United States citizen; however, if you are a U.S. citizen without a U.S. Passport, you will need a photo ID and a birth certificate. If you have had a name change due to a marriage, you may also need to take a marriage certificate to document the name change between your photo ID and birth certificate. We personally prefer to use our U.S. passports every time we go on a cruise.
Carnival cruises sailing from Long Beach typically sail to Catalina Island, various ports in Baja Mexico, including Ensenada and the Mexican Riviera ports of Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and La Paz, as well as the Hawaiian Islands.
Yes, going on a cruise out of Long Beach is worth it, especially if you are local to the area. Cruising out of Long Beach allows you to experience other cruise ports in Mexico and gives you a chance to cruise to the Hawaiian Islands. If you are local, there is no need to book airfare for a cruise, as you would if you were to sail the Caribbean. Also, since the Long Beach Cruise Terminal is used only by Carnival and can accommodate only one ship at a time, there is less traffic than at other cruise terminals, such as Miami.
Final Thoughts on Cruising Out of the Long Beach Cruise Terminal
Cruising from Carnival’s Long Beach Cruise Terminal is a great option, whether you fly in or you live on the West Coast. The cruise terminal is located in Long Beach, a bustling city with many activities and places to visit. It is also near other incredible places to visit in Southern California. The cruise terminal is also easy to navigate because it is smaller and only one ship boards at a time. If you are local to Southern California, going on a Carnival cruise from Long Beach can be a fun, quick getaway without the added cost of flying to other Carnival cruise ports, such as Galveston, Texas, Tampa, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Port Canaveral in Florida.
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