The Port of Los Angeles is planning to add a second cruise terminal in the coming decade on the back of strong growth in passenger numbers post-pandemic.

The port is now a year-round hub for Royal Caribbean and is seeing Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess adding larger ships and more port calls amid strong demand for Pacific itineraries.

LA closed out 2023 with 1.2 million guests and 220 calls as a result, and is expecting further growth in 2024 with 10 port calls from Viking and the return of Crystal Cruises.

“We came out of Covid stronger than we were going in,” said Chris Chase, Marketing Manager for the Port of Los Angeles.

“They [Royal Caribbean] were not in the Pacific market and we worked hard to get them to come back,” he added. “We are staying pretty stable going into 2024.” 

He said he sees the growth continuing over the rest of the decade, with more and bigger ships driving the numbers.

A second cruise terminal is therefore in the works, with the port planning to issue an RFP early this year and install shore power ahead of time.

“Looking at the orderbook, the ships heading to the North American market are certainly not getting any smaller,” Chase said. “Looking into the next decade, we want to take advantage of the ships sailing in Alaska.”

Chase added that the port is also planning to develop a new car park to accommodate the growing demand, especially as more cruise passengers are choosing to drive to the port.

Cruise ships sailing pre-pandemic would average about 250 to 300 parked cars per sailing. That number is now about 400. One ship is seeing 800 parked cars per sailing.

“We have some offsite locations we are utilising when necessary,” he said, adding that the potential site for the new cruise terminal was also being used as overflow parking with a shuttle system.

Several US ports are expanding their cruise terminal facilities: PortMiami and Port Canaveral in Florida, Port of Galveston in Texas, and the Ports of New York, New Jersey, and Seattle. These developments cater to larger ships and growing passenger demand, enhancing experience and efficiency.