Yet another giant cruise ship is heading to Los Angeles as competition heats up
Cruise fans in Southern California are about to have another major option for sailings to Mexico.
Royal Caribbean executives this week revealed that the line's giant, amenity-packed Ovation of the Seas would reposition to Los Angeles for Mexico cruises starting in May. It will become the largest Royal Caribbean ship to ever be based in the city.
Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley and Senior Vice President for Sales Vicki Freed made the announcement Tuesday during a preview event for the line's new Utopia of the Seas, as reported by several media outlets that were at the event, including Seatrade Cruise and Travel Weekly.
According to the reports, the executives said the 4,180-passenger vessel would join Royal Caribbean's 3,388-passenger Navigator of the Seas in sailing from Los Angeles. Navigator of the Seas also operates voyages to Mexico.
Bayley and Freed said Ovation of the Seas' new itineraries out of Los Angeles will range from three to six nights in length. As of late Thursday, the sailings were not yet posted on the Royal Caribbean website.
The deployment marks a major expansion for Royal Caribbean on the West Coast and is a last-minute switch for the vessel. Ovation of the Seas was originally scheduled to sail out of Tianjin, China, next summer on sailings aimed at the Chinese market.
Currently, Ovation of the Seas is sailing to Alaska out of Seattle and will soon reposition to Sydney for fall and winter sailings to ports in Australia and New Zealand. It was slated to move to Tianjin after those voyages.
Earlier this year, Royal Caribbean announced plans to move Quantum of the Seas, a ship from the same series as Ovation of the Seas, to Los Angeles in the fall of 2025 — it's still scheduled to begin sailing from Los Angeles in October 2025.
At 168,666 tons, Ovation of the Seas will be one of the biggest cruise ships from any cruise line to ever be deployed to Los Angeles.
Among vessels that have sailed out of Los Angeles, only Norwegian Cruise Line's 3,998-passenger Norwegian Encore is bigger — and only by a tad. Norwegian Encore measures 169,116 tons.
When measured by tonnage, two other Norwegian ships that sail from Los Angeles seasonally, Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy, are slightly smaller than Ovation of the Seas. They measure 168,028 tons and 167,725 tons, respectively.
Other major ships sailing regularly from Los Angeles — including Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Firenze and Carnival Panorama — are significantly smaller than Ovation of the Seas.
Related: The best Royal Caribbean ships for every type of traveler
Ovation of the Seas will be the first vessel from Royal Caribbean's popular Quantum Class of ships to sail year-round from Los Angeles.
Unveiled in 2014, the Quantum Class is known as one of Royal Caribbean's most innovative series of ships. In addition to a wide range of restaurants, bars and showrooms, the five ships in this class feature some of the most unusual attractions you'll find at sea, including skydiving simulators and bumper car pavilions.
Related: 35 tips and tricks that will make your Royal Caribbean cruise better
Royal Caribbean has operated Quantum Class ships out of Seattle during summers for sailings to Alaska, but a Quantum Class ship has never been based in California for sailings to Mexico.
Notably, Royal Caribbean's decision comes just three months after startup cruise brand Virgin Voyages announced that it planned its first Los Angeles sailings in 2025. The Virgin sailings will take place on the line's next new ship, the 2,770-passenger Brilliant Lady.
Cruise giant Carnival also recently added a new ship to the Los Angeles area. One of its newest ships, Carnival Firenze, began sailing from Los Angeles County's Port of Long Beach in April.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
- The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
- A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
- 8 cabin locations on cruise ships you should definitely avoid
- Cruise packing list: The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise
- Which cruise brand is best for you? A guide to the most popular lines
- 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
- 15 ways that cruising newbies waste money on their first cruise
- The ultimate guide to choosing a cruise ship cabin
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app