Grand Princess Becomes First Ship to Sail from Port of Los Angeles

Princess Cruises sailed guests from the Port of Los Angeles on Monday afternoon, marking the first cruise departure from San Pedro since the cruise industry’s pause in operations early last year. Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, visited Grand Princess to take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially welcoming the first guests on board. Earlier in the week she visited the ship to thank the officers and crew for being the stars of the show harkening back to the cruise lines’ history as the ocean-going co-start of the hit TV series “The Love Boat” and its recognition in 2018 by the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Princess Cruises has been sailing out of the Port of Los Angeles since 1965 and does so more frequently than any other cruise line. Over the past decade, Princess had more than 700 ship visits in Los Angeles—the most of any line in the last decade.

“It is a pride point for us that Grand Princess is returning to service in our hometown port. Our crew members are eager to welcome guests back on board as we continue resuming operations in the United States,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. “We are grateful to the Port of Los Angeles for their support during the pause and are excited to be working together once again.”

“Princess Cruises is a valued longtime partner, and we are excited to welcome Grand Princess back to Los Angeles for the first passenger cruise since March 2020,” said Port Executive Director Gene Seroka. “We are a full-service port – with cargo, marina, cruise and visitor-serving businesses — and every cruise ship call generates more than $1 million dollars in local economic activity. That’s especially important to the City and Port of Los Angeles right now.”

Grand Princess departs on a 5-Day Cabo San Lucas Getaway, the first of five sailings with this itinerary and the first of 11 sailings from the port of Los Angeles in 2021.