SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines announced that it will begin offering Mexican Riviera cruises from San Diego starting in Oct. 2026. The company's Serenade of the Seas ship will be homeported in San Diego, marking the first time Royal Caribbean has had a ship based in the city since 2010.
The return of a Royal Caribbean ship to San Diego is welcome news for local businesses that depend on tourism, such as Old Town Trolley Tours. The tour company operates several vehicles, including amphibious seal boats and trolleys, that would cater to cruise ship passengers looking to explore the city.
"If a ship is visiting San Diego, we have a lot of guests who come off, and they want to see the city and see who we are and what we're all about," said an Old Town Trolley Tours representative. "Additionally, when a ship is making a turn here, meaning guests are exiting and new guests are stepping on the ship, those guests will be in town a couple of days prior or a couple of days after, and that'll help us provide additional tourism for the guests who aren't even necessarily visiting San Diego on the ship, but they're here before and after."
Businesses in Seaport Village are also anticipating an uptick in foot traffic due to the Royal Caribbean cruises.
"When there are cruise ships down here, there is a lot of people that come in and out because there's not really a lot of places you can walk to that are easy," said a Seaport Village business owner. "But a lot of the cruise ships, especially like the Disney cruise and the Royal Caribbean, they do come a lot this way, and so it does help with the traffic, especially during the sailing season, like more towards the summer."
