Princess Cruises' ship Grand Princess set sail on Saturday, September 25, at reduced capacity from Port Los Angeles (Long Beach, California), marking the first time a cruise ship has departed LA since the COVID crisis shut down cruise operations in March last year.
The liner is scheduled to call at Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Mexico on Monday, September 27, and sail back to Los Angeles on September 30.
Grand Princess, which normally holds 2,600 passengers, was sailing at reduced capacity, between 60%-75%, the line revealed. She left at 4:00 p.m. for a 5-day trip to Cabo which is the first of 11 cruises scheduled from the Port of Los Angeles in 2021 and the first of 5 with the same itinerary.
The last ship to set sail from the Port was Norwegian Joy, which left on March 15, 2020.
According to the Port, each cruise ship in Los Angeles contributes over US$1 million in economic activity. The Port hosts ships with NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess Cruises. Princess ships have set sail from LA more than any other cruise company. From January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019, Princess Cruises has had 700 cruise ship calls in Los Angeles. The line began operating from Los Angeles back in 1965.