Port San Diego (California USA) welcomed the return of cruise lines and passengers.
On Friday, October 1, the DCL-Disney Cruise Line's ship Disney Wonder and Princess Cruises' liner Grand Princess were the first to sail out of San Diego since 2020 spring.
Disney Wonder set sail for a 4-day cruise from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas (Baja California Mexico) and back. The Grand Princess voyage started in Los Angeles-Long Beach on September 30 and called in San Diego on October 1 en route to Ensenada (Mexico) and back to LA.
The Port anticipates 100+ cruise ship calls through May 2022. Those will primarily be from HAL-Holland America, Celebrity, Disney, and Princess.
The Port is working with the cruise companies, along with various local, state, and federal agencies in order to put extra precautions in place to minimize the spread of and exposure to the Coronavirus/COVID.
All crew and eligible passengers must be fully vaccinated (currently ages 12+). Celebrity Cruises, Holland America, and Princess maintain that at least 95% of all passengers are vaccinated. Disney is testing all guests on embarkation days. Unvaccinated passengers must provide negative PCR test results between 3 days and 24 hours before embarkation.
San Diego is the third busiest cruise port in California behind Long Beach and Los Angeles. It serves as the gateway to the Mexican Riviera with other major destinations including the Panama Canal, the Pacific Coast, and Hawaii.