I see that there are a few 2025 & 2026 repositioning trips between SD and Vancouver, but that’s it. I’d love to do a Pacific coast cruise & DLR trip, and I can’t believe I’m the only one.
What gives? Was that a thing in the past and it just wasn’t popular?
I think it’s several things. This is based on our experiences doing 3 non-DCL cruises out of LA.
Disney has a small fleet. The Alaska market is more lucrative than simply going from LA/SD to Mexico (with or without other California ports). Foreign flagged ships (e.g. Disney) that start in the US must have a stop in another country.
Ships relocate to/from Alaska during the spring and fall, when schools are still in session. Not prime vacation times.
The Pacific is colder (talking about spring and fall). There are no warm tropical places nearby to easily sail to, on the same scale as what can be done from Florida. You can do a 3 or 4-night cruise to Ensenada, but that’s just over the border, not necessarily warmer than LA (LA can be cold!). Or you can do a 7-night to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. There are no private island type of places that Disney, or even RCL have. You can also do a 7-night cruise that includes Ensenada, San Francisco, and other CA ports.
I just think that with a limited fleet, Disney chooses to deploy them elsewhere (with just short times in LA/SD).
I agree this is really sums it up. My DH & I are hoping that by the time they get the 2 new ships coming out this year & next AND then the other 4 they announced at D23 this year (plus the 2 new ones that will be in the Asia market exclusively) they will have a fleet large enough to cover the west coast. Our hope is that they get the Dream (or Fantasy) permanently on the west coast and we can drive and combo DLR with cruises a lot more often!
My wife and I have found some RCCL and Celebrity cruises that we might do in a few years with that exact plan in mind…visit DLR, then cruise up the Pacific coast.
First we want to do one along the East Coast up into Canada. But Disney wants to take you to their private islands, it seems. So I think we’ll stick to RCCL unless something changes with Disney.
I mean, I can do NCL or Carnival for taxes & fees, but I would like to try a DCL cruise at some point. I just am not a huge fan of private islands (not super into beaches), and I’ve done the Caribbean to death on music cruises.