Mariner of the Seas is leaving Los Angeles.
With Mexican cruises slumping in popularity, two of the largest ships serving the Port of Los Angeles are pulling up anchor for more lucrative markets elsewhere.
Royal Caribbean said its 3,100-passenger Mariner of the Seas, after a Mexican Rivera voyage that begins Sunday, will leave the Port of L.A. for South America and Europe, ending up in Galveston, Texas. Norwegian Cruise Lines will pull its 2,348-passenger Norwegian Star out of the port in May. The ship will eventually settle in Tampa, Fla.
Cruise line officials and port officials say the moves stem from the sour economy and continuing drug-related violence in Mexico.
So far, no cruise lines have announced plans to abandon the Port of Long Beach, but Carnival Cruise Lines said this week that its Carnival Spirit, which has docked at both Los Angeles and San Diego, will start sailing out of Australia in 2012.
Read the full article in the Los Angeles Times