Queen Mary 2 (Cunard) spent February 6, 2026, in San Francisco during her 108-night World Voyage, completing an overnight call before departing beneath the Golden Gate Bridge for Hawaii and the Pacific. The visit came just four days after her historic Royal Rendezvous with RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, placing San Francisco at an especially memorable point in the ocean liner’s journey around the world.

Norwegian Pearl (Norwegian Cruise Line) was in Miami on March 25, 2026, during a busy turnaround between two music-themed charter cruises. The ship arrived that morning after completing the five-night Outlaw Country Cruise 10 and departed later that afternoon for Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea XI, a four-night music cruise to Key West and Nassau.

Day 6 of our 10-day Caribbean cruise aboard Zuiderdam (Holland America Line) brought us to Willemstad, Curaçao, on March 31, 2026. Our extended visit provided both daytime and nighttime views of the ship before we continued to Aruba the following day.

Crystal Serenity (Crystal) was in Los Angeles on January 11, 2026, at the beginning of her 135-night World Cruise. The voyage would take the ship across the Pacific, through Asia and the Middle East, and into the Mediterranean before concluding in Civitavecchia, Italy, on May 26.

MT California (Crowley Alaska Tankers) was in Long Beach Harbor on February 2, 2026, as Queen Mary 2 made her historic return to Southern California for a Royal Rendezvous with RMS Queen Mary. The tanker has a personal connection to Ocean Liner Photography: my son previously spent part of his 2024 Cal Maritime commercial cruise aboard California, making this unexpected meeting of familiar ships especially notable.

Day 5 of our Alaska cruise aboard Queen Elizabeth (Cunard) brought us to Sitka on June 28, 2022. Following our visit to Icy Strait Point the previous day, the ship continued through Southeast Alaska to Sitka before sailing south toward Ketchikan.

Nearly six decades after arriving in Southern California, the RMS Queen Mary remains permanently berthed in Long Beach as a hotel, attraction, and preserved ocean liner. These views from November 1, 2025, show the historic former Cunard liner during the final weekend of the Queen Mary’s fall Dark Harbor season.

Grand Princess (Princess Cruises) was in Los Angeles on August 30, 2025, preparing to begin a 16-day roundtrip voyage to Alaska. The unusual itinerary took the ship north from Southern California to some of Alaska's best-known ports and Glacier Bay before returning by way of Victoria, British Columbia.

Carnival Radiance (Carnival Cruise Line) was in Long Beach on July 18, 2025, during a turnaround between two short cruises to Mexico. The ship returned that morning from a four-night voyage to Catalina Island and Ensenada before preparing to depart again on a three-night Baja Mexico cruise.

Mein Schiff Flow (TUI Cruises) was in Marseille, France, on September 1, 2026, less than three months after entering service. One of the newest cruise ships in the Mediterranean that summer, she was sailing a nine-night Western Mediterranean itinerary during her inaugural season.

Eurodam (Holland America Line) was in Seattle on June 6, 2026, during the busy Alaska cruise season. Seattle has long been an important summer homeport for Holland America Line, with ships like Eurodam sailing north to Alaska throughout the season.

Day 2 of our Alaska cruise aboard Queen Elizabeth (Cunard) was spent at sea on June 25, 2022, as we sailed north from Vancouver toward Alaska. Our first full day aboard gave us time to explore the ship before reaching Glacier Bay the following day.

Crown Princess (Princess Cruises) was in Sydney on August 10, 2025, during her first year of cruising from Australia. The 2006-built Grand-class ship had arrived in the region as part of Princess Cruises’ expanded Australian deployment, bringing one of the line’s longtime ships to Sydney Harbour.

AIDAsol (AIDA Cruises) was in Bergen, Norway, on August 1, 2024, during a nine-night cruise from Hamburg through Britain and Norway. Bergen was the final port on the voyage after calls in England, Scotland, the Shetland Islands, and Olden before the ship returned to Germany.

Nearly sixty years after her final voyage, the RMS Queen Mary remains one of the most recognizable ships in Long Beach. These views from May 30, 2026, show the former Cunard liner at her permanent berth, where she has been preserved since arriving in Southern California in 1967.

Ovation of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International) was in Sydney on March 10, 2025, during her seasonal deployment in Australia. The Quantum-class ship had become a familiar presence in Sydney Harbour, operating cruises to destinations throughout Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific.

Celebrity Edge (Celebrity Cruises) was in Sydney on March 9, 2025, during her second season sailing from Australia. With her distinctive orange Magic Carpet visible along the starboard side, the ship brought one of Celebrity’s most recognizable modern designs to Sydney Harbour.

February 2, 2026, brought an unusual meeting of ships to the Los Angeles waterfront. Navigator of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International) was docked in San Pedro when Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 arrived during her 2026 World Voyage, shortly after the ocean liner’s historic morning rendezvous with the original Queen Mary in Long Beach.

Our 14-day Mediterranean cruise aboard Oosterdam (Holland America Line) brought us to Salerno, Italy, on August 28, 2026. The port was one of the Italian stops on our voyage from Athens to Barcelona, taking us along the coast of southern Italy before continuing toward Civitavecchia and the western Mediterranean.

Day 7 of our 10-day Caribbean cruise aboard Zuiderdam (Holland America Line) brought us to Oranjestad, Aruba, on April 1, 2026. Following our extended visit to Curaçao the previous day, we continued through the southern Caribbean aboard the first of Holland America’s Vista-class ships.

Norwegian Dawn (Norwegian Cruise Line) spent September 3, 2026, docked beneath the Rock of Gibraltar during a seven-night Mediterranean voyage from Barcelona to Lisbon. The 2002-built Dawn-class ship arrived that morning following a call at Motril, Spain, and continued to Cádiz later that afternoon.

Navigator of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International) departed the Port of Los Angeles on September 18, 2026, beginning a seven-night cruise to Mexico. The Voyager-class ship sailed from San Pedro that afternoon for Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, and Mazatlán before returning to Los Angeles a week later.

Celebrity Equinox (Celebrity Cruises) was docked in Marseille on September 1, 2026, during her summer Mediterranean season. The Solstice-class ship spent the day alongside several other cruise ships in the busy French port before departing that evening.

Carnival Firenze (Carnival Cruise Line) was in Long Beach on September 28, 2026, during her year-round deployment from Southern California. Originally built for Costa Cruises, the Italian-themed ship joined Carnival in 2024 as part of the line’s Carnival Fun Italian Style program.

Celebrity Constellation (Celebrity Cruises) was docked in Messina, Sicily, on August 25, 2026, during a Mediterranean cruise. Entering service in 2002, the Millennium-class ship has spent much of her career sailing European itineraries and remains one of the longest-serving ships in the Celebrity Cruises fleet.

The four-masted Wind Star (Windstar Cruises) brought a distinctly different profile to Piraeus on August 22, 2026. Carrying just 148 passengers, the small sailing yacht was preparing to depart that afternoon on a seven-night voyage through the Greek Isles and Turkey, beginning with Mykonos.

Costa Pacifica (Costa Cruises) was docked in Civitavecchia on August 29, 2026, preparing to begin another Western Mediterranean cruise. Entering service in 2009, the Italian cruise ship was designed around a musical theme, with music influencing the names and decoration of many of her interior spaces.

Our 14-day Mediterranean cruise aboard Oosterdam (Holland America Line) brought us to Ajaccio, Corsica, on August 31, 2026. The visit came during our voyage from Athens to Barcelona, with the Vista-class ship spending the day in Ajaccio before continuing west toward Marseille and Gibraltar.

Day 6 of our Alaska cruise aboard Queen Elizabeth (Cunard) brought us to Ketchikan on June 29, 2022. After visiting Sitka the previous day, the ship continued south through Southeast Alaska for our final Alaskan port before beginning the return voyage to Vancouver.

Early on the morning of April 4, 2026, Norwegian Luna (Norwegian Cruise Line) was docked at PortMiami at the beginning of her inaugural Caribbean season. Delivered only a month earlier, the new Prima Plus-class ship was preparing to depart later that day on her first seven-day Caribbean cruise from Miami.