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 7 of our 2022 Alaska cruise aboard Queen Elizabeth (Cunard) was spent at sea on June 30, 2022, as the ship sailed south toward Vancouver. Following three consecutive port days at Icy Strait Point, Sitka and Ketchikan, this final full day aboard provided time to enjoy the ship and the surrounding coastal scenery before returning to Vancouver the following morning.

Carnival Firenze (Carnival Cruise Line) was in Long Beach on May 8, 2026, during a turnaround between two three-night Baja Mexico cruises. Originally built for Costa Cruises as Costa Firenze, the Italian-designed ship has been based in Southern California since joining Carnival in 2024 and departed Long Beach that afternoon for another short cruise to Ensenada.

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 Line) was spent at sea on June 25, 2022, as we sailed north from Vancouver toward Alaska. Our first full day aboard provided time to explore the ship and its public spaces 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.