Sapphire Princess (Princess Cruises) was docked in San Diego, California, on May 11, 2025. Built in Japan and entering service in 2004, the Grand-class cruise ship was photographed alongside during her visit to the Southern California port.

A July 18, 2025 visit to the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach offered another opportunity to revisit the former Cunard liner and her art deco surroundings. Permanently moored in Southern California since 1967, she preserves a connection to the era of express Atlantic crossings and the wartime service that earned her the nickname “Grey Ghost.”

Our 15-day Grand European Tour aboard Viking Skadi (Viking) traveled from Budapest to Amsterdam from July 6–20, 2024. Following the Danube, Main and Rhine Rivers, the journey connected Hungary, Austria, Germany and the Netherlands through historic cities, smaller river communities and some of Central Europe’s best-known landscapes.

Our Norway cruise aboard Rotterdam (Holland America Line) sailed roundtrip from Rotterdam, Netherlands, from July 27 to August 3, 2024. The voyage combined calls at Nordfjordeid, Molde, Geiranger and Bergen with scenic cruising through some of Norway’s most dramatic fjord landscapes.

National Geographic Venture (Lindblad Expeditions) is seen docked at Mare Island in Vallejo, California, on November 19, 2024. Built in the United States specifically for expedition cruising, the compact vessel is designed to explore the coastal waters of Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, California and Mexico.

The SS Rotterdam, former flagship of Holland America Line, remains an impressive sight at her permanent berth in Rotterdam. These photographs from July 26, 2024, show the preserved ocean liner in her namesake city, where she now welcomes visitors as a hotel, maritime attraction, and event venue.

Carnival Radiance (Carnival Cruise Line) is docked at Long Beach on September 27, 2024, preparing to depart on a three-night Baja Mexico cruise. Originally entering service as Carnival Victory in 2000, the ship emerged from an extensive transformation in 2021 with a new name and significantly redesigned passenger spaces.

Navigator of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International) departs Los Angeles on September 27, 2024, beginning a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise. The Voyager-class ship was sailing round-trip from Southern California with calls at Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta.

Sapphire Princess (Princess Cruises) is seen in Ketchikan, Alaska, on May 8, 2023. The Grand-class ship was photographed during Day 15 of our Fire & Ice voyage aboard Norwegian Spirit, when both ships visited Ketchikan during the final days of our journey through Alaska.

Havila Castor (Havila Voyages) is seen in Bergen, Norway, on August 1, 2024. Entering service in 2022, the Norwegian coastal passenger ship combines LNG and battery-electric propulsion while operating the historic coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes.

Queen Mary 2 (Cunard) sailed Northern Europe in July 2004 during her inaugural year, only months after entering service as the world's newest ocean liner. We traveled aboard this early cruise from Southampton to Scotland, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands, visiting several ports that were welcoming Queen Mary 2 for the first time. This gallery serves as the main Ocean Liner Photography record of that voyage and one of our earliest experiences aboard Cunard's new flagship.

Celebrity Millennium (Celebrity Cruises) is docked in Vancouver on June 24, 2022, preparing for an Alaska cruise. The Millennium-class ship was photographed as we prepared to begin our own Alaska voyage aboard Queen Elizabeth from Canada Place that same day.

Serenade of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International) is seen in Sitka, Alaska, on June 28, 2022. The Radiance-class ship was photographed during Day 5 of our Alaska cruise aboard Queen Elizabeth, when both ships visited Sitka amid the mountains and islands of Southeast Alaska.

Zuiderdam (Holland America Line) is seen in Glacier Bay, Alaska, on June 26, 2022. The first of Holland America’s Vista-class ships was photographed during Day 3 of our Alaska cruise aboard Queen Elizabeth, as both ships spent the day cruising among the glaciers and mountains of Glacier Bay.

Silver Muse (Silversea Cruises) departs Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 23, 2022. The first Muse-class ship entered service in 2017 and was seen leaving the city one day before we boarded Queen Elizabeth for our Alaska cruise.

AIDAprima (AIDA Cruises) is docked in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on July 25, 2024, during an overnight port call. The distinctive ship was photographed two days before we boarded Rotterdam for our Norway cruise from the same city.

Seabourn Odyssey (Seabourn Cruise Line) was docked in Vancouver on May 11, 2023, preparing to begin an eight-day voyage to Juneau that opened the line’s Alaska and British Columbia season. The first of Seabourn’s Odyssey-class ships, she combined all-suite accommodations with a smaller passenger complement suited to destination-focused cruising.

Seven Seas Splendor (Regent Seven Seas Cruises) was docked in Bergen, Norway, on August 1, 2024, during a Northern European voyage. Her Bergen call appeared on the scheduled itinerary for an 18-night cruise from Reykjavík to Southampton, combining Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Norway with ports farther south in Europe.

California (Crowley Alaska Tankers) provided the setting for my son’s Cal Maritime commercial cruise from May through July 2024. His time aboard took him to Valdez, Alaska, Port Angeles, Washington, San Francisco, and El Segundo in Los Angeles County. These photographs document the crude oil tanker and the ports surrounding his experience, offering a closer look at the working ships connecting Alaska’s oil industry with the U.S. West Coast.

Carnival Elation (Carnival Cruise Line) was photographed in San Diego, California, on July 24, 2009, during the ship's period of West Coast service. We had previously traveled aboard Carnival Elation on a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise in April 2002, giving the Fantasy-class ship a personal connection to our collection.