Royal Caribbean Welcomes Quantum Class to Los Angeles

On June 3, Royal Caribbean doubled its cruise offerings in Los Angeles when Ovation of the Seas joined Navigator of the Seas as the cruise line’s second ship in southern California. Ovation is the biggest ship to make the San Pedro cruise port its home, bringing significant new options for West Coast cruisers.

“We have always intended to grow the California markets,” Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president of sales and trade support told TMR on a preview cruise aboard Ovation of the Seas. “It’s a strong market, heavily populated, a good drive market, as well as an easy lift market for cities like Phoenix, Seattle, and Portland.”

The cruise line brought Navigator of the Seas to Los Angeles in 2021, starting with short cruises then adding in seven-day rotations. “We saw that the popularity of a variety of different lengths of itineraries was really to the advantage of the marketplace,” Freed said.

That success convinced the line to increase its West Coast presence, starting with Ovation of the Seas, the first Quantum class ship to sail from L.A. That ship will switch out with classmate Quantum of the Seas in September 2025 and then switch back in September 2026. Navigator will swap with Voyager of the Seas in October 2026, at the same time that Royal Caribbean will add a third southern California ship, Serenade of the Seas, out of San Diego.

“We’re giving them the variety pack,” Freed said, adding she sees the ship additions and swaps as a boon to travel advisors. Advisors can continue to offer clients easy drive-to or quick-flight vacations every year with a new ship or itinerary without the options getting stale.

An Upgrade for Luxury Travelers

Ovation’s debut in Los Angeles also brings an appealing option for travelers looking for a higher-end travel experience. The ship is the first in southern California to offer Royal Caribbean’s Royal Suite Class, with a variety of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and loft suites and the exclusive Coastal Kitchen restaurant, sun deck, and concierge lounge.

“To have a Royal Suite Class ship on the West Coast is a huge game changer for us because we know people absolutely love the Royal Suite Class,” Danny Genung, CEO of Harr Travel and a Californian himself, told TMR. “The Royal Suite Class is truly unique in the entire industry.”

He pointed out that Ovation of the Seas can be an entry point for luxury travelers who previously were unsure about trying a mass-market ship without Suite Class VIP amenities. The ship gives travel advisors the leverage they need to turn these guests into repeat cruisers on longer or more expensive Royal Caribbean itineraries.

“If you go on a four-day or three-day cruise on this ship, you’re now going to want to maybe check out Alaska on the same ship,” he said.

Quantum Class Firsts for the West Coast

Travel advisors can also take advantage of the new Quantum class ship to attract established cruisers to the Royal Caribbean brand. 

The Southern California cruise market has historically been dominated by Princess and Carnival, but Genung says he sees the Ovation of the Seas itineraries drawing cruisers who have tried those lines but are attracted to the Quantum class offerings.

In addition to Suite Class, Ovation of the Seas brings Royal Caribbean exclusive attractions, like iFly indoor skydiving, the Northstar sightseeing pod, robot bartenders and an Italian restaurant in partnership with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. 

Indoor areas like the Seaplex game space (for pickleball, roller skating, bumper cars, and more), adults-only solarium, Two70 observation lounge/performance space, and a covered pool are well suited to southern California sailings where temperatures often stay cool on that first day of sailing to Mexico.

Travel advisors can highlight these unique attractions to get new-to-Royal vacationers on board and then parlay that trip into additional cruise bookings with the line as their clients wish to explore new destinations while enjoying the amenities and attractions they’ve come to love.

Itinerary Highlights: Cabo Overnights and Catalina Island

All of Royal Caribbean’s ships sailing from Los Angeles offer a mix of three- to eight-night itineraries, and Freed acknowledged that this can be confusing for travel advisors. However, she sees the varied schedule as a boon for advisors and their clients, especially those who work with group bookings.

The short cruises are better suited to bridal parties or celebration trips, while the longer sailings are more conducive to incentive groups and corporate meetings.

Ovation of the Seas (and Quantum of the Seas when it replaces Ovation) will offer three- and four-night cruises to Ensenada, Mexico, and Catalina Island, California, as well as five- to eight-night cruises featuring an overnight in Cabo San Lucas. The longest cruises will add on a day in Ensenada and/or Catalina, and some spend three days (two overnights) in Cabo.

Navigator of the Seas offers similar short itineraries, but its seven- and eight-night cruises include a wider variety of ports, including Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta.

Ovation’s unique itinerary options are intriguing to West Coasters who are not new to vacationing in Mexico.

“We love Cabo – it’s the place where so many go – but to have a late night or overnight port, I think that’s phenomenal,” said Genung. 

Royal Caribbean’s overnights in Cabo San Lucas, with two or even three full days in port, allow cruisers to explore the area more in depth and experience Cabo’s great nightlife. (Carnival is the only other cruise line focused on itineraries with multiple days in Cabo.)

“I also love that the ship is calling (though not as much as I would like) on Catalina Island,” Genung told TMR. “It’s a great port, and it’s also a port that unless you’re doing that short market, you never get to do.”

Ovation of the Seas includes the port on its seven- and eight-night itineraries.

The addition of Ovation of the Seas to the West Coast shows that Royal Caribbean is bullish on the southern California market, which should please advisors who have been asking for years for more ships to be deployed there. When TMR asked Freed if Royal Caribbean’s plan was to keep a three-ship roster in the two southern California ports for a while, she smiled cryptically and replied, “Maybe more, you never know.”