Okay, so Monday rolled around and this MASSIVE ship pulled into the Port of Los Angeles. We’re talking about the Disney Adventure—208,000 tons of pure Disney magic, the biggest ship in their entire fleet. Disney fans in SoCal were losing their minds on social media, posting photos, talking about how exciting it was to see this beast in person.
But here’s the tea nobody’s spilling: That ship wasn’t there for you. It was literally just passing through on its way to Singapore, and it’s never coming back. And get this—Disney Cruise Line doesn’t even sail from LA anymore. At all. Zero sailings. Nada.
When Did This Even Happen?!
If you’re a Disneyland regular who’s been living under a rock (or just, you know, dealing with inflation and trying to afford park tickets), you might have missed that Disney has been quietly pulling their cruise ships out of LA and Long Beach for a while now. The Disney Wonder? Gone to San Diego. The Disney Magic? Also San Diego.
So now if you want that picture-perfect Disney vacation where you hit up Disneyland for a few days and then hop on a cruise ship, you’re driving to San Diego. That’s right—two hours south, maybe three if you hit traffic, which let’s be real, you absolutely will because this is Southern California.
Why Singapore Though?
Disney’s not stupid. They’re following the money, and right now the money is in Asia. The Disney Adventure is heading to Singapore where it’ll park itself for at least five years starting March 10, 2026. The ship is literally designed for Asian audiences—different food options, entertainment that vibes with that market, the whole thing.
Joe Schott, president of Disney Signature Experiences (yes, that’s apparently his title), gave us the corporate speak: “As we near the maiden voyage of the Disney Adventure, excitement continues to build with our crew and future guests. This ship brings immersive Disney storytelling to new audiences, and our arrival in Los Angeles marks one more milestone as we put the finishing touches on an experience that will soon set sail from Singapore.”
Translation: “Thanks for the photo op, LA. We’re out.”
The ship is INSANE though, we have to give them that. It’s got seven different themed areas pulling from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel. There’s a roller coaster at sea in the Marvel Landing section—literally Disney’s first cruise ship roller coaster ever. Moana’s Wayfinder Bay is at the back of the ship. The whole thing is like someone put multiple theme park lands on a boat and said “let’s make it float.”
The Panama Canal Flex
Oh, and during its journey from Germany to Singapore, the Disney Adventure became the largest passenger ship to EVER go through the Panama Canal. They used those new Expanded Canal locks from 2016 because this ship is just that big. Disney reportedly paid somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million just for the canal transit. That’s not even for the whole journey—just the canal part. Wild.
After leaving LA, the ship’s making a quick stop in Tokyo (because of course it is) before landing in Singapore. And Singapore’s Changi Airport is already hyping it up with displays at the Wonderfall in Terminal 2, running character showcases every 30 minutes through the end of May. Mickey, Minnie, Toy Story characters, Big Hero 6, Moana, Guardians of the Galaxy—the full Disney gang is getting promoted to anyone walking through that airport.
So What Are SoCal Families Supposed To Do Now?
Here’s where it gets frustrating. Disneyland is RIGHT THERE in Anaheim. Walt Disney’s original park, the park that started the entire Disney empire, is sitting in Southern California. But if you want to do the classic Disney park-and-cruise combo vacation? You’re now dealing with way more complicated logistics.
Your options basically are:
Option 1: Drive to San Diego. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s also not the 30-minute hop it used to be when ships left from LA or Long Beach. You’re looking at two hours minimum, and if you’re coming from anywhere in the Valley or farther north, add more time. Plus parking, embarkation, the whole port process. It changes the vibe completely.
Option 2: Fly somewhere else. Port Canaveral, Miami, Galveston for Caribbean cruises. Barcelona or other European ports if you’re feeling fancy. But then you’re booking flights, and the whole “convenient California combo vacation” thing is completely dead. You might as well just treat Disneyland and Disney cruises as totally separate trips at that point.
Option 3: Give up on combining them. Honestly? This might make the most sense. Do your Disneyland trip as its own thing. Do your cruise as its own thing. Stop trying to force a vacation combination that Disney themselves clearly isn’t interested in supporting anymore.
The Money Side of This
Here’s something people aren’t talking about enough: LA and Long Beach ports are missing out on SERIOUS money right now. When cruise ships homeport somewhere, they bring economic activity—passengers spending money before and after cruises, crew members going ashore, ships needing supplies and services, tourism dollars all around.
Disney pulled out, and San Diego’s getting all that business now. For ports that compete with each other for cruise line contracts, this is a big loss that adds up over time even if it doesn’t make headlines.
But Wait, Disney’s Building More Ships!
So here’s where it gets interesting. Disney Cruise Line is expanding like crazy. The Disney Wish launched in 2022. The Disney Treasure in 2024. The Disney Destiny in 2025. Another Wish-class ship is coming in 2027. They’re partnering with Oriental Land Co. to bring Disney cruises to Japan in 2029. By 2031, they’re supposed to have 13 ships total.
That’s a LOT of ships. So theoretically, maybe, possibly, they could bring cruises back to LA, right?
Don’t hold your breath.
San Diego’s already set up as their West Coast homeport. Running operations from both San Diego AND LA would mean duplicate costs for infrastructure, staffing, all of it. Disney would need to prove that LA demand is so much higher than what San Diego already captures that it’s worth the extra expense. And honestly, with San Diego being relatively close, they probably figure they’re already getting most of the SoCal market covered.
Plus, LA and Long Beach ports are BUSY with container shipping. Like, massive amounts of cargo moving through constantly. That creates congestion and logistics headaches that San Diego’s more dedicated cruise port setup doesn’t have. From an operations standpoint, San Diego might just work better for Disney even if it’s slightly less convenient for LA-area passengers.
The Disney Adventure’s visit to Los Angeles this week was basically a breakup text in ship form. “Hey, we’re in the neighborhood, but we’re not staying and we’re never coming back. Have a great life!”
Disney’s made their choice. Asian markets get the massive new ship. San Diego gets West Coast operations. Los Angeles gets… memories of when Disney cruises used to sail from here and occasional repositioning stops where giant ships wave goodbye on their way to somewhere else.
If you’re a SoCal Disney fan, adjust your expectations now. San Diego is your cruise port. Make peace with the drive, plan it outside rush hour, and remember that San Diego’s port is actually less of a nightmare than LA’s can be. Or split up your vacations and stop trying to cram everything into one trip.
The old days of Disneyland-then-cruise-from-LA are done. Disney’s moved on, and probably so should you.
