Carnival Cruise Line has opened an expanded year-round programme from Long Beach, California, for 2028–29, offering voyages of between three and eight days aboard Carnival Radiance and Carnival Panorama.
The newly released schedule runs from May 2028 until April 2029 and combines short Baja Mexico breaks with longer Mexican Riviera itineraries. The sailings are now open for sale.
Rather than introducing a new homeport operation, the programme confirms the continued deployment of both ships at Carnival’s established West Coast base while widening the range of dates and cruise lengths available.
Short Baja cruises aboard Carnival Radiance
Carnival Radiance will continue to concentrate on shorter cruises designed around weekend and midweek breaks.
Its three-day Baja itineraries will call at Ensenada, one of the busiest cruise destinations on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Four-day voyages will add Catalina Island, combining the Mexican call with a Californian island visit.
Carnival has also scheduled a special five-day Christmas voyage departing Long Beach on 21 December 2028. That sailing will visit Catalina Island, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, creating a longer variation on the ship’s normal short-cruise pattern.
The deployment retains Carnival Radiance as Carnival’s principal choice for quick departures from Southern California. The ship entered Carnival service under its present name in 2021 following a major transformation of the former Carnival Victory.
Longer Mexican Riviera voyages on Carnival Panorama
Carnival Panorama will operate the programme’s six- and eight-day itineraries, giving passengers more time in Mexico and a broader selection of Pacific ports.
The six-day cruises will visit Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas, with two days allocated to Cabo. Carnival’s announcement describes this as two days in the destination; passengers should check the detailed itinerary for their chosen departure to confirm the precise arrival and departure times.
Eight-day Mexican Riviera sailings will call at Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. The route extends beyond the ports featured on the shorter voyages and provides the most geographically varied option in the new Long Beach schedule.
At the top end of the programme, these eight-day cruises give Carnival a longer West Coast product without requiring passengers to fly to another embarkation port.
A year-round commitment to Long Beach
Long Beach is Carnival’s key homeport on the US West Coast. The line says it carries more guests from the Californian port than any other cruise operator.
The May 2028 to April 2029 release provides continuity across the year rather than limiting the ships to a short seasonal deployment. It also allows Carnival to serve several different passenger markets from the same terminal: quick three- and four-day breaks, a special holiday sailing and week-long or longer Mexican Riviera cruises.
For the port, confirmation of both ships provides useful forward visibility into 2029. For passengers, the two-ship structure makes the distinction straightforward: Carnival Radiance handles the shorter Baja programme, while Carnival Panorama operates the more extensive six- and eight-day voyages.
Five Mexican ports across the programme
Ensenada appears across both ships’ schedules and forms the core of the short-cruise offering. Cabo San Lucas features on the Christmas departure aboard Carnival Radiance and on both itinerary lengths operated by Carnival Panorama.
La Paz, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta are reserved for the eight-day sailings. Catalina Island, although part of California rather than Mexico, appears on the four-day cruises and the five-day festive departure.
The result is a programme spanning familiar gateway ports and longer Mexican Riviera calls, with cruise lengths suited to passengers seeking anything from a brief escape to a more substantial regional itinerary.
Bookings now open
Carnival announced the programme on 27 August 2026 and placed the newly released cruises on sale immediately. Individual fares, availability and port timings will vary by departure and should be checked at the time of booking.
The announcement does not represent the arrival of new ships in Long Beach. Its significance lies in the scale and continuity of the 2028–29 schedule, which keeps two established Carnival vessels at the homeport and offers a clear progression from three-day Baja breaks to eight-day Mexican Riviera voyages.