Cabo San Lucas on record pace for cruise arrivals in 2025

What a quality a fewer months make. Earlier successful the year, Cabo San Lucas concern owners were panicked implicit the US $42 cruise tax passed by the nationalist Senate and its imaginable tourism impacts, fixed the lingering menace of cruise lines removing Mexican Riviera destinations from their itineraries. 

However, present that the taxation has been negotiated down to a manageable US $5 per person, astatine slightest for the abbreviated term, the important fig of radical successful the Land’s End metropolis who trust connected the cruise manufacture —can alternatively absorption connected the different large cruise news, which is that the destination is connected gait for a record-setting year, acknowledgment successful portion to an unprecedentedly robust summertime schedule.

Why the cruise taxation was reduced

Princess Cruises invented the word Mexican Riviera, and remains a predominant visitant to Land’s End. (Princess Cruises)

Cruise vessel companies were furious erstwhile the US $42 cruise taxation was passed, noting that it would marque visits to Mexico’s ports 213% much expensive than those successful the Caribbean, and frankincense nary longer feasible from a concern perspective. Businesspeople successful larboard destinations successful Mexico similar Cabo San Lucas weren’t blessed either, since the estimated 1 cardinal dollars annually generated by cruise vessel visits helps to prolong section economies. 

Given this pushback, negotiations betwixt authorities officials successful Mexico and the cruise vessel manufacture began months earlier the taxation was owed to instrumentality effect connected July 1, and a compromise solution was hammered out. The cruise taxation would beryllium reduced to US $5 for each idiosyncratic who takes a cruise with larboard calls successful Mexico, careless of whether they get disconnected the vessel oregon not. 

Of course, the US $5 fig volition lone use during 2025 and the archetypal fractional of 2026. The taxation volition summation incrementally implicit the adjacent 3 years, rising to $10 successful August 2026, $15 successful June 2027 and yet $21 successful August 2028. What’s more, cruise lines volition beryllium liable for collecting the taxation — different bony of contention that appears to person been amicably worked out… astatine slightest for now. 

Record-setting projections for Cabo San Lucas

Cruise ships person been visiting Mexican Riviera destinations since the 1960s, erstwhile Princess Cruises pioneered the idea. But there’s nary question that cruise vessel passengers to Cabo San Lucas are connected an upward trajectory and person risen to grounds heights successful caller years. 

In 2022, for instance, Cabo San Lucas received 227 cruise ships with 540,773 passengers. Ports of telephone were successful the aforesaid scope the adjacent 2 years. Passenger numbers, however, changeable done the extortion acknowledgment to much accordant visits from bigger ships with expanded carrying capacities. A grounds 735,686 cruise vessel passengers visited Cabo successful 2023, and though that fig somewhat dipped successful 2024, to 724,331, much than 800,000 are expected by the extremity of 2025. 

How is cruise vessel capableness influencing these numbers? In 2022, each vessel brought an mean of 2,382 passengers. In 2023, that mean jumped to 3,117 passengers per ship, and successful 2024 it accrued to 3,516. That fig apt won’t emergence again successful 2025: done the archetypal 5 months of this year, determination person been 118 larboard of telephone visits bringing 410,648 passengers. That’s an mean of ‘only’ 3,480 radical per ship. 

However, wide rider numbers are pacing for different all-time high. Through May, cruise vessel visitors were up an astonishing 34% implicit the aforesaid play successful 2024. Summer ports of telephone are besides much robust than usual. As a section root intimate with the cruise manufacture commented, “Usually determination are astir 5 ships per period successful the summer. This year, it’s person to 20.”

That makes it hard to travel up with an close projection for what numbers volition look similar by the extremity of 2025. If we instrumentality the arrivals done May and task them for the full year, the full would beryllium astir 985,000. But that’s apt an unrealistic figure, since January done May are precocious play months, portion June to September correspond the destination’s accepted dilatory season, bringing less visitors. 

But fixed that summertime arrivals are headed for uncharted territory, too, anticipating upwards of 800,000 passengers successful 2025 seems a harmless bet. 

Exciting caller ships and arrivals

Carnival’s Ovation of the Seas is Cabo’s astir hotly awaited accomplishment successful 2025. (Forever Karen)

So the cruise vessel manufacture is booming successful Cabo San Lucas, with 8 cruise companies — Carnival, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Princess, and Royal Caribbean — and astatine slightest 24 idiosyncratic ships scheduled to sojourn astatine immoderate constituent this year. Those ships combined correspond a capableness of implicit 70,000 passengers, and  respective of them volition beryllium making much than a twelve visits. Carnival’s Panorama, for example, has already been a predominant visitant to Cabo San Lucas this year, with much larboard calls upcoming.  

The Carnival Panorama, of course, is simply a large beingness connected the West Coast and has been since it launched successful 2019. It was Carnival’s archetypal caller vessel to beryllium permanently homeported successful Long Beach, California,  successful much than two decades, and since it carries up to 4,008 passengers, it’s a invited accomplishment astatine immoderate cruise larboard successful Mexico. 

However, possibly the astir eagerly anticipated visitant this twelvemonth is Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas, which since May 28 , has been homeported successful Los Angeles for the archetypal clip successful its history, meaning it’s besides making its archetypal trips to Cabo San Lucas. Unusually, overnight stays successful Cabo are often included  successful its 3 to six-night cruises. 

It’s not a imperishable duty for the company’s biggest ever LA-based vessel — 168,666 gross registered tons, with implicit 2,000 staterooms accommodating up to 4,180 passengers astatine treble occupancy — arsenic Ovation of the Seas volition beryllium redeployed successful September, with Quantum of the Seas replacing it. But it does bespeak Royal Caribbean’s accrued absorption connected the West Coast. Voyager of the Seas volition articulation Quantum successful Los Angeles successful October, and that same month, Serenade of the Seas is acceptable to statesman Mexican Riviera cruises retired of San Diego, with stops successful Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas and La Paz. 

Cunard, meanwhile, is simply a acold little predominant visitant to Cabo San Lucas, but 1 of its 4 ships, Queen Elizabeth, volition marque a larboard telephone connected Oct, 3, during its 18-day voyage from San Francisco to Miami. It’s a uncommon dainty successful what is turning retired to beryllium an bonzer twelvemonth for cruises successful Mexico. 

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook and a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related contented and manner features focused connected food, vino and golf.