Mexican Riviera · Cruise port guide
Avalon, Santa Catalina Island
A Californian island an hour off Los Angeles, tendered into a single small town, with a 1929 art deco landmark on the point.
Port basics
Getting ashore
Tender port
Berth to town
Tenders land in the middle of Avalon — the whole town is walkable in twenty minutes.
Time in port
Typically 6–8 hours, shortened at both ends by tendering
Cruise season
Calls year-round on short Baja sailings
Currency
US dollar
Language
English
Time zone
Pacific Time (UTC−8, UTC−7 in summer)
Nearest airport
Los Angeles International (LAX) — On the mainland — about an hour by sea plus the drive
These are the patterns Catalina Island normally operates on. Berth assignments, tender arrangements and time in port vary by ship, line and day, and we confirm the specifics for your sailing once we know the dates.
About Catalina Island
Santa Catalina is a Californian island about 35 km off the coast, and Avalon — the only real town on it — has roughly 3,500 residents. It appears on short Baja sailings from Los Angeles and Long Beach, usually paired with Ensenada.
The Casino on the point is the landmark and the name misleads: it has never been a gambling house. Built in 1929, it holds a circular art deco ballroom and the first cinema designed for sound films, and the exterior is visible from anywhere in the bay.
Private cars are effectively banned on the island — the waiting list for a permit runs to years — so residents drive golf carts, and visitors can hire them by the hour. Driving one round the terraced streets above the town is the most enjoyable thing to do here.
The water is the other draw. Catalina sits in a kelp forest ecosystem with visibility unusual for California, and the glass-bottom boats at Lover’s Cove make that accessible to people who have no intention of getting wet.
Going ashore in Catalina Island
Within reach on foot
- Avalon town, walkable end to end from the tender landing
- The Catalina Casino, a 1929 art deco ballroom and theatre — never a gambling house
- Descanso Beach and the Green Pleasure Pier
- The Catalina Island Museum
What the port is known for
- Glass-bottom boat trips over the kelp forests
- Snorkelling and diving at Lover’s Cove marine reserve
- Golf-cart hire — the usual way residents get around
- Zip line and inland tours to the island’s bison herd
How ships berth here
There is no pier for cruise ships. Vessels anchor off Avalon and tender into the town’s small harbour. The bay is reasonably sheltered, but the call is occasionally lost to swell or wind.
Access and mobility
Tendering is the main constraint. Avalon itself is compact and largely flat along the front, though the streets climb steeply away from the bay. The Casino is reached by a level waterfront walk.
Weather and when ships call
Mild and dry, 20–25°C for much of the year. Morning marine layer is common and usually burns off by midday. It is cooler than the Mexican ports on the same itinerary.
Cruise season
Calls year-round on short Baja sailings
Typical itinerary length
Catalina Island usually appears on 7 nights, with 3 and 4-night Baja sailings alongside Mexican Riviera itineraries. October – April.
Ports often paired with Catalina Island
Itineraries that call here usually call at these too, so it is worth reading them together when you are comparing weeks.
Explore further
Mexican Riviera cruises
Mexico’s Pacific coast from West Coast homeports — the drive-to region for California, Arizona and the Southwest.
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Bringing a group to Catalina Island?
We hold five cabins or more together as a single block, quote it once, and let each household book and pay separately. Tell us roughly when and how many.