Palm Springs Cruises

Where is Palm Springs?

The reason that Palm Springs is not typically associated with cruises is because of its location. The city is in southern California, nearly equidistant from both San Diego and Los Angeles, but located inland, far from the Pacific Coast and any port facilities. In fact, in the midst of the desert, the idea of a cruise vacation may seem ludicrous, but in fact, it is an attractive option from this resort city.

Options for Palm Springs Cruises

Palm Springs is a popular wedding and vacation destination, and its proximity to all four significant California departure ports makes it a prime target for pre- and post-cruise getaways. Visitors to Palm Springs, then, have their choice of different cruise options based on which city they will eventually depart from, whether they’re looking for a honeymoon cruise or just a fun sea vacation.

San Diego

Southwest of Palm Springs, San Diego offers cruises from the most popular cruise lines: Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Because San Diego is a relatively small port, itinerary options are fairly limited, but passengers can find a range of Mexico cruises to different south of the border cruise destinations.

To travel to San Diego from Palm Springs, travelers would best opt to drive. There are no direct flights (other than private or chartered aircraft), and the two hour drive is more efficient than an indirect flight.

Los Angeles and Long Beach

Los Angeles and nearby Long Beach are the Miami of the west coast, offering a wide range of cruise options from all major lines, including mainstream Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess, and Holland America. Several luxury cruises also operate from Los Angeles: Regent (formerly Radisson) Seven Seas Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Oceania Cruises, and Silversea Cruises all offer departures from L.A. With dozens of other attractions in the sprawling city, Los Angeles is the perfect option for passengers beginning their exciting getaway from Palm Springs.

Because so many lines operate from Los Angeles, passengers will have their choice of many itineraries, not only to Mexico but also to Hawaii, through the Panama Canal, along the Pacific Coast to Vancouver, and even trans-Pacific voyages to Australia and New Zealand.

Getting to Los Angeles from Palm Springs is relatively easy: flights are less than an hour and fairly inexpensive, while a more economical drive is only two hours.

San Francisco

San Francisco is significantly further north than the other popular Palm Springs cruise ports, but it also offers several more unique itinerary options. San Francisco has a wide range of dinner cruises as well as culturally expressive river cruises in addition to the more familiar ocean-going voyages. While driving to San Francisco is less feasible, prospective passengers can easily catch one of the many 90-minute flights connecting Palm Springs to the Bay Area.

Visiting Palm Springs

Even though a cruise may be the most prominent part of the vacation, visitors should not neglect the many fascinating sights of Palm Springs before they leave to board their ship. Popular options include:

• Hot air balloon and helicopter tours
• Desert safari adventures in Jeeps or Hummers
• Biking tours, horseback riding, and desert hikes
• Cultural tours of the 3,500+ windmills in the region that help supply power to southern California
• Various museums, including exhibits dedicated to desert wildlife, California history, art, and regional Native American tribes
• San Andreas Fault ecological tours
• The luxury spas, gourmet dining, world-class golf courses, and extravagant casinos that you would expect to find in a resort city

In addition to these many attractive options, Palm Springs also has another allure. The city is openly accepting of many alternative lifestyles, and as such has become a popular destination for the gay and lesbian community. This makes Palm Springs the perfect jumping off point for gay cruises.

Palm Springs cruises may seem to be a contradiction, but this southern California city is uniquely placed to serve as a way stop for all the California departure ports and their wide range of 3 to 20 night itineraries. With so many cruise options available, as well as the natural allure of Palm Springs, it is no wonder that many cruisers are making this city their departure port away from the departure port.