Carnival Radiance Long Beach 2027 and 2028 Cruises

Carnival Cruise Line opened bookings for additional 2027 and 2028 short cruises on Carnival Radiance from Long Beach, California. The update matters most for travelers planning quick Baja Mexico weekends, Catalina add ons, and holiday departures that can sell out early in Southern California. The practical move is to decide whether you want the simplest three day Ensenada pattern, the four day Catalina plus Ensenada routing, or the longer holiday run, then book around the dates that protect your time off and shore priorities.

Carnival Radiance Long Beach sailings now cover a published window from May 3, 2027, through April 28, 2028, with frequent three and four day options, plus a five day Christmas sailing on December 23, 2027, and a four day itinerary with back to back Ensenada calls on January 3, 2028. Carnival also tied the deployment to its port relationships in Catalina Island and Ensenada, and to development work planned for Ensenada Bay Village with a target opening in 2028.

Who Is Affected

This affects travelers who want a low friction cruise that does not require flying, especially Southern California residents who can drive to the terminal and treat a sailing as a long weekend. It also affects travelers flying in for embarkation, because short cruises compress the margin for error, a late flight, a traffic jam, or a missed check in window can cost the entire trip more often than it would on a seven night itinerary.

Families and groups are likely to feel the change in a different way than couples. A three day Ensenada itinerary is usually about simple relaxation and a single port day, while a four day that includes Catalina adds another port experience, but it often relies on tender boats, which can reduce usable shore time if seas are choppy or if the tender queue runs long. Travelers targeting the December 23, 2027, Christmas cruise should also expect higher demand because it is a longer run that includes Cabo San Lucas alongside Ensenada.

Travel advisors and frequent cruisers are affected, too, because West Coast short cruise inventory is a finite pool. When a line opens more sailings, the early booking period often becomes the best window to secure preferred cabins and dining times, and then the rest of the trip costs, hotels, parking, ground transfers, and shore tours, adjust around those fixed sailing dates.

What Travelers Should Do

Start with a calendar first approach. If you are flexible, pick the itinerary shape that matches your shore priorities, three day for the simplest getaway, four day if Catalina is the draw, and five day if you want a fuller holiday vacation with Cabo San Lucas, then book the sailing that fits your time off. If you are flying in, add a pre cruise hotel night rather than trying to land and embark the same morning, because short cruises leave little room to recover from a delayed inbound trip.

Use clear decision thresholds when choosing between the three and four day options. If Catalina is a must do, accept that tender operations can limit shore time, and plan your Catalina day around the first tender window rather than a late start. If you care more about maximizing a predictable port day, Ensenada is the steadier bet, especially on a three day itinerary where the ship is built around one main port call.

Over the next 24 to 72 hours, monitor two things before you commit nonrefundable add ons. First, watch whether cabin categories you care about are thinning on your preferred dates, especially the December 23, 2027, sailing. Second, keep an eye on Baja cost and port experience changes that could alter shore planning, including Baja California Sur Embrace It Tax Rises in 2026, since fees and on the ground processes can change the real feel of a quick Cabo or Baja day.

Background

Cruise deployment announcements like this look simple, more sailings on a calendar, but the operational ripple runs through several layers of the travel system. First order effects start at the source, which is berth schedules, port call permissions, and tender capacity in Catalina, plus local tour and transportation inventory in Ensenada. When three and four day cruises stack on weekends, the port experience can feel different than on longer itineraries because arrival waves are more concentrated, and short call windows reward travelers who pre plan rather than wander and hope.

Second order effects show up around the ship and the homeport. More short sailings can lift demand for pre cruise hotels, parking, and rideshare capacity near the terminal, especially on holiday weeks, and that can push prices up or reduce availability for late planners. Shore side, Carnival says it recently finalized a 15 year agreement with the City of Avalon, reflecting a long running partnership tied to sustainable tourism goals, and it also points to Ensenada Bay Village, a planned enhancement at the Ensenada Cruise Terminal backed by more than $26 million in investment with a target opening in 2028. Those developments matter because they can change what a port day looks like, which changes how travelers should allocate limited shore time on a three or four day cruise.

Sources

• Carnival Cruise Line Opens New West Coast Sailings to Popular Ports for 2027/28
• Carnival Corporation, ITM Group and Hutchison Ports ECV Unveil Plans for Ensenada Bay Village - "Treasures of Baja" at the Ensenada Cruise Terminal
• Carnival Radiance