Luxury Cruise Ship Sailing Out of Los Angeles For Good

Royal Caribbean's majestic Mariner of the Seas arrived in Los Angeles early last year with a huge splash. One of the cruise line's most luxurious ships, the Mariner has been embarking on Mexican Riveria jaunts from the Port of Los Angeles, at a time when such a trip is proving to be somewhat unpopular. Recently, Royal Caribbean announced that the Mariner of the Seas will be redeployed in January 2011, bringing an end to their brief tenancy here in San Pedro.

RC came to LA with good intentions, and nothing could be done to lessen the negative affects two major problems the travel industry faced in the last year; no amount of PR spin can put lipstick on the proverbial pigs of contagious disease and drug cartel violence. The LA Times explains:

First came the H1N1 “swine flu” scare in Mexico, which caused Royal Caribbean to suspend port calls there in May and June last year and re-route the Mariner northward up the coast as far as Canada. Meanwhile, drug-related violence in Mexico has continued to scare away many tourists and to prompt the State Department to issue travel warnings.

Royal Caribbean is canceling 15 weeks of cruises from January to April 2011; information for affected travelers is available on their site. After leaving LA, the Mariner will serve a short South America season and then split its time seasonally between homeports in Rome, Italy and Galveston, Texas, where passengers can enjoy one of the 10 largest and most pimped out cruise ships in the world. Angelenos, sit tight: Royal Caribbean has alluded to possibly returning to our market.

Previously: Are You a Cruiser? Mariner of the Seas Now Departing From L.A.