Explora III at Port of Los Angeles
Everything you need for boarding Explora III (Explora Journeys) at Port of Los Angeles. Terminal info, parking, restaurants, hotels, and pro tips.
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Email me the Explora III boarding-day plan — pick your sailing below and we'll send your terminal, parking and boarding details now, then reminders a month out to book the hotel, two weeks out to pack, the week before you sail and the day before, whichever are still ahead of you. No newsletter.
Upcoming Sail Dates
Current sailing dates are temporarily unavailable. Use the terminal, parking, hotel, and local guidance below, and confirm your itinerary with the cruise line.
We are not showing sail dates for Explora III right now — our Los Angeles schedule is between checks, so this is a gap in what we can vouch for, not a sign the ship has stopped sailing. Your cruise line has the current dates.
Planning the rest of your port day
Parking rates, boarding windows and getting to the terminal are the same for every ship sailing from Los Angeles, so they live in one place: parking at Los Angeles, boarding tips and when you can board.
Getting to the Port
From Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
The Port measures its own terminal at 18 miles (29 km) south of LAX, and the route it publishes is I-405 south, then I-110 south, exit at Harbor Boulevard, straight through the intersection and right into the World Cruise Center. With clear roads that is a 30-40 minute drive. The 405 is the single least reliable freeway in Southern California, so on a weekday afternoon the same trip can take twice that.
Cost: No published fare. Rideshare is quoted in the app at booking and taxis run on the meter; neither the Port nor the terminal operator publishes a flat rate for this route.
From Long Beach Airport (LGB)
The Port puts Long Beach 10 miles (16 km) east of the terminal, and LGB sits just beyond it. Coming from that side you approach along Ocean Boulevard, Seaside Avenue and the Vincent Thomas Bridge (CA-47), then take the same Harbor Boulevard exit. LGB is small, single-terminal and quick to clear, so when the flight exists it is the least stressful way in.
Cost: No published fare for rideshare or taxi on this route.
From downtown Los Angeles
The Port measures downtown Los Angeles at 25 miles (40 km) north of the terminal, straight down the I-110 Harbor Freeway to the Harbor Boulevard exit. Metro also runs express service between San Pedro and Downtown LA, and Commuter Express, DASH and the local San Pedro Red Trolley all serve the area.
Cost: Metro and the local services publish their own fares; no cruise-specific fare exists. Driving costs you the freeway time and then the terminal parking rate.
Driving & Port Parking
The terminal is at Berth 93, 100 Swinford Street, San Pedro, at the bottom of the I-110. Exit at Harbor Boulevard, go straight through the intersection, then turn right. Parking Concepts, Inc. runs the Port's secured cruise lots — 2,560 spaces across the Port's three managed cruise locations, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no reservation required.
Cost: Free for the first hour, then $2 an hour, capped at $23 a day for a standard vehicle and $40 a day for an oversized one. Cash, traveler's cheques and cards are all accepted, and you pay on the way out.
Where can I park for an Explora III cruise?
The sourced rate is above, in Getting to the Port.
Still weighing where to leave the car?
Nearby Restaurants
San Pedro Fish Market
Order shrimp by the pound at the counter, watch it hit the grill, and eat it on an outdoor deck over the water.
$$San Pedro Cafe
A plain diner breakfast at 7am, every day of the week, ten minutes from the terminal gate.
$Think Café
One kitchen that covers a 9am breakfast and a 7pm dinner, so a family with one fussy eater only has to negotiate once.
$$Niko's Pizzeria
Neighborhood pizza on 6th Street, five minutes from the terminal and the safest order in town with children in tow.
$$Nearby Hotels
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DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Pedro - Port of Los Angeles
Boats to watch from your own balcony, a pool and hot tub, and a free shuttle that saves a cruise-morning taxi for five.
Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor Hotel
Two pool areas and a cruise package that carries the car and two adults down to the ship.
Vagabond Inn San Pedro
Cheap and functional: free parking, a pool open until 9pm, and a free lift to the port on cruise morning.
Embassy Suites by Hilton Los Angeles International Airport North
Two-room suites, a free made-to-order breakfast and an indoor pool, for the night you land rather than the night you sail.
Other Ships Sailing from Los Angeles
AIDA Diva terminal & parking
AIDA
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Phoenix Reisen
Brilliant Lady terminal & parking
Virgin Voyages
Celebrity Summit terminal & parking
Celebrity
Coral Princess terminal & parking
Princess
Crown Princess terminal & parking
Princess
Discovery Princess terminal & parking
Princess
Emerald Princess terminal & parking
Princess
Want the complete Port of Los Angeles cruise guide?
Restaurants, activities, hotels, terminal tips, parking, packing lists, and boarding advice — all in one page.
View Full GuideLet them watch you sail
Port of Los Angeles has a live camera pointed at the water. Send this to whoever is staying home and they can watch Explora III leave.
We sail from Port of Los Angeles. You can watch Explora III leave on the port's live camera: https://cruisedayguide.com/guide/san-pedro/webcam
More Port of Los Angeles Guides
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