The port of Cabo San Lucas wrapped up its September-to-April peak cruise season with a 30% increase in ship arrivals compared to the same period a year earlier. Arturo Mussi Ganem, president of the Asociación Mexicana de Cruceros (Mexican Cruise Association), confirmed the growth and called it an “excellent season” for the destination.
According to DataTur, the federal tourism data platform run by Mexico’s Secretaría de Turismo, 76 cruise ships have called at Cabo San Lucas so far in 2026. Those vessels carried a combined 264,140 passengers. The port is now firmly positioned as one of Mexico’s top cruise destinations on the Pacific route, alongside Mazatlán and Huatulco.
Multi-Year Recovery Continues
The 2026 peak season builds on strong gains from the previous year. In all of 2025, Cabo San Lucas recorded 285 cruise ship arrivals and welcomed more than one million passengers. That was a major leap from 2024, when 221 ships docked and roughly 778,000 visitors came ashore. Eight cruise companies currently serve the port: Carnival, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Princess, and Royal Caribbean.
Nationally, Mexico expects to receive 1.28 million cruise passengers in 2026, representing 10.6% growth year over year. Cabo San Lucas is leading that charge on the Pacific coast.
Crowded Marina, Booked Excursions
The surge has made the Cabo San Lucas marina noticeably more congested on port days. When two or three mega-ships anchor in Medano Bay at once, thousands of passengers flood the downtown waterfront, tender zones, and beaches simultaneously. Local tour operators report that glass-bottom boat rides, snorkeling trips to El Arco, and sunset cruises are selling out faster than in previous years. Booking excursions weeks in advance, rather than negotiating dockside on arrival day, has become the norm.
Some local boat tour companies have also added fuel surcharges. Global energy price instability has driven up operating costs for both cruise lines and smaller operators, and those costs are being passed to consumers.
Fuel Costs Cloud Next Season’s Outlook
Whether the growth streak can continue into the 2026-2027 season remains uncertain. Fuel is the single largest expense for cruise lines. Price volatility, combined with reported fuel shortages on some European routes, has already triggered cancellations on certain global itineraries. Any sustained spike in fuel costs could prompt lines to trim their Mexican Riviera schedules.
This story was first reported by El Sudcaliforniano.