The Norwegian Bliss will call the Port of Los Angeles home on seven occasions in 2018, and become the biggest cruise ship ever to dock there.

“We’re very optimistic to see this type of ship entering the Alaska market, which has a symbiotic relationship with us,” said Chris Chase, marketing manager for the port. “It will also fit right into the Mexican Riviera market; it’s very opportunistic. After some years of difficulty the Mexican market is looking to be strong enough to support something of this nature.”

There is also a major update to the port’s shorepower system set to debut this year that will provide more electricity for bigger ships.

“It will allow larger ships to plug in,” said Chase. “As you look at the orderbook, they do not build small ships for our market. It behooves us to ramp it up a little bit.”

The port is still hoping to attract year-round business back, but in the near-term, as more ships enter the fleet, Chase sees the immediate opportunity in up-sizing current ships.

“On the horizon, looking at 2020 and beyond, there is a lot of hardware coming into the market, much of it is very large and that is our opportunity,” Chase said.

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