A new massive cruise ship is making its way to Los Angeles as the competition intensifies

Cruise enthusiasts in Southern California will soon have another significant option for trips to Mexico.

This week, executives from Royal Caribbean announced that the impressive, feature-rich Ovation of the Seas will relocate to Los Angeles for Mexico cruises starting in May, marking it as the largest Royal Caribbean ship to be based in the city.

Royal Caribbean's CEO Michael Bayley and Senior Vice President for Sales Vicki Freed made this announcement on Tuesday during a preview event for their new Utopia of the Seas, as covered by various media outlets like Seatrade Cruise and Travel Weekly.

Reports indicate that the 4,180-passenger ship will join Royal Caribbean's 3,388-passenger Navigator of the Seas in offering sailings from Los Angeles, with Navigator also providing trips to Mexico.

Bayley and Freed announced that the new itineraries for Ovation of the Seas from Los Angeles will last between three to six nights. As of late Thursday, these sailings were not yet available on the Royal Caribbean website.

This deployment signifies a significant expansion for Royal Caribbean on the West Coast and represents a last-minute change for the ship. Ovation of the Seas was initially scheduled to depart from Tianjin, China, next summer with itineraries focused on the Chinese market.

Currently, Ovation of the Seas is cruising to Alaska from Seattle and will soon transition to Sydney for fall and winter voyages to destinations in Australia and New Zealand. It was planned to head to Tianjin after these journeys.

Earlier this year, Royal Caribbean revealed intentions to relocate Quantum of the Seas, a sister ship to Ovation of the Seas, to Los Angeles in the fall of 2025 — it is still on track to start sailing from Los Angeles in October 2025.

Weighing in at 168,666 tons, Ovation of the Seas will be among the largest cruise ships from any line to ever operate from Los Angeles.

Of the ships that have departed from Los Angeles, only the Norwegian Cruise Line's 3,998-passenger Norwegian Encore surpasses it in size—by a slim margin, measuring 169,116 tons.

In terms of tonnage, two other Norwegian vessels that sail seasonally from Los Angeles, Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy, are slightly smaller than Ovation of the Seas, weighing 168,028 tons and 167,725 tons, respectively.

Other prominent ships that regularly depart from Los Angeles, including Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Firenze and Carnival Panorama, are considerably smaller than Ovation of the Seas.

Ovation of the Seas will be the first ship from Royal Caribbean's renowned Quantum Class to operate year-round from Los Angeles.

Introduced in 2014, the Quantum Class is recognized as one of Royal Caribbean's most pioneering series of ships. Beyond a variety of dining options, bars, and entertainment spaces, these five vessels offer some of the most unique attractions at sea, such as skydiving simulators and bumper car areas.

Royal Caribbean has deployed Quantum Class ships from Seattle in the summer for Alaskan voyages, yet none have been stationed in California for trips to Mexico.

Interestingly, Royal Caribbean's announcement comes just three months after the emerging cruise line Virgin Voyages revealed plans for its first Los Angeles sailings in 2025, which will be aboard the new 2,770-passenger ship, Brilliant Lady.

Cruise leader Carnival has also recently launched a new ship in the Los Angeles region. One of its latest vessels, Carnival Firenze, began operations from the Port of Long Beach in April.