Catalina Classic Cruises, Inc.

What Catalina Classic Cruises, Inc. does

Catalina Classic Cruises, Inc. is a Long Beach, California-based passenger vessel operator providing Catalina Island transportation, harbor cruises, and private boat charters from Southern California. The company was founded approximately in 1970, anchored by its 128-foot flagship vessel The King, which has been in continuous service for over 50 years. Catalina Classic Cruises operates a fleet of six passenger vessels ranging from 77 to 128 feet in length with guest capacities between 149 and 500, including The King (500 guests), Catalina Duchess (250), Catalina Duke (225), Two Harbors (149), Sentinel (149), and Island Explorer (225). The fleet combines historic vessels with modern passenger boats and supports vessel-specific layouts including open upper decks, airline-style seating, full-service bars, and dance floors to accommodate diverse charter formats.

The company's business model is direct-to-consumer and transaction-based, with customers submitting charter requests through the company website specifying experience type (Sunset Cruise, Harbor Cruise, Catalina Escape, or Custom Experience), date, time, and guest count. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is finalized through reservation office follow-up. Revenue streams center on private charter services — including sunset cruises, harbor cruises featuring live DJs and dancing, and Catalina Island day excursions — alongside scheduled Catalina Island transportation. The customer base is composed of individual consumers organizing private celebrations (birthdays, weddings, anniversaries), Catalina Island travelers including camp transportation groups, and corporate groups seeking retreats and team events.

Catalina Classic Cruises maintains a reservation office at Pier D in Long Beach and a harbor cruises location at the Long Beach Aquarium (100 Aquarium Way), operating Monday through Saturday mornings. The company distributes through its website, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. It is a privately held corporation with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or external funding, and operates as an independent regional maritime tourism and transportation provider.

Name

Catalina Classic Cruises, Inc.

Legal name

Catalina Classic Cruises

Website

https://catalinaclassiccruises.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Catalina Classic Cruises operates six passenger vessels from Long Beach, California, providing private charters, harbor cruises, and transportation services to Catalina Island for individual consumers, group travelers, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Passenger Vessel Services and Maritime Tourism

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721), Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation (483114), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (487210)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Charters & Yacht Experiences (Crewed, Bareboat, Day Charters) (THAJAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA), Destination Yacht Cruises (Island-Hopping & Archipelago Routes) (THAEADAI)

Keywords

• Passenger vessel services
• Boat charter services
• Harbor cruises
• Ferry transportation
• Event cruises

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Private Charter Services: The company generates revenue through private boat charter bookings, including sunset cruises, harbor cruises with DJ/dancing, and Catalina Island escape trips. Customers request charters through the website with customizable experiences for various occasions including birthdays, weddings, corporate events, and group outings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Catalina Classic Cruises operates a fleet of six passenger vessels from Long Beach, California, providing private boat charters, harbor cruises, and ferry transportation to Catalina Island. Service offerings include Sunset Cruises, Harbor Cruises with live DJs and dancing, Catalina Escape day trips to Avalon and Two Harbors, and customizable Private Charters for events such as weddings, birthdays, corporate retreats, and group outings.

Product overview

Catalina Classic Cruises operates a portfolio of cruise and transportation services centered around Catalina Island access and Long Beach Harbor experiences. The core offerings include Sunset Cruises, Harbor Cruises with live DJ and dancing, Catalina Escape day trips to the island, and Private Charters for events. The company maintains a diverse fleet of six passenger vessels—THE KING (flagship, 500 guests), CATALINA DUCHESS (250 guests), CATALINA DUKE (225 guests), TWO HARBORS (149 guests), SENTINEL (149 guests), and ISLAND EXPLORER (225 guests)—spanning historic vessels to modern passenger boats, enabling flexible group transportation from small intimate gatherings to large-scale events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sunset Cruises

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• City Experiences (Hornblower): Large-scale multi-city cruise and dining-sightseeing operator offering harbor and charter cruises across many U.S. ports; broader portfolio but directly comparable in cruise-for-events business model and vessel-based group experiences.
• Spirit Cruises: Multi-city operator of dining, holiday, and private charter cruises; overlaps with Catalina Classic's large-group charter and DJ-led celebration offerings at broader scale and in other markets.

Direct peers

• Catalina Express: The dominant scheduled passenger ferry between Long Beach/San Pedro and Catalina Island, operating the same core corridor (Long Beach to Avalon and Two Harbors) and a directly comparable fleet of multi-deck passenger vessels.
• Harbor Breeze Cruises: Long Beach-based operator running harbor cruises, whale watching, and charter experiences out of the same Long Beach waterfront, directly overlapping with Catalina Classic's harbor cruise and charter business.

Regional players

• Flagship Cruises & Events: San Diego-based harbor cruise, whale watching, and private charter operator offering sunset cruises, dining cruises, and corporate events — same product mix as Catalina Classic, just in a different Southern California harbor.
• Marina del Rey Sportfishing & Charters: Los Angeles-area marina operator running sportfishing, whale watching, and private boat charters; comparable Southern California private-charter vessel business serving similar SMB and consumer segments.
• Newport Coastal Adventure: Newport Beach-based private charter and sightseeing boat operator running sunset, harbor, and group experiences in Southern California; comparable service mix but in a different coastal market.
• Dana Point Harbor / Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watch: Orange County harbor operator offering whale watching, sportfishing, and private charter cruises; comparable Southern California excursion-focused vessel business with charter components.

Emerging players

• Newport Beach Harbor Cruises (Catalina Flyer / Newport Landing): Operates high-speed passenger service to Catalina Island from Newport Beach — overlapping with Catalina Classic's Catalina Escape/transportation use case but from a different departure port.

Others

• Princess Cruises (Carnival Corporation): Mass-market ocean cruise brand headquartered in Santa Clarita, CA; tangential peer in the broader California maritime experiences market, drawing some of the same Catalina-bound tourist demand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CatalinaClassicCruises
• Instagraminstagram.com/catalina.classiccruises
• TikToktiktok.com/@catalina.classic.c
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catalina-classic-cruises

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Catalina Classic Cruises, Inc.