About San Diego Marina
Originally settled by Spanish explorers in 1542, San Diego is nestled next to the Mexican border on the Pacific Coast of Southern California. Known as the "birthplace of California," San Diego is treasured for its Spanish heritage, its mild climate and its natural, deep-water harbor, called home by the United States Navy's Pacific Fleet.
The San Diego Marina, also known as the Embarcadero, is located on the east end of the Bay in San Diego. The Spanish word Embarcadero translates into English as the "landing-place," giving the area a much broader meaning than a simple pleasure-boat dock. The Marina houses the San Diego Cruise Terminal used by Carnival, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. In 2010, San Diego played host to over 150 ships calling at the Marina, with over 500,000 passengers.
Just across the road from the cruise terminal, adjacent to the Gaslamp Quarter on Harbor Boulevard, is the San Diego Convention Center. Completed in 1989, the Convention Center boasts over a million square feet of usable space for meetings and exhibits designed for a capacity crowd of 125,000 people. Conveniently surrounding the Convention Center are several metroplex hotels, shopping centers and restaurants, giving visitors to the Marina District multiple choices for dining and entertainment. Managed by the Port of San Diego, the San Diego Marina at the Embarcadero serves as a home base and a landing place for millions of residents and visitors every year. Other attractions include Coronado, Imperial Beach, La Jolla, National City, and San Diego Bay.
