Table Of Content
- Port Canaveral CEO projects another record year of revenue
- The title of world's busiest cruise port shifts to Port Canaveral
- Cruise Line Adds “Glacier Day” to Its Alaskan Cruise Itineraries
- Tales in Transit: The Twists & Turns of World Travel
- Miami Beach Imposes New Strict Rules To Discourage Spring Breakers

The presence of major cruise lines and several mega-ships helps to boost the numbers at Port Canaveral. Overall, cruise passenger totals in Florida remained down in 2022 at 10.6 million, but the council expects numbers to return to normal levels in 2023. The massive vessel, which debuted in 2022 and can carry 6,988 passengers per voyage with every berth filled, began sailing out of Port Canaveral in November. Given that it sails weekly out of the port, this one ship alone could drive passenger totals of 300,000 or more to Port Canaveral annually.
Port Canaveral CEO projects another record year of revenue
It’s no wonder Barcelona regularly sees cruise ships from Viking, Oceania, Celebrity Cruises, and more. The Oasis-class ship set sail from the Space Coast for the first time on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 on a 5-night sailing that was to have visited Labadee, Haiti and Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas. Due to high winds in the Bahamas, however, the itinerary was adjusted to visit Cozumel, Mexico first, with the visit to CocoCay later in the sailing rather than the first day.
The title of world's busiest cruise port shifts to Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral is also home to Disney Cruise Line's newest and biggest ship, Disney Wish, and the biggest MSC Cruises ship based in North America, MSC Meraviglia. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes. “It’s great to see it coming back strong,” after a lengthy shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, Murray said. Murray noted that Port Canaveral’s 2023 passenger counts have been strong so far, and are likely to far exceed the 2022 figures. Industry-specific and extensively researched technical data (partially from exclusive partnerships).
Cruise Line Adds “Glacier Day” to Its Alaskan Cruise Itineraries
None of the big three Florida cruise ports reached their prepandemic passenger volume in 2022. Miami's neighbor to the north, Port Canaveral, has laid claim to the title of busiest cruise port in the world -- at least for now. The North, East and South terminals at the World Trade Centre pier are designed for smaller cruise ships and are closest to Barcelona’s La Rambla street in the gothic quarter. Sant Bertrand Terminal near the World Trade Centre offers ferry services to the Balearic Islands. Wusongkou port is also known as Baoshan Cruise Terminal due to its location in Baoshan District.
While the port enjoys the No. 1 ranking, the state’s overall cruise passenger count remains far lower than the highs seen in 2019. A just-released report from the organization put Port Canaveral's passenger totals at 4.07 million for the 2022 fiscal year. Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale retained its No. 3 spot, with 1.72 million passengers.
Miami Beach Imposes New Strict Rules To Discourage Spring Breakers
The port is designed to facilitate up to seven cruise ships, with a total capacity of 12,000 passengers at any one time. It is situated between New Providence and Paradise Island, with its main tourist destination Atlantis resort located a short boat ride away. Other Florida cruise ports, such as Port Tampa Bay and Jaxport (the port for Jacksonville), are far behind in passenger totals. Port Tampa Bay handled just 418,200 cruise passengers in 2022, according the Florida Ports Council report. Multi-day cruise guests are those passengers on a voyage lasting more than one day.
The Out Islands of the Bahamas handled more than 2.6 million passengers in 2017 across the main public ports of entry on the islands of The Abacos, Andros, Bimini, Eleuthera, The Exumas, and Long Island. There are three cruise ship piers on the island, Punta Langosta, the International Pier and Puerta Maya. Cruise lines that operate services to the island include Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean. The Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) said in its 2023 "State of the Cruise Industry" report that travelers' intent to cruise is higher in 2023 than in December 2019. In June, Travel Weekly shared CLIA's Busiest Cruise Port ranking measured by passenger movement, which refers to the number of people boarding and disembarking at a port.
Major carriers like Carnival, Disney Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean all launch ships from Galveston. Allure of the Seas‘ last sailing from Port Canaveral will be departing July 5, 2024 – a 3-night cruise that will visit both Nassau and CocoCay. After that cruise, the ship will leave Port Canaveral and reposition to PortMiami to continue offering the same short itineraries but from the south Florida homeport at least into February 2025.
PortMiami is again the world's busiest cruise port - Travel Weekly
PortMiami is again the world's busiest cruise port.
Posted: Mon, 11 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

In 2017, 846 vessels docked at Port Everglades, which features nine terminals and is home to ten cruise lines, including Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Peak travel season at the port is between November and April, although ships sail all year round. In December 2018, the port also saw its largest amount of passengers handled in a single day. It is estimated that the port hosted 52,000 passengers on 9 December, with nine vessels from cruise lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, and Norwegian docking at PortMiami. The Nassau Cruise Port underwent a $300 million redevelopment that included repairs, expansions, and new attractions like a 3,500-person amphitheatre and a living coral exhibit. In February, the cruise port set a new one-day passenger record when it welcomed 28,554 travelers.
Cruise ports are important to the local economy as they provide employment opportunities to many people and also earn revenue from tourist spending. The world’s busiest cruise port has gotten busier still as Allure of the Seas – the fifth largest cruise ship in the world – is now homeported from Port Canaveral, Florida. Arrivals and record-breaking revenues were detailed at a “State of Port” event held at the facility on November 8, 2023. Located in Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida, PortMiami is the world’s busiest cruise port. Due to its huge traffic volume, both passenger and cargo, PortMiami has a significant impact on the economy of Miami. The cruise terminals of PortMiami are among the most modern in the world.
Depending on the sailing date, the ship will also call on Nassau or may include a day at sea. The eastern Florida port also just welcomed its newest homeporting cruise ship, MSC Cruises’ MSC Seaside. From there, the vessel will operate three and four-night Bahamas voyages, as well as seven-night sailings to Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize, and Ocean Cay.
The Council's pre-pandemic statistics show Florida's embarkations increased by 41% between 2010 and 2019, a compound annual growth rate of 3.9%. In 2019, Florida ports accounted for 60.1% of total US cruise passenger embarkations. The numbers show the port’s popularity continues to grow, with virtually all of the major cruise lines home-porting ships either on a year-round or seasonal basis. Port Canaveral has several advantages as a cruise port compared to other Florida ports; perhaps the most notable is its proximity to Orlando International Airport (MCO), the busiest airport in Florida. Fly-in cruisers have more flight options when traveling to Port Canaveral than Miami or Fort Lauderdale.
Photos: Top 10 Busiest Cruise Ports Around the World - Business Insider
Photos: Top 10 Busiest Cruise Ports Around the World.
Posted: Sat, 12 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Cruise passengers arriving at this port can also enjoy the sightseeing activities in Civitavecchia itself. The place hosts Forte Michelangelo and Terme Taurine baths among other attractions. Located in Galveston, Texas, the Port of Galveston has welcomed ships from most major cruise lines like Disney Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, and others. The Florida Ports Council noted that overall cruise passenger totals at Florida's ports have risen significantly over the past decade. They were up 41% between 2010 and 2019 — the last normal year before the COVID-19 pandemic caused lines to temporarily suspend cruise operations.
The future could also mean a seventh terminal for the port as it becomes flush with record operating revenue. The 2023 fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30 is projected to exceed more than $154 million including $124 million from cruising. Record passenger counts so far mean it will likely surpass that projection. Carnival Cruise Line said in May that the 5,260-passenger, Italian-style Carnival Venezia will homeport there in late 2024 before returning to New York in the spring.It will be Carnival's fifth ship based in Port Canaveral.