Port Canaveral Moving Ahead With Ambitious Growth Plans
The fast-growing Port Canaveral, the second-busiest US cruise port behind Miami, has detailed more improvements under way or soon to begin as part of its Port Canaveral Advantage plan.
With an investment of nearly $500 million, the port will receive a slew of infrastructure upgrades to its cruise and cargo operations, a May 1, 2025 update from port officials states.
The cruise industry is the major economic player at the port and accounts for the lion’s share, about 58%, of its total operating revenue. In 2024, that number was $156 million.
Also last year, Port Canaveral reported 7.6 million cruise passenger movements, including homeport embarkations and debarkations, and single-day ship calls. The number is predicted to climb to 8.4 million in 2025, with revenue topping $175 million.
“Port Canaveral has been a driving force for the Central Florida economy for over seven decades, and the continued prosperity of our Port community depends on our continued success,” said Capt. John Murray, CEO of Port Canaveral.
“As we look ahead to the future, our challenge is balancing the business demands we have today while positioning ourselves for continued growth,” Murray added.
Among the initiatives planned is an expansion of the existing Cruise Terminal 5, adding a Cruise Terminal 6 and increasing its size by 65% to allow the accommodation of larger ships. The expansion is slated to take about 16 months, and construction will not impact ongoing ship operations.
The port announced in 2024 that it would create Cruise Terminal 6 at its North 8 berth space, which would be made available to various cruise lines. Cruise Terminal 5 is mostly used by Royal Caribbean ships.
Along with expanding Cruise Terminal 5, the port’s growth plan includes enhancing Cruise Terminal 10. The project is in its early stages and a feasibility study is scheduled to be finished in June 2025.
The goal of these terminal changes is to provide space and capacity to accommodate mega-ships up to 1,200 feet long. For reference, the largest cruise ship sailing today, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, is 1,196 feet long.
Other improvements detailed in the port’s five-year planning guide are exterior enhancements at Cruise Terminal 1. Starting in May 2025, new walkways, lighting, and landscaping will be added, along with parking garage updates.
Port on Track to Host 1,000-Plus Ship Calls in 2025
In 2025, 16 ships will homeport at Port Canaveral, representing 1,030 total ship calls, including 918 by homeporting ships and 112 calls. Carnival Cruise Line is among the big players at the port, with four ships based there year-round — Carnival Freedom, Carnival Glory, Mardi Gras, and Carnival Vista — and one seasonally based, Carnival Venezia.
Read Also: Port Canaveral Cruise Port – Piers, Terminals, and Getting Around
All of the major cruise lines have a homeport presence at Port Canaveral, including Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Norwegian Cruise Line is the latest to deploy a new-build to Port Canaveral. On April 26, 2025, Norwegian Aqua arrived at the port for her seasonal voyages to the Caribbean.
Royal Caribbean will be next to base a new-build at Port Canaveral when Star of the Seas, second in the Icon class, launches in August 2025.
The year got off to a roaring start for Port Canaveral, which in March reported a monthly record of 925,994 cruise passenger movements. The number reflects a 16% spike over March 2024.