Port Canaveral sets new cruise passenger movements record

Photo: Port Canaveral

Port Canaveral, Fla., set a new monthly record for most cruise passenger movements when it hosted 925,994 guests in March, eclipsing the last year’s March passenger counts by 16%. Fueled by the busiest month in its history, Port Canaveral, the world’s second busiest cruise port, is also on track for a record FY 2025 when it is expected to host 8.4 million passenger movements compared to 7.6 million passenger movements last year.

“It wasn’t long ago when we exceeded 500,000 guests in a single month,” said Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray. “Now, with numbers like this approaching nearly a million, it’s not just remarkable, it demonstrates the strong demand for sailings from our port. We’ve been predicting it, and we were ready for it.”

Port Canaveral has grown in popularity as a homeport, particularly for cruise guests who prefer to drive to their port.

“One of the things we pride ourselves on is easy access in and egress out of Port Canaveral,” Murray said. “Our growth and success comes from our ongoing commitment to ensure we are the best port possible for our partners and guests.”

Murray noted that the port is investing millions of dollars to make sailing from the Central Florida region even more accessible and convenient with projects for expanded terminals, updated parking facilities and updated technology that allow guests to get to and from their cruise faster than ever.

The port is currently home to 16 ships from seven different cruise lines – Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Disney, NCL, MSC and Princess Cruises – which collectively operate more than 1,000 sailings annually.

The port is expanding its cruise options with the arrival of some of cruising’s newest and largest ships, including Norwegian Aqua this weekend and Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas in August with Carnival Festivale and MSC World Atlantic slated to debut in 2027. In addition, MSC, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and NCL will all deploy newer ships to Port Canaveral this winter.

“Port Canaveral has become the homeport of choice for new ships with more cruise lines deploying newer and larger existing tonnage, which speaks volumes about our partners’ confidence in our ability to consistently deliver high-quality experience for their guests,” Murray said,

Port Canaveral’s cruise business contributes significantly to the local economy with 91% of cruise guests staying in overnight accommodations on Florida’s Space Coast, including 27% enjoying a pre- and post-cruise land stay with per-party spending at $3,072, according to a recent study by the Space Coast Office of Tourism. In addition, cruise visitors are one of the primary drivers of new hotel construction with approximately 2,000 new hotel rooms planned by 2025, nearly a 20% percent increase since 2021.