January 25 marked a milestone for Port Canaveral as the Florida cruise port hosted its “busiest day ever” with a combined 25 deep-sea vessels.
Describing the record turnout as a “full house,” Port Canveral’s Facebook account celebrated and offered details about the day’s marine traffic.
“What a day at Port Canaveral!,” the post began. “25 deep sea vessels—6 cruise ships, 6 cargo ships, 8 space vessels, a gambling ship, plus 4 fuel bunker barges (LNG included!)—operating at our Northside and Southside cruise terminals, cargo berths and The Cove bulkhead.”
It continued, “Add to that many commercial fishing vessels and recreational boats currently in Port. Busiest day ever for the #BestPortEver!”
The six docked vessels were Royal Caribbean’s Celebrity Equinox and Voyager of the Seas, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Epic, Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Treasure, and Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Vista and Mardi Gras.
These ships offer five- to eight-day cruises to the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera, calling on destinations like Cozumel, Nassau, the Dominican Republic, and Grand Cayman.
As of late 2024, Port Canaveral hosted 911 cruise vessels and 914,000 cars in its facilities. Meanwhile, last year’s annual revenue reached $191 million, with cruise ship operations contributing 82% or $156 million.
World’s Second Busiest Cruise Port in 2024
Port Canaveral has made a name for itself as one of the world’s busiest cruise ports. It occupied the top spot from 2022 to 2023 but lost the title to PortMiami in 2024.
Nevertheless, the world’s second busiest cruise port is gearing up for continued growth as it prepares to receive 8.4 million cruise passengers this year, nearly 11% higher than 2024’s 7.6 million. From 13 cruise ships homeporting at Port Canaveral in 2024, the facility is anticipating 16 cruise vessels in 2025.
Upon surveying last year’s performance, Port Authority CEO Captain John Murray remarked, “We will continue to make sound business decisions and investments in our Port that will translate into economic prosperity for our region and the State of Florida. Our success is their success.”
