As Port Canaveral enters the winter sailing season, several new ships are helping chart a course for the cruise port, which is expected to see 9 million passenger movements next year.
Celebrity, Princess and MSC have brought some of their newest and largest ships to Florida’s Space Coast, currently sailing itineraries to the Caribbean and Bahamas through April. After Celebrity and Princess had their first season in port last year, Edge class Celebrity Apex and Royal class Sky Princess, both built in 2019, have spent the winter in Florida after a stint in the UK.
“Princess and Celebrity are two brands that people have requested for a long time because they have traditionally only operated outside of South Florida,” said Captain John Murray, CEO of Port Canaveral. “Last year was kind of an experiment to see how well they would perform here. Needless to say, they outperformed. This year we have two larger ships coming, and we’re really excited about that because it gives cruisers a different option.”
Celebrity Apex is home to the Edge class’ popular Magic Carpet, an outdoor platform that serves as a disembarkation dock or as a dining and entertainment venue. Sky Princess offers a combination of fun, elegance and relaxation, including an infinity pool, movies under the stars, a spacious thermal suite and trivia.
MSC Grandiosa is the newest and largest of the three ships, with a capacity of 6,334 passengers, and will sail along the MSC coast during the winter season starting in December.
While Princess and Celebrity are both aimed primarily at adult audiences, Grandiosa seeks to capture a multi-generational appeal with its waterslides, ropes course, bowling alley, F1 simulator and plenty of poolside outdoor activities.
“MSC is doing what the likes of Carnival and Royal Caribbean are doing. They’re targeting the family cruise market,” said Billy Hirsch, founder of CruiseHabit.com. “Celebrities and princesses respond to people who say, ‘I want a cruise experience that my family can join, but I don’t want an extended theme park.'”
In addition to accommodating more passengers per itinerary, the new winter additions will help increase the average age of ships that homeport Port Canaveral. This helps boost cruise-related revenue of $200 million expected during the current fiscal year, which began in October.
“If you look at the age profile of vessels in Port Canaveral, we probably have one of the youngest fleets,” Murray said. “We didn’t have these companies before the pandemic. This is all tonnage that has been added to Port Canaveral since the pandemic.”
While it’s true that rising tide lifts all ships, port officials are working to maintain maintenance and expand capacity for the expected influx of passengers in the coming years. This includes building a new 3,700-space parking garage on the north side of the port and continuing maintenance of the cruise terminal’s elevators and escalators.
“Next year, we will have some berths that will be used six days a week,” Murray said. “We are putting more money into infrastructure and maintenance.”
Looking back on recent history, Murray said the 2021 Mardi Gras Carnival was a turning point. This was made possible by the port’s foresight to add the ability to fuel vessels powered by liquid natural gas (LNG).
“Everyone started bringing new ships to Port Canaveral. It started with Mardi Gras and it’s been new ships ever since,” Murray said, noting that the world’s largest ships now call the port home. “Royal Caribbean has the first and second largest ships in terms of age and size. This is a true indicator of our success. We will have five LNG ships this year.”
Port Canaveral, the world’s second-busiest cruise terminal, is well positioned for its proximity to Central Florida’s theme parks, which attracts 75 million tourists a year, as well as for passengers arriving by car.
Hirsch said cruise passengers, especially families, feel they get a better deal by choosing a cruise than visiting a theme park.
“There’s a feeling among guests that the theme park value proposition is not as good as the cruise value proposition,” Hirsch said, noting that cruises include meals, lodging and entertainment. “When people go on vacation, they don’t want to feel depressed and depressed.”
Despite the economic headwinds, Murray said the future is bright for cruises, especially in Florida.
“I think this growth will continue for some time,” he said. “Everyone has question marks about what the economy is going to do. Cruising remains a great value for families.”
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