Almost 926,000 cruise passengers in Port Canaveral in March promoted a record month when they first saw operating revenues in the middle of the top-top $100 million in fiscal year.
“It wasn’t long ago that we broke the 500,000 mark and 500,000 guests, and 926,000 people were breaking 926,000 guests in a month,” Port CEO Colonel John Murray said at a Port Authority Committee meeting Wednesday.
For six months from October 2024 to March 2025, there were calls to 544 vessels at the port, with over 4.4 million passenger movements. At this point last year, the port had only 480 ship calls and 3.9 million passenger movements. The fiscal year will be held until September.
And more passengers mean an increase in parking fees. The port set a daily record with more than 11,000 vehicles on Sunday, March 16th.
“This year there is even stronger demand than last year during spring break,” Murray said. “We’ve been predicting that, and we’re ready for it, so it was a success.”
For six months, cruise-related operating revenues have exceeded $102 million, with almost $10 million added in freight, lease and recreation. Overall operating expenses were nearly $67 million, which led to the port providing about $43 million, repaying its debt and investing in the project.
For the same six months in 2019, operating revenue was around $52 million, while expenses remained only about $9 million.
Port Canaveral pursues a new terminal where “less than that” is not dying
Canaveral was a record 16 ship home port throughout the winter sailing season, so it was busy with all six terminals. This includes the first time the Disney Cruise Line’s latest ship Disney Treasure debut, just as both Princess Cruise and Celebrity Cruises called it home.
“We’re pretty much capable now, unless we start sailing in the daytime or something like that,” Murray said. “And that was a challenge for us.”
However, numbers will be reduced as they are relocated to Europe and Alaska in the summer. Although December and March are historic high points for the port’s fiscal year, cruise demand is expected to drive remaining record revenue and passenger totals.
Passengers are projected to the top 8.4 million from over 1,000 vessel calls, supplying the majority of their $211 million operating revenue. This is because they are chasing only Miami for the world’s busiest cruise ports, starting from 7.6 million people in 2024.
Commissioner Wayne Justice said he was happy with the numbers, but wondered what the future holds.
“Where will this end?” Justice asked. “I mean, at some point, all the ships are sailing. They’re all full.”
“A bigger ship is coming,” replied Murray. “A tough problem.”
This includes the August arrival of the world’s largest cruise ship when Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Sea debut debuted. Meanwhile, the port still has the second largest vessel (third place) in the Utopia of Sea, which arrived last summer.
Also new this year is the latest ship debut of this week’s Norwegian Cruise Line, first of all Norwegian Aqua, the Prima Plus class. MSC Cruises will also bring one of its biggest ships to port this fall with the arrival of MSC Grandiosa.
In 2027, the port is set to win the next Carnival Excel class ship, the Carnival Festival, and the MSC World Atlantic, the largest in the MSC Cruise Fleet when it arrives in 2027.
Despite economic and political uncertainty, the cruise industry is riding the world’s waves
Murray told the Sentinel in an interview with Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami Beach earlier this month. He said budget forecasts are pretty close, but demand is still rising.
“We’re still amazed that car parks and new ships are coming in. And suddenly the parking rate changes as there’s a larger drive-in audience due to the assets along the bar,” he said.
Port Canaveral has traditionally not been the first choice for cruise line deployments, but it has shifted.
“The Royal Caribbean Fleet has three, number one, which is quite different from 10 years ago when we usually got leftovers from the ports in South Florida,” he said.
We must solve complex parking puzzles in time until ports can pursue new terminals that are still being built for years.
Now, Murray said the port has locations like Port Everglades and Port Miami, offering smoother vacations for drive-in customers.
“One of the things we are proud of is to get easy access to Port Canaveral and get out,” Murray said. “The other ports in the south will say there are serious traffic issues that are not generated by the port itself.
“It was generated outside the port and now causes serious heartburn.”
Original issue: April 23, 2025, 1:15pm
