Busiest cruise ports worldwide 2022

Table Of Content

• Port Miami in Florida at 4,030,000 passenger movements.
• News 6 named Overall Station of the Year by the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists
• End of an era: Miami finally dethroned as world's busiest cruise port
• Bulgaria and Romania Join The Schengen Border-Free Travel Zone
• Cape Canaveral, Florida
• Top 20 Cruise Ports Busiest

You may have never heard of Civitavecchia, but when you hear which city its right outside of, it will make sense why it’s one of the busiest in the world. It’s a staple port of call for almost every Mediterranean cruise, hosting ships from Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess, and SilverSea. Not only does Rome have a bustling seaport, but it also has one of the busiest airports in the world, being a hub to global carriers like Alitalia and Vueling.

Port Miami in Florida at 4,030,000 passenger movements.

The Council's pre-pandemic statistics show Florida's embarkations increased by 41% between 2010 and 2019, a compound annual growth rate of 3.9%. In 2019, Florida ports accounted for 60.1% of total US cruise passenger embarkations. The numbers show the port’s popularity continues to grow, with virtually all of the major cruise lines home-porting ships either on a year-round or seasonal basis. Port Canaveral has several advantages as a cruise port compared to other Florida ports; perhaps the most notable is its proximity to Orlando International Airport (MCO), the busiest airport in Florida. Fly-in cruisers have more flight options when traveling to Port Canaveral than Miami or Fort Lauderdale.

News 6 named Overall Station of the Year by the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists

Port Canaveral is also home to Disney Cruise Line's newest and biggest ship, Disney Wish, and the biggest MSC Cruises ship based in North America, MSC Meraviglia. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes. “It’s great to see it coming back strong,” after a lengthy shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, Murray said. Murray noted that Port Canaveral’s 2023 passenger counts have been strong so far, and are likely to far exceed the 2022 figures. Industry-specific and extensively researched technical data (partially from exclusive partnerships).

End of an era: Miami finally dethroned as world's busiest cruise port

Explore The Best Cruise Ports In The U.S. - Part 1 - Orlando Magazine

Explore The Best Cruise Ports In The U.S. - Part 1.

Posted: Mon, 01 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The Out Islands of the Bahamas handled more than 2.6 million passengers in 2017 across the main public ports of entry on the islands of The Abacos, Andros, Bimini, Eleuthera, The Exumas, and Long Island. There are three cruise ship piers on the island, Punta Langosta, the International Pier and Puerta Maya. Cruise lines that operate services to the island include Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean. The Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) said in its 2023 "State of the Cruise Industry" report that travelers' intent to cruise is higher in 2023 than in December 2019. In June, Travel Weekly shared CLIA's Busiest Cruise Port ranking measured by passenger movement, which refers to the number of people boarding and disembarking at a port.

None of the other homeports comes close to the passenger traffic of either Port Canaveral or PortMiami, though they all serve different cruise lines and offer great vacation options for guests. Another popular Mediterranean stop is Barcelona, and for good reason too. When you dock in Spain’s seaside metropolis, you’re only steps from UNESCO World Heritage sites, stunning public parks, museums, and some of the best food in all of Europe.

While the port enjoys the No. 1 ranking, the state’s overall cruise passenger count remains far lower than the highs seen in 2019. A just-released report from the organization put Port Canaveral's passenger totals at 4.07 million for the 2022 fiscal year. Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale retained its No. 3 spot, with 1.72 million passengers.

The presence of major cruise lines and several mega-ships helps to boost the numbers at Port Canaveral. Overall, cruise passenger totals in Florida remained down in 2022 at 10.6 million, but the council expects numbers to return to normal levels in 2023. The massive vessel, which debuted in 2022 and can carry 6,988 passengers per voyage with every berth filled, began sailing out of Port Canaveral in November. Given that it sails weekly out of the port, this one ship alone could drive passenger totals of 300,000 or more to Port Canaveral annually.

Cape Canaveral, Florida

Depending on the sailing date, the ship will also call on Nassau or may include a day at sea. The eastern Florida port also just welcomed its newest homeporting cruise ship, MSC Cruises’ MSC Seaside. From there, the vessel will operate three and four-night Bahamas voyages, as well as seven-night sailings to Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize, and Ocean Cay.

Top 20 Cruise Ports Busiest

The port is designed to facilitate up to seven cruise ships, with a total capacity of 12,000 passengers at any one time. It is situated between New Providence and Paradise Island, with its main tourist destination Atlantis resort located a short boat ride away. Other Florida cruise ports, such as Port Tampa Bay and Jaxport (the port for Jacksonville), are far behind in passenger totals. Port Tampa Bay handled just 418,200 cruise passengers in 2022, according the Florida Ports Council report. Multi-day cruise guests are those passengers on a voyage lasting more than one day.

Cruise passengers arriving at this port can also enjoy the sightseeing activities in Civitavecchia itself. The place hosts Forte Michelangelo and Terme Taurine baths among other attractions. Located in Galveston, Texas, the Port of Galveston has welcomed ships from most major cruise lines like Disney Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, and others. The Florida Ports Council noted that overall cruise passenger totals at Florida's ports have risen significantly over the past decade. They were up 41% between 2010 and 2019 — the last normal year before the COVID-19 pandemic caused lines to temporarily suspend cruise operations.

None of the big three Florida cruise ports reached their prepandemic passenger volume in 2022. Miami's neighbor to the north, Port Canaveral, has laid claim to the title of busiest cruise port in the world -- at least for now. The North, East and South terminals at the World Trade Centre pier are designed for smaller cruise ships and are closest to Barcelona’s La Rambla street in the gothic quarter. Sant Bertrand Terminal near the World Trade Centre offers ferry services to the Balearic Islands. Wusongkou port is also known as Baoshan Cruise Terminal due to its location in Baoshan District.

While the year began slowly with cruise lines continuing to limit guest capacity for health and safety restrictions, 2022 quickly gained momentum as cruise travel dramatically rebounded. At the end of April, Allure of the Seas will offer a 4-night Western Caribbean sailing visiting Cozumel, Mexico. That cruise departs on April 29, 2024 and also features two days at sea.

Its state and local tax contribution reaches nearly $190 million annually. In all, there are 13 large vessels from five major cruise brands — Royal Caribbean, Disney, MSC Cruises, Carnival and Norwegian — based in Port Canaveral. Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades remained in third place among Florida ports, with 1.62 million passengers. “We have a very active plan for the future,” Murray said, with Port Canaveral likely to need to build another cruise terminal in the next three to five years. Murray said he is not concerned about projections in the Florida Ports Council report that Miami will again exceed Port Canaveral in passenger counts by 2027, with 8.40 million passengers that year, compared with Port Canaveral’s 6.43 million.

The Out Islands are a group of islands that are part of the Bahamas including the Eleuthera and Abaco Islands. There are around 700 islands in this group but only a few of them are inhabited. These islands serve as important cruise terminals and many cruises operating on the Caribbean route stop by at these ports. The passengers can then enjoy the tropical weather, beaches, water activities, island exploration, and other fun and adventurous activities in the Outer Islands. Port Canaveral, the Port of Miami and Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades dominate the list of the world's busiest cruise ports.

As the industry continued its COVID-19 recovery in 2022, 41% fewer passengers were carred than in 2019, the Florida Ports Council said while noting the state's ports led US cruising's recovery. Following the top two, Port Everglades had 1,621,216 multi-day passengers in 2022. CLIA ranks ports by passengers counted in a calendar year, and PortMiami is expected to top that list. Meanwhile, Port Canaveral counted 6.8 million passengers in fiscal 2023, which also was a port record. Additionally, Marella Cruises will start service from Port Canaveral on May 7, focusing on sailings for residents of the United Kingdom who will fly in to Melbourne Orlando International Airport for their cruises. Port Everglades saw 1.6 million passengers in 2022, while Jaxport, Port Tampa Bay, and Port of Palm Beach totaled 90,241, 418,200, and 188,235 guests, respectively.