world's busiest cruise port

The 10 Busiest Cruise Ports In The World

MiamiPort is the busiest cruise port in the world.

Cruising is a popular tourist activity. Cruises can range from short-duration journeys on small vessels to multiple-day tours in luxury cruise ships that travel to different destinations or ports-of-call. The ports that receive cruise ships are often equipped with special facilities to ensure that the cruise guests feel comfortable and have a good time after leaving their ships. Such ports have restaurants, bars, transport facilities to take tourists to local sightseeing places, and more. Cruise ports are important to the local economy as they provide employment opportunities to many people and also earn revenue from tourist spending. The world’s busiest cruise ports have been mentioned below.

10. Port of Galveston

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. Many cruise hips call the port home year-round. The port has two terminals dedicated to cruises.

9. Port of Civitavecchia

Located in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the region of Lazio, the Port of Civitavecchia on the Tyrrhenian Sea offers a gateway to the Italian capital city of Rome and Vatican which are 90 minutes away. 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. Many major cruise lines begin and end their cruises at Civitavecchia. Others stop at the port for shore excursion days.

8. Ports of Out Islands

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.

7. Port of Barcelona -

The Spanish Port of Barcelona is the world’s seventh busiest cruise port. The port has a 2000-year old history. It is equipped with seven international passenger terminals and modern facilities like air conditioning, public telephones, restaurants and bars, shuttle bus to the city center, and more. The city itself is host to a large number of cultural and historical attractions including several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, museums, parks, and beaches.

6. Port of Shanghai

The Port of Shanghai is the first port on this list that is not from North America. It is a deep-sea and river port near Shanghai in China. It serves as an important port of call for most major cruises operating on the Asia-Pacific route. The Port of Shanghai has three international cruise terminals that receive ships of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ocean Princess, Costa Rica Cruises, Star Cruises, and others.

5. Port of Nassau -

The world’s fifth busiest cruise port is located in Nassau, the capital city of Bahamas in New Providence Island. Cruise vessels at this port dock at the Prince George Wharf which is right in the middle of Nassau. Vacationers from the US are the most common passengers on these cruises. From the port, tourists visit downtown Nassau or nearby islands for enjoying beach activities, shopping, exploring reefs and mangroves, kayaking, snorkeling, etc.

4. Port of Cozumel

The fourth busiest cruise port in the world, unlike the first three busiest ones, is not located in the US but is in the Cozumel Island in the Quintana Roo state of Mexico. Major Western Caribbean cruises use it as their port of call. Cozumel Island serves as a major tourist attraction with its pleasant tropical weather, beaches, and beach activities like snorkeling, fishing, diving, etc.

3. Port Everglades

The Port Everglades is located in Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It serves as a gateway to both cruise vacations and international trade. In 2016-17, Port Everglades received over 3.8 million cruise passengers. In 2017, it had 846 ship calls. Cruise lines with cruise ships operating out of this port include Balearia, Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, and others.

2. Port Canaveral

The world’s second busiest cruise port is also located in the US. It is Port Canaveral in Florida’s Brevard County. It also serves as a cargo and naval port. It received over 4.2 million cruise passengers in 2016-17. An average of 10 ships enters the port each day including those from famous cruise lines like Disney, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and others.

1. Port of Miami

Located in Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida, PortMiami is the world’s busiest cruise port. Port Boulevard, a causeway connects the port to Downtown Miami. It is also connected to Watson Island through the PortMiami Tunnel. Due to its huge traffic volume, both passenger and cargo, PortMiami has a significant impact on the economy of Miami. It also accounts for 176,000 jobs. The cruise terminals of PortMiami are among the most modern in the world. Special arrangements are made for drive-in passengers and those who are differently abled.

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Busiest cruise ports worldwide 2019-2022, by passenger movements

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

The cruise port that started it all has finally met its match.

For the first time since the modern age of cruising began more than 50 years ago, the Port of Miami can no longer claim the title of world's busiest cruise port.

The new leader in the battle of the cruise ship megaports: Port Canaveral .

Just 214 miles up the coast from Miami, the fast-growing Florida cruise port tallied 4.07 million passengers on multiday voyages in 2022, according to a new report from the Florida Ports Council. That tops the Port of Miami's total of 3.99 million passengers.

For more cruise news, guides and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades remained in third place among Florida ports, with 1.62 million passengers.

The data does not include the relatively small number of passengers cruising on day trips out of the ports. If those numbers were included, Port Canaveral would have moved into an even bigger lead.

"We've always aimed to be the best cruise port in the world, but what an achievement to now be known as the busiest," Port Canaveral CEO John Murray said in a statement posted late Friday on Twitter. "This historic milestone is testament to the efforts of our team and cruise partners to provide a best in class experience for all cruise guests sailing from Port Canaveral."

In recent years, Port Canaveral has become the home port of choice for some of the world's newest, biggest and most notable new vessels, including Royal Caribbean 's recently unveiled Wonder of the Seas — the world's largest cruise ship.

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.

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.

Disney Wish can hold up to 4,000 passengers with every berth filled. MSC Meraviglia can hold up to 5,642 passengers.

Additionally, Carnival Cruise Line 's giant new Mardi Gras — tied with the line's new Carnival Celebration as its biggest vessel and holding up to 6,465 passengers — sails from Port Canaveral.

Norwegian Cruise Line 's newest vessel, Norwegian Prima , also sails from the port. Norwegian Prima can carry up to 3,950 passengers at a time.

In all, there are 13 large vessels from five major cruise brands — Royal Caribbean, Disney, MSC Cruises, Carnival and Norwegian — based in Port Canaveral.

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.

For the coming month of March, for instance, MCO has nearly 17,000 scheduled departures while Miami International Airport (MIA) has around 15,000, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) has close to 11,000, according to Cirium data.

Port Canaveral's proximity to Orlando also allows vacationers to combine cruises out of the port with stays at the Orlando theme park resorts.

Related: The ultimate guide to picking a cruise line

Port Canaveral, the Port of Miami and Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades dominate the list of the world's busiest cruise ports. In the U.S., their only close rivals (though well behind) are the ports of Galveston, Texas; New York; New Orleans; and Seattle.

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. Jaxport handled 90,241 passengers.

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.

That's a compound annual growth rate of 3.9%.

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.

Florida ports tallied 17.9 million passengers on multiday voyages in 2019.

The council also noted that Florida ports account for 60.1% of all cruise passenger embarkations in the U.S.

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Here are the top 10 busiest cruise ports in the world

The Cruise Lines International Association published its 2023 "State of the Cruise Industry" report in May.
The report listed the top cruise ports visited each year.
The list included Southampton in the UK and Cozumel in Mexico — and two ports in Florida.

The cruise industry is on the upswing.

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.

Here are the top 10 busiest cruise ports across the globe.

10. The Ports of Genoa and Savona in Italy at 1,572,000 passenger movements.

According to CLIA's list, the Port of Genoa and the Port of Savona tied for the 10th-ranked spot, with 1,572,000 passenger movements.

The International Association of Ports and Harbors reported that the Italian government reformed its port system in 2016 to stimulate economic growth and boost employment.

The Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority manages the Port of Genoa, Port of Savona, and Vado Ligure. The two ports sit around 45 minutes from one another on the Italian coast.

9. Port Everglades in Florida at 1,717,908 passenger movements.

Port Everglades is found along the coast of Hollywood, Florida, which is considered part of the Greater Fort Lauderdale area.

Port Everglades said it generated $33 billion in economic activity and impacted more than 216,543 jobs across the state in a June report. The Sun Sentinel reported that Port Everglades set a record for having the most cruise passengers in a single day — 54,700 — in March 2016.

8. Palma de Mallorca in Spain at 1,727,000 passenger movements.

The Port Authority of Balears said Palma de Mallorca, also known as Palma, is one of five ports it manages along the Balearic Islands . The Balearic Islands are a province of Spain and Palma — the largest city on the island of Mallorca — acts as its capital.

Palma de Mallorca is home to beaches, markets, and several historical stops . According to Mallorca's website , tourism generates 75% of the island of Mallorca's main economic output, with around 360,000 visitors in 1960 and nearly 14 million by 2016.

7. The Port of Southampton in England at 1,899,654 passenger movements.

Southampton is the only UK city to make the busiest port cruise list. Its website notes that the Port of Southampton welcomes nearly two million passengers each year across its five cruise terminals and contributes £2.5 billion ($3,180,487,500 USD) to the nation's economy.

In addition to its local charms, residents also compete in the annual Southampton marathon hosted by the Associated British Ports each year.

6. The Civitavecchia Port of Rome in Italy at 2,172,000 passenger movements.

The Rome Cruise Terminal is the main hub for arriving and departing cruise ships at the Civitavecchia Port of Rome . The website noted that it is Europe's second busiest cruise port with almost 2.5 million passengers.

The Civitavecchia Port of Rome is found just over one hour from Italy's capital city, but travelers can find local adventures in Civitavecchia, which hosts the Aquafelix Water Park and budget-friendly restaurants that rely on locally-sourced food options.

5. Port of Barcelona in Spain at 2,329,000 passenger movements.

Spain's Port of Barcelona is one of the leading cruise ports in the world. The Port of Barcelona website's annual review noted a boost in cruise travel for pleasure between 2020 and 2023, marking travelers' renewed interest in sea travel.

Citizens began building the port in the 14th century and steadily grew over time , but faced temporary instability due to the two World Wars, the Spanish Civil War, and General Franco's 40-year dictatorship.

Hellenic Shipping News reported that the port saw 2.3 million cruise passengers after setting a record in 2019 with 3.1 million cruise passengers.

4. Cozumel Cruise Port in Mexico at 2,943,760 passenger movements.

Cozumel is a Mexican island in the Caribbean Sea. The island welcomes more than two million cruise passengers each year, according to a website for Puerto Maya , which serves as one of the cruise terminals on the island.

Disney Cruise Line's website noted that Mayans settled in Cozumel by the first century AD and the island's popularity slowly grew, with a tourism boom occurring after 1959.

3. Nassau Cruise Port in The Bahamas at 3,212,603 passenger movements.

According to the Nassau Cruise Port , it attracts around 3.7 million passengers per year and sits off the coast from three major Florida cruise ports: Port Miami, Port Everglades, and Port Canaveral.

The Nassau Cruise Port underwent a $300 million redevelopment that included repairs, expansions, and new attractions like a 3,500-person amphitheatre and a living coral exhibit. In February, the cruise port set a new one-day passenger record when it welcomed 28,554 travelers.

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

Port Miami welcomes more than 4 million passengers a year and has an economic impact of $43 billion, according to its website. It also generated more than 330,000 jobs for the local community.

Port Miami hosts several cruise terminals that serve millions of people. Its website said it saw more than 4 million cruise passengers in 2022 and plans to draw more tourists with its modern cruise terminals. The Florida Ports Council said Port Miami was the Cruise Capital of the World and Global Cargo Getaway.

1. Port Canaveral in Florida at 4,072,396 passenger movements.

The number one spot goes to Port Canaveral in Florida's Brevard County. According to its website, the cruise port was voted the Best U.S. Cruise Homeport for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022 . This month, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Port Canaveral's revenue reached nearly $50 million in the first three months of the fiscal year.

Eighty percent of Port Canaveral's revenue comes from the cruise industry, which the Orlando Sentinel reported was $40.7 million, while the total revenue was $48.9 million. The outlet added that since October 2022, the port saw 243 ship calls with more than 1.7 million passengers.

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The world’s busiest cruise ports

Cruise passenger numbers are growing year on year with a variety of itineraries becoming available, including themed voyages. We take a look at the world's busiest cruise ports by passenger traffic.

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PortMiami in Florida, US, is the busiest cruise port in the world, handling 5.6 million passengers with 1,185 ships docked in 2017.

In December 2018, the port also saw its largest amount of passengers handled in a single day. It is estimated that the port hosted 52,000 passengers on 9 December, with nine vessels from cruise lines such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, and Norwegian docking at PortMiami.

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The port is formally known as Dante B Fascell Port of Miami and handles more than seven million tonnes of cargo per annum. It facilitates the operations of cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian, as well as being the home port of the largest cruise ship by gross tonnage, Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas .

In 2018, MSC Cruises and Virgin Voyages announced plans to open a terminal each at PortMiami. MSC Cruises’ terminal is due to open in October 2022 and will house its new World Class cruise ships. Meanwhile, Virgin Voyages’ terminal is scheduled to open in November 2021, having invested approximately $150m.

Port Canaveral

Port Canaveral in Brevard County, 45 miles east of Orlando, Florida, had 4.5 million cruise passengers in the 2017 fiscal year, making it the second busiest in the world.

The port is also a key logistics hub, handling approximately 5.4 million tonnes of cargo a year, including salt, vehicles, petroleum, and containers. On average, ten ships dock at the port every day, including vessels from cruise lines Carnival, Disney, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian.

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The port’s Terminal 1 facility opened in December 2014 to facilitate Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis-class ships. In 2015, the port became home to the Oasis of the Seas, which was one of the largest cruise ships in the world at the time.

Port Canaveral offers a variety of tourist attractions such as dining, beaches, excursions and the Exploration Tower landmark. The port is one of the biggest Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ) in the US at more than five square miles, offering a number of benefits for trade customers using the port to import goods.

The Mexican island of Cozumel saw 4.1 million cruise passengers in 2017, outranking Port Everglades for the first time. It had 1,240 cruise ship calls in the same year, which is 55 more than PortMiami. The island is located east of the Yucatán Peninsula.

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.

Puerta Maya was built by Carnival Cruises and is served exclusively by the operator. It is the port’s southern-most pier, located further down from the International Pier. Puerta Maya features a variety of modern facilities due to the fact that it is positioned further from the island’s main town San Miguel than the other piers.

Terminals are equipped with modern facilities, including duty-free shopping and other attractions inspired by Mayan culture. San Miguel offers a range of activities aimed at tourists, but visitors can easily access the whole island, which features remote beaches, snorkelling and diving in the coral reef, as well as preserved Mayan ruins.

Port Everglades

Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, South Florida, served more than 3.8 million cruise passengers in 2017.

In 2017, 846 vessels docked at Port Everglades, which features nine terminals and is home to ten cruise lines, including Princess, Holland America, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Peak travel season at the port is between November and April, although ships sail all year round.

In addition to being the fourth-busiest cruise port in the world, it is one of the busiest in the US in terms of cargo handled. More than one million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) are moved at the port each year. In 2017, the facility surpassed PortMiami by approximately 50,000 TEUs.

The port was the temporary home of the RMS Queen Elizabeth when the vessel was turned into a museum from 1968 to 1970 after it ended services. RMS Queen Mary 2 docked at Port Everglades following its maiden voyage in 2004.

Port Everglades was the first home of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas in 2009, as well as its sister ship Allure of the Seas in 2010. Both vessels were the largest in the world at the time.

Prince George Wharf

Prince George Wharf is the main cruise port in Nassau on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas. It served approximately 3.6 million passengers in 2017, with a total of 796 cruise ships docking.

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.

In December last year, the Government of the Bahamas launched a request for proposals for a new operator that will develop the port.

The government opened bidding for a new operator for the port after it received a proposal from Global Ports Holding to enhance the facility and its surrounding area for increased tourism, which is the main source of income for the Bahamas’ economy. This month, Global Ports Holding was awarded the contract.

Port of Shanghai

The three cruise port terminals in Shanghai, China, namely Wusongkou, Shanghai Port, and Waigaoqiao, handled 2.8 million passengers in 2016.

The Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal was designed to facilitate one million passengers a year and is located north of the Bund in Hongkou District. It cannot accommodate ships larger than 87,000t due to a low bridge over the river to the city, so large cruise vessels use Wusongkou or Waigaoqiao ports.

Wusongkou port is also known as Baoshan Cruise Terminal due to its location in Baoshan District. It handles most of the large cruise ships arriving at Shanghai with its 774m-long dock. It can handle two large cruise vessels, each weighing up to 200,000t.

The third port, Waigauqiao, is rarely used for cruise ships these days. Shanghai’s Yangshan Deep Water Port near Hangzhou Bay is known as the busiest container port in the world, handling more than 40 million TEUs in 2017.

Port of Barcelona

Port of Barcelona in Spain has seven cruise terminals, which saw 2.7 million passengers in 2017 from a total of 778 ships.

The Port Vell harbour is a famous tourist attraction at the Port of Barcelona and has a dock for large vessels, but cruise ships do not normally dock there. Cruise ships can dock at four terminals at the Adossat Wharf or the three terminals near the World Trade Centre pier.

Terminals A and B at Adossat Wharf both cover 6,500km² with two areas each. Terminal C features a passenger embarkation system, a communications building, as well as a mobile and fixed gangway. Also known as Palacruceros, Terminal D is the largest, with two floors spanning 10,000km².

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.

Out Islands

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 approximately 26 ports of entry on the six islands mentioned but cruise ships mainly use tender boats. Cruise ships anchor near destinations such as Princess Cays on Eleuthera or Dunmore Town on Harbour Island and visitors travel to the island on tender boats.

The Out Islands includes all of the islands in the Bahamas excluding New Providence and the Grand Bahama and comprises more than 700 islands, but only 14 of them are inhabited. Several cruise lines have bought some of the small islands and have turned them into private resorts.

Many cruise passengers are transported on tender boats to the private islands. Only one of the private islands, Disney Cruise Line’s Castaway Cay, has the facilities for large vessels to dock. The operator has recently announced controversial plans to buy land on Eleuthera in order to build a new port.

Norwegian Cruise Lines was one of the first operators to buy an island, making Great Stirrup Bay its private resort in 1977.

Port of Civitavecchia

Port of Civitavecchia in Italy is also known as the Port of Rome and witnessed 2.2 million cruise passengers in 2017.

The new Terminal Amerigo Vespucci was opened in May 2018 as a dedicated cruise ship terminal. A shuttle bus service operates at the harbour to transport passengers along the cruise terminal, which has a length of 2,000m for cruise ships to berth. The port’s 170m-long Dock 25 located landside opposite the terminal is also available for cruise ships.

Largo della Pace is the main information and transit hub for the port, offering shuttle services to various cruise terminals and to the town centre, as well as a comprehensive information point for tourists.

The port is also a popular ferry transport hub, with the Autostrade Del Mare (ADM) terminal offering regular services to the Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily, as well as Spain and Tunis, in addition to other destinations that vary from year to year.

The town of Civitavecchia is located approximately 80km north-west of Rome and passengers can board a 45-minute train from the town’s main station to get to the capital city.

Balearic Islands

Across the four Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain, five cruise ports handled 2.1 million passengers in 2017.

The port of Palma in south-west Mallorca is one of the biggest operated by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands, with cruise ships berthing at Estacion Maritima’s quays. The facilities were expanded in 2015 to accommodate the Allure of the Seas vessel, which was the largest cruise ship in the world at the time.

The port of Alcudia on the northern coast of Mallorca is mainly used by commercial and small vessels, but the newly extended Poniente Quay has been designed to handle smaller passenger cruise ships.

Port d’Eivissa is on the island of Ibiza and started handling cruise ships following the expansion of Botafoc breakwater on the eastern side of the port. Mahon port on the island of Menorca has a 6km bay with the capacity for up to three cruise ships to berth near Mahon town centre.

La Savina port on the smallest island of Formentera is not used by cruise ships but features a passenger terminal for smaller vessels.

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Where Are The World's Busiest Cruise Ports?

Port Miami welcomed a total of 4.8 million cruise passengers in 2016, making it the world's busiest port.

Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral were the 2nd and 3rd busiest, featuring combined traffic of over 7.5 million cruisers. It is no surprise the Caribbean is the world's top cruise destination.

Numbers may grow, as more cruise lines schedule more voyages to Cuba. NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line) , for example, started sailing from Miami to Cuba this May and plans to send a 2nd cruise ship to Port Canaveral in 2018 for trips to the island.

Port Canaveral enjoys title for world’s busiest…

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Port canaveral enjoys title for world’s busiest cruise port, for now.

The new Disney Cruise Line ship 'Disney Wish' arrives before sunrise Monday, June 20, 2022, in Port Canaveral, Fla., after making its first cross-Atlantic voyage. The ship, which was built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, is the fifth in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, with
a capacity of 4,000 passengers and 1,555 crew. It will make its inaugural sail on July 14. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

The cruise ship war between Central and South Florida has a new victor with the latest passenger counts totaled for 2022.

Port Canaveral became the world’s busiest cruise port for the first time with 4,072,396 multi-day passengers for the year, besting the normal No. 1 PortMiami, which only saw 3,988,094 passengers. Port Everglades came in third with 1,621,216, according to numbers released in the annual Florida Ports Council report release this week.

“It’s significant because there’s always been a historical rivalry between Port Canaveral and southern ports and it’s always a friendly rivalry,” said Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray on Friday. “All of the ports are doing well right now in cruising. It’s great to have the industry back. It’s an economic driver for the state of Florida. We work collectively to help each other out but there’s sometimes a little fun in the rivalry back and forth.”

Port Canaveral is having its busiest time in history home porting 13 ships this winter sailing season including four of the newest ships in the industry with Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas , the world’ largest cruise ship, Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest class of ship Norwegian Prima , Disney’s new class of ship Disney Wish and Carnival’s Mardi Gras , which became the first ship to sail out of the port after nearly a year and half without business because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This was a rebuilding year coming back from the downtime of COVID. So, you know, there may be some variances here and there as to why those numbers were different but the way it ended up in 2022, we were ahead and it’s something to be happy about right now,” Murray said.

Multi-day passengers include those 13 ships but also ships visiting the ports such as those coming in from sailings out of New York that make a stop for the Orlando market as a port of call. They don’t include sailings for things like the Victory Casino ship, which tacked on another 137,864 passengers for the year.

The port has six active terminals, which is less than PortMiami and Port Everglades, but the ships have been growing in capacity year over year with ships like Wonder of the Seas. That capacity is looking to climb even more in the future, such as when Royal Caribbean brings a second Oasis-class ship to the port this November with the arrival of Allure of the Seas sailing three- and four-night itineraries. The nearly 7,000-passenger capacity of Oasis-class ships has given the port some traffic headaches, and with two Oasis-class ships sailing three times a week instead of once, the port plans to address those before Allure’s arrival.

“We have some very good statistics and formulas now that determine what our new demand for parking may be,” Murray said. “We’re going to build to those specs to make sure that we don’t have any issues when the Allure comes online in November.”

The future could also mean a seventh terminal for the port as it becomes flush with record operating revenue. The 2023 fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30 is projected to exceed more than $154 million including $124 million from cruising. Record passenger counts so far mean it will likely surpass that projection.

The Florida Ports Council projection forecasts Port Canaveral to see 6,434,000 passengers total by 2027. That includes both multi-day and single-day passengers. PortMiami is projected to surpass that combined total by 2027 pulling in 8.4 million.

Murray, though, said to not count Port Canaveral out, and that he suspects they’ll reach those 2027 projections much earlier.

“We have a very active plan for the future,” Murray said. “We have identified several locations for a future terminal where our goal as being good business operators is to maximize the utilization of our existing facilities. And we’re doing quite well with that right now. But we do recognize the need for another terminal at some point in the next three to five years. “

While the port enjoys the No. 1 ranking, the state’s overall cruise passenger count remains far lower than the highs seen in 2019.

That was the U.S’s best year ever with 17,887,113 multi-day passengers.

While it may give up the No. 1 spot to Miami in the coming years, but for now, the port is soaking up the spotlight.

“The fact that we have a new profile of of newer, bigger and finer ships I think is going to continue to give us a good push going forward with our status in the types of cruises and people that are coming to see us,” Murray said.

More in Travel

From the big shows aboard some of cruising’s biggest ships to the quiet hush of charming Vero Beach. From dancing on the sands with Lionel Richie and Nile Rodgers in the Bahamas to driving into mud puddles off road in Florida’s “outback.” The October issue of “Explore Florida & the Caribbean” offers something for every traveler, from adventurers to deckchair readers. We’ll stand in the shadow of giant elephants and giraffes at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, explore the $1 billion new old Pier Sixty-Six resort in Fort Lauderdale and swim with manatees in Crystal River.

The new issue of Explore Florida & the Caribbean takes you places

The immersive experience inside the Wizard of Oz Museum puts guests inside scenes from the fantasy novels in Cape Canaveral. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Things To Do | Central Florida’s Wizard of Oz Museum has ruby slippers, real Dorothy dress

Celebrity Cruises made its first trip to sister cruise line Royal Caribbean's private Bahamas island CocoCay this week.

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The St. Johns River Festival of the Arts returns to downtown Sanford April 27-28 with nearly 140 artists showing paintings, photography, sculptures, jewelry and more. (Courtesy Wellons Communications)

Things To Do | St. Johns River Festival of the Arts brings nearly 140 artists to Sanford this weekend

Cruise News

Port Canaveral Named World’s Busiest Cruise Port

Sarah Bretz, Contributor

May 4, 2023

Move over Miami, there’s a new cruise port king.

According to the Florida Ports Council, Port Canaveral is now the world’s busiest cruise port, with 4,072,396 multi-day passengers having set sail from there in 2022.

Any port overtaking Miami is a huge milestone, whose PortMiami saw 50,000 fewer cruise passengers than Port Canaveral last year.

“Once the CDC restrictions were lifted in June, everything went crazy, and the ships started filling up to their capacity and beyond their standard double occupancy capacities,” Captain John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO, said according to Spectrum News 13 .

Port Canaveral just recently announced plans to build a new $175 million terminal within the next few years, which will likely be towards the port’s south end. Plans for which cruise lines or ships might use the terminal have not yet been revealed.

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 .

Of the ship’s inaugural call to the port last week, Canaveral Port Authority Chairman Kevin Markey said “The arrival of the MSC Seaside is another great milestone for Port Canaveral and the Space Coast region, further solidifying our position as the top cruise port in the world. We are committed to continuing our efforts to responsibly grow our Port to promote the economic growth and prosperity of our local community and the state of Florida.”

Projections show that Port Canaveral could welcome as many as 6.5 million cruise passengers in 2027.

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Port Canaveral surpasses Miami as world's busiest cruise port

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Port Canaveral has surpassed Miami for the first time as the world's busiest cruise port, according to the Florida Ports Council.

A just-released report from the organization put Port Canaveral's passenger totals at 4.07 million for the 2022 fiscal year. That compares with 4.02 million for Port of Miami. Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale retained its No. 3 spot, with 1.72 million passengers.

“We’ve always aimed to be the best cruise port in the world, but what an achievement to now be known as the busiest," port CEO John Murray said. "This historic milestone is testament to the efforts of our team and cruise partners to provide a best-in-class experience for all cruise guests sailing from Port Canaveral. ”

Tops in passenger poll: Cruise passenger poll names Port Canaveral as No. 1 port, Mardi Gras as best ship

Positive outlook: CEO Murray delivers upbeat report on state of Port Canaveral after record year

Ocean rescue: Cruise ship MSC Meraviglia rescues 24 migrants from boat while returning to Port Canaveral

Port Canaveral currently is home to 13 multiday cruise ships from five cruise lines ― Carnival, Disney, MSC, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean.

Port Canaveral also is a major driver for the Space Coast's overall tourism market, as many cruise passengers stay at local hotels before or after their cruises. They also visit local attractions, eat at local restaurants and shop as local stores.

Space Coast Office of Tourism Executive Director Peter Cranis said Port Canaveral's No. 1 ranking "is a testament to the great infrastructure, and all the things there are to see and do on the Space Coast. It speaks volumes about our destination, and how much people like staying here before and after they cruise.”

Cranis added that “Port Canaveral has come a long way, and worked hard to surpass Miami as the world’s-busiest cruise port.”

Murray said the new ranking is significant because Port Canaveral always has had "a friendly rivalry" with the Port of Miami and Port Everglades, as Brevard County's seaport sought to become the No. 1 cruise port.

"Sometimes, it's a little fun in the rivalry, back and forth," Murray said during a news conference, at which he discussed the rankings. "The way it ended up in 2022, we were ahead, and it's something to be happy about right now."

Newer and larger cruise ships: Allure of the Seas and Marella Cruises coming

Murray said Port Canaveral reached its goal by attracting some of the newest and largest ships in the world and is well-positioned for the future.

Murray said "the fact that we have a new profile of newer, bigger and finer ships I think is going to continue to give us a good push going forward with our status in the types of cruises and people that are coming to see us."

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.

Murray said those numbers are "very speculative," and Port Canaveral could reach the 2027 projection way before then.

Murray noted that Port Canaveral's 2023 passenger counts have been strong so far, and are likely to far exceed the 2022 figures.

Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas ― an "Oasis Class" ship with a passenger capacity of 6,780 ― on Oct. 25 will begin twice-weekly sailings from Port Canaveral. That will be the first Oasis Class ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet to regularly sail two times a week, which Murray said is an indication of the cruise line's confidence in Port Canaveral and its ability to attract passengers.

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.

"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.

State of Florida cruise ports

Murray said all the Florida's cruise ports are doing well now.

"It's great to see it coming back strong," after a lengthy shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, Murray said. For Port Canaveral, that shutdown extended more than 16 months from mid-March 2020 to the end of July 2021.

"There's a lot of economic impact to the state of Florida from all of our cruise ports," Murray said.

For ships that are based at a cruise port, passenger figures count people both when they get on a ship at the beginning of their cruise and when they get off a ship at the end of their cruise. For ships that are not based at a port, but visit there for a port-of-call stop, passengers are counted only once.

These are the 2022 cruise passenger totals for other Florida ports:

Tampa Bay: 418,200
Key West: 198,411
Palm Beach: 188,235
Jacksonville: 90,241

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 or [email protected] , on Twitter at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54.

10 Largest Cruise Ports in the World

The cruise ship industry contributes enormously to a nation’s economy by boosting the tourism sector and generating millions of jobs. Cruising has become a way to get off the hectic mundane life and enjoy some days of calm at sea.

With the advancements in maritime technologies, modern cruise ports are being built to accommodate the biggest cruise ships endowed with state-of-the-art facilities.

In this article, let us have a look at the 10 largest cruise ports in the world and their awe-inspiring characteristics.

Table of Contents

1. Port of Miami

Known for its pristine beaches, bayside markets and vibrant nightlife, Miami is the Cruise Capital of the World and welcomes the biggest passenger ships on its nine modern cruise terminals. In 2020, the port received 3.4 million travellers and around 35 ships. It is situated on the Dodge island near the Bay of Biscayne in the Atlantic Ocean and is just a short drive from the International airport of Miami.

The terminal infrastructure is excellent and inclusive; it has ramps for differently-abled people, a car-parking facility for those arriving via roads, air-conditioned lounges, taxis and shuttle services.

The port terminals are named alphabetically and operated by a cruise line. For instance, Terminal A is operated by Royal Caribbean International. It is the biggest passenger terminal in the United States covering 170,000 square feet and handles 2.5 million passengers each year. Terminal J is jointly operated by Oceania and the Regent Seven Seas and receives only luxury cruise liners. It is currently undergoing expansion and renovation to construct additional restrooms and escalators.

Miami port is also one of the biggest container ports in the US, popularly known as the Cargo Gateway of the Americas. It has trade connections with 100 nations and 250 ports across the globe, including countries of the Far East, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia. It has specialised wharves for dealing with general cargo, RORO and breakbulk and its annual cargo tonnage is around 7.42 million tonnes.

2. Port of Canaveral

The Global Traveller Magazine declared Canaveral as the World’s Best Cruise Port in 2019. It is the second busiest passenger port in the world comprising seven cruise terminals, out of which three are undergoing expansion. More than 5 million people visit the port every year contributing 80% to its total revenue earnings. It is also the first LNG cruise facility in the Americas. Renowned cruise lines such as the Disney Cruise Line and Carnival operate at the port.

Canaveral port has a Cove which is a recreational area housing restaurants, hotels, lounges, souvenir shops, casinos and much more. Most cafes offer outdoor seating allowing tourists to watch the beautiful waterfront. After sunset, the promenade along the harbour is lined with street-side musicians, DJs and performers. Tourists can also enjoy camping and fishing at the Jetty Park, a popular beach or visit the theme parks in Orlando including the famous Kennedy Space Centre.

It is also a major commercial port that serves Central Florida and handles more than 6 million tonnes of dry cargo, liquid bulk, break-bulk, project cargo and container goods. It has numerous specialised terminals, an automated facility, inland warehouses and a logistics department.

Positioned strategically, the port is close to major consumer markets and also houses facilities of the US Armed forces.

3. Port Everglades

Everglades port is situated amidst Broward County, two miles from the international airport in Florida. It has three entrances and is close to Fort Lauderdale and Dania beach. Other popular attractions include the Sawgrass recreation park, the Florida Everglade holiday park and the Billie Swamp Safari.

It received more than 3 million passengers in 2020 and set a world record on 1st December 2019 by receiving 55,964 passengers in a single day. The Porthole Cruise Magazine named it the Best domestic port of 2016.

Presently, Everdale consists of eight modern cruise terminals welcoming ships from prominent cruise lines like the Viking ocean cruises, Silversea cruises and Balearia Caribbean. The fully air-conditioned terminals offer free wifi, restrooms and a huge seating area with a cafeteria, a shopping centre and a few exhibition halls. Interestingly, the terminals showcase the artwork of emerging painters as well as renowned artists like Dale Chihuly, as part of the Public art and Design Programme.

It is also the leading container port in Florida and the 12th busiest container facility in the United States handling all types of cargo . Approximately 3000 vessels move 25 million tonnes of cargo through the port each year. It serves more than 145 ports and 70 nations in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East, the Caribbean and the Americas.

4. Port of Cozumel (San Miguel de Cozumel)

Cozumel is a beautiful cruise port lying in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. More than 2 million tourists visit the port annually to enjoy its sunny weather and indulge in water sports like sailing, scuba-diving etc. The port lies on Cozumel island which is home to 100,000 people, most of them employed in the island’s tourism sector.

Ships from Cozumel regularly leave for Cancun, known for its archaeological sites belonging to the Mayan civilisation. The island is surrounded by many coral reefs and lined with beaches like the paradise beach and the Sanchos resort which has an aqua park, swimming pools, trampolines and other fun-filled activities.

Another famous tourist attraction is the Chankanaab eco-park where people can swim with dolphins, go on short treks with groups, and try snorkelling and cliff jumping. Close to the park are the Pearl farm and the Cozumel museum.

Cozumel cruise port has three terminals lying on the western part of the island. Punta Langosta Pier receives yachts and smaller cruise ships. The largest ships are received at the International terminal while the Puerto Maya terminal built by Carnival Corporation boasts the most modern and luxurious facilities. It has several shops selling watches, shoes and clothes of the world’s top brands and houses internationally famous food chains and fine-dine restaurants.

5. Port of Nassau

Nassau port is situated on New Providence Island near the coast of Florida. The main seaport of the Bahamas, it handles approximately 3 million passengers annually. Two miles from the cruise port is the most visited Paradise island which has the Atlantis resort.

Downtown Nassau has many cafes, bookstores and old buildings. Bay Street is a shopping hub filled with stores selling bead jewellery, ceramics, colourful dresses, hats and much more. People can visit the National Art Gallery and the Pompey Museum to familiarise themselves with the town’s rich history. Kids would enjoy a visit to the Nassau zoo, Adastra gardens and the Science Centre.

The Nassau Cruise port is being transformed into one of the most breathtaking waterfronts in the world due to the implementation of a 300 million dollar renovation project. The Prince George Wharf will be expanded to solve the problem of congestion near the terminal area and an additional berth would be constructed for accommodating four Oasis-class ships at once. Also, a new terminal building, entertainment area, an amphitheatre and coral exhibits would adorn the port in the coming years.

6. Port of Shanghai

The Shanghai port in China is famous for being the busiest in the world however it also boasts the world’s sixth-largest cruise terminal capable of handling more than 1.5 million passengers annually. Located at the mouth of the river Yangtze, the port lies in the centre of the 18,000-kilometre long coastline.

The Shanghai Cruise port houses three cruise terminals. The Wusongkou Cruise terminal lies in the Paotaiwan Bay and can easily accommodate three big cruise ships weighing between 100,000 to 150,000 tonnes. It covers more than 100 hectares of the land area including terminal buildings, offices, shopping centres etc.

Shanghai International Terminal situated on the river Huangpu has an 890-metre waterfront area and covers 42 hectares. Three passenger ships weighing around 70,000 to 80,000 tonnes can be berthed simultaneously at this terminal.

The Waigaoqiao Terminal is located in the Pudong area and can receive the world’s biggest cruise liners. It has a water depth of 12.5 metres and a 990 m long waterfront area. The facility can receive four cruise ships carrying more than 5000 passengers.

7. Port of Barcelona

Barcelona is the third biggest container port in Spain which handled 3.42 million TEUs in 2018. It connects the hinterland and Northern Spain with the Mediterranean region and has shipping connections with the Far East, North Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Americas. It is also a principal cruise port of Europe having numerous marinas and ferry terminals.

There are seven cruise terminals located near Barcelona’s La Rambla, a shopping centre in the heart of the city. Four terminals are located at the Adossat Quay and the remaining three known as the North, South and East terminals are near the World Trade Centre pier. Ferries plying between the Balearic Islands and Barcelona are received at the Saint Bertrand Terminal.

The cruise port area of Barcelona port houses clubs, bars, multiplex cinemas and the biggest aquarium in Europe. People can also book Golondrinas or small ships for touring the area.

8. Port of Civitavecchia

Civitavecchia is the cruise port of Rome, the capital city of Italy. It is the second busiest passenger port in Europe and one of the largest ports in the Mediterranean region. Around 2200 ferries and over 80 cruise ships carrying more than 2.5 million tourists are received at the port each year. It has 15 wharves divided among 8 cruise terminals with their own parking spaces. Ships enter the port from the Adriatic Sea after passing through the Giudecca canal.

A new cruise terminal was completed in 2018 covering 11,000 m2 of land area. Known as the Amerigo Vespucci Cruise Terminal, it is owned by Costa, Royal Caribbean and the Mediterranean Shipping Company. It contains two terminal buildings, a 500 m2 waiting area and a cafeteria.

The city is famous for its architecture dating back to the Renaissance period. Tourists can visit the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, the fountain of Benedict and Fort Michelangelo, named after one of the finest Italian sculptors. The city also has a yellow sand beach just a few miles from the cruise port which is perfect for sunbathing, relaxing and swimming.

9. Port of The Balearic Islands (Palma de Mallorca)

A chain of islands flaunting a perfect mix of the Mediterranean and the Spanish culture lie in the Balearic sea close to the Iberian Peninsula. Known as the Balearic islands, they are famous tourist destinations popular for their scenic beauty, extravagant resorts, theme parks and rich cuisine. The Port of Palma is an amalgamation of tradition and technology and receives more than 1.5 million tourists annually.

Palma is the largest of the five island ports and lies in the centre of the city, near the Old town. The port has a long promenade and is divided into four operational areas; the commercial quays that handle cargo traffic, the Poniente wharves, the marina berths and the western breakwater.

The Poniente wharves host popular Mediterranean regattas such as the King’s Cup and also support recreational sailing. The marina berths receive cruise ships and superyachts. The western wharves are dedicated to commercial fishing.

10. Port of Galveston

Covering 840 acres, Galveston is the fourth busiest passenger port in North America. It was opened in the early 18th century as an important industrial port. Today, it serves commercial shipping vessels and cruise ships. It has two modern cruise terminals with a water depth of 30 feet. They cover 221,000 sq ft and include 3 parking areas, ATMs, a post office, a help desk and free wifi.

A third one is being constructed and will become operational in 2023. One can visit the famous Texas Seaport Museum or visit the art galleries and theatres located near terminal 1. The second terminal has an expansive food court and a shopping centre.

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Port canaveral surpasses miami as world’s busiest cruise port, number of passengers in port canaveral totals 4.21 million for the 2022 fiscal year, report shows.

Dave Berman , Florida Today

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Port Canaveral has surpassed Miami for the first time as the world’s busiest cruise port, the Florida Ports Council told News 6 partner Florida Today .

A just-released report from the organization put Port Canaveral’s passenger totals at 4.21 million for the 2022 fiscal year. That compares with 4.02 million for Port of Miami. Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale retained its No. 3 spot, with 1.72 million passengers, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.

“We’ve always aimed to be the best cruise port in the world, but what an achievement to now be known as the busiest,” port CEO John Murray said. “This historic milestone is testament to the efforts of our team and cruise partners to provide a best-in-class experience for all cruise guests sailing from Port Canaveral.”

Port Canaveral currently is home to 13 multiday cruise ships from five cruise lines ― Carnival, Disney, MSC, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean.

[TRENDING: Become a News 6 Insider ]

Port Canaveral also is a major driver for the Space Coast’s overall tourism market, as many cruise passengers stay at local hotels before or after their cruises. They also visit local attractions, eat at local restaurants and shop as local stores.

Space Coast Office of Tourism Executive Director Peter Cranis said Port Canaveral’s No. 1 ranking “is a testament to the great infrastructure, and all the things there are to see and do on the Space Coast. It speaks volumes about our destination, and how much people like staying here before and after they cruise.”

Cranis added that “Port Canaveral has come a long way, and worked hard to surpass Miami as the world’s-busiest cruise port.”

Murray said the new ranking is significant because Port Canaveral always has had “a friendly rivalry” with the Port of Miami and Port Everglades, as Brevard County’s seaport sought to become the No. 1 cruise port.

“Sometimes, it’s a little fun in the rivalry, back and forth,” Murray said during a news conference, at which he discussed the rankings. “The way it ended up in 2022, we were ahead, and it’s something to be happy about right now.”

Newer and larger cruise ships: Allure of the Seas and Marella Cruises coming

Murray said Port Canaveral reached its goal by attracting some of the newest and largest ships in the world and is well-positioned for the future.

Murray said “the fact that we have a new profile of newer, bigger and finer ships I think is going to continue to give us a good push going forward with our status in the types of cruises and people that are coming to see us.”

Murray said those numbers are “very speculative,” and Port Canaveral could reach the 2027 projection way before then.

Murray noted that Port Canaveral’s 2023 passenger counts have been strong so far, and are likely to far exceed the 2022 figures.

Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas ― an “Oasis Class” ship with a passenger capacity of 6,780 ― on Oct. 25 will begin twice-weekly sailings from Port Canaveral. That will be the first Oasis Class ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet to regularly sail two times a week, which Murray said is an indication of the cruise line’s confidence in Port Canaveral and its ability to attract 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.

State of Florida cruise ports

Murray said all of Florida’s cruise ports are doing well now .

“It’s great to see it coming back strong,” after a lengthy shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, Murray said. For Port Canaveral, that shutdown extended more than 16 months from mid-March 2020 to the end of July 2021.

“There’s a lot of economic impact to the state of Florida from all of our cruise ports,” Murray said.

These are the 2022 cruise passenger totals for other Florida ports:

Tampa Bay: 418,200
Key West: 198,411
Palm Beach: 188,235
Jacksonville: 90,241

Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily :

Top 100 Cruise Ports Busiest

Cruise ports rankings recalculated weekly, about our rating.

The weekly recalculated rating of cruise ports busiest.

The rating is updated once a week on Wednesday night.

Top 20 Cruise Ports Busiest

Updated Apr 24, 2024

Passengers next 12 monthes: 0

Overall Rating: 2.05

Overall Rating: 1.52

Overall Rating: 1.77

Overall Rating: 0.95

[American Samoa]

Overall Rating: 1.80

Overall Rating: 1.40

Overall Rating: 1.53

[Antarctica]

Overall Rating: 2.29

[Antigua and Barbuda]

Overall Rating: 0.89

Overall Rating: 1.60

Overall Rating: 3.00

Overall Rating: 3.89

Overall Rating: 2.75

Overall Rating: 2.08

[Argentina]

Overall Rating: 3.40

Overall Rating: 2.31

Overall Rating: 3.30

Overall Rating: 1.94

Overall Rating: 1.97

Overall Rating: 3.11

Full List of Cruise Ports Top 100 Rating

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World's Most Popular Cruise Ports

Major cruise port cities, ranked.

More than 28 million people cruise each year , turning to ships to serve as a home base for accommodations, dining and entertainment while sailing the seven seas to visit exotic ports of call.

The most popular place to set sail is the Caribbean, which accounts for 34 percent of cruises; 28 percent of cruises explore Europe and the Mediterranean, and 10 percent take place in Asia.

Which ports receive the most traffic and, therefore, the most travelers descending upon their streets due to cruise ships? Discover the biggest ports in the world, and all they have to offer.

25. Roatan, Honduras

Number of passengers: 1 million*

Roatan, the largest of Honduras' Bay Islands, welcomes cruise ships at Coxen Hole and Mahogany Bay Cruise Center. Many of the large cruise ships sailing the Caribbean make way to Honduras on Western Caribbean itineraries, with many passengers taking to the waters for coral-reef snorkeling and scuba-diving activities. These barrier islands are part of the Belize Barrier Reef, also known as the Mesoamerican Reef, ensuring plenty to see underwater.

Multiple beaches are also available to enjoy for those who wish to stay on land. Island tours and excursions provide zip-lining in the jungle and exciting animal encounters.

*Figures sourced from Ship Technology and NAFTA Region & Caribbean Port Cruise Traffic reports

24. New Orleans, Louisiana

Number of Passengers: 1 million

Both Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean bring guests to New Orleans on their Gulf of Mexico cruises. Just minutes from the famed French Quarter and Garden District, visitors to this port can stroll along the banks of the Mighty Mississippi before exploring the more-than-300-year-old city.

Most cruises stop just for the day, but there is so much to see and do in NOLA that the city makes for a great starting or ending port, so travelers can spend more time enjoying iconic places like St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square, Bourbon Street, cemeteries, sporting events and museums.

23. Piraeus, Greece

Passengers on Adriatic and Mediterranean Sea ships disembark from this port to enjoy the bustle of nearby Athens. Excursions most often transport guests straight to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon and to take in views of the ancient city from Acropolis Hill.

With an all-day itinerary, visitors can delve deeper into the charms of Athens, visiting the Maximou Mansion, the Royal Palace, the Parliament House and eventually the Plaka. Here, cobbled streets wind past homes, shops and tons of outdoor dining at Greek tavernas.

22. Jeju Island, South Korea

Number of Passengers: 1.2 million

It's no surprise that this island has been called " The Hawaii of Korea ." Here, you can explore secluded beaches, underground lava tunnels, caves and waterfalls, including Cheonjeyeon Waterfall, nicknamed the "Pond of God."

The island is also home to an adults-only park called Love Land, which features more than 100 erotic sculptures. It's definitely one of the more unique cruise itinerary excursions you will find!

If you're traveling with kids in tow, the Teddy Bear Museum is a great option.

21. San Juan, Puerto Rico

Number of Passengers: 1.3 million

Many Caribbean cruises visit Puerto Rico's port in San Juan, providing passengers a chance to see the historic district of Old San Juan and to sample some of the best outdoor adventures available for cruisers.

Explore the island's rainforests via ATV, horseback ride, zip-line or hike. (Be sure to visit Xtreme Zipline to experience the longest zip line in the Caribbean!) Water fun is also available with kayaking, snorkeling and scuba diving.

20. Singapore

China follows the U.S. in number of cruise passengers — 2.4 million in 2018 . No wonder travel to and from Singapore has skyrocketed since this port was leased to the Chinese in 2015.

Besides serving as a departure center for Asian cruises, Singapore itself offers an array of things to see for passengers who stay before or after their sail. City tours, Gardens by the Bay, Chinatown, Sentosa Island and Marina Bay Sands resort with its amazing rooftop infinity pool are all highlights.

19. Venice, Italy

Number of Passengers: 1.4 million

Some say giant cruise ships entering the Grand Canal have removed a bit of the charm from Venice. The Italian city, which received 32,000 cruise-ship passengers daily between April to October this year, is even making changes to limit the number of ships coming in.

By 2020, Venice hopes to reroute a third of the cruise excursions booked for its shores, in the hopes of removing the city from lists like this of the busiest cruise ports.

Perhaps it won't always be busy as a cruise port, but Venice — home to St. Mark's Square, the canals and the Bridge of Sighs — will always top bucket lists, and understandably so.

18. Marseille, France

Marseille has always been France's leading sea port, and it is one of the largest cruise ports along the Mediterranean as well.

France's second-largest city, far removed from Paris, has been an alluring destination since the Middle Ages, and still offers plenty for passengers to fall in love with. Most day-trippers spend their time on the quaint streets of Old Town, sampling French seafood dishes along with churches and museums. A ferry will take visitors to the island of Chateau d'If of "The Count of Monte Cristo" fame.

17. Southampton, England

Number of Passengers: 1.5 million

Since it began operating in 1843, Southampton has been a significant port for England. Over the years, it's served as the launch point for ships carrying immigrants to America, and it was from here that the Titanic set off for its fateful sail in 1912.

Today, this "Cruise Capital of the U.K." remains the starting point for trans-Atlantic, Scandinavian and English cruises. While staying in Southampton before or after a cruise, visit the 12th- and 14th-century homes of the Tudor House and Garden and learn about the Titanic at the SeaCity Museum.

16. Port of New York and New Jersey

If you didn't realize leisure cruises departed to and from New York, the 1.5-million figure may come as a shock. But believe it: Cruises to the Bahamas, New England and Canada, as well as trans-Atlantic sails to England, are big business in New York and New Jersey's neighboring cruise terminals.

Every season brings a getaway, from cool summers in Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick to fall foliage in Boston and Maine to spring breaks and winter getaways to Miami and the Bahamas.

15. Ports of Jamaica

Number of Passengers: 1.6 million

The Port Authority of Jamaica operates numerous ports, including Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. Caribbean cruises often make a pit stop at one of these ports, offering guests a chance to explore one of the region's most naturally blessed and culturally interesting destinations.

Get a taste of Jamaica with excursions to Dunn's River Falls, Mystic Mountain for bob-sledding and the Martha Brae River for river-rafting. The only problem? A day is certainly not enough to experience it all.

14. Philipsburg, Saint Maarten

St. Maarten is a small Eastern Caribbean island made up of two countries, giving cruise visitors a two-for-one deal. Philipsburg is located on the Dutch-controlled side of the isle, but visiting the French side is just as easy.

Follow a one-mile boardwalk from the port to town to shop at souvenir shops for local artisan work, then catch a ride around the island to visit farms, sample local culture and try adventures on land and sea.

13. St. Thomas/St. John, U.S.V.I.

The U.S. Virgin Islands is home to a port that provides access to both St. Thomas, the most populated of the islands, and St. John, the majority of which is a national park. This ensures access to both exciting urbanity and natural wonders.

St. John was hard hit by hurricanes Maria and Irma, and the evidence is still visible. But tourism is helping the island rebuild, as major cruise liners continue to bring in travelers (and their money). And don't worry: The island is no less beautiful than it was before the storms.

12. George Town, Grand Cayman

Number of Passengers: 1.7 million

The small island of Grand Cayman is a beloved spot on Caribbean cruises thanks to its big attractions: Seven Mile Beach and George Town's amazing shopping. Both are accessible within minutes of disembarking. The island also offers scuba divers the 6,000-foot deep North Wall for underwater exploration.

The Cayman Islands are actually home to three different islands, the largest of which is Grand Cayman.

11. Galveston, Texas

Midwestern and Western cruise passengers skip down to Galveston to catch Gulf Coast and Mexico cruises on lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Disney. Western Caribbean cruises travel along Central America, stopping in ports like Belize and Cozumel.

Galveston's long coast is a prime spot for relaxation, while water parks, amusements and historic museums keep things exciting.

10. Balearic Islands, Spain

Number of Passengers: 2.1 million

Spain's Balearic Islands are made up of Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago, popular among island-hoppers, is one of the hottest cruise ports on Mediterranean routes.

Filled with sun, surf and sand, the islands showcase medieval buildings and foundations combined with lively nightlife and tapas-filled restaurants. It may seem counterintuitive to get off one boat to get on another, but sailing excursions to hidden coves and private beaches and snorkeling spots are well worth booking.

9. Civitavecchia, Italy

Number of Passengers: 2.2 million

The Port of Civitavecchia is touted as being a stop in Rome, although anyone with a strong understanding of geography realizes that Rome is landlocked. The Italian city of Civitavecchia is actually more than an hour from Rome, but with early arrivals and late departures from this port, visitors can squeeze in some of Rome's biggest sites, like the Colosseum.

If you elect to stay, the area has beautiful beaches, Italian baths, Old Town centers and delicious Italian food and gelato, without traveling to one of the country's most crowded tourist cities.

8. Out Islands, Bahamas

Number of Passengers: 2.6 million

Last year, the Out Islands of the Bahamas saw a massive number of cruise passengers. The more remote (thus the name) islands of Exuma, Abaco, Eleuthera, Bimini, Andros and Long Island catered to millions of visitors with their pristine beaches and crystal-clear waters.

Sadly, the Out Islands received serious damage during September's Hurricane Dorian. Abaco, for instance, is practically deserted after being almost entirely leveled by the Category 5's 183-mile-per-hour winds. It will take the Bahamas years to rebuild and recoup from the devastation.

7. Barcelona, Spain

Number of Passengers: 2.7 million

The launching-off point for many Mediterranean cruises, Barcelona is a city that passengers often want to spend more than a day in, leading them to extend their stays before or after sailing. Not only does Barcelona see one of the highest concentration of cruise passengers, it receives more than 30 million tourists per year.

This over-tourism is inspiring city officials to come up with measures to reduce the influx, capping Airbnb rentals and reducing the number of cruise ships coming to port. With one-of-a-kind attractions like Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia, it's no wonder so many clamor to visit.

6. Shanghai, China

Number of Passengers: 2.8 million

Shanghai's position as a Chinese powerhouse makes the expansive city the starting and ending point for many of China's northern cruises. A unique juxtaposition of old and new gives travelers days' worth of things to see and do, from markets providing a glimpse of Old Shanghai to modern malls and skyscrapers.

From this departure point, cruisers have a chance to travel to Beijing, Hong Kong, Manila, Okinawa, Taipei and many other Asian cities with similar mixes of historic and cutting-edge cultural attractions and experiences.

5. Nassau, Bahamas

Number of Passengers: 3.6 million

The main port of the Bahamas can be found on its largest island, New Providence, and the capital city of Nassau. Many make a beeline here for the world-famous Atlantis Resort and its water park, aquarium and dolphin program.

The port received little damage following Hurricane Dorian, so don't be fearful of visiting. Plus, your tourism dollars will be supporting the islands that were hurt by the storm.

4. Everglades, Florida

Number of Passengers: 3.8 million

One of three Florida ports to crack the top-10 list, Port Everglades is found in South Florida's Greater Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood area, and provides mostly day and evening cruises to the Bahamas.

For visitors who tack on time in Fort Lauderdale, beaches and state parks are the biggest draw, along with arts and fashion on Las Olas Boulevard.

3. Cozumel, Mexico

Number of Passengers: 4.1 million

While Mexico is a top destination for Americans traveling by plane, it is also a hit for cruise passengers, with its island of Cozumel a particular favorite.

Cozumel is sometimes the only Mexican port on a Caribbean cruise, and sometimes one of many — either way, it's among the most beautiful places to spend a day.

Beyond its amazing blue waters, the area is ripe for snorkeling due to its location along the world's second largest coral reef, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Mayan ruins and shopping round out an ideal day-trip itinerary to this island off the Yucatan Peninsula.

2. Port Canaveral, Florida

Number of Passengers: 4.5 million

There may not be a ton of things to see and do in Port Canaveral proper, but the second-largest cruise port in the world is the stop for Cape Canaveral's Kennedy Space Center as well as Mickey Mouse. Many cruisers create a land-and-sea combo, following up a sail aboard Disney Cruise Line — including a stop at a private island in the Bahamas -- with a trip to Walt Disney World, less than an hour away from this port.

Port Canaveral is also near Cocoa Beach and Daytona Beach. The beaches were most popular during the 1960s when space flight was beginning, but still offer small-town charm and wide expanses of beach to enjoy.

1. Miami, Florida

Number of Passengers: 5.6 million

Nearly 12 million cruises originate from the United States, and half of them are launched from Miami. With the Caribbean accounting for more than 34 percent of cruises, Miami serves as the top spot to set sail.

Before moving to their cruise cabin, visitors often stay in Miami, where direct flights are readily available. With its mix of Latin cuisine, glamorous beaches and exciting nightlife, it is easy to see why Miami is the most popular cruise port in the world.

The 10 Busiest Cruise Ports in the World

World Atlas has released a ranking of the busiest cruise ports around the world. The study found that the two busiest regions are the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, with Florida being the busiest cruise destination on the planet. A few on the top 10 list might surprise you though…read on to discover the 10 busiest cruise ports in the world!

By Keith David Langston

10. Galveston, Texas

Galveston, Texas, located on the coast, just outside of Houston is a major tourist destination for the South. From upscale resorts like the Hotel Galvez , which opened in 1911, to Pleasure Pier amusement park, there’s lots to see and do. Furthermore, with its proximity to the Houston area, it’s a popular starting point for cruises into the Caribbean. Major carriers like Carnival , Disney Cruise Line , and Royal Caribbean all launch ships from Galveston.

9. Civitavecchia, Italy

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. Civitavecchia sits next to Rome, the Eternal City. 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.

8. The Bahamas’ Out Islands

The Out Islands (sometimes called the Outer Islands) are popular cruise ports. While New Providence and Grand Bahama might be the nation’s most famous islands, hosting massive resorts like The Atlantis, it’s the smaller, quieter, Out Islands that attract many cruisers for their pristine, untouched beauty. Most notable of the Out Islands is Bimini, which will be the port for the upcoming Virgin cruise line, Virgin Voyages .

7. Barcelona, Spain

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. It’s no wonder Barcelona regularly sees cruise ships from Viking , Oceania , Celebrity Cruises , and more.

6. Shanghai, China

If splashing around the Caribbean isn’t your idea of a fun cruise, then you’re one of the millions of people who choose a more adventurous cruise experience. China cruises and Asia cruises have become a booming industry and almost every single one of those itineraries includes Shanghai, which makes sense since Shanghai is the world’s second-largest city and is also conveniently right next to the ocean. Shanghai sees cruise ships from Seabourn , Holland America , MSC , and many more.

5. Nassau, Bahamas

It’s a port of call for almost every single Caribbean cruise. Nassau is home to brand-name resorts, flocks of flamingos, and some very famous dining and drinking (The Bahamas is known for rum and delicious rum cake after all.) While the Out Islands offer a reprieve from the world for many adult travelers, Nassau is more family-friendly, which is why it hosts almost every cruise line under the sun, like, Carnival , Royal Caribbean , Disney , and many more.

4. Cozumel, Mexico

Off the coast of Mexico’s mainland, right near Playa Del Carmen, sits the island of Cozumel. Famed for its crystal clear waters, excellent snorkeling, and beautiful warm days, it’s no surprise that the island sits at the top of the list. Cruises like Royal Caribbean , Norwegian Cruise Line , and Regent Seven Seas all visit the historic and gorgeous island.

3. Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale is a popular gateway to the Caribbean, both via sea as well as air. The city has started booming within the last decade, with many cruises launching from Port Everglades. In fact, because of the flourishing cruise industry, the city’s airport sees almost 36 million people each year, up by over a million passengers from a decade ago. Cruises that launch from Fort Lauderdale include Princess , Celebrity , Silversea , and the port even hosts Balearia , a highspeed ferry that can take you from Ft. Lauderdale to the Bahamas in just two hours.

2. Cape Canaveral, Florida

Port Canaveral, located in Cape Canaveral, Florida is a major launching point for Disney Cruise Lines , as well as Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line . But on top of the numerous US ships that are based there, Port Canaveral also sees lots of European cruises that have crossed the Atlantic, like TUI and AIDA . Many of the European passengers come to Cape Canaveral to see the legendary Kennedy Space Center, which launched numerous Apollo rockets, as well as space shuttles Atlantis and Discovery, and even SkyLab.

1. Miami, Florida

Miami is the largest cruise port in the world. The city’s large tourist landscape, numerous hotels, and giant airport make the city well-equipped to handle large volumes of travelers, becoming the perfect base for cruise operations. And it isn’t just cruising that keep this port busy. It’s also a massive cargo port. The port is so large that it employs 176,000 people. Ships based in Miami include Royal Caribbean , MSC , Disney , and Virgin Voyages, and sees visits from Viking Ocean Cruises , Crystal Cruise Line , and tons more.

For the full report, including the top 20 rankings, you can view the study at World Atlas .

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Always Check These Details Before Booking Your Accommodations

A great hotel room, vacation rental, or B&B can make or break a trip, and though you’ll hopefully spend most…

Royal Caribbean breaks ground on Nassau beach club

R oyal Caribbean and the government of the Bahamas broke ground Monday on the joint venture to develop a strip of land in the cruise port of Nassau called Paradise Island.

The government in 2023 gave the OK for the cruise line to develop a 17-acre portion into what will be called Royal Beach Club Paradise Island when it opens in 2025. Cruise line executives and government officials, including Prime Minister Philip Davis, grabbed shovels along the white sandy beaches with turquoise water in the background.

“With the signing of the deal [for] Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, we embark on this project to further enhance the vitality of our tourism product,” Davis said. “Signing today’s agreement, we add another world-class experience to our tourism offerings. And even more importantly, we take a bold step toward greater Bahamian empowerment in the tourism industry.”

The site is on the western edge of the strip of land that runs alongside the waterway through which ships brought nearly 4.5 million passengers in 2023, making Nassau the world’s busiest cruise port of call.

Royal Caribbean’s site expects about 2,000 visitors a day. They will be ferried over from the port but then return by land going through downtown Nassau.

It’s the first site for the smaller-sized beach club private destination Royal Caribbean plans to build out as opposed to its private island and resort destinations such as Perfect Day at Coco Cay in the Bahamas and Labadee on Haiti’s northern coast.

The Paradise Island spot will play up Bahamian culture alongside traditional offerings such as the beach, cabanas, four food and drink venues and three pools with swim-up bars. The site is being designed by a Bahamian architectural firm, and will give space for local artisan work for sale and live local music.

The project is a public-private partnership under which Bahamians are invited to own up to 49% of it. The plan is for locals to manage the experiences offered at the resort.

The cruise line will own 13 acres of the property while 4 acres go to Crown Land, which is a territorial area owned by the state. The cruise line will also pay a new tourism levy in exchange for the development.

“Marking more than the beginning of the construction process, today’s groundbreaking event symbolizes partnership, momentum and continued economic development for so many Bahamian entrepreneurs and the entire community,” said Jason Liberty, the cruise line parent company Royal Caribbean Group’s President and CEO. “We are grateful to our partners for their support, especially the Bahamian government, who stand with us here today in celebration of what is to come.”

The additional attraction to the port augments a $300 million overhaul of the Nassau Cruise Port that had its grand opening last year.

Already the port has expanded its capacity to six ships, including the ability to dock three of the massive Oasis-class ships from Royal Caribbean at once.

The revamp includes a new terminal building, Junkanoo museum, 3,500-person amphitheater, living coral exhibit plus more entertainment, food, beverage and retail space. Once complete, the port’s capacity will jump to more than 33,000 passengers per day. It had been around 20,000 a day.

More From Forbes

9 bucket list luxury cruising destinations for 2024.

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Hilltop houses and Greek Orthodox church dwarfed by cruise ship anchored offshore, Gialos (aka ... [+] Yialos), Symi (aka Simi), Rhodes, Dodecanese Islands, South Aegean, Greece, Europe.

Cruise vacations are a wonderful way to visit multiple destinations in one trip and unpack only once. And while cruises may not give people multiple days in each destination, it acts as a sampler for people to discover new places that they may possibly want to return to later.

Top Luxury Cruise Destinations

Knowing when to visit and what to explore can help people make the right decision for which to cruise take. The Caribbean and Mexico are the most common cruise destinations that people may think of, there are plenty of other bucket list destinations worth exploring. Here are some of the most popular among them and some of the latest news in the cruise industry .

1. Mediterranean

Villefranche-sur-mer on the French Riviera in summer

From Spain to Turkey and everywhere in between, these are highly popular sailings that can book up quickly. The best time to travel is during the summer months when the most ships are sailing in the Mediterranean, but prepare for hot weather. Many cruise lines move their ships to the Caribbean during the winter months.

The Spanish coastline, French Riviera, Amalfi Coast, Greek islands and Turkish ports are some of the highlight destinations on these routes. Among the busiest departure ports for these cruises are Athens, Rome (Civitavecchia) and Barcelona, and some travelers like to extend their cruise with a pre- or post-cruise stay in these cities. Taking a cruise here is a great way to visit many countries in one trip.

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Evrima is sailing its inaugural season.

Among the new ships in the region for this year is Silversea’s Silver Ray, the second in the Nova class for the line. The new Sun Princess from Princess Cruises started sailing the Med this year. The second yacht in the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is Evrima, which will start sailing in the Mediterranean later this year. Also new for the season is the National Geographic Day Tours sailings from Holland America that give travelers the change to sail with a National Geographic trained guide and explore ports with an expert.

MSC World Europa is the first Liquified Natural Gas-fueled ship in the company's fleet. The company ... [+] has a goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions for its entire fleet.

MSC Euribia and MSC World Europa are two of the most popular ships to sail in the region. The Italian-born company is especially appealing for travelers because its ships board new passengers every day unlike other cruises that start and end on a particular date. This schedule flexibility means travelers can choose which ports where they want to embark. Its ships have numerous specialty restaurants, engaging theater shows and family-friendly pool areas.

Another cruise line, SeaDream, operates differently than other companies by arriving in busy ports in the afternoon when most other cruise passengers are reboarding their ships. SeaDream then stays until midnight, or sometimes overnight, to give travelers the chance to explore without “people pollution.”

2. Australia and New Zealand

The famous Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge

These cruises showcase some of the top destinations down under. The best time to take a cruise is between December and February, which is summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The weather can be quite warm, but it is an ideal time to see major cities like Sydney and Auckland, explore the Great Barrier Reef or the Kimberley region on the Australian west coast. For those that want to extend their trip, they can visit major tourist sights like Ayers Rock in the center of the country and wine country regions in both countries.

The Kimberley region in Australia is a new destination for Seabourn.

New for the season is Seabourn Pursuit, which will sail the Kimberley region, the first time Seabourn visits the region. To honor the new itinerary, the cruise line named the Western Kimberley traditional land owners, the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, as godparents of Seabourn Pursuit . Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, part of the Abercrombie & Kent brand, will sail around both countries this spring.

Oceania Cruises is known for its overnight stays in cities in the South Pacific including Melbourne and Bali in Indonesia .

Snow melts slowly from the mountains as spring approaches at the end of May in south-central Alaska

Glacier Bay National Park and the Hubbard Glacier are top sights on an Alaska cruise sailing, which is best during the spring and summer months when the temperatures are not frigid. Sailings typically take place between April and October. Holland America is a leader in this part of the world, but many cruise lines send their ships here for the dramatic scenery. This is one of those ideal trips for a multi-generational trip.

Edge is one of the newest ships in the cruise line's fleet.

New for the season is Celebrity Edge, a dramatic ship with a cantilevered bar and restaurant known as the Magic Carpet and attached to the side of the ships and can be lowered closer to sea level for an up-close look at stunning glaciers. Among the top news for Alaska’s cruise ports is a new cruise terminal in the state capital, Juneau, and a new 28-day sailing from Holland America. Don’t miss the new seasonal drink “Killer Whale Pale Ale,” which Holland America is launching this year on its Alaska sailings.

4. Antarctica

Cruises sail through the Lemaire Channel

Cruises are the most common way to visit Antarctica, and there are all kinds of ships of varying sizes and price points. These are typically not cheap trips, but it is one of the most bucket list trips you can take. The cruise season in Antarctica is between November and February, which is summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Don’t be fooled though, it will still be cold.

These sailings give passengers the chance to set foot on this remote continent amid massive glaciers and snow-covered mountains. Bird spotting and thousands of penguins are just some of the animal life people will see. Many travelers like to take the Arctic plunge when they jump into the frigid water for a brief second.

Scenic Eclipse II has its own helicopter.

Atlas Ocean just christened two Polar ships that will sail from Patagonia to Antarctica. Seabourn Venture is an expedition ship that was christened in Antarctica and is a great way to enjoy nature without giving up luxury. Don’t miss Scenic Eclipse II, which is an elegant yacht that comes equipped with a helicopter for birds eye views and a submarine for fisheye photo opps.

5. Panama Canal

The Panama Canal has cruise and cargo ships passing through.

Going through the locks of the Panama Canal gives travelers an up-close experience of this architectural marvel. Between November and April, taking a cruise around Central America and passing through the canal is ideal since temperatures are not as hot and humid as the summer. Some cruise lines move their ships between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans when they change destinations for the season. A popular itinerary is Viking’s Classic Panama Canal Passage, which sails from Fort Lauderdale through the canal and visits Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama.

A pair of Star Clippers ships

If you’ve done the Panama Canal cruise, consider a Suez Canal sailing, which explores the Greek Islands before crossing the canal to visit ports in Egypt. Guests can take an excursion to visit the Pyramids, which is a highlight of this itinerary. Star Clippers takes its majestic sailing ships with tall white masts on these trips. If you want a true sailing experience, Star Clippers is a great option.

An aerial view of the fishing boats in Zanzibar

Taking a cruise to ports along Africa’s coastline is a great way to visit multiple places without worrying about getting difficult visas for each country or finding a comfortable place to say. There are many different itineraries including around the southern tip to ports of South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique. Others visit remote islands like Madagascar, Mauritius, Zanzibar and the Seychelles.

Azamara Quest visits the west coast of Africa.

The best time to visit is in the spring and fall as this means temperatures are not as hot as summer and also when cruise lines make these itineraries as they move ships to different regions. One of the most exciting (and quick to sell out) sailings is along parts of the west coast of the continent visiting places like the Bissagos Island chain, Sao Tome and Principe, Benin, Senegal and Gambia. Many travelers like to tack on a safari before or after their sailing.

Azamara Quest and Norwegian Sky are two of the most popular cruise ships that make these sailings. Azamara is known for its itineraries that remain in ports until late in the evening or even overnight giving travelers more time in each destination. For the 2025-2026 cruise season, Oceania Cruises will add new overnight stays in Mauritius, too.

Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam

Spotting the Northern Lights or sailing through panoramic fjords is often best experienced by ship. Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam sails through the Nordic countries during the summer months, the best time to visit the region since temperatures are not as cold. The newly launched Queen Anne from Cunard, which takes its first sailing in May, will sail around the British Islands and make its way to Norway to explore the fjords.

Hurtigruten Expeditions, a Norwegian company, operates its own series of sailings all along the coastline. The cruise line got its start here operating ferry ships bringing mail, supplies and other goods to remote parts of the country. Many of them also carry passengers that want to experience a smaller ship that visits different towns while also sailing through the fjords.

A Viking cruise ship sailing through the Norwegian fjords.

Another Nordic brand famous for its river and cruise ships is Viking, which operates its luxury ships carrying just under 1,000 passengers on signature itineraries like “Viking Homeland.” Viking Vela is one of the ships to make this journey, and Viking sailings are all-inclusive with drinks, all meals at specialty restaurants and excursions making it a great way to visit this region.

8. The Galapagos Islands

Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) are sunbathing in the last sunlight at the beach of ... [+] Espanola island, Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. This species of sea lion is endemic at the Galapagos islands; In the background one of the typical tourist yachts is visible. Wildlife shot.

Sailing between these Ecuadorian islands is beautiful for the bird watching and animal spotting from the region’s famous tortoises, iguanas and penguins. Cruise ships in this region are limited in size by regulations to preserve the marine environment. Hurtigruten Santa Cruz II is one of the larger ships that operates several itineraries in the archipelago.

Celebrity Flora is based in the Galapagos Islands.

Among the most luxurious ships sailing the islands is Celebrity Flora, a purpose-built ship for the Galapagos with cabanas on its top deck, a marine biology exploration center and beautiful cabins with electronically controlled windows that allow cabins to feel larger.

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Business | New director faced with setting stalled Port of Baltimore back on course

Jonathan Daniels, executive director of the Maryland Port Administration (MPA), started his job less than two months before the Key Bridge collapsed. (Kim Hairston/Staff)

Jonathan Daniels was just weeks into his new role as head of one of the nation’s busiest ports when his job changed overnight.

Since the March 26th collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge , Daniels has instead overseen a nearly closed Port of Baltimore. The executive director of the Maryland Port Administration since Feb. 5, Daniels now spends his days pursuing goals that may seem at odds, steering the port through a calamity while planning for its growth.

A 30-year-veteran who has managed ports through hurricanes and a global pandemic, Daniels said Friday he feels confident Baltimore’s port will see a resurgence when the crisis ends.

“We’re confident that we’re going to get [cargo business] back,” said Daniels, a 55-year-old native of upstate New York who previously headed Port Everglades in Florida and the Mississippi State Port Authority.

“While we’re dealing with this catastrophic event, we have not lost sight of the fact that there’s still a port to run,” he said. “I came here to work with this port team on managing the assets … while setting forth a plan to grow our lines of business.”

In the weeks since the Dali freighter struck the bridge, collapsing the span and killing six construction workers, authorities have been working to recover bodies of two of the men who remain missing while clearing the Patapsco River of bridge wreckage.

Already, Baltimore’s port has reached a milestone with the opening Thursday of the first deep-draft channel since the collapse, allowing five vessels that had been trapped by the wreckage to leave and another five to bring in cargo such as dry bulk material and some empty vessels that will load at Baltimore’s docks. That 38-foot channel was the fourth to open, besides others ranging from 11 feet to 20 feet that have let smaller vessels and barge traffic resume, including 14 million pounds of raw sugar delivered this week to Domino Sugar’s Inner Harbor refinery.

It’s too soon to say how much of an economic boost can come before the temporary channel is closed in a few days until May 10. Some of it is weather dependent and all is under the direction of the Coast Guard.

Each day, sometimes multiple times, Daniels joins briefings on salvage effort progress at the Unified Command headquarters with federal, state and local officials.

But much of his time is spent communicating with stakeholders and businesses that use the port.

When businesses ask what they can do to help, they are told, “You can come back when the channel opens,” he said. “We want to make sure that while this is catastrophic, that they understand that this is a temporary blip, this is not the long-term view of the port that we’re going to have a channel that’s always going to be closed.”

But ports operate in very competitive environments, and business often moves from port to port because of efficiencies and cost.

“We’ll evaluate all those aspects to make sure that the value proposition for Baltimore remains the same,” Daniels said. “We’re asking them to be part of the long-term rebound and growth of the port.”

And many customers have reacted favorably, he said, because Baltimore is essential to their supply chain needs.

Other East Coast ports have “stepped up” to handle diverted cargo, Daniels said, but “when this is over, we want our cargo back, and we will do what’s necessary in order to be able to get that and be able to support the businesses that have lost business.”

Scott Cowan, president of the International Longshoreman’s Association Local 333, which represents many of the port’s dockworkers, said he has appreciated Daniels’ accessibility and responsiveness while longshoremen have been out of work.

“He is a friend of labor and that helps,” Cowan said Friday. “We are very lucky to have him.”

Daniels comes from a family of dock workers, but still says he “stumbled” into port management. Both his grandfather and father worked as longshoremen at Port of Erie in New York. His father went into the Coast Guard, and later became a college football coach.

Daniels graduated from the Citadel in South Carolina and became a football coach himself at the Maine Maritime Academy, which trains students for maritime industry careers. He took a job in the commandant’s office and got to see port operations up close. He attended a masters program at the academy and was hired to lead a small port in Maine at age 26.

In an interview Friday, Daniels said the Port of Baltimore is unlikely to recover what the port administration estimates is $190 million of economic loss per day during the shutdown, but once channels reopen, he expects business to rebound.

“What we can do is we can get back to a position where day in and day out, we’re conducting the business of the Port of Baltimore and that the cargo levels have returned to normal, or pre-bridge incident,” he said.

Ports plan for catastrophic events, but not like this one, Daniels said.

“It’s changed the entire flow of people and cargo north and south through the city,” he said. “It’s going to impacts how the port conducts its operations.”

The port, which incudes 33 private marine terminals and six publicly owned terminals, had an annual economic impact of about $70 billion.

Daniels said the long-term, 20-year master vision plan that the port administration is beginning work on is needed now more than ever. It will be accompanied by a more flexible strategic business plan to be completed this year. The plans will take into account work to recover from the shutdown and ways to maintain and grow business during what could be years for a new bridge over the Patapsco to be built.

Long-term goals include boosting container cargo business at Seagirt Marine Terminal in partnership with operator PortsAmerica Chesapeake and at Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point, as well as increasing roll-on/roll-off and bulk cargo business. The port also is looking for ways to fit additional cruise lines into the schedule of the single berth at the port’s cruise terminal.

“The more tons we move through here, the more containers we move through, the more hours there are for the longshoremen, the more distribution centers that are developed, and ultimately more jobs are created,” Daniels said.

Baltimore’s port has built in geographic advantages because of its accessibility to markets in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. It has been the nation’s top port in terms of imports and exports of autos, light trucks and “roll-on/roll-off” equipment for 13 straight years.

Daniels succeeds former Maryland Port Administration Director William P. Doyle, who abruptly resigned last June .

Daniels said he was attracted to the port’s top job, in part because it “has one of the best reputations in the maritime industry. It’s a hardworking, close-knit waterfront with a very strong labor component.”

Some of his confidence about Baltimore port’s future comes from his experiences with ports that have dealt with adversity.

He served as executive director and CEO at the Mississippi Port Authority in Gulfport several years after Hurricane Katrina hit the area and wiped out port operations. The rebuilding had stalled when he arrived in 2013, but he was able to complete the project five years later. And he directed Port Everglades, the world’s third busiest cruise home port, during the pandemic when cruises were canceled. The port used that down time to go after and sign up luxury cruises and came out of the pandemic in a stronger position.

“You expect working in the port industry — everything we do here is large — when things go wrong, they go very wrong,” Daniels said. “But never did I expect that something like this could go wrong.”

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10. Port of Galveston

9. Port of Civitavecchia

8. Ports of Out Islands

7. Port of Barcelona -

6. Port of Shanghai

5. Port of Nassau -

4. Port of Cozumel

3. Port Everglades

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

Here are the top 10 busiest cruise ports in the world

10. The Ports of Genoa and Savona in Italy at 1,572,000 passenger movements.

9. Port Everglades in Florida at 1,717,908 passenger movements.

8. Palma de Mallorca in Spain at 1,727,000 passenger movements.

7. The Port of Southampton in England at 1,899,654 passenger movements.

6. The Civitavecchia Port of Rome in Italy at 2,172,000 passenger movements.

5. Port of Barcelona in Spain at 2,329,000 passenger movements.

4. Cozumel Cruise Port in Mexico at 2,943,760 passenger movements.

3. Nassau Cruise Port in The Bahamas at 3,212,603 passenger movements.

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

1. Port Canaveral in Florida at 4,072,396 passenger movements.

The world’s busiest cruise ports

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10 Largest Cruise Ports in the World

1. Port of Miami

2. Port of Canaveral

3. Port Everglades

4. Port of Cozumel (San Miguel de Cozumel)

5. Port of Nassau

6. Port of Shanghai

7. Port of Barcelona

8. Port of Civitavecchia

9. Port of The Balearic Islands (Palma de Mallorca)

10. Port of Galveston