It’s formally that point within the vacation season the place we begin reflecting on the previous yr and looking forward to the following – and the world’s second busiest cruise port isn’t any exception.
Because the fiscal yr ended on September 30, 2024, the management staff at Florida’s Port Canaveral have now had an opportunity to evaluation the numbers for 2024 – and in the end discovered elevated income in all enterprise sectors.
In his annual “State of the Port” deal with on November 20, 2024, Canaveral Port Authority CEO Capt. John Murray confirmed that the port’s streak of record-breaking development has certainly continued for one more yr – and far of the success will be attributed to cruise tourism.
In the course of the 2024 fiscal yr, the Orlando-based port earned $191 million in income – with cruise operations accounting for $156 million – or round 81% – of the overall.
“Cruise continues to be a major section of our enterprise portfolio with among the latest and largest ships on the earth based mostly at Port Canaveral. This speaks volumes to the boldness our cruise companions have in our skill to constantly ship distinctive outcomes for his or her visitors,” Capt. Murray acknowledged.
All year long, Port Canaveral welcomed 7.6 million passengers throughout 13 homeported ships and 911 cruise ship calls.
That is an approximate 12% enhance on the 6.8 million cruise visitors welcomed by the port in 2023 – which was one other record-breaking quantity on the time – and much more considerably forward of the simply over 4 million passengers that handed by means of Port Canaveral’s six cruise terminals in 2022.
Over the previous yr, the port additionally added new parking services – together with an 8-story storage and a 6-story storage – and upgraded present parking processing methods.
A complete of 914,000 automobiles took benefit of the now extra handy parking, paying a every day fee of $17 plus tax – which actually provides up with the variety of vehicles utilizing the garages.
Progress Anticipated to Proceed in 2025
Port Canaveral is already looking forward to the long run, and is anticipating a good busier and extra worthwhile yr in 2025.
The port’s management staff is projecting annual revenues to develop to $211 million from $191 million – which can largely be helped alongside by rising cruise operations.
Certainly, the port is anticipating a record-breaking 8.4 million passengers and a higher variety of ship calls – 1,030 to be actual – within the new fiscal yr.
Learn Additionally: Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal: Your One-Cease Information
Moreover, the variety of cruise ships that may homeport within the fashionable port is leaping up from 13 to 16 within the 2025 fiscal yr – and consists of among the latest and most enjoyable ships on the excessive seas.
Disney Cruise Line, for instance, selected Port Canaveral as the primary homeport for Disney Treasure – and he or she simply made her debut in Florida on November 12, 2024.
When she formally enters service on December 21, 2024, Disney’s latest addition will use the port as her base as she operates round-trip, 7-night sailings all through the Japanese and Western Caribbean.
Equally, Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, which is at present beneath development on the Meyer Turku Shipyard in Turku, Finland, will start her profession at Port Canaveral when she enters service in August of 2025.
Like Disney Treasure, Royal Caribbean’s new Icon-class vessel will alternate between week-long sailings to the Western and Japanese Caribbean – and can convey as much as 5,610 visitors to the port with each voyage.
Final however not least, Princess Cruises and Superstar Cruises will every be profiting from Port Canaveral’s homeporting companies for the primary time ever.
Caribbean Princess will arrive at her new homeport on the finish of November 2024 – arriving only a few days earlier than Superstar Equinox is anticipated to dock on December 3, 2024.
