PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – Ten ships departing the port with tens of thousands of passengers this weekend add to the 6.8 million guests Port Canaveral say took a cruise in the 2023 financial year.
“Those are humongous numbers,” cruise industry expert Stewart Chiron said.
Also known as “The Cruise Guy,” Chiron lives in Miami, which has traded places with Port Canaveral for the title of world’s busiest cruise port over the last couple of years.
In the coming years, the port expects to add Royal Caribbean’s newest mega-ship, the Star of the Seas, and a new cruise terminal.
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The port plans to build the terminal on the site of the current Blue Points Marina. Already, the port has added 1,000 parking spots for cruises.
Chiron said whether the port’s growth could ever plateau depends on available parking for ships and guests.
“It’s not about being the biggest. It’s about being the best. There needs to be a balance to make everybody happy,” he said, answering a question about critics of the port’s growth.
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