A private island destination can be an amazing port of call for cruise guests, but what about when the experience isn’t exactly what you expected? Some guests at Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas had a less than perfect experience on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
According to guests in the vicinity who shared their experiences on Reddit, an altercation broke out in the Chill Island area, which is supposed to be a quieter, more restful space for guests to enjoy a peaceful beach day.
The incident allegedly happened due to a dispute over ocean space (really?). A group of guests who had rented the overwater cabana closest to the swimming area open to everyone were upset throughout the day that some swimmers were supposedly encroaching on the cabana space.
You can watch the footage below:
Mind you, this is in the water. While there are buoy lines to mark off the privately rented cabana space, there is no other physical division between them and of course the waves and currents move freely.
That day’s tides apparently kept pushing various swimmers closer to the cabana area, and at various times, lifeguards posted in the area reminded guests to keep their distance from the rented cabanas.
This one group of cabana renters, however, was not at all accommodating about what they perceived as “their” space. Harsh words – including profanities – were directed at the lifeguards from the rowdy group, as well as at nearby guests.
The situation escalated when two members of the cabana guests apparently decided to take matters into their own hands, swimming after another man and his son in the water. Pushes, punches, and even dunks happened quickly even as lifeguards intervened.
Passengers Face off at CocoCay (Credit: tiedye_dreamer)
Guests on shore and in the swimming area noted that the cabana group continued to taunt and mock others until more security guards arrived. Different people nearby were interviewed about what they saw and heard during the incident.
Renting the cabanas can have a steep price tag – up to several thousand dollars per day for larger cabanas with more perks. This does not, however, give any guest the right to rude or entitled behavior, or to encroach on the peace and relaxation of another guest’s vacation.
Will There Be Consequences?
Royal Caribbean has not made any official statement about the incident, nor what actions may be taken with respect to those involved.
Nor has it been clarified which ship the involved guests may have been sailing aboard. Both Freedom of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas were enjoying Perfect Day at CocoCay on the day in question. Neither ship was reported to be delayed in any way.
It is possible that formal charges of assault may be filed, or there may be fines or other consequences from the cruise line, as violent behavior is a violation of Royal Caribbean’s Guest Health, Safety, and Conduct Policy.
Such consequences could include suspension of one’s loyalty benefits, being confined in one’s stateroom, being removed from the cruise, or even a complete ban from all future sailings in the Royal Caribbean Group.
From guest reports and videos of the incident, violations of the policy in this instance could include verbal abuse, offensive language, “uninvited physical contact,” and more.
Hopefully, this will prove to be an isolated incident and future guests to CocoCay and other private destinations will enjoy the peaceful beach days and great fun they have looked forward to as part of their cruise vacations.
Despite persistent internet rumors and incomplete information circulating in recent days, Carnival Cruise Line has repeatedly noted that it is not, in fact, seeking to become an adults-only cruise line or planning regular adults-only sailings.
These enticing rumors have sprung up due to the recent announcement of special Casino Offer sailings aboard Carnival Magic in November 2025. Because of the special nature of casino-themed cruises, these special sailings are indeed adults-only.
The cruise line’s brand ambassador, John Heald, has tried to reiterate the arrangement several times since the casino cruises first became available. There has been a lot of confusion about why such a family-oriented cruise line would suddenly offer adults-only sailings.
Most recently, he addressed the special sailings during one of his wildly popular (almost) daily Facebook videos.
“One of the jobs I have to do, it seems more and more, is to respectfully correct a few people,”he noted.
“One of those [rumors] is that we are moving to become – quote – an ‘adults only’ cruise line. Please ignore that! We are a proud family cruise line. We have been and I’m sure always will be.”
Heald goes on to explain that Carnival Magic‘s rescheduled dry dock opened the opportunity for new sailings to be added, which include the casino offer cruises.
The original dry dock was to have been from roughly October 6 through November 20, 2025. Instead, due to scheduling at the shipyard, that dry dock has been delayed until mid-April and into late May 2026.
This means Carnival Magic will remain in service during her original late 2025 dry dock dates – dates that can now be filled with extra sailings.
“The casino have taken a couple of cruises and made them adults-only,”Heald explained.“Because they are casino offers, we cannot make those casino offers to children, which is why these cruises are for adults only.”
Heald does admit that he doesn’t know what the future might hold, but there are no plans for Carnival Cruise Line to become any sort of adults-only cruise line.
Another unique cruise now being offered during the previously scheduled dry dock period is a new sailing with Heald himself, on the ship’s November 15, 2025 departure. He will be aboard the 6-night Eastern Caribbean sailing with his charming personality and inimitable British wit for extra fun – for all ages!
What to Expect on a Casino Offer Cruise
The specific casino sailings aboard Carnival Magic are generally by invitation-only for guests who are high-ranking members of the cruise line’s Carnival Players Club casino loyalty program.
It should be noted that this is different from the cruise line’s overall Very Important Fun Person (VIFP) program, which is based on the days guests sail with Carnival.
The casino loyalty program is based on time (and money!) spent in onboard casinos, and invitation cruise offers recognize players who certainly give the casino good business.
Casino on the Carnival Jubilee Cruise Ship
Onboard a casino cruise, there will be special tournaments, gaming lessons, welcome gifts, free drinks, giveaways, and other unique events that aren’t always possible onboard regular sailings.
Some travelers may be disappointed with the change, of course, especially if they had already booked the sailing with children or grandchildren. Only a very few guests might be impacted with needing to change their vacation plans due to the age limit, however.
Because Carnival Magic had been scheduled for drydock at the time of these new casino offer cruises, very few travelers would have had the opportunity to book the newly opened cruises before they were confirmed as casino sailings.
It is possible these impromptu casino cruises could become a beta test for whether or not adults-only cruises might become regular offers in the future?
As Heald noted, anything is possible, but it is unlikely. Carnival Cruise Line has invested decades of experience and hundreds of millions of dollars as a family-oriented cruise line, which is not changing anytime soon.
It’s about to become more expensive for cruise ships to dock in Juneau, Alaska. And, eventually, more expensive for passengers.
On May 19, 2025, the Juneau Assembly unanimously approved an increase in dockage fees, aiming to bring public port charges in line with those at privately operated docks in Southeast Alaska.
“We’ve been talking about it for a few years,”Juneau Visitor Industry Director Alix Pierce told local media, referring to the cruise lines’ awareness of the impending fee hike. “They’ve known that it’s coming.”
Indeed, in April 2024, Cruise Hive reported on Juneau’s plan to collect millions of dollars in passenger fees from cruisers annually via a port fee increase.
However, the fees are controlled via an agreement with Cruise Lines International Association Alaska (CLIA Alaska) following a 2019 settlement between the Juneau Assembly and the organization.
At that time, CLIA Alaska objected to the port fees, saying Juneau’s plans were falling out of line with the original settlement.
Now, a year later, the city has found a way around the agreement and is raising dockage fees.
Instead of charging fees based on the tonnage of each ship that arrives and its length, the rates will now be based on each vessel’s passenger capacity.
The city expects to raise $5 million in fees annually with the change.
New Fee Structure
The new dockage fees will be under less restrictions than the previous fee program under the 2019 CLIA Alaska agreement, and will not limit the city to using fee revenue towards its tourism industry.
As Juneau operates two of the city’s four cruise ship docks near Marine Park, Pierce said the new model will bring its municipal rates closer to what private operators charge.
“We know that our rates are definitely low compared to the private docks here and other ports in the region are also looking at their fee structure,” she said.
In addition to the dockage fee changes, Juneau’s cruise ship passenger fee program remains a major funding mechanism for tourism-related improvements.
The city collects three types of passenger fees: a $5 Marine Passenger Fee (MPF), a $3 Port Development Fee (PDF), and a $5 portion of the state’s $34.50 Commercial Passenger Vessel Excise Tax.
With 1.65 million cruise visitors forecasted in 2026, Juneau anticipates collecting $21.45 million in passenger-related revenue.
Shopping Near the Cruise Port (Photo Credit: Artchemy Labs)
Under the 2019 settlement agreement with CLIA Alaska, the use of MPF funds is tightly controlled and tied to mapped zones within the city.
Projects within the core port area are generally approved without issue, while proposals outside of the port require additional consultation with CLIA.
In 2026, Juneau plans to spend more than $22 million in passenger-related funds. Major proposed expenditures include $3 million for expanding shore power, $2.5 million to complete Marine Park improvements, and $2 million for the next phase of the Seawalk.
As the city aims to bring in more revenue from Alaska’s popular cruise tourism – which continues to grow year over year – some residents of Juneau have been fighting hard to limit the number of cruise ships allowed to pull into port.
Proponents of the initiative want to cap daily visitors at 16,000 passengers and no more than five large cruise ships a day. They also want Juneau to set an annual limit at 1.5 million cruise passengers a year.
In 2023, the city welcomed 1.6 million cruise guests and then 1.68 million in 2024.
However, Juneau needed 2,720 signatures to move the proposal to legislation but failed to do so by the May 19, 2025, deadline.
As the debate continues, Royal Caribbean is in the process of sidestepping the port altogether by building a new port on Douglas Island, just opposite of Juneau. That port will not be subject to the city’s new port fees.
The verdict is in! According to a court in the western German City of Düsseldorf, an unidentified man and his two travel companions should not have been kicked off their cruise after some alleged misbehavior.
So, what exactly did the guest in question do to warrant such a severe punishment? According to witnesses, the man urinated into a glass at an onboard bar while visiting with his travel party and left the glass on the table.
When a crew member came to clean the table later, they confirmed that there was indeed a strong smell of urine. The specific cruise line and cruise ship has not yet been identified publicly.
There were no consequences for the guest’s alleged action until three days later – when the man and his two cruise companions were prevented from re-boarding at one of the ports of call and told to “book their own flights home.”
Even though the man’s fellow travelers were not accused of doing anything wrong besides being present, they were also removed from the sailing.
It’s unclear why there was such a long delay from the incident to the consequences – although the cruise line may have been silently conducting an investigation and reviewing any available surveillance footage.
Understandably angry to see his holiday coming to an abrupt end, the man sued the cruise line. Ultimately, the court found that his alleged actions – which the man has continued to deny doing – did not justify removal from the cruise ship without any notice or prior warning.
Per this cruise line’s contract, guests can be removed from the cruise for violent, discriminatory, and abusive behavior – and as disgusting as urinating into a glass in public may be, it didn’t fit the criteria for early termination of their travel contract.
The court ordered the cruise line to refund the man for the days he should have been onboard but missed, and to reimburse him for the new flights home and taxi rides.
He was also entitled to compensation for the two other men – as the accused booked the cruise for the entire group. When all was said and done, he was awarded €9,000 (or about $12,222 USD).
Was the Ruling Correct?
As the daughter of two lawyers, I’ve absorbed a lot of legal insight through the natural osmosis of being around my parents – and it sounds a lot like the man may have won in court because he got lucky due to how the language in the cruise contract was worded.
Every situation is also different – and other factors played a role here, such as the fact that the cruise ship docked in another port and allowed the guests to re-board the ship before giving them the boot at a later destination.
Carnival Cruise Bar
Among cruise fans, there was a large feeling that the man’s bad behavior had just been rewarded – and that forcing crew members to clean his mess was potentially a health hazard and abusive to employees.
“The rules need to be changed. That is not only disgusting behavior, but a health issue.. Take the cruise line employees in consideration.. they had to handle that disgusting glass risking their health in doing so. I definitely would not want to be anywhere near that revolting pig,”one person said.
“I would argue that expecting the crew to clean up your bodily fluids is abusive,” another added.
Many also brought up indecent exposure – which can be charged as a criminal offense in some cases.
One person asked: “Could they kick him off for indecent exposure?”
Specific laws and punishments vary depending on the country – but it could be enough to get someone banned from the cruise linefor life at a minimum, assuming the man really behaved as it was reported.
I think many of us can relate to wanting to leave demanding corporate jobs behind and relax on the high seas indefinitely. One woman, who goes by Laura, has actually taken the leap.
This cruiser made life on a cruise shipher reality – and has booked sailings to occupy about 95% of her time through March of 2027.
She started her cruise journey on January 18, 2025, and has been on 13 sailings so far – most of which were onboard Princess Cruises’ fleet.
In fact, her first YouTube video documenting her new life was filmed during her fourth back-to-back sailing in a mini suite onboard Enchanted Princess – which first entered service at the end of 2021.
“I am in my mid-50s, and I recently left the corporate grind to pursue my dream of living full-time on cruise ships,” she began her video. “I’m on an adventure to travel the world, living bougie on a budget.”
Though she plans to document her experience on her new YouTube channel (Living on Cruise Control), the avid cruiser started off by explaining how and why she decided to make such a drastic life change in the first place.
Arguably, the biggest motivating factor was the cost. She has been able to make living on cruise ships full-time less expensive than it would be to rent or own a home on land by a significant margin.
“I’m only spending hundreds of dollars sailing in a mini suite with everything paid for, including Wi-Fi, specialty drinks, gratuities, etc. for less than $1,000 a month,” she said.
Though she hasn’t yet shared how she finds her cruise deals, the all-inclusive cruise experience– which covers housing, entertainment, food, and more in one reasonable price – is a big selling point in of itself.
The travel lover is never bored with entertainment like production shows and comedy performances happening daily, and even basics like laundry serviceare free now that she’s become an elite member of the Princess’ Captain’s Circle loyalty program.
Watch Laura Explain Her New Lifestyle in Her Own Words Below:
Better Health and Safety Onboard
For Laura, cruising full time is not just about the money. It’s also about her safety and overall wellbeing.
As a female myself, I can understand how it can be intimidating to travel solo– but Laura feels safe onboard thanks to the security measures and prevalent surveillance in public spaces.
“I feel very safe. I think that, you know, to begin with, there’s cameras everywhere,”she said.
“Your steward that takes care of your room, I feel like become like so friendly and they’re constantly checking on me to make sure that I’m okay and that I’m doing okay,” she added.
Considering I befriend crew members in sailings that last for under a week, I can only imagine how well Laura may get to know some of the hard working men and women that live onboard with her during back-to-back sailings.
Enchanted Princess in Port (Photo Credit: Adam McCullough)
Contrary to what you might expect, Laura is also feeling healthier and shared that she has lost weight since transitioning to living on cruise ships full time – despite all the buffets and specialty restaurants onboard.
“You have an amazing gym right here, right? Open 24 hours or close to 24 hours. There are fitness classes, dance classes, Zumba, meditation. I’ve learned Tai Chi. I’ve been lifting weights,” she explained.
Laura added that she also frequently gets in over 10,000 steps a day between navigating the ship, exploring the ports of call, and making simple choices like opting to use the stairs over elevators.
Hopefully she will continue to feel as happy and healthy as she does now – as her new life at sea is only just getting started.
The cruising world is waiting eagerly for the second Icon-class ship to make her debut, and it seems that Star of the Seas is just as eager to join the Royal Caribbean fleet and set sail as the star she is.
Meyer Turku, the shipbuilder responsible for the massive vessel, has announced that she has successfully completed her sea trials and is ready for the final phase of construction work.
“Star of the Seas completed her sea trials in record time and returned to the shipyard on the morning of Tuesday, May 27th,”the shipyard confirmed.
“Star spent a total of eight days at sea, during which all systems were thoroughly tested. All tests were completed successfully.”
Star of the Seasbegan these open water tests on May 19, 2025. This is one of the most important milestones of the ship’s construction, when every system is fully tested to ensure proper operation.
Navigation, propulsion, emergency maneuvers, safety responses, and other systems are tested while the ship is underway, ensuring that everything is functioning well within established guidelines.
For a ship with such a glamorous name to live up to, Star of the Seas is certainly holding her own.
“These were the best sea trials I have ever participated in. There was a strong sense of team spirit throughout,”said Jaakko Leinonen, Project Manager for Meyer Turku.“Now it’s time to focus on completing the remaining work on the ship.”
While the ship’s systems are now fully operational, more finishing detail work must be completed before Star of the Seas is considered complete and ready for handover to Royal Caribbean, which should happen in the next few weeks.
Work has progressed amazingly well on the vessel, so well that her debut has been pushed forward for three “showcase sailings” ahead of her planned inaugural 7-night cruise on August 31, 2025.
Now, the ship will welcome her first guests on August 20 for a 3-night Perfect Day at CocoCay cruise, followed by two 4-night showcase cruises also visiting the private island destination.
The “official” inaugural cruise is a Western Caribbean itinerary that will not only visit Perfect Day at CocoCay (as will all sailings of the new ship!), but also Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel.
Star of the Seas will remain homeported from Port Canaveral year-round, offering both Western Caribbean and Eastern Caribbean sailings. The Eastern Caribbean routes will be visiting St. Thomas and St. Maarten, while select sailings will call on San Juan and St. Kitts instead.
Undoubtedly, the ship will arrive in Port Canaveral ahead of her first showcase sailings, with great fanfare to welcome her home.
From an Icon to a Star – up next is a Legend! The wild popularity of Icon of the Seas and the impressive progress on Star of the Seas has certainly set high expectations for the third Icon-class ship, Legend of the Seas.
Also under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in southern Finland, Legend of the Seas is scheduled to debut in 2026. At the moment, her first sailing is planned as a 7-night Western Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona, departing August 2.
The ship will remain in Europe until November 2026, at which time she will homeport from Port Everglades.
This will position all three Icon-class ships from Florida homeports – Icon of the Seas from Miami, Star of the Seas from Port Canaveral, and Legend of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale – each one offering amazing cruise adventures for everyone aboard.
The Port of Galveston/Galveston Wharves has enjoyed the seasonal presence of a Disney Cruise Line ship for more than a decade, but will soon welcome one of the line’s ships on a year-round basis.
Currently, the 2,700-guest Disney Magic homeports at Galveston from November to April, sailing Western Caribbean cruises from the popular and growing Gulf Coast port.
In previous years, the 2,400-guest Disney Wonder was sometimes deployed seasonally to the Texas port instead of Disney Magic.
However, Disney Cruise Line has bigger plans in the works for Galveston Wharves starting in 2027, according to the port’s top official.
“Disney is expanding to full-time here in Galveston starting in 2027 [with] a bigger ship. That will tell you there’s a lot of interest in families,” Rodger Rees, port director and CEO, recently told the Galveston City Council.
The news was revealed during a joint meeting of the city council and the Galveston Wharves board of trustees on May 21, 2025.
Both Disney Magic and Disney Wonder are the cruise line’s smallest ships. The statement from Rees indicates that a larger ship, such as Disney Wish, Disney Dream, or Disney Fantasy, perhaps, will be deployed for year-round sailings. All three accommodate 4,000 guests.
Any of those ships would put the line’s capacity at Galveston closer to that of competitor lines such as Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean, both of which homeport larger ships at the Texas facility on a year-round basis.
Royal Caribbean, for example, deploys the 5,400-guest Harmony of the Seas and the 3,400-guest Mariner of the Seas at Galveston, while Carnival bases its Carnival Jubilee, accommodating 5,300 guests, and the 3,600-guest Carnival Dream at the port.
Disney Cruise Line has not officially confirmed a change in deployment to Galveston. Currently, Disney Magic is due to arrive at the port in November 2025 and remain there until April 2026, when she repositions to Vancouver, British Columbia, for a series of seasonal Alaska voyages.
The Port of Galveston is the fourth-busiest cruise port in North America, and in 2024 welcomed 3.4 million cruise arrivals. The facility is growing at a fast pace and in November 2025 will open Cruise Terminal 16, its fourth.
The new $156 million terminal is being built at Pier 16, a 160,000-square-foot space that formerly held cargo operations. The terminal will include a seven-story parking garage and serve as the new homeport for MSC Cruises’ MSC Seascape.
The terminal also will serve ships in the cruise brands owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
Galveston to Mark 200th Anniversary in 2025
The joint meeting between Galveston Wharves and the city council addressed other issues besides the change in Disney Cruise Line’s capacity.
Port and city officials reviewed the port’s updated master plan and discussed the upcoming celebration of the port’s 200th anniversary.
The celebration was launched on May 22, 2025 as the port marked National Maritime Day with free public events such as vessel tours, information booths, and a special ceremony.
Galveston Cruise Port (Photo Credit: BUI LE MANH HUNG)
Other events are planned as part of the anniversary. On October 17, 2025, Galveston will host a Party on the Pier, a free public event presented by Royal Caribbean and featuring live music and a drone show at Pier 21.
The next day, Carnival Cruise Line will sponsor a gala dinner at the Galveston Island Convention Center. Also in October, a book focused on the history of the port will be released.
The Port of Galveston was created as a provisional port and customs entry point by a proclamation issued by the Congress of Mexico on October 17, 1825, when the land known today as Texas still belonged to Mexico. The port has operated as the Galveston Wharves since 1940, when it became a city entity.
Here is Cruise Hive’s list of the top 10 busiest cruise homeports based on cruise guest traffic, including passengers on home-ported ships plus port call visitors. We’ll keep updating the list with the latest numbers reported by the cruise ports.
The sprawling PortMiami, with its cruise terminals and a major cargo facility spread across 518 acres, welcomed 8,233,056 million cruise passengers in its 2024 fiscal year from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024.
The cruise port maintains its No. 1 spot as the cruise capital of the world and continues to grow. Passenger transits through the port jumped by nearly 13% from 2023’s 7,299,294 million.
Virtually all of the major cruise lines have a presence at PortMiami, particularly during winter seasons when Caribbean cruising is at its peak. The port, which opened in 1960 and is located in Biscayne Bay, is a leader in shore power development and opened its 10th cruise terminal in 2025.
The new 492,000-square-foot MSC Miami Cruise Terminal can accommodate three ships at a time and process up to 36,000 cruise guests per day. The terminal opened in April 2025 and is the largest passenger cruise terminal in North America.
Name: PortMiami
State: Florida
Annual Cruise Passengers: 8,233,056
Number of cruise terminals: 10
Address: 1015 North America Way, Miami
2. Port Canaveral (Florida)
Port Canaveral (Photo Credit: Canaveral Port Authority)
Florida’s Port Canaveral is the second-busiest cruise port in the US based on passenger transits. In 2024, the port welcomed 7.6 million cruise guests, a 12% hike from the previous year.
Looking ahead, the port expects to reach 8.4 million guest transits in 2025, when it will have 16 ships homeporting and more than 1,000 ship calls.
All of the major cruise lines operate from Port Canaveral, and the facility holds the record for having the highest number of ships calling. That is likely due to its proximity to the theme parks of Orlando.
Opened in 1953, Port Canaveral became the first liquified natural gas (LNG) port in the US in 2021, an important milestone since many new ships are being constructed to use the environmentally friendly fuel and existing ships are being upgraded to use it.
Name: Port Canaveral
State: Florida
Annual Cruise Passengers: 7.6 million
Number of cruise terminals: 7
Address: 9245 Charles Rowland Drive Cape Canaveral
3. Port Everglades (Florida)
Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port (Photo Credit: Drew Rawcliffe)
Port Everglades is located in Fort Lauderdale, the South Florida destination synonymous with spring break fun. The port retains its place as the third-busiest in the US, with 4,010,919 cruise passengers transiting in 2024.
The number reflects a substantial 39% increase compared to 2023. The port received 889 ship calls in 2024, including 241 from Balearia’s Caribbean ferry.
Port Everglades hosts year-round cruise ships from Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean. The port is on track to install shore power technology later this decade.
The port, which opened in 1928 under the name Bay Mable Harbor, is close to two major airports; it is three miles from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and 25 miles from Miami International Airport.
Name: Port Everglades
State: Florida
Annual Cruise Passengers: 4,010,919
Number of cruise terminals: 8
Address: 1850 Eller Drive, Fort Lauderdale
4. Port of Galveston (Texas)
Galveston Cruise Terminals Aerial View (Photo Credit: Felix Mizioznikov)
The Port of Galveston/Galveston Wharves has a long and interesting history. It was established in 1825 by the Congress of Mexico, when Texas was still part of Mexico.
Located on Galveston Island at the northwestern edge of the Gulf of Mexico, the facility is a major drive-to port for cruisers hailing from the Southwest and from Gulf Coast cities.
Its 2024 cruise guest transits totaled 3.4 million. Cruise ships departing from Galveston primarily sail Western Caribbean itineraries, but some cruise lines offer Eastern Caribbean voyages as well.
Galveston port will celebrate the opening of Cruise Terminal 16, its fourth, in November 2025 as it welcomes MSC Cruises’ 170,400-gross ton MSC Seascape to her new Galveston home. The terminal also will serve ships in the cruise brands owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
The new $156 million terminal is being built at Galveston Wharves Pier 16, a 160,000-square-foot space that formerly held cargo operations. The terminal will include a seven-story parking garage.
The port in 2025 the port expects to handle more than 400 cruise ship sailings.
Name: Port of Galveston
State: Texas
Annual Cruise Passengers: 3.4 million
Number of cruise terminals: 3
Address: 123 Rosenberg Avenue, Galveston
5. Port of Seattle (Washington)
Cruise Ships Docked in Seattle (Photo Credit: Port of Seattle)
The Port of Seattle, circa 1911, has two cruise terminals that together accommodated 1.75 million cruise guests in 2024, making it the fifth-busiest cruise port in the country.
The Washington State port’s claim to fame is its proximity to Alaska, and several of the major cruise lines routinely embark their Alaska cruise guests in Seattle starting each May, as they gear up for the busy summer season.
The port’s main competitor for the summer windfall of cruise ships is Vancouver, British Columbia, located less than 150 miles north of Seattle and, therefore, even closer to the pristine cruising grounds of the Last Frontier State.
The Seattle port is situated in protected Elliott Bay and is home to the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91 and Bell Street Terminal at Pier 66.
The port is a leader in shore power technology, and thanks to a $44 million investment, all three of the port’s cruise berths are equipped with shore power plug-in infrastructure. Starting in 2027, the port requires that all homeporting cruise ships utilize the local power grid in an effort to substantially reduce emissions.
Name: Port of Seattle
State: Washington
Annual Cruise Passengers: 1.75 million
Number of cruise terminals: 2
Address: Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91, 2001 West Garfield Street, Seattle, and Bell Street Terminal at Pier 66, 2225 Alaskan Way South, Seattle
6. Port of San Juan (Puerto Rico)
View of Cruise Piers in San Juan (Photo Credit: Darryl Brooks)
San Juan, Puerto Rico, a US territory located northwest of St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean Sea, is a prime embarkation port for ships heading to the Southern Caribbean.
The San Juan Cruise Port has two cruise terminals accommodating four ships, while the nearby Pan American Pier has two terminals that can dock two ships.
These facilities help make the port, which opened in 1970, among the busiest in the Caribbean and the sixth-busiest in the US. The two facilities together welcomed 1.4 million cruise guests in 2024, including from home-ported ships and those calling at the popular port.
The total reflects a healthy 10% hike compared to the previous year.
Since mid-2022 the port has been managed by Global Ports Holding, which has invested in a major modernization project of the Pan American pier. The cruise port’s Pier 3 West remains under repair, following an incident in April 2024 that saw MSC Cruises’ MSC Meraviglia collide with a berthing dolphin.
The accident was a setback for the port, since Pier 3 West is the only pier able to host Royal Caribbean’s largest ships.
Name: Port of San Juan
State: US Territory of Puerto Rico
Annual Cruise Passengers: 1.4 million
Number of cruise terminals: 2
Address: Pan American Pier 1 East, Calle Lindbergh, San Juan; Pan American Pier 1 West, Calle Tadeo Rivera, San Juan
7. Port of New Orleans (Louisiana)
Brilliance of the Seas Docked in New Orleans (Photo Credit: arthurgphotography)
The Port of New Orleans is situated on the Mississippi River near the Gulf of Mexico, making it a popular embarkation port for ocean cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean, and for river ships that ply the Mississippi.
There has been a deepwater port in that location since the US bought the territory from France in 1803, but it wasn’t until 1984 that the first cruise terminal was developed. In 2024, the facility announced a record-breaking year with more than 1.2 million cruise passenger movements.
All major cruise lines sail from New Orleans, an important drive-to port for cruisers living in the Southern US. The port, which has a substantial cargo operation, has two cruise terminals, at Erato Street and Julia Street. Cruise guests can easily access the historic French Quarter and other attractions from either terminal.
Carnival Cruise Line in particular has had a longstanding relationship with the destination. In May 2024, the cruise line marked 30 years of year-round service from the Big Easy. It celebrated another milestone in October 2024, when it welcomed its 7 millionth guest embarking one of its ships at the port.
Name: Port of New Orleans
State: Louisiana
Annual Cruise Passengers: 1.2 million
Number of cruise terminals: 2
Address: 1350 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans
8. Port of Los Angeles (California)
Discovery Princess in Los Angeles (Photo Credit: Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock)
The Port of Los Angeles ranks No. 8 on the busiest cruise port list, with 1.1 million cruise guests moving through the facility’s World Cruise Center in 2024. It also is a major cargo port serving the US West Coast.
The cruise port, with two cruise ship berths and two terminal buildings comprising the cruise center, is a homeport for cruise lines operating voyages to the Mexican Riviera, through the Panama Canal, to Hawaii and Alaska, and along the California coast.
Roughly a half-hour drive from downtown Los Angeles, the port was founded in 1907 but had been used as a trading and cargo port since the early 19th century. A bid to expand its cruise facilities surfaced several years ago but was sidelined by the pandemic.
In 2024, the port issued a request for proposals to redevelop the World Cruise Center, which currently has two cruise berths, two terminal buildings, and a baggage handling structure, and to build a new Outer Harbor Cruise Terminal. The project is pending.
Name: Port of Los Angeles
State: California
Annual Cruise Passengers: 1.1 million
Number of cruise terminals: 2
Address: 100 Swinford Street, San Pedro
9. Port Tampa Bay (Florida)
A View of Tampa Cruise Port (Photo Credit: Feng Cheng)
On Florida’s west coast on the Gulf of Mexico, Port Tampa Bay handled 1.1 million cruise passenger transits through its three cruise terminals, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, and Terminal 6, all located a short drive from Tampa International Airport.
Essentially tied with the Port of Los Angeles, we’re listing Tampa Bay as the ninth-busiest US cruise port. It offers easy access to the Eastern and Western Caribbean, and on the shoreside, to Orlando, Florida’s theme park capital.
Cruise guests arriving at the Tampa port will find a major cargo and container operation, as well as a thriving shipbuilding and repair business. The port opened in 1924 and today attracts the industry’s major cruise lines for home-porting as well as port calls.
The port also takes steps to provide services to cruise ship crew members. Early in 2023, it opened a Seafarers Center at Terminal 3, offering support to international crew visiting the port.
Name: Port Tampa Bay
State: Florida
Annual Cruise Passengers: 1.1 million
Number of cruise terminals: 3
Address: 1101 Channelside Drive, Tampa
10. Cape Liberty Cruise Port (New Jersey)
Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas Docked at Cape Liberty (Photo Credit: Brian Logan Photography)
Cape Liberty Cruise Port, in Bayonne, New Jersey, has a storied past. It started out as a federal government site that distributed military supplies during World War II.
The facility was eventually turned over to local authorities in Bayonne, who in turn entered into a partnership with Royal Caribbean in 2004.
An agreement between the town and the cruise line led to the construction of a cruise terminal, and Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas became the first cruise ship to sail from the port.
Today it is among the busiest cruise ports in the country, welcoming about 600,000 cruise guests to Bayonne Harbor. In 2025, the port will receive roughly 80 ship visits.
Its location about 10 miles from Manhattan makes it a convenient embarkation port for cruisers living in the tri-state metro area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, which together are home to some 24 million people.
The port’s three terminals support operations for the major cruise lines, which offer itineraries to the Bahamas and the Caribbean, the Eastern Seaboard, plus seasonal cruises to Canada/New England.
Just weeks after Carnival Magic‘s upcoming dry dock was rescheduled with some cruises cancelled and new cruises added, another Carnival cruise ship – Carnival Conquest – is now undergoing similar scheduling changes.
Guests booked on seven upcoming sailings aboard Carnival Conquest have now been notified that their cruises are cancelled due to the dry dock change. The impacted voyages are the ship’s January 5, 2026 departure through and including the January 26, 2026 departure.
“We have had to reschedule Carnival Conquest’s dry dock to January 2026, and we are sorry to inform you that the above cruises, including yours, have been cancelled,”the email notification read.
Impacted travelers are being offered price protection on comparable sailings in similar stateroom accommodations, if they wish to rebook on an alternative cruise.
The new cruise does not have to be onboard Carnival Conquest, but must not be any longer than the original – now cancelled – sailing.
The cancelled cruises were both 3- and 4-night Bahamas itineraries. Carnival Conquest is homeported from Miami, Florida and offers these short getaways year-round, with visits to Princess Cays, Half Moon Cay, and for these early 2026 cruises, the soon-to-open Celebration Key.
Guests who do choose to rebook on a similar cruise will also receive $50 (USD) onboard credit per person (up to $100 per stateroom) for the new cruise.
Carnival Cruise Line will also reimburse up to $200 per person for any non-refundable flight change fees if applicable, though documentation for those changes must be submitted for consideration.
Of course, guests do not have to rebook if they aren’t interested in a different sailing or if other cruises don’t fit with their vacation plans. In that case, a full refund of the cruise fare and any pre-purchased items will be processed after June 10, 2025.
No details of why the dry dock has been rescheduled have been released, but it may be due to berth availability, shipyard operations, materials availability, or numerous other factors beyond the cruise line’s control.
Booking schedules show a gap in Carnival Conquest‘s schedule from mid-August through the end of September 2025, which is likely where the original dry dock was planned.
For Carnival Horizon, just one impacted cruise was cancelled – a transatlantic voyage between Barcelona and Miami. While it may just be one sailing, it was sure to have been a bucket-list itinerary for many travelers.
The changes for Carnival Magic have been more convoluted, with more than a month’s worth of sailings cancelled between mid-April and late May, 2026.
Guests on both ships received the same onboard credit compensation offer as for Carnival Conquest.
In an interesting twist, new sailings added for Carnival Magic have continued to generate both excitement and confusion since her fall 2025 dry dock was delayed.
One is the ship’s new November 15, 2025 departure, which will now host John Heald, the cruise line’s wildly popular brand ambassador. While not a fully themed “FFS Cruise” with Heald, the sailing is sure to have exclusive events and extra fun for guests to enjoy.
Rather, this is a very unique situation that the cruise line is taking advantage of to offer special deals for its players’ club members.
It is possible that new sailings will be on offer soon for Carnival Conquest during her previously scheduled dry dock dates. These could also be casino offers or special event cruises, or simply great deals for any traveler looking for an amazing last-minute getaway.
