The world’s second-busiest cruise port is going to see even more passengers arriving at its terminals in the coming months.
On November 26, 2024, Port Canaveral celebrated the arrival of Royal Caribbean’s 3,600-passenger Voyager of the Seas, which will homeport at the port for its 2024-25 winter season.
The ship joins Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas, and Adventure of the Seas at the Space Coast port, which saw more than 7.6 million passengers during fiscal 2024.
To mark the occasion, a traditional maritime plaque ceremony was held aboard the ship.
Although Voyager of the Seas set off on her first sailing from Port Canaveral on November 30, 2024, a 5-night Eastern Caribbean journey to the Dominican Republic and the cruise line’s private destination, Labadee, in Haiti, the formal plaque exchange took place on December 5, 2024, after the ship returned.
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Prior to departing on a 4-night Bahamas cruise to Royal Caribbean’s other private destination, Perfect Day at Coco Cay, and Nassau, Captain Josep M. Ruyra received the warm welcome from Canaveral Port Authority Commission Vice Chairman Wayne Justice.
“Port Canaveral is thrilled to welcome Voyager of the Seas as the fourth Royal Caribbean International ship to call the port home,” a statement from the port revealed. “Welcome to Port Canaveral, Voyager of the Seas!“
The vessel is now operating 4- and 5-night voyages from Central Florida to the Caribbean through May 3, 2025.
Together, the four Royal Caribbean ships calling Port Canaveral home this season will bring a combined total of 18,118 passengers to the port for each sailing, reinforcing its role as a key hub for Caribbean cruises.
Port Canaveral Poised for Record-Breaking Growth in 2025
Port Canaveral has experienced significant growth in cruise ship arrivals and passenger traffic in recent years. At the beginning of 2024, the port projected it would receive 7.3 million passengers. Instead, fiscal year reports recorded a record-breaking 7.6 million.
Trailing behind PortMiami, which witnessed more than 8.2 million visitors in fiscal 2024 and overtook Port Canaveral as the world’s busiest port in 2023, officials anticipate it will host 8.4 million cruise guests in 2025, spurred by the arrival of several new ships.
Royal Caribbean’s 5,668-passenger Utopia of the Seas, the second-largest vessel in the fleet made Canaveral its home when it debuted in July 2024, where it is slated to remain through at least April 2026, providing 3- and 4-night weekly sailings to the Bahamas.
The cruise line’s new Star of the Seas, currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, is also scheduled to arrive in the summer 2025.
As the second Icon Class ship after Icon of the Seas, the 250,800-gross-ton vessel will bring 5,610 guests for its weekly 7-night sailings to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. The ship is scheduled to stay through April 2027.
Additionally, Celebrity Cruises just set off on its first journey from Canaveral with Celebrity Equinox taking up to 2,850 guests to the Bahamas on December 3, 2025. The ship will remain homeported through April 2025.
Meanwhile, Disney Cruise Line’s newest vessel, the 144,000-gross-ton Disney Treasure, is making her much-anticipated maiden voyage from Port Canaveral on December 21, 2024. Carrying up to 4,000 guests, the ship will call the Space Coast home through May 2026.
MSC Cruises’ 181,541-gross-ton MSC Grandiosa, carrying up to 4,842 passengers, will become the cruise line’s largest ship to homeport at Port Canaveral when it arrives in December 2025.
In total, the port will homeport 16 ships in 2025 and anticipates more than 1,000 calls.
