The cruise sector is booming at Florida’s Port Everglades, with first-quarter results pointing toward a record-breaking 2025.
The port, located in the sun-and-fun destination of Fort Lauderdale, posted robust cruise ship and cruise guest arrivals in its first quarter, which began on October 1, 2024 and ended on December 31, 2024.
Passenger arrivals grew by a very respectable 27%, from 1,064,998 during the same timeframe a year earlier to 1,349,313.
These numbers put the port on track to reach a total of 4.4 million cruise arrivals in 2025 and reflect a roughly 3.3% growth over the 4,010,919 guests who transited the port in fiscal 2024.
The 2024 arrivals total represented a nearly 40% jump from 2023, as the port experienced a recovery from the industry’s pandemic pause.
Also, in the first quarter, cruise ship calls rose 25%, to 235 calls, compared to 188 calls in the same quarter of fiscal 2023.
“While we continue to navigate the year ahead, this strong first quarter is a promising indication of smooth sailing for our customers and the broader economy,” said Joseph Morris, director and CEO of Port Everglades.
“These numbers not only highlight our steady course of growth but also position us to achieve new heights this fiscal year,” Morris added.
The Sunshine State is the cruise industry’s epicenter. Port Everglades is the third-busiest cruise port in the world, based on cruise arrivals, after PortMiami, which is the world’s busiest, and Port Canaveral, the second-busiest.
PortMiami welcomed 8,233,056 million cruise passengers in its 2024 fiscal year, from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024.
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Port Canaveral, on Florida’s popular Space Coast, had briefly edged into the No. 1 spot in 2022, when cruise arrivals reached 4,072,396 — a hair’s breadth more than PortMiami’s 4,022,544.
The increase was short-lived, and PortMiami quickly returned to the top spot as the industry got back on its feet, post-pandemic.
Big Ships Mean Big Business for Port Everglades
Port Everglades reaped benefits from the arrival of Princess Cruises’ newest ship, Sun Princess, which began sailing from the port in early October 2024 — just in time to buoy the first-quarter results.
The 4,300-guest ship had entered service in Europe in February 2024, and deployed to the Florida port for seasonal sailings.
Sun Princess is operating 7- and 14-night Caribbean cruises from Port Everglades through late March 2025, before returning to the Mediterranean.
Her 14-night voyages combine Eastern and Western Caribbean port calls into one itinerary, with visits to Amber Cove, Dominican Republic; Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos; Cozumel, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; and Roatan, Honduras. The line’s private destination, Princess Cays in the Bahamas, also is a port call.
Disney Cruise Line’s 4,000-guest Disney Dream began homeporting at Port Everglades in 2023, and has proven to be a big draw for families. The ship sails 4- and 5-night Bahamas and Caribbean voyages.
Other major lines with ships based at the growing port include Celebrity Cruises, Crystal, Holland America Line, Silversea Cruises, Viking Cruises, and Royal Caribbean.
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Royal Caribbean homeports one of its largest ships at Port Canaveral — Oasis of the Seas. The mega-ship from the popular Oasis class accommodates 5,600 guests, double occupancy, and 6,700 with all berths occupied.
Oasis of the Seas offers 6- and 8-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises through mid-April 2026, when she will deploy to New York.
Her 8-night Southern Caribbean & Perfect Day cruise, for instance, calls at Curacao, Aruba, and Perfect Day at CocoCay, the cruise line’s private island destination in the Bahamas.
