It has been a banner year for PortMiami, as the Cruise Capital of the World welcomed a record-breaking 8,233,056 cruise passengers. The number reflects a nearly 13% spike in cruise arrivals compared to 2023, when 7,299,294 passengers transited the port.
The passenger totals were tallied during fiscal year 2024, which ran from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024.
“I am grateful to our cruise lines for their ongoing partnership and this record-breaking year,” said Hydi Webb, director and CEO of PortMiami.
“I want to thank Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the Board of County Commissioners and our cruise partners for their unwavering support to ensure PortMiami is the departure choice for cruise passengers,” added Webb.
In 2022, Port Canaveral narrowly edged out PortMiami as the busiest port in terms of cruise arrivals. The central Florida port received 4,072,396 multi-day cruise guests versus PortMiami’s 4,022,544 multi-day guests, but the record-setting change was short-lived. PortMiami took back the busiest-port title in 2023.
“PortMiami has not only transformed our iconic skyline and bolstered our economy, but its ongoing commitment to creating more sustainable development ensures that our port remains a forward-thinking, future-ready gateway to the world,” said Mayor Cava.
“PortMiami continues to break records and uphold its status as the Cruise Capital of the World,” she added.
Indeed, the economic engine that is PortMiami adds mightily to the state’s coffers. In 2023, the port accounted for nearly 4% of Florida’s gross domestic product, and a whopping $61 billion in economic impact. The facility also employs about 30,000 people and supports another 340,000 related jobs.
Every major cruise line is represented at PortMiami, including Royal Caribbean, which homeports its Icon of the Seas there. It is the world’s largest cruise ship currently operating, with a capacity of 7,600 guests. The ship sails alternating 7-day Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.
PortMiami has dedicated cruise terminals for Carnival Corporation at Terminals D and E, Royal Caribbean Group at Terminals A and G, MSC Cruises at Terminal F, Norwegian Cruise Line at Terminal C, and Virgin Voyages at Terminal V.
MSC Cruises is in the process of building a new terminal at PortMiami; Terminal AA will be the largest terminal in the world when it debuts in April 2025. Also, construction will begin on a terminal for Royal Caribbean, Terminal G, in the summer of 2025.
PortMiami Will Welcome Notable Inaugural Ship Visits
The winter 2024-2025 season will feature ship deployments from the major lines plus several ships making maiden calls, including Explora Journeys’ Explora II and Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady, in November 2024.
Read Also: Miami Cruise Port Guide – Terminals, Transportation and More
Also, the port will welcome MSC Cruises’ World America and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Aqua in April 2025, Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady in October 2025, and Oceania Cruises’ Allura in November 2025.
Besides its record-breaking cruise arrivals in 2024, the year also brought PortMiami’s first shore power connection into service. Shore power plug-in technology enables cruise ships to turn off their engines while docked, lowering emissions and noise.
The shore power infrastructure, which began operating in June, was a partnership between Miami-Dade County, Carnival Corporation, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Royal Caribbean Group, Virgin Voyages, and Florida Power & Light Company.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Conquest was the first cruise ship to use the technology. PortMiami is the first major port in the eastern US to provide shore power at five cruise berths.
