Port Canaveral (Florida, USA) has welcomed a significant new addition to its lineup. The world’s second-largest cruise ship, RCI-Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas, arrived Thursday morning, July 11.
According to the Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) 2023 State of the Industry report, Port Canaveral was the second-busiest U.S. cruise port and the third-busiest globally in 2022, surpassed only by PortMiami Florida and Barcelona (Spain).
Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray indicated that the port trailed Miami by ~400,000 passengers in 2023, a notable decrease from the 800,000-passenger gap reported in 2022 by CLIA. Travel agents and port officials assert that current demand could further narrow this gap.
In addition to the Utopia of the Seas, the port will welcome the Celebrity Equinox in December. The expansion continues with the anticipated arrival of Disney’s cruise ship Treasure later this year and Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, another Icon Class ship, in the following year.
To accommodate the influx of passengers, Port Canaveral has also increased its infrastructure, with new parking facilities capable of holding up to 100,000 cars. Murray emphasized that Port Canaveral operates year-round, not just seasonally.
Looking ahead, 2024 is expected to set new records for Port Canaveral. After a record-breaking 2023 with 6.8 million passengers, the port is on track to welcome 7.5 million passengers this year. Projections for 2025 estimate another record-breaking year, with 8+ million passengers anticipated.