Florida cruise port guide: What to know about cruises from Florida
If you’re new to cruises and want to book a sailing trip, you’ve probably considered a trip from Florida — the gateway to most cruises. Caribbean region And Bahamas destinations. Because the Sunshine State is the tourism capital of the world, it has countless ports for beginners to consider.
Does Fort Lauderdale have a cruise port? What is Port Canaveral? And which Florida cruise port is closest to the airport? Here’s a guide to help you find those answers and more.
How many cruise ports are there in Florida?
There are seven Florida cruise ports:
Of those seven, the first six serve as departure ports and bases for many ships from popular routes. In cruise jargon, the ports where a ship begins and ends its voyage are called home ports. Some ships will be based in these Florida ports year-round or seasonally. Other ships will depart from Florida ports on one-time trips without being based there.
Unlike the other ports on the list, Key West does not serve as a starting or ending point for cruises. Instead, it is a port – a place where ships visit for a day.
The first three ports are responsible for the majority of the world’s cruise ship departures; You can read more about them below.
Which Florida cruise port is the largest?
Of Florida’s three major cruise ports, Miami was the busiest at the time of publication, followed by Port Canaveral (about an hour’s drive from Orlando) and Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades. Titles of “biggest” and “busiest” change occasionally as new cruise ship terminals are built and harbors are expanded.
Miami welcomes more than 8.2 million cruisers by 2024 through its 11 marinas. Port Canaveral saw 7.6 million passengers transit through seven terminals in 2024 and approximately 4 million passengers transited through Port Everglades’ eight terminals.
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Where is the Miami cruise port?
PortMiami’s terminals are located on Dodge Island, running parallel to the MacArthur Causeway in Miami. Most stations are located on Cruise Way on the island. The port is approximately eight miles — less than 15 minutes — from Miami International Airport (MIA).
Where is Port Canaveral?
Port Canaveral is located at Cape Canaveral, 45 miles east of Orlando, making it an ideal location starting point for theme parks in Orlandoas well as the Kennedy Space Center. It is located on a peninsula accessible from exits 54A and 54B of Highway A1A, the Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway. Although several smaller airports serve the area, most passengers fly into Orlando International Airport (MCO), about 45 minutes from the port.
Where is Port Everglades?
Fort Lauderdale’s cruise port is accessible via Interstate 595 East. Of Florida’s three largest cruise ports, Port Everglades is the closest to the largest airport. It is only about 3 miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and less than a 10-minute drive.
Which cruise lines depart from Miami?
Miami is the home port of several cruise lines, including MSC Cruises (with a brand new port), Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages. Other major lines – such as Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line and Holland America Line – also occasionally sail from the port.
The port also welcomes visits from smaller, more niche and sometimes foreign cruise lines, as well as luxury brands. These cruise lines include Azamara, Crystal, Hapag-Lloyd, Hurtigruten, Oceania Cruises, P&O Cruises, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Sea Cloud Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, TUI Cruises and Windstar Cruises.
Which cruise lines sail from Port Canaveral?
Major cruise lines headquartered at Port Canaveral include Carnival, Disney, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and MSC. Sightseeing lines include Costa Cruises, Cunard, Oceania and Regent, among many others.
Which cruise lines sail from Fort Lauderdale?
Long-term residence routes at Port Everglades are Celebrity, DisneyHolland America, Princess and Royal Caribbean. Brands that sometimes visit Fort Lauderdale include Crystal, Cunard, Ritz-Carlton, Silversea and Viking.
Which cruise lines sail from Tampa, Jacksonville and West Palm Beach?
The Port of Tampa Bay has three cruise terminals that welcome cruise ships from five different lines: Carnival, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Margaritaville at Sea and Norwegian. High-end line Oceania Cruises will also begin sailing from Tampa in 2026.
Jaxport has only one terminal as a base for the Carnival and starting in 2025 is Norway. The Port of Palm Beach serves only one route: Margaritaville at Sea.
Where can you take the train from Florida?
Destinations the ship visits from departure ports in Florida include the Bahamas and the South, Eastern and Western Caribbeanas well as many private islands of travel agencies. Sometimes they also include Key West.
Ships also depart from Florida ports on one-way Panama Canal or transatlantic cruises, and some go as far as South America.
Some ships visit Florida ports as part of longer itineraries departing from other states. For example, you might find a stop at Port Canaveral on a weeklong Bahamas cruise from New York.
Want to know more about traveling from Florida? Check out our other coverage here:
