Port Canaveral was jammed Sunday with both spectators and cruise ship passengers as, for the first time ever, six cruise ships tied up at the port’s docks.
“It’s just a sign of things to come,” Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer John Walsh said, as Port Canaveral battles to overtake the Port of Miami as the world’s No. 1 cruise port. The port’s first six-ship day is a symbolic milestone in that quest.
Ships that were in port on Sunday included the Disney Magic at Cruise Terminal 8, the Carnival Liberty at Cruise Terminal 10, the Carnival Sunshine at Cruise Terminal 6, the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas at Cruise Terminal 1, the Royal Caribbean Grandeur of the Seas (Port-of-Call) at Cruise Terminal 5 and the Royal Caribbean Quantum of the Seas (Port-ofCall) at Cruise Terminal 3.
There will be more six-ship days later this year at Port Canaveral and some seven-ship days as early as 2017, based on projected schedules, Walsh said. Port Canaveral may need another cruise terminal in 2016
Port Canaveral is a cruise, cargo and naval port and is one of the busiest cruise ports in the world with nearly 4 million multi-day cruise passengers passing through during 2014. As a deep water cargo port, it has a high volume of traffic – and growing.