The port welcomed a record 1.66 million cruise passengers in 2025 and is on pace to reach nearly 1.8 million passengers this year.

TAMPA, Fla. — Port Tampa Bay officials say they are moving ahead with plans for a fourth cruise terminal as record passenger growth pushes the port’s existing facilities to their limit.

The port welcomed a record 1.66 million cruise passengers in 2025 and is on pace to reach nearly 1.8 million passengers this year. Officials say March set a new record with 51 cruise ship calls.

“2025 was a record year reaching 1.66 million passengers,” said Raul Alfonso, Port Tampa Bay’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer. “We had to actually refuse itineraries. We could not accommodate additional itineraries requested.”

Port Tampa Bay currently operates three cruise terminals in Channelside. Officials say all three are operating at or near capacity, forcing the port to turn away new business.

“We have a good plan. The demand is there,” Alfonso said. “Our city, the Channelside area, Water Street — you can see the transformation.”

The proposed fourth terminal would likely be built on the north end of the channel in an area between the existing port facilities and the Gasworx and Ybor Harbor developments.

Port officials say they are already coordinating with developers to address traffic flow, parking and passenger access as part of the project.

“We are in the very early stages of planning and working with our strategic partners to see how we can integrate our cruise terminal,” Alfonso said.

The new terminal could add as many as 200 ship calls a year and bring in more than 1 million additional passengers annually, according to the port.

“We might be two-and-a-half or three years away, but this is going to be the combination that it’s going to allow us to expand our cruise industry, generate more jobs and create an economic impact in the region,” Alfonso said.

Even with a new terminal, Tampa would remain limited by the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which prevents the largest cruise ships from reaching the port.

Still, Alfonso said Tampa has carved out a successful niche with midsize vessels carrying roughly 2,500 to 3,000 passengers.

“Yes, it is there,” Alfonso said of the bridge restriction. “But we are convinced that we are carving out a very strong niche as a port. Not for the 6,000 or 7,000-passenger ships, but for the midsize, let’s call it 2,500-passenger, 3,000-passenger ships.”

Some visitors and residents said they support the expansion because it could create more travel options and help local businesses.

“I mean, I think it would be good,” visitor Chase Merzbacher said. “It’s a tourism city, so why not? Get some more business in here.”

Neighbor Leo Mesquita said having more cruises depart from Tampa could save local travelers from having to drive across the state.

“Not having to drive to Port Canaveral, and having more options for a cruise here would probably be beneficial in my opinion,” Mesquita said.

Others raised concerns about the impact additional cruise traffic could have on the surrounding area.

“I’m not huge into Florida and the development that’s happening and all the people being brought in and just packing everything to capacity,” Skotti Mesquita, a nearby resident, said. “So, it sounds like more traffic, more chaos?”

Port officials say the terminal could be completed within about three years.

“We projected this could take us easily over 2 million passengers once it’s completed in the next three years or so,” Alfonso said.

The push for expansion comes as the future of another proposed cruise facility in the region appears unlikely.

Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed legislation that effectively blocks the proposed Skyway Port project in Manatee County, which would have allowed larger ships to dock on the Gulf side of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

That leaves Port Tampa Bay as the region’s primary opportunity for future cruise growth.