As Port Canaveral begins its winter sailing season, several new ships are helping to chart the way for the cruise port to see an anticipated 9 million passenger movements in the next year.
Celebrity, Princess and MSC are bringing some of their newest and largest ships to Florida’s Space Coast to sail itineraries to the Caribbean and Bahamas now through April. After Celebrity and Princess both had their first season at the port last year, the Edge-class Celebrity Apex and Royal-class Sky Princess, both built in 2019, are wintering in Florida following stints in England.
“Princess and Celebrity are two brands that people have been requesting for years because they have traditionally only operated out of South Florida,” said Capt. John Murray, CEO of Port Canaveral. “Last year was sort of an experiment to see how well they would do here. Needless to say, they overperformed. We have two larger vessels coming this year, and we’re really excited about that because it gives a different option to cruisers.”
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Celebrity Apex has the Edge-class favorite Magic Carpet, an exterior platform that can serve as a dock for disembarking or as a dining and entertainment venue. Sky Princess features a mix of fun, elegance and relaxation with an infinity pool, movies under the stars, a large thermal suite and trivia.
The MSC Grandiosa, the newest and largest of the three ships with a maximum capacity of 6,334 passengers, will sail alongside the MSC Seashore for the winter season beginning in December.
While Princess and Celebrity both cater to mostly adult audiences, the Grandiosa seeks to capture a multi-generational appeal with water slides, a ropes course, a bowling alley, F1 simulators and an abundance of outdoor activities by the pool.
“MSC is doing what Carnival, Royal Caribbean and others have been doing. They’re going after that family cruise market,” said Billy Hirsch, the creator of CruiseHabit.com. “Celebrity and Princess answer the people that say, ‘I want a cruise experience and one that could include my family, but I’m not looking for an extension of a theme park.’”
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In addition to accommodating more passengers per itinerary, the new winter additions help improve the average overall age of the ships homeported at Port Canaveral. This is helping to drive the projected $200 million in cruise-related income expected during the current fiscal year, which began in October.
“If you look at the age profile of ships at Port Canaveral, we probably have one of the newest fleets,” Murray said. “We didn’t have any of these companies prior to the pandemic. This is all post-pandemic tonnage being added to Port Canaveral.”
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While it’s true that a rising tide lifts all ships, port staff are working to keep up with maintenance and expand capacity for the influx of passengers expected in the years to come. This includes building a new 3,700-car parking garage on the north side of the port and keeping up with maintenance of elevators and escalators in cruise terminals.
“In the next year, we’ll have some berths that will be used six days a week,” Murray said. “We’re putting a lot more money into our infrastructure and maintenance.”
In reviewing recent history, Murray said that welcoming Carnival’s Mardi Gras in 2021 was a turning point. That was made possible because of the port’s foresight to add fueling capabilities for ships powered by liquid natural gas (LNG).
“One by one, everybody started bringing new ships to Port Canaveral. It started with the Mardi Gras, and it’s been new ships ever since,” Murray said, noting the world’s largest ships now call the port home. “We have ships number one and two, both in age and size, for Royal Caribbean. That’s a real indicator of our success. This year we’ll have five LNG ships.”
As the second-busiest cruise terminal in the world, Port Canaveral benefits from its proximity to Central Florida’s theme parks and the 75 million tourists they help attract annually, plus its position for passengers driving in.
Hirsch said that cruise passengers, especially families, are finding they get a better deal when choosing to sail rather than visit a theme park.
“There’s a sentiment among guests that the value proposition of theme parks is not nearly as good as the value proposition of cruises,” Hirsch said, noting the food, accommodations and entertainment included with a cruise. “When people take vacations, they don’t want to feel nickel and dimed.”
Despite economic headwinds, Murray said the future looks bright for cruising, especially in Florida.
“I think this growth is going to continue for the time being,” he said. “Everybody’s got question marks about how the economy is going to work out. Cruising is still a very good value for families.”