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CRUISE PORTS AND DESTINATIONS
PORT CANAVERAL |
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CRUISE PORT
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Port Canaveral is the second busiest cruise port in the world. It served 4.5 million cruise passengers in 2017. Although the port is best known as an embarkation port, it also functions as a port of call for ships based in New York, Baltimore and other northern ports.
The port currently has eight cruise ship berths. Of these, five have full service terminals. The port authority has plans to build three more. The cruise ship berths lie on either side of a waterway that connects the sea to the Canaveral Barge Canal. Dominating the south side is Cruise Terminal 1 (also called CT 1), which was built in 2014 to accommodate ships as large as Royal Caribbean's Oasis class. A large parking facility is adjacent to the terminal. Cruise Terminal 2 is used by Victory Casino Cruises for its overnight gambling ship. Slated to be the site of a new full service terminal opening in 2019 is Cruise Terminal 3, which now occasionally hosts visiting cruise ships. The cruise terminals on the north side of the waterway are clustered around the western turning basin. The two modern terminals furthest from the entrace (Cruise Terminals 5 and 6) are used primarily by Carnival Cruise Lines. Just south is Cruise Terminal 8, a modern facilty that was built for Disney Cruise Line. Next door is Cruise Terminal 10, yet another modern facility. There are parking facilities next to each of these terminals. There is not much of interest to cruise passengers on the north side of the port. There is nothing next to the cruise terminals. Further east, the north side of the port is taken up with a commercial container port and various military facilities. On the south side of the port is Canaveral Cove, a row of restaurants, bars and shops, which is just west of CT 1. There is also the Exploration Tower, which has two observation decks and 550,000 square feet of exhibit space. From the upper decks of cruise ships in the port, one can see buildings of the Kennedy Space Center as well as rocket launch pads off in the distance. Passengers arriving by air usually use Orlando International Airport, which is about 45 minutes to an hour away, or Melbourne International Airport, which is about a half hour away. Taxis and shuttles take passengers to and from the port. There are also a number of smaller airports in the vicinity. Amtrak has two nearby locations. The Auto Train stops at Sanford, Florida and the Silver Service trains stop in Orlando. Both are about an hour from the port. The major interstate highway nearby is I-95. However, U.S. 1 is actually closer.. Both of these roads intersect with State Road 528, the Beachline Highway, which can take you east to Port Canaveral. 
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Above: Cruise Terminal 1 on the south side of the port.
Below: Anthem of the Seas at Cruise Terminal 1. 
Above: Carnival Dream at Cruise Terminal 10.
Left: The Kennedy Space Center is visible from the port. |
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For more about cruising to Port Canaveral
Click here for our Port Canaveral overview page Click here for our Port Canaveral attractions page |
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Cruise destination - Port Canaveral, Florida, United States - Port Canaveral Cruise Port