What Time Do Ships Sail Away From Port Canaveral
Your best bet is to check the websites for Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Disney to find out the sail away times. But do it a week before you plan to go to Port Canaveral. If you wait until the day of the cruise to check the departure times, they will have been removed from the cruise lines websites.
Generally speaking, the cruise ships leave from Port Canaveral beginning about 4pm. If youre heading out to Jetty Park, its about a 15-20 minute walk from the parking lot to the end of the pier.
Spur of the moment visit? Call the cruise lines for the sail away times.
Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal
Besides being a large cruise port, Port Canaveral is also among USA’s largest naval and cargo ports. On average, each day 10 cruise vessels enter the port. The following cruise port map shows Port Canaveral port’s infrastructure, the location of terminal facilities, connecting roads and transportation links to Orlando City.
Port Canaveral is the nearest Disney World city, situated about one hour east of Orlando by car. The Orlando International Airport is 45 miles away. The distance to Tampa is two hours and to Jacksonville – two hours and a half.
There are seven cruise terminals. In regular use are 5 – numbers 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10. They are newer, located on the Port’s north side and serve larger ships. Southside terminals are older. Gambling ships use Terminal 2. Terminal 3 is the new Carnival Cruise Line’s terminal. Terminal 4 is also used, but rarely.
Cruise terminal parking rate is USD 15 per day . There is a parking lot beside each cruise terminal. Port Canaveral offers complimentary cruise parking for disabled Veterans. Approved are waiving cruise parking fees for vehicles with DV license plates issued under Florida Statutes “s.320.084”, “s.320.0842” or “s.320.0845”.
Carnival Cruise Terminal 3
In late-April 2017 at Port Canaveral started construction works of a new cruise terminal. The facility is on the site of “Cruise Terminal 3” , west of Jetty Park and east of The Cove . On June 7, 2017, engineering and design works for the new terminal were officially approved. Canaveral Port Authority Commissioners approved USD 1,2 million funding for CH2M Engineering’s project management contract. This was the first phase of the 2-year work plan to construct a modern facility with capacity to serve vessels up to 8,000 passengers. At the new passenger terminal can berth even the world’s largest cruise vessels of RCI’s Oasis-class. CH2M Engineering provided engineering, support services and waterside design for the new Terminal 3.
The project’s budget is USD 163 million , of which US$50M were contributed by Carnival Corporation. Ranked the USA’s largest single building project, it included demolition of port’s oldest terminal, construction of a brand new 2-story building , upgrading the existing berth and building a new parking garage, roadway and utility improvements. This 20-months long, multi-phased project included 5 separate contracts. Demolition works of the existing Terminal 3 building started in April 2018, at the cost of USD 210,000.
Construction works officially started on March 18, 2019, and the Terminal was completed in September 2020. At the new CT3 terminal was homeported Carnival’s largest vessel . The new liner is LNG-bunkered by a barge dockside.
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Cruise Lines To Sail From Florida With More Than 12 Ships In 2 Months But Port Canaveral Getting Late Start
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Business isnt booming yet for cruise lines out of Florida, but its not dead silent either like it has been for the last 15 months.
This past Saturday marked a milestone in the cruise industry as Celebrity Edge sailed from Port Everglades to mark the first revenue sailing of any major cruise line from a U.S. port since March 2020.
Its the first domino of a lineup set to follow suit in the next two months out of the states big three embarkation points PortMiami, Port Canaveral and Port Everglades as at least another dozen vessels from the likes of Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises and possibly Disney Cruise Line get underway.
The early action, though is mainly from South Florida while Port Canaverals first revenue sailing isnt until July 31 when Carnivals new ship Mardi Gras is set to debut.
The children are an issue, said Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray at a port commission meeting Wednesday. Were a family port and thats one of the reasons were probably starting a little bit later than the other ports, because we are so family-oriented. Its going to be very difficult for some of our brands here to operate under a fully vaccinated ship.
Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal A
Port Canaveral is divided into two sections by the shipping channel. The north of the channel is home to Cruise Terminals 5, 6, 8, and 10. These terminals are easily accessed after you turn off of 528 to Cruise Terminal or Port Canaveral North Cargo Piers.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival is the cruise line with most ships docked at Port Canaveral and has exclusive use of Cruise Terminals 5 and 6 on the north side. These terminals include sailings by Carnival Magic, Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Liberty and Carnival Breeze.
Disney Cruise Line
With the Disney theme parks close by, it comes as no surprise that the Space Coast is home to the Disney Cruise Line. The mouses ships dock at Cruise Terminal 8 and include the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wonder.
Norwegian Cruise Line
The Norwegian Epic and Norwegian Sun sail out of Cruise Terminal 10. The Norwegian Breakaway will sail out of Port Canaveral starting Nov. 23, 2019.
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Carnival Cruise Ships Currently Sailing
As the cruise industry makes a comeback, things will be moving fast as more and more Carnival cruise ships resume operations through the remainder of 2021. Were going to keep you updated and let you know what cruise ships are sailing now and bringing back the fun from various homeports around the United States.
So far, cruises have restarted with eleven ships with Carnival Vista out of Galveston, Carnival Horizon out of Miami, and Carnival Breeze became the third on July 15 out of Galveston. Carnival Miracle became the fourth to resume and the first in the fleet to begin Alsaka sailings from Seattle.
finally commenced sailings on July 31 out of Port Canaveral, Florida, rounding out the July ships that restarted. In August, the first ship to restart was the Carnival Magic, the second to resume out of Port Canaveral. Carnival Sunrise became the second to begin sailings out of Miami on August 14. On August 21, Carnival Panorama became the first cruise ship to restart sailings from California.
Having half of our U.S. fleet back in operations provides positive economic impact in our homeports and port of call destinations, along with giving our guests their much-needed vacations and helping our crew support their families back home,said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.We couldnt have accomplished this without the support of our travel advisor partners, business partners and port and destinations partners.
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The Beach Is Just Two Minutes Away
Florida is famous for its beaches and one of the most popular in the state is just minutes away from the cruise port. Cocoa Beach stretches for miles from the cruise port to points south, and is a great spot to swim, sun, and have fun in the sand. If driving you can find beach access at regular intervals down the coast. Jetty Park right near Port Canaveral is actually close enough to walk. If you want to spend some time on a beach right before or after your cruise, its easy to do that sailing from Port Canaveral.
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Naming Of The Area Can Get Confusing
Dont feel silly if you have trouble figuring out exactly what an area is called. Theres Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach and they all seem to be used interchangeably. Truth is, many of the spots in the area can be called by any name. For the record, Port Canaveral is the actual port area, which sits on Cape Canaveral. Cocoa is the name of a town just inland, while the beach area near the port is known as Cocoa Beach. Cocoa Beach is also part of Cape Canaveral.
Have more questions about sailing from Port Canaveral? Let us know in the comments below.
Carnival Pride From Baltimore
Carnival Pride became the ninth Carnival cruise ship to resume operations on September 12 and the first to restart out of Baltimore, Maryland. The spirit-class vessel brought back the fun to the city with a ribbon-cutting ceremony which was attended by Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy.
The ship departed on a seven-day itinerary from the Cruise Maryland Terminal in Locust Point to the Bahamas. The first voyage included calls at Half Moon Cay, Bimini, and Freeport, all in the Bahamas.
Carnival Pride wont remain sailing from Baltimore for too long as sister ship Carnival Legend will take over in November. Carnival Pride will then shift to restart operations out of Tampa, Florida.
From Baltimore, the cruise line is offering six-and seven-day cruises to Bermuda and the Bahamas, eight-day voyages to Canada/New England and to the Caribbean. There will also be a 14-day Carnival Journeys sailing to the Panama Canal and the Souther Caribbean along with a Carnival Sailabration cruise in March 2022 to celebrated Carnivals 50th birthday.
- Resumed Cruises: September 12, 2021
- Homeport:Baltimore, Maryland
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Hotels Near Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal
When preparing for your cruise, you should consider planning a pre-cruise stay before the vacation.
When cruising from Port Canaveral, you will have a number of hotel options. You could opt to stay closer to the Orlando airport and make the commute to the port in the morning.
Or, you could choose a hotel that is located closer to the port or nearby Cocoa Beach. Better yet, you could spend a few days at Disney World or Universal Studios before your cruise.
The Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Radisson Resort at the Port, and Residence Inn by Marriott Cape Canaveral are among the closest to the Port Canaveral Cruise Port. You can also find our top picks for the Best Hotels Near Port Canaveral right here on the blog!
Port Canaveral Is About 45 Minutes From Orlando
Headed into Orlando for your cruise? Or maybe your cruise has a stop in Port Canaveral and youre thinking of headed into the city for Disney, Universal, or any number of other things to do. Either way, you should know that it takes about 45 minutes to get to Orlando and about an hour to get to the Universal/Disney area. Luckily a number of transportation options are available to get you back and forth. Still, you should keep the distance in mind when planning your schedule to reach the ship.
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The Largest Cruise Ship In The World Starts Operations
The worlds largest cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, will restart operations with revenue guests on August 14 sailing from PortMiami, the 228,081 gross tons cruise ship will sail on a 7-days Western Caribbean cruise to Costa Maya, Roatan Island, Cozumel, and a Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas.
She will be switching her cruises between the Western, Southern, and Eastern regions of the Caribbean. Her Southern Caribbean cruises will call in Aruba, Haiti, and Curacao, while the Eastern Caribbean cruises will call in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and a Perfect Day at CocoCay. Royal Caribbean strongly encourages all eligible guests age 12 and older to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before sailing for the Southern and Western Caribbean Cruises.
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Guests will need to be fully vaccinated for the cruises calling in St. Thomas. These voyages are available to all guests aged 12 and above who can present proof of COVID-19 vaccination, with the final dose of their vaccine administered at least 14 days before sailing. Guests under the age of 12 will need to undergo COVID testing, before, during, and towards the end of the cruise.
So far, there are two Oasis-class ships and two Quantum-class ships in operation in the U.S., and as we speak, the number of RCL cruise ships operational worldwide is growing steadily. The restart for Royal Caribbean is slowly but surely turning out to be a complete success!
Cruise Lines That Sail From Port Canaveral
The Port Canaveral Cruise Port has five main cruise terminals, with the new Terminal 3 scheduled to debut. This terminal is ready and waiting to process passengers sailing on the brand new Carnival Mardi Gras once cruising resumes.
When arriving at the Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal for your cruise, there will be large electronic signs directing passengers to the correct terminals.
For a general sense of the area, the port is divided into North and South sides. The North side, or A terminals, include terminals 5, 6, 8, and 10. The South side, or B terminals, include 1, 2, and 3.
Cruise Terminal 1 is the location for most Royal Caribbean cruise ships that sail from Port Canaveral. Currently, Royal Caribbean has plans for Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, and to cruise from Port Canaveral.
Cruise Terminal 3 is the brand new cruise terminal set to process Carnival Mardi Gras passengers. This $163 million project includes a 188,000 square foot terminal and an adjacent garage accommodating 1,800 cars.
Cruise Terminals 5 and 6 also primarily service Carnival Cruise Line, as this brand usually has the most ships sailing out of Port Canaveral. Currently, Carnival plans to have Elation, Liberty, and Magic sailing from this cruise port.
This is of course in addition to the brand new Mardi Gras.
Currently, Disney Cruise Line is scheduled to sail Disney Dream and Fantasy from Port Canaveral.
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Complete Guide To The Port Canaveral Cruise Port
Our Guide to the Port Canaveral Cruise Port will help answer many frequently asked questions for those planning a cruise from this location.
While Miami is known as the cruise capital of the world, another cruise port in Florida shouldnt be forgotten. Port Canaveral is the second busiest cruise port. In fact, it processes over 4.5 million passengers each year with more growth on the horizon.
If you are planning a cruise from this eastern Florida location, we have our complete Guide to the Port Canaveral Cruise Port to help answer many frequently asked questions.
Cruises From Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral is just north of Cocoa Beach and east of Merritt Island, and is one of the busiest cruise ports in Florida. It has warm, inviting beaches, rolling surf and year round sunshine. The city of Cape Canaveral is one of the friendliest communities in northern Brevard County. Tourism and the space industry are two of the top job sectors for the residents as it is also home to the Kennedy Space Centre. Read more
In addition to its Space Coast reputation, Canaveral also boasts the historic Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.
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Helpful Tips For Cruising From Port Canaveral
Sailing from Port Canaveral on a cruise? You are definitely not alone. Millions of passengers board ships in the port that head from the Bahamas to the Caribbean to Mexico. In fact, its right behind the Port of Miami as the titleholder of the worlds busiest cruise port.
If youve never sailed from the area before, then you might be wondering what to expect when you cruise out of Port Canaveral. As a bustling and fast-growing port complex, there is a lot for you to know before you head to your ship.
From what to do, to where to park, to navigating the port, we have all the ins and outs of important details to know regarding the central Florida port.
Carnival Magic From Port Canaveral
Carnival Magic became the sixth ship in the fleet to restart operations, and it comes after the vessel has remained on pause for 17 months. The ship departed on August 7 from Port Canaveral, Florida, on a five-day sailing including calls to the cruise lines private island of Half Moon Cay, the popular port of Nassau, and the stunning destination of Bimini, all located in the Bahamas.
The Dream-class vessel will continue to offer sailings to the Bahamas and the Caribbean well into 2022. The ship will have Carnivals Have Fun. Be Safe protocols in place to make sure everyone on board remains safe.
Carnival Magic is one of the most recently updated ships in the fleet and the first to receive the new red, white and blue livery during dry dock. The ship is all fresh and features a new non-smoking casino that has replaced the conference room.
- Resumed Cruises: August 7, 2021
- Homeport: Port Canaveral, Florida
- First Cruise Back: 5-Day Bahamas Cruise
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Disney Royal Caribbean Set For Port Canaveral Return Carnival Takes On 2nd Ship
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Port Canaveral is set for a busy weekend with three more ships readying for their first sailing with paying customers including the first for Disney Cruise Line in the U.S., the first for Royal Caribbean from Central Florida and Carnival Cruise Line adding a second ship to the port.
Disney Dream is readying for a Monday departure on a four-night sailing to the Bahamas, the first DCL ship to receive its conditional sailing certificate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ship performed a simulated sailing in July and has since made a practice run with Disney employees gearing up for Mondays return.
The cruise line already has begun sailing in the United Kingdom with Disney Magic while Disney Fantasy is slated to perform its test sailing from Port Canaveral from Aug. 12-14, which could lead to its return to service on Sept. 4. Disney Wonder is based on the West Coast and its first available sailing isnt until Sept. 24.
Royal Caribbeans Allure of the Seas will become the largest cruise ship in the world yet to return to service since the pandemic shutdown. The Oasis-class ship has a 6,780-passenger capacity, but sailing at reduced capacity, as is Disney Dream and all other ships currently in service.