PORT CANAVERAL — Florida’s winter cruise season has a slew of new ships shifting to new homes, including Port Canaveral taking on double duty with two of the world’s largest cruise ships for the first time.
Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas arrived at the Central Florida port on Wednesday to begin three- and four-night Bahamas trips, a first for the massive Oasis-class vessels that will add thousands to the port’s ever-growing passenger count.
The port recently added 1,000 parking spaces to support the busy Terminal 1, also home to current record holder for world’s largest cruise ship Wonder of the Seas.
“This is a game changer,” said Allure of the Seas Capt. Tobias Oster to Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray during a ceremony to welcome the ship. “Not just for us, but for you as well.”
The port commission meeting earlier in the day went over its final fiscal year 2023 numbers that ended Sept. 30, with a record 6.8 million passengers, a number that’s expected to grow even more in fiscal year 2024.
That includes more ships, larger ships and more frequent sailings. Royal’s addition of Allure of the Seas will pave the way for the line’s newest Oasis-class ship, Utopia of the Seas, coming next July and keep the double Oasis offering going year-round.
The demand is there, Oster said, noting the ship was sailing with 6,300 passengers on its first sailing. Its maximum capacity is 6,828. A sister ship to the original Oasis of the Seas that debuted in 2009, Allure of the Seas began sailing in 2010 and features the neighborhood concept. It carves the ship up into spaces, including the Jersey Shore-inspired Boardwalk at the aft of the ship and the outdoor Central Park space in the middle.
“Royal Caribbean’s three- and four-day product has been steadily improving over the last few years and one of or most successful ships was Independence of the Seas,” Murray said. “She’s been sailing full since post-pandemic, and this was the next logical step to go to the Oasis class.”
Each of the Oasis-class ships claimed the title of world’s largest cruise ship and Allure held the title until Harmony of the Seas’ debut in 2016, which has since been handed over to the more recent Symphony of the Seas and current title holder Wonder of the Seas.
Port Canaveral has now become the home to four of the five existing Oasis-class ships and will be the first home for the sixth and possibly final Oasis-class ship when it debuts.
The ship’s arrival heralds the beginning of a parade of new arrivals to not only Port Canaveral, but also PortMiami and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, the three busiest cruise ports in the world.
Port Canaveral will see three more ships in November that are calling it home for the first time including Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas on Nov. 10, a new class of ship from MSC Cruises, the MSC Seashore, coming Nov. 16, and Carnival Vista coming on Nov. 26.
Also returning to the port beginning Dec. 24 will be Norwegian Epic, which was a late add to the port’s stable of offerings after Norwegian Cruise Line canceled four months of Mediterranean sailings.
It continues to host Disney Wish and Fantasy, Carnival’s Mardi Gras and Norwegian Escape among a winter stable that will see 13 ships among five brands.
The few brand-new ships that debuted in 2023 will be making their way to the two South Florida ports.
Port Everglades will once again be home to the latest in Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-class ships, the Celebrity Ascent, when it begins sailing on Nov. 22. It’s the fourth iteration of the groundbreaking class. The 3,260-passenger, 140,600-gross-ton vessel is about 60 feet longer than the original Celebrity Edge that debuted in 2018, but once again features the Magic Carpet.
It’s an exterior elevator platform that acts primarily as an innovative way for passengers to disembark and reboard the ship at ports of call but also doubles as an entertainment and dining venue.
Another big debut for Port Everglades isn’t a new ship, but a new second home for Disney Cruise Line as it shifts away from Miami where it had been sailing to some degree since 2012 by bringing Disney Dream to the Fort Lauderdale port’s Cruise Terminal 4 beginning Nov. 20. It’s one of the terminals closest to the city’s convention center coupled with a massive renovated parking garage and hotel.
Fort Lauderdale will also play host to the latest luxury offering from Silversea Cruises with the Silver Nova. The line’s 11th ship has a first-in-class asymmetrical design with an outward-facing pool deck, al fresco dining area and a sky bar with panoramic views from the aft of the ship. It pops in and out of Florida as it carves its way around the Caribbean, Central and South America between January and April.
Miami isn’t hurting for customers, though.
Norwegian’s second Prima-class vessel, the Norwegian Viva, will sail out of PortMiami on just a pair of sailings beginning Dec. 2, and then make its winter home based out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It’s the second of six planned vessels in the new class, smaller than the last several ships for the line, coming in a 142,500 gross tons with a 3,100-passenger capacity based on double occupancy.
On the higher end, Oceania Vista, the first new ship from culinary-focused Oceania Cruises in more than a decade, has already made its maiden call to PortMiami when it arrived earlier this month. The 1,200-guest ship then left for a pair of Panama Canal cruises, but will return for four months out of Miami on Caribbean itineraries. The upper premium brand to sister line Norwegian, Vista is the biggest ship in Oceania’s fleet with 11 dining venues including a new concept of American dining called Ember with menu items conceived by the line’s executive culinary director Jacques Pépin. The ship’s godmother, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis, is also bringing dishes to the ship’s Italian venue while the popular culinary test kitchen gets its largest space yet across the Oceania fleet.
Miami will also get stops from the latest from Regent Seven Seas, the luxury, all-inclusive sister brand to both Norwegian and Oceania, when the 750-passenger Seven Seas Grandeur makes its way to the Magic City on Dec. 14 and revisits Miami amid an array of unique sailings through March. The ship has more than 600 crew for a 1-to-1.4 passenger-to-crew ratio.
And Miami will welcome a new foray by MSC Group into the luxury class with its first ship under the brand Explora Journeys. The Explora 1 is the first of six ships on order, a 63,900-gross-ton vessel with a 922-guest capacity that plans to visit 132 ports in more than 40 countries during its first year in service including several embarkations from Miami beginning Nov. 3 and running through March 2024.
