There are roughly 326 ports of entry located throughout the waters of the United States and 15 pre-clearance offices in Canada and the Caribbean. Out of all of the ports in the United States, some of the busiest and most popular ports for a cruise holiday are located in the state of Florida. Florida’s most popular ports of call include: Port Canaveral, Port Everglades (Ft. Lauderdale), Port of Miami, and Port of Tampa.
Port Canaveral is the second busiest port in the world. It is estimated that 4.6 million cruise passengers (whether they are on a cruise holiday in Florida or just passing through) will pass through the ports terminals each year. The port is located near major Florida cruise holiday attractions such as Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Sea World.
Port Everglades is the third-busiest port in the world with 3 million cruise passengers passing through its 11 cruise terminals each year. Located just 1 mile from the Fort Lauderdale airport, Port Everglades is home to cruise lines such as Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Imperial Majesty, Mediterranean Shipping, Orient, Princess Cruises, Radisson Seven Seas, Regal, Royal Caribbean International, Royal Olympic, Seabourn Cruises, Silversea Cruises, and Windstar Cruises. You will also find several daily cruise operators including: Sea Escape Cruises and Discovery Cruises.
Additionally, more than 5,300 ships pass through the Port of Everglades each year. It is located on the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula within the three cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach. It lies roughly 23 miles north of Miami, 48 miles south of West Palm Beach, and 312 miles south of Jacksonville. This also makes it one of the most convenient ports.
Miami, Florida welcomes roughly 10 million visitors per year. The port of Miami has daily sailings through Carnival Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean International. The Port of Tampa ships and cruise lines include: Holland America Lines (MS Ryndam), Holland America Lines (MS Veendam), Carnival Cruise Lines (Inspiration), Crystal Cruises (Crystal Symphony) and Royal Caribbean International (Grandeur of the Seas).
Port Canaveral itineraries include partial day cruises as well as two-day, three-day, four-day, five-day, and seven-day itineraries. Destinations include (but are not limited to) the Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean.
Port Everglades’ itineraries include cruises from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Mexico and the Panama Canal. Transatlantic Repositioning Cruises sail from Ft Lauderdale to Europe and the Mediterranean. Ft Lauderdale Cruises depart year around from Port Everglades. Port of Miami itineraries feature weekly Cruises to the Bahamas, the Southern Caribbean, the Eastern Caribbean, or the Western Caribbean. Miami cruises also feature 10-17 day Panama Canal Cruises, and Transatlantic Repositioning Cruise to Barcelona.
Port of Tampa’s exciting itineraries may include: four-day, five-day, and seven-day cruises to the Western Caribbean from Florida. Longer cruises are offered as well such as special 15-day cruises through the Panama Canal ending in Los Angeles, a 29-day cruise throughout the Caribbean and the Panama Canal with several Mexican ports of call — ending in Los Angeles, and also a 13-day Transatlantic sailing with ports of call in Key West, Bermuda, Ponta Delgada, and Vigo, ending in Southampton, England. Keep in mind that you can also spend your cruise holiday in Florida or sail year round from the Port of Tampa to places such as the Cayman Islands, Cozumel, and Ocho Rios.