Carnival Cruise Line Plans To Base Its Largest Ship Yet From Port Canaveral

Posted on August 23, 2018

Carnival Cruise Line has announced plans to base its largest ship yet in a new state-of-the-art terminal in Port Canaveral.

The Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners will be meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2018, to finalize the terms of the agreement. If approved, Carnival’s new 180,000-ton vessel will call Port Canaveral home and dock at Cruise Terminal 3 starting in 2020.

Construction on Carnival’s new vessel will begin as early as this November with the official steel-cutting ceremony taking place in Turku, Finland. The unnamed ship will have a capacity of 5,286 passengers, based on double-occupancy of its cabins, and a maximum capacity of 6,500. It is also likely to have an onboard crew of about 2,000.

Additionally, Carnival announced that the new vessel is being designed with maximum energy efficiency and environmental friendliness in mind. It will be powered by liquefied natural gas – which is the cleanest burning fossil fuel – both in port and at sea.

Carnival’s decision to base their new “XL-class” ship out of the Space Coast port is thanks to the construction of a $150 million terminal that will replace the outdated Cruise Terminal 3. The newly renovated terminal will be able to accommodate up to 6,500 cruise passengers and features a two-story, 188,000-square-foot facility with a U.S. Customs & Border Protection screening area and mobile passenger check-in. Cruise Terminal 3 is expected to be completed by mid-2020.

“The Port and Carnival Cruise Line have worked closely for decades building a successful partnership together. We are proud of our partners at Carnival and eager to begin this new chapter in our business relationship,” said Canaveral Port Authority Port Director and CEO Capt. John Murray. “Carnival’s commitment to Port Canaveral demonstrates their confidence in our ability to support one of the world’s most successful cruise brands. We’re excited and looking forward to having their largest and newest class of ship homeported here.”

“We are very excited about the prospects of home-porting our largest ship at Port Canaveral, a valued business partner for more than 25 years,” Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said in a statement. “Easily accessible from all over the Southeast, with excellent facilities and friendly staff, Port Canaveral is one of our most popular and fastest-growing home ports. This fantastic new ship, coupled with our future plans for Port Canaveral, will provide guests with an unparalleled seagoing vacation experience from the minute they arrive.”

Carnival Cruise Line plans to release itineraries from Port Canaveral and more details about the ship in 2019.

If your Carnival ship departs from Port Canaveral, be sure to book your pre and post cruise accommodations through Go Port. We’ll take care of everything you need from a hotel stay to airport transportation or cruise parking so you can make the most of your Carnival cruise vacation.