Getting ThereĬruise passengers heading to either cruise terminal can arrive by way of Miami International Airport or Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

Unless you are setting off on a world cruise, you probably won't hit any weather that could be considered 'cool' unless you find yourself stuck in a storm or a freak cold spell. You'll get great cruise choice out of this port if you're looking to sail to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, South America, Central America or the Panama Canal.

PortMiami continues to be a top departure port for cruises to islands and warm climes it almost exclusively serves warm-weather destinations. Choose Miami if you're primarily looking for warm weather. While Miami does offer transatlantic journeys that stop in Europe, your options are limited our search results yielded just eight sailings, while Fort Lauderdale currently offers 41. The line also offers a cruise to Canada and New England from Fort Lauderdale (not available from Miami). If you're looking for a cruise from Florida to the Continent (without embarking on a world cruise), Holland America offers a few options that depart from Port Everglades and head to Europe (Canary Islands, Spain and Rome). Choose Fort Lauderdale if you're looking to cruise to Europe or cross the Atlantic.įort Lauderdale offers a few itinerary options not available from Miami. Both serve the popular Caribbean and Bahamas, while also offering transatlantic journeys and even exotic world cruises. While Port Everglades sees less than 4 million passengers a year (a solid million behind Miami), in March 2016, it did break the world record for most cruise passengers in a single day.ĭue to the ports' close proximity (just 30 miles apart), you'll find similar itineraries out of PortMiami or Port Everglades - with just a few key differences. Port Everglades hosts nine cruise lines and 34 cruise ships from Carnival, Celebrity, Costa, Cunard, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Silversea and Seabourn.

Choose Fort Lauderdale if you're sailing Princess or Holland America.ĭespite all the options you will find at PortMiami, you won't find major cruise lines Princess or Holland America there. Looking to the future, Miami is set to host visionary new cruise line Virgin Cruises, brainchild of travel and media mogul Richard Branson, in 2020. Nearly 5-million passengers pass through PortMiami in a year. Hailed as the 'cruise capital of the world,' PortMiami is the global headquarters for 42 ships and five leading cruise lines - Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises - with 18 cruise brands in total, including Azamara, Crystal, Celebrity, Fathom, Disney and MSC. Choose Miami if you're looking for the most cruise variety. Some lines, like Carnival, overlap at both, but others only depart from one of the ports. Miami and Fort Lauderdale are the two busiest cruise ports in the United States and, combined, cater to all the major cruise lines.

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