Florida cruise ports: How many cruise ports are in Florida, what are they and which lines sail from them?
If you’re new to cruising and looking to book a sailing, it’s likely you’ve considered a voyage from Florida — the gateway to most Caribbean and Bahamas destinations. Because the Sunshine State is the cruise capital of the world, it has a head-spinning number of ports for newbies to consider.
Does Fort Lauderdale have a cruise port? What is Port Canaveral? And which Florida cruise ports are closest to an airport? Here’s a guide to help you find those answers and more.
How many cruise ports are in Florida?
There are seven Florida cruise ports:
- PortMiami (Miami)
- Port Canaveral (Orlando)
- Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale)
- Port of Palm Beach (West Palm Beach)
- Jaxport (Jacksonville)
- Port Tampa Bay (Tampa)
- Port of Key West (Key West, Florida Keys)
Of those seven, the first six serve as departure ports and home bases for many vessels from popular lines. In cruise lingo, the ports where ships begin and end their sailings are known as home ports. Some ships will be based in these Florida ports year-round or seasonally. Other ships will depart from Florida ports on one-off voyages without being based there.
Unlike the other ports on the list, Key West does not serve as a starting or ending point for cruises. It is, instead, a port of call — a place that ships visit for a day.
The first three ports are responsible for the majority of the world’s cruise ship departures; you can read more about them below.
Which Florida cruise port is the biggest?
Of the big three Florida cruise ports, Miami was the busiest at the time of publication, followed by Port Canaveral (which is about an hour's drive from Orlando) and Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades. The titles of “largest” and “busiest” change occasionally as new cruise ship berths are built and terminals are expanded.
Miami welcomed more than 8.2 million cruisers in 2024 via 11 cruise terminals. Port Canaveral saw 7.6 million passengers come through its seven terminals in 2024, and about 4 million passengers transited through Port Everglades’ eight terminals.
Where is Miami cruise port?
PortMiami’s terminals are located on Dodge Island, which runs parallel to the MacArthur Causeway in Miami. Most of the terminals are located on Cruise Way on the island. The port is roughly 8 miles — less than 15 minutes — from Miami International Airport (MIA).
Where is Port Canaveral?
Port Canaveral is positioned in Cape Canaveral, 45 miles east of Orlando, making it an ideal jumping-off point for Orlando’s theme parks, as well as Kennedy Space Center. It’s located on a peninsula accessible from exits 54A and 54B off of State Route A1A, Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway. Although some smaller airports offer service to the area, most passengers fly into Orlando International Airport (MCO), about 45 minutes from the port.
Where is Port Everglades?
Fort Lauderdale’s cruise port is accessible via Interstate 595 East. Of Florida’s three largest cruise ports, Port Everglades is the one closest to a major airport. It’s only about 3 miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), and the drive takes less than 10 minutes.
What cruise lines sail from Miami?
Miami is the home port of several cruise lines, including MSC Cruises (which has a brand-new terminal), Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages. Other mainstream lines — such as Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line and Holland America Line — also sail from the port occasionally.
The port also sees visits from smaller, more niche and sometimes foreign cruise lines, as well as luxury brands. These cruise lines include Azamara, Crystal, Hapag-Lloyd, Hurtigruten, Oceania Cruises, P&O Cruises, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Sea Cloud Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, TUI Cruises and Windstar Cruises.
What cruise lines sail from Port Canaveral?
Major cruise lines with a home base at Port Canaveral include Carnival, Disney, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and MSC. Visiting lines include Costa Cruises, Cunard, Oceania and Regent, among others.
What cruise lines sail from Fort Lauderdale?
Long-term resident lines at Port Everglades are Celebrity, Disney, Holland America, Princess and Royal Caribbean. Brands that sometimes visit Fort Lauderdale include Crystal, Cunard, Ritz-Carlton, Silversea and Viking.
What cruise lines sail from Tampa, Jacksonville and West Palm Beach?
Port Tampa Bay has three cruise terminals that host cruise ships from five different lines: Carnival, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Margaritaville at Sea and Norwegian. Luxury line Oceania Cruises will also begin sailing from Tampa in 2026.
Jaxport has just one berth that serves as a base for Carnival and, beginning in 2025, Norwegian. The Port of Palm Beach serves only one line: Margaritaville at Sea.
What about Florida river cruise ports?
Florida river cruises, such as those offered by American Cruise Lines, depart from ports in St. Petersburg and Jacksonville, the latter of which is separate from Jaxport and located in a different area. Other Florida river cruise ports of note include St. Augustine and Amelia Island.
Where can you cruise from Florida?
Destinations ships visit from Florida departure ports include the Bahamas, and the Southern, Eastern and Western Caribbean, as well as many of the cruise lines' private islands. They also occasionally include Key West.
Ships also depart from Florida ports on one-way Panama Canal or transatlantic cruises, and some travel as far as South America.
Some ships visit Florida ports as part of longer itineraries that depart from other states. You might find a stop at Port Canaveral on a weeklong Bahamas cruise from New York, for example.
Want to know more about cruising from Florida? Check out our other coverage here:
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.