PortMiami saw a record 8.2 million cruise passenger movements in the last fiscal year, which solidified its place as the “cruise capital of the world” besting the record numbers Port Canaveral released last month.

The port announced it had 8,233,056 multiday cruise travelers from Oct. 1, 2023-Sept. 30, 2024, which topped the 7,592,535 multiday passengers tallied at Port Canaveral keeping the two ports 1-2 in the world for cruise traffic. Port Everglades came in third in the state announcing it had 4,010,919 during the same time period.

Port Canaveral has only topped PortMiami once for cruise traffic, and that was in 2022, the first full year back from the COVID pandemic as it became a popular drive-in market for cruise travel. Both Miami and Fort Lauderdale’s customer bases rely more on air travel to the ports.

All three ports, though, are seeing record traffic with more and bigger ships calling on the Florida as the Caribbean remains the No. 1 destination for cruise travel.

For Miami, it landed the world’s largest cruise ship with the debut of Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas that began sailing in January. That helped pad the nearly 13% growth year over year as the port had just shy of 7.3 million passengers in fiscal 2023.

“PortMiami continues to break records and uphold its status as the cruise capital of the world. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the entire PortMiami team and our valued cruise line partners on reaching this extraordinary achievement,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava in a press release. “PortMiami has not only transformed our iconic skyline and bolstered our economy, but its ongoing commitment to creating more sustainable development ensures that our port remains a forward-thinking, future-ready gateway to the world.”

That includes the debut for Florida of the first shore power hookups, installed with the help of Florida Power & Light, that will let ships at five berths for now halt emissions while in port and rely on electricity supplied on site.

Miami’s record growth could climb even further with two new cruise terminals in the works — Cruise Terminal AA at the far eastern end of the port for MSC Cruises and the start of a revamped Cruise Terminal G for Royal Caribbean starting in summer 2025.

The port will also see the arrival of several new ships before the end of the fiscal year including the second luxury vessel from Explora Journeys and Virgin Voyages’ Resilient Lady in November, and the massive MSC Cruises World America and Norwegian Cruise Line’s first Prima Plus-class ship Norwegian Aqua in April for a pair of sailings.

Port Canaveral reports record 7.6 million passengers for fiscal year

Port Canaveral meanwhile, will continue to welcome new ships as well, including what will be the new world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas’ sister vessel Star of the Seas, next summer, and actually getting Norwegian Aqua from April-August as well.

It’s also welcoming the new Disney Cruise Line ship Disney Treasure set to sail with passengers next month, but actually arriving next Tuesday for its first-ever North American stop.

And Port Canaveral will be a home port for Princess Cruises and Celebrity Cruises for the first time, with both making their debut sailings before the end of the year.

10 things that make Princess Cruises’ biggest ship Sun Princess shine

Port Everglades, meanwhile, continues to be the preferred home for Princess Cruises, which began sailing its largest ship ever, Sun Princess, from the port last month, and will get its own new Disney ship in 2025 after becoming DCL’s second Florida home in 2023.

“We expected to do well with the addition of Disney Cruise Line to our fleet and a mix of short and week-long cruises throughout the summer.” said CEO and Port Director Joseph Morris. “As the year progressed, it became evident that a near-record 4 million guests was within reach.”

The port expect to grow that to 4.4 million in the next year.

“Cruising is in high demand, and our cruise line partners are poised for greater gains with new itineraries and a variety of sailing dates,” he said.