Port Canaveral breaks $100M in revenue over 6 months after record cruise month
Port Canaveral’s nearly 926,000 cruise passengers in March fueled a record month that saw operating revenue halfway through the fiscal year top $100 million for the first time.
“It wasn’t that long ago that we were excited about a half a million guests, breaking the 500,000 mark, and 926,000 is crazy in one month,” port CEO Capt. John Murray said during the port authority commission meeting Wednesday.
For the six months from October 2024 through March 2025, the port had 544 ship calls with more than 4.4 million multiday passenger movements. At this point last year, the port had only 480 ship calls and 3.9 million passenger movements. The fiscal year runs through September.
And more passengers means more parking fees: The port set a one-day record in March of more than 11,000 cars.
“It’s even stronger demand this year than it was last year during spring break,” Murray said. “We’ve been predicting it, and we’re ready for it, so it’s been successful.”
For the six months, cruise-related operating revenue topped $102 million while cargo, leases and recreation added nearly another $10 million. Overall operating expenses were near $67 million, which gives the port around $43 million to pay off debt and invest in projects.