Broward County's Port Everglades has announced it has negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides the framework for a new long-term business agreement with Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. (RCL).
The agreement will include a complete, customized renovation of the Port's Cruise Terminal 25, which is set to be completed by October 31, 2018.
Port Everglades chief executive Steven Cernak Our says that because cruise line customers are becoming more sophisticated in the way they think about their experience, the company partnered with the line to construct the new cruise terminal.
RCL announced that its new ship, Celebrity Edge, will homeport in Port Everglades beginning in the fall of 2018. Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas, the newest Oasis class ship, began sailing from Port Everglades in November 2016.
The MOU will allow negotiations to move forward toward a final agreement that must be approved by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners. RCL's current agreement expires on December 31, 2017. The new agreement will be effective on January 1, 2018, and expire on Sept. 30, 2026 with options to extend the agreement for four years, followed by another five years.
Broward County's Port Everglades is consistently ranked as one of the three busiest cruise ports in the world, having hosted more than 3.8 million passengers in 2016. Ten cruise lines, one ferry service and more than 40 cruise ships sail from the South Florida seaport including: Balearia's Bahamas Express (ferry), Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Seabourn and Silversea Cruises.