Construction ramped up on a pair of major new port expansion projects in Florida this week in the cruise industry.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), the parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, broke ground on a new, dedicated terminal for Norwegian Cruise Line at PortMiami this week. Construction is officially scheduled to begin May 1, with a planned completion date in the fall of 2019. Plans for the new terminal call for space to accommodate ships of up to 5,000 passengers, technology to speed embarkation and disembarkation, a dedicated lounge area, and a new parking garage and valet parking area with direct terminal access.
Norwegian had previously announced that the Norwegian Encore, the newest ship in its Breakaway Plus class, will homeport in the new terminal. The ship will sail seven-day cruises to the eastern Caribbean every Sunday from November 17, 2020, through April 12, 2020. Itineraries will call on ports including San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
At Port Canaveral, this week officials began the demolition and reconstruction of Cruise Terminal 3. At $150 million, the effort is the largest single construction in the port’s history, and plans call for demolition to be completed by July of this year. After that the terminal will be upgraded with a revamped berth and a new parking garage; once completed, the new facilities will be able to accommodate up to 6,500 cruise guests.
Related Stories
Crystal Gala: Shorter River Cruises, Bonus Commission
CLIA Announces Details of 2018 Summit at Sea