Why Port Canaveral cruises shine in rankings
Port Canaveral, a popular departure point for cruise vacations, showed up prominently in the 2025 Best Cruise Lines rankings by U.S. News & World Report.
The rankings, published Nov. 19, highlighted standout cruise lines across various categories, providing travelers with insights to help plan their next seafaring adventure.
A day after the rankings were released, Canaveral Port Authority held its annual State of the Port address, revealing marked recent growth that helps account for the port's popularity. Here are some of the details shared:
Port Canaveral welcomed a record 7.6 million cruise guests in 2024, a substantial increase from 6.8 million the previous year. This growth is expected to continue, with projections of 8.4 million cruise guests in 2025.
Several cruise lines that have never operated from Port Canaveral before are now calling it home, including Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises.
Port Canaveral will welcome the Norwegian Viva, a new ship from Norwegian Cruise Line, for a seasonal operation in the summer of 2025. Additionally, Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, an Icon-class vessel, will replace the Wonder of the Seas and become the largest ship in the world upon its arrival.
To accommodate the surge in passenger traffic, Port Canaveral has added 3,000 new parking spaces across two new garages.
