4 5 Caribbean International’s Odyssey of the Seas and Viking Cruises’ Viking Star. This made it the busiest cruise day since the pandemic. “Six of our eight cruise terminals will be in use, so it is not the port’s record, and the ships were not filled to capacity, but it was a sight to behold and is a solid sign of recovery,” said Jonathan Daniels, CEO at Port Everglades. “We have gone from three cruise ships starting up in June and July, to more than 20 ships that will be sailing in November.” Port Canaveral, which is located in the east central part of Florida and is ranked as the world’s second-busiest cruise port in terms of multi-day embarkations, has experienced a flurry of homeporting calls since it reopened for cruise business in September 2021. The season started with roundtrips from Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Dream and Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas. By the end of 2021, Port Canaveral will have served as a homeport for two vessels each from Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, as well as three Carnival Cruise Line ships and six from Royal Caribbean International. Meanwhile on Florida’s West Coast, Port Tampa Bay welcomed its first homeporting cruise ship in more than 18 months on 16 October when Royal Caribbean International’s Serenade of the Seas embarked on her Bahamas and Caribbean itineraries. The vessel was soon joined by Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Constellation and Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Pride, and by December, Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Norwegian Dawn and Royal Caribbean International’s Brilliance of the Seas will be based in Tampa too. “ We have gone from three cruise ships starting up in June and July, to more than 20 ships that will be sailing in November” Jonathan Daniels, CEO at Port Everglades
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