Florida holds not one, but two of the world’s busiest cruise ports – and they’re the only two anywhere to handle more than 8 million passengers a year.
Florida isn’t only big in the cruise world. It quietly dominates it. Millions of passengers sail from here every year, heading to the Bahamas, the Caribbean and far beyond.
But here’s what most people don’t realise. Where you board in Florida can seriously affect your flight costs, hotel prices, parking fees and even the type of ships you can choose from.
Pick the right port and you’ll save money and stress. Pick the wrong one and your holiday starts with a headache.
So which Florida cruise port is actually best for you?
Florida’s Cruise Ports at a Glance
There are six cruise ports in Florida – Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Jacksonville and Palm Beach.
The largest port in the world is the Port of Miami, with Port Canaveral and Port Everglades just behind it. Tampa is still a pretty popular port, as is Jacksonville, but a lot of people forget to include Palm Beach when talking about Florida ports just because of how much smaller it is.
Check out the cruise port traffic stats if you want to know more.
One of these ports makes the list of the ‘Worst Cruise Ports in the US‘, so you might want to take a look at that too!
Map of Florida Cruise Ports
Here’s a map of the cruise ship ports in Florida, so you can easily see where they are in relation to each other:
Now, I’ll go into a little detail about each of the ports in Florida for cruises…
1. Port of Miami
PortMiami is the largest cruise port in the world – but it’s no longer the busiest in Florida.
For years, it held the top spot globally. In fiscal year 2025, it still welcomed an enormous 8.56 million cruise passengers, making it one of the most important cruise hubs anywhere on the planet.
However, it has recently been edged out by Port Canaveral in annual passenger numbers. So while Miami remains the biggest by scale, terminals and overall infrastructure, it’s currently the second-busiest cruise port in Florida.
A huge number of cruise lines are scheduled to visit the port of Miami in 2026, including:
- Royal Caribbean
- Virgin Voyages
- Celebrity Cruises
- Disney Cruise Line
- Carnival
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- MSC
- MSC Explora Journeys
- Cunard
- P&O Cruises
- Regent Seven Seas
- Oceania Cruises
- Holland America Line
- Azamara Cruises
- Seabourn
- Phoenix Reisen
- Silversea Cruises
- TUI Cruises
- AIDA Cruises
- Emerald Cruises
- Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
It’s equipped to handle the biggest ships in the world – the Oasis-class ships, and soon the Icon-class ships for Royal Caribbean – but smaller luxury ships use the port as well.
The nearest airport to the port is Miami International Airport, which is around a 10-mile drive, taking typically 20-40 minutes by cab (depending on traffic, which can get pretty hectic). Miami is a large airport, and many cruise passengers will be able to fly directly to the airport from their home country.
If you do find yourself with a pre- or post-cruise night in Miami due to your flights, there’s loads to see and do within easy reach of the port.
Head to Miami Beach, or explore the vibrant shops of Midtown. There are a number of museums, and there are some fantastic restaurants to choose from as well.
2. Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral may not be quite as large as Miami, but it is busier, currently holding the title for the busiest cruise port in the world, with 8.6 million cruise passengers in 2025.
The port is another that is visited by many of the major cruise lines in the world, including:
- Royal Caribbean
- Celebrity Cruises
- Princess Cruises
- Disney Cruise Line
- Carnival
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- MSC
- American Cruise Lines
- Regent Seven Seas
- TUI Cruises
- AIDA Cruises
It’s not quite as varied as the number of cruise lines sailing from Miami, but you still get some of the largest ships in the world calling here, including Star of the Seas.
The nearest airport to Port Canaveral is Melbourne Orlando International Airport, which is 27.5 miles from the port, so around a 45-minute drive.
Most international passengers would fly into Orlando International Airport, though, which is around 46 miles away, although thanks to the direct roads, it has a similar journey time.
Orlando and the surrounding area are obviously packed with great attractions for a pre- or post-cruise adventure. While there are lots of things to do near Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal, the Kennedy Space Center being one of the biggest within a short distance.
There are loads of fun family activities near the port, including mini golf, beaches, escape rooms, manatee sanctuaries and more, while both Universal Studios and Disney World are around a 1-hour drive from the port.
3. Port Everglades
Port Everglades is the third-busiest cruise port in Florida and the fourth-busiest in the world, with 4.77 million cruise passengers in 2025.
There are a smaller number of cruise lines that visit compared to the larger ports:
- Royal Caribbean
- Celebrity Cruises
- Princess Cruises
- Holland America Line
- Disney Cruise Line
- Viking Ocean Cruises
- Crystal Cruises
- Costa Cruises
- Phoenix Reisen
The nearest airport to Port Everglades is the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and it is super close – less than 4 miles, taking around 10 minutes in a cab on a quiet traffic day, and there are regular shuttle buses running too. Getting to the port from the airport really couldn’t be easier.
If you have time before or after your cruise, the Fort Lauderdale beaches are excellent – they may not be as well-known as Miami’s beaches, but they are just as stunning and a little quieter, too.
There’s not a huge range of famous attractions nearby beyond that, though, although you can always find good restaurants and some interesting shops within easy reach.
As the airport and cruise port are so close, I’d suggest booking one of the best hotels near Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port and enjoying the facilities for a day before your cruise. This will also provide you with a handy place to store your luggage.
4. Port Tampa Bay
Tampa is much smaller than Florida’s big three cruise giants. But don’t underestimate it.
In 2025, Port Tampa Bay handled more than 1.6 million cruise passengers, a record year for the port. That’s a big jump from the old “around 1 million” figure and proof that Tampa is growing fast.
It’s still nowhere near Port Canaveral or Miami in size. But globally, 1.6 million passengers a year is impressive. That puts Tampa in a similar league to ports like New Orleans and Juneau.
Smaller, yes. Minor? Definitely not.
Despite its smaller size, it still plays home to ships for some of the biggest cruise lines in the world… just not the biggest ships in their fleet. Often, it’s the older ships that homeport in Tampa Bay.
The cruise lines visiting the port include:
- Royal Caribbean
- Celebrity Cruises
- Carnival
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Oceania Cruises
- Margaritaville at Sea
- Regent Seven Seas Cruises
It’s around a 30-40 minute drive on average from the port to the nearest airport, which is Tampa International Airport, around 10 miles from the port. The drive does take you through the city, though, which is why the journey time tends to be a little longer.
But because you travel right through the city, you can easily find a good central hotel if you need to stay over before or after your cruise due to your flights. This also has you well-placed to explore, where you could visit Busch Gardens theme park, or the ZooTampa, the Florida Aquarium or Big Cat Rescue if you’re sailing with kids who love wildlife.
5. Jaxport
Jaxport in Jacksonville is tiny compared with Florida’s big cruise hubs. It handled roughly 200,500 passengers in 2025, with about 79 cruise ship calls – hardly a blip next to Port Canaveral, Miami or Everglades.
But small doesn’t mean unimportant. For the Jacksonville region, it’s a handy homeport and a useful alternative if you’re local or looking to avoid the busier terminals.
The cruise lines scheduled to visit in 2026 include:
- Carnival
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- American Cruise Lines
The majority of the visits are from Carnival, specifically the Carnival Elation. It’s one of the smaller ships in the Carnival fleet, but it still offers a fun experience. American Cruise Lines is a smaller cruise line that also has multiple ship visits to Jaxport.
Jacksonville International Airport, the nearest airport to Jaxport, is around 13 miles from the terminal, with a typical journey time between 20 and 30 minutes.
If you do have time to kill in Jacksonville before or after your cruise, check out the Museum of Science and History, or the popular Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. There’s also a tiger conservation centre.
6. Port of Palm Beach
The Port of Palm Beach sits in West Palm Beach, just north of Miami. And compared with Florida’s cruise giants, it’s tiny.
It handles around 400,000 cruise passengers a year, which is a fraction of the millions sailing from Miami, Canaveral or Everglades.
The cruise lines scheduled to visit in 2026 include:
- Margaritaville at Sea
- American Cruise Lines
- Sea Dream Yacht Club
- Viking Cruises
The port is mainly home to Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, sailing short Bahamas cruises. SeaDream also has yachts making very occasional visits to the port. So if you’re looking for mega-ships and dozens of itineraries, this isn’t the place.
The main cruise line that used to use the port was American Queen Voyages, whose smaller ships explored some of the lesser-known destinations around the US coastline. However, in February 2024, the cruise line ceased trading.
The nearest airport to the port is Palm Beach International Airport, which is around 11 miles away by car. While it is an international airport, it is normally served by internal US flights.
There are some good beaches not too far from the port, along with the popular Manatee Lagoon attraction, but it’s not as tourist-y a place as Miami or Fort Lauderdale if you were flying in the day before.
Florida’s Cruise Ports at a Glance
| Port | 2025 Passengers | Closest Airport | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canaveral | 8.6m | Orlando | Theme parks |
| Miami | 8.56m | Miami International | Huge ship choice |
| Everglades | 4.77m | Fort Lauderdale | Easy airport access |
| Tampa | 1.6m | Tampa | Smaller ships |
| JAXPORT | 200k | Jacksonville | Local sailings |
| Palm Beach | 400k | Palm Beach | Short Bahamas cruises |
The Best Cruise Port in Florida
There isn’t really a ‘best’ cruise port because it will depend on which cruise line and ship you want to sail on, and where you want to go. Miami is the biggest, but many people enjoy Port Canaveral if combining a cruise and a theme park holiday.
Most people don’t tend to have a favourite port when it comes to disembarkation, though, unless there’s one that they live closer to.
Since most people cruising from Florida will be travelling to the state from elsewhere, the more important factors are which ships and sailings are available.
The Largest Cruise Ship Port in Florida
PortMiami is the largest cruise port in Florida, with 11 cruise terminals and a record 8.56 million passengers in 2025.
But it’s no longer the busiest. Port Canaveral has just edged ahead on annual passenger numbers, making Miami a very close second.
Miami is also a bustling cargo port, making it an exceptionally busy area – but there is now an undersea tunnel connecting the port with the mainland to remove a lot of the traffic from downtown Miami.
The Bottom Line
Each of the top ports in Florida is relatively easy to access, although it depends on where in the world you’re flying from. From Europe, direct flights tend to head to Miami and Orlando, potentially making Port Everglades a little more inconvenient.
Ultimately, though, what matters most is the ship and itinerary. Unless you have your heart set on a particular pre- or post-cruise experience (such as Disney World), then it’s better to let your cruise dictate your embarkation port, since you can easily arrange to get there.
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