Just last week Norwegian Cruise Line canceled the European winter season of Norwegian Epic—4 months and 11 voyages in total—citing vessel redeployment. Due to a growing demand for Caribbean cruises, it appears that redeployment will be to Port Canaveral, the world’s busiest cruise port. The cruise line will offer 7-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries beginning in December 2023.
Captain John Murray, Port CEO stated, “Thanks to our great partnership and strong collaboration with Norwegian, we’re delighted to welcome back Norwegian Epic. She’s a terrific addition to our fleet of homeported ships offering a variety of Caribbean sailings to meet the surging demand. We’re proud to be the preferred port for millions of cruise guests, and proud of the confidence in our Port to deliver a high-quality experience.”
Norwegian Epic is already scheduled to homeport in Port Canaveral for the 2024-25 winter season with two different itineraries. The first itinerary calls on Cozumel, George Town, and Ocho Rios, while the second itinerary calls on Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, and Tortola. Both itineraries call on Great Stirrup Cay, the cruise line’s private island. It is not known if these are the same itineraries Norwegian Epic will follow this winter since that information has not yet been released.
In the meantime, Port Canaveral is becoming increasingly more popular and more cruise lines are looking to move ships to the port. Princess Cruise Line recently announced they were deploying Caribbean Princess to homeport in Port Canaveral from November 2024 through April 2025. This is the first-ever deployment of the cruise line to Port Canaveral.
Port Canaveral also recently passed Port Miami in passenger volume making it the world’s busiest cruise port. Since it is just an hour’s drive from Orlando, it is easy to add on a theme park or two just before or after your cruise.
Currently the port is planning a new cruise terminal but has not revealed any significant details at this time. However, once completed, officials say the port will be able to accommodate 6.4 million passengers a year. Currently the port is looking to handle 5.8 million during the 2022-23 season.