Port Everglades is kicking off the 2023-2024 cruise season with new cruise lines and new cruise ships.
Since October, Port Everglades has already welcomed inaugural calls from Viking’s Viking Octantis, Viking Polaris, and Viking Mars along with Phoenix Reisen’s Artania. Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Dream will also begin homeporting year-round in Port Everglades beginning November 20, 2023. Disney Dream will dock at a specially designed cruise terminal just for Disney Cruise Line guests.
The partnership with Disney Cruise Line is a 15-year agreement that has one ship homeported in Port Everglades year-round and second ship, that will be seasonal, in 2025. The agreement brings more than 1,000 local jobs which will drive more revenue and taxes to the area. With a second homeport in Port Everglades, Disney Cruise Line will have better access to the highway and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
“We could very well top our 4 million passenger record, although our ‘official’ projected number is conservatively estimated at some 3.7 million embarking and disembarking guests,” said Port Everglades CEO and Port Director Jonathan Daniels. “As a trend, we are seeing more luxury ships such as Viking and Ritz-Carlton, and shorter itineraries from Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Disney.”
Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Ascent will offer 3- and 4-night sailing when she debuts in November 2023. She will be named at Port Everglades on December 1, 2023, and embark on her inaugural season. She will offer alternating 7-night Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries. Celebrity Ascent is one of seven Celebrity Cruises’ ships sailing from Port Everglades this season.
Silversea Cruises will name its newest luxury ship, Silver Nova, at Port Everglades on January 4, 2024. Silver Nova will be the first ship at Port Everglades to use liquefied natural gas as its main fuel.
Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas will return to Port Everglades in November 2023 to sail alternating 6- and 8-night Caribbean cruises. Azamara’s Onward will arrive in Port Everglades for the first time on November 30, 2023. She will finish the 2024 season at Port Everglades by embarking on her 155-night World Voyage on January 5, 2024.
Summer 2024 in Port Everglades is looking to be busier than normal with Celebrity Beyond, Celebrity Reflection, Disney Magic, Enchanted Princess and Freedom of the Seas. In October 2024, Princess Cruises’ brand-new Sun Princess will also homeport in Port Everglades. She is the largest Princess Cruises’ ship with room for more than 4,000 guests and the first LNG-fueled ship in the fleet.
Newly rebranded luxury cruise line, Crystal Cruises’ will also debut the newly refurbished Crystal Serenity when she homeports from Port Everglades in November 2024.
Port Everglades is also working toward adding shore power to all eight cruise terminals. Shore power will allow cruise ships to use electricity instead of fuel while in port. The cost for the project is approximately $160 million. Federal and state grants along with contributions from FPL, participating cruise lines and Broward County are expected to finance the project which will be completed in phases. The first phase could start as soon as mid-2024 and be completed by year end 2027.