Tag Archives: cruise passenger

PortMiami Posts Busiest Cruise Year in History

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Royal Caribbean departing Port of Miami photo credit Spacejunkie2

PortMiami welcomed a total of 7,299,294 passengers during Fiscal Year 2023, setting a new record in cruise activity, the port announced in a press release.

During the period, which started on October 1, 2022 and ended on September 30, 2023, PortMiami experienced a nearly seven percent increase in cruise passenger totals compared to its previous record of 6,823,816 passengers in Fiscal Year 2019.

“Congratulations to the entire PortMiami team and its partners on its busiest cruise year ever,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

“PortMiami continues to drive our economy forward, creating opportunities for residents and businesses across our county. The Port is an industry leader, which is future ready and committed to innovative, efficient, and sustainable growth,” she added.

The 2024 Fiscal Year season is also bringing new developments, PortMiami said, which include new cruise lines and new vessels.

Among the new line-up of ships which began sailing to the facility are Oceania Cruises’ Vista, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Venezia, the Scenic Eclipse II, Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity, Explora Journey’s Explora I, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Viva; and Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Grandeur.

In January 2024, Royal Caribbean Group’s Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, will also begin a year-round deployment from the port.

According to the port, dedicated partnerships and the development of new business have contributed to PortMiami’s post-pandemic recovery.

Since the pandemic, the port opened three new cruise terminals: Norwegian Cruise Line’s Cruise Terminal B, the Pearl of Miami; Carnival Corporation’s Cruise Terminal F; and Virgin Voyages’ Cruise Terminal V, the Palm Grove.

Currently under construction are MSC Cruises’ Terminals AA/AAA, which will open in 2024. Recently, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners approved Royal Caribbean Group’s new Cruise Terminal G, which is expected to open in late 2027.

Shore power – a partnership between PortMiami, its cruise partners (Carnival Corporation, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Group, and Virgin Voyages) and Florida Power & Light Company – is also in progress. Upon completion in 2024, shore power capability will be available at five cruise terminals with the ability to plug in three ships simultaneously. Shore power will allow a cruise ship to turn off their primary engines while docked, resulting in reduced air emissions, PortMiami said.

Newcastle Terminal Design Unveiled

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Newcastle Terminal Design Unveiled

Newcastle Cruise Terminal Rendering

The NSW Government and Port of Newcastle have revealed the design of the new Newcastle Cruise Terminal which will transform the cruise passenger experience in Newcastle, according to a prepared statement.

The purpose-built facility will cover approximately 3,000 square meters and will include facilities for passenger drop-off and pick up, coach parking and vessel provisioning.

Port of Newcastle’s CEO, Geoff Crowe, said the Newcastle Cruise Terminal would provide a professional transit experience for passengers arriving in Newcastle and a positive first impression of the city.

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“We are excited to share the concept design for the Newcastle Cruise Terminal which reflects Newcastle’s position as a world-class cruise ship destination. The traveller experience is central to GHD Woodhead’s design, with harbour views, ease of movement, natural daylight and a generous sense of spacing greeting passengers.

“The new cruise terminal, to be built at the Channel Berth, will enable the Port to receive more and larger cruise ships in the future. Importantly, it will position Newcastle as a home port where ships can start and finish their destination in Newcastle. Eventually, cruise visits could also be aligned with major events, such as the V8 Supercars, adding another dimension to the visitor and tourism experience,” said Crowe.

“According to the Australian Cruise Association’s estimates, cruise shipping in Newcastle currently injects around $11 million per annum to the local economy. Homeporting has the potential to deliver even more economic value to the region via more cruise ships and more visitors and the opportunity for local businesses to provide goods and services for the provisioning of vessels.”

The $12.7 million Newcastle Cruise Terminal is funded by the NSW Government’s Restart NSW Hunter Infrastructure Investment Fund.

The design was unveiled by the Parliamentary Secretary for Planning, the Central Coast and the Hunter, Scot MacDonald, who said the Newcastle Cruise Terminal would be a major boost for the Hunter’s tourism sector.

“The Newcastle Cruise Terminal is a big win for the region and a key part of Newcastle’s revitalisation. It cements the city as an international cruise destination and will deliver flow of benefit to the region’s already thriving tourism industry. Additionally, it complements the increased capacity of Newcastle Airport,” said MacDonald.

“The NSW Government has contributed $13.1 million towards the $13.5 million Newcastle cruise upgrades*. The Hunter Research Foundation has estimated the projects will contribute around $26.7 million to the local economy and an additional 76 jobs through construction and flow-on effects.”

Crowe said he was thrilled to share the design with the community after many months of detailed planning.

“Throughout the design process, Port of Newcastle has worked with the cruise industry, tourism representatives and Australian border agencies to factor in their requirements.

“Unveiling the design is a significant step and it is only going to get more exciting from here. Construction will commence in early 2018 and Novocastrians will have a cruise terminal to call their own by the end of next year,” said Crowe.

“We look forward to welcoming the Explorer of the Seas on her maiden visit to Newcastle in February 2019 – the largest cruise ship to visit our port carrying 3,900 passengers.”

Barcelona to Cruisers: We Love You. Now Please Get Back on Board

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Last weekend, a record-breaking 60,000 cruise ship passengers disembarked into the popular Spanish city. But despite generating investment and jobs, these staggering numbers are at odds with Barcelona mayor Ada Colau’s vow to cap the amount of tourists who inundate the city each year.

Last weekend, a staggering 60,000 tourists entered Barcelona by sea, shattering the city’s previous record. This is a number that the president of Barcelona Port, Sixte Cambra, wants to see increase. It was reported that last year cruise ship passengers alone spent about $900 million, creating an estimated 7,000 permanent jobs in the city. “The report shows that the cruise sector generates investment and jobs and is an activity that creates growth and stability,” says Cambra. This is why, despite the opposition from the mayor, Barcelona Port hopes to expand in order to accommodate even more of these ships.

However, not everyone is as excited about these numbers as Cambra is, specifically newly-elected mayor Ada Colau, who got attention during her campaign by proposing to impose a tourism cap on the city. Colau and many others feel that the city’s beaches, streets, and popular neighborhoods like the Gothic Quarter are at risk of being oversaturated by tourists, many of whom disgorge from the massive cruise ships that make Barcelona a popular port of call. “If we don’t want to end up like Venice, we will have to put some kind of limit in Barcelona,” she says. However, those benefiting from the surge in tourism (the city’s tourism numbers doubled in the last decade) do not share in Colau’s concerns and would like to see these numbers grow even more. One advantage of welcoming cruise passengers is that most are embarking in the city for a day before returning to their ships at night, meaning that the city’s already-packed hotels won’t have to take on any additional guests.

At a time when Europe’s economy is still struggling to get going, it’s hard to turn away easy money and jobs, but at what point does the impact on the local way of life become too much? This is a question that both sides of the argument in Europe’s third most-visited city will have to address as they try to find a manageable balance.