MSC Cruises receives approval for Miami double terminal

Posted on 23 September, 2019 by Spacejunkie2

MSC Cruises has received approval for its planned double terminal at PortMiami, the first such arrangement at the port.

Each terminal will be able to handle 7,000 guests, enabling MSC to berth two mega-ships at a time.

The AA and AAA terminals will be just to the east of Royal Caribbean’s new Terminal A that opened last year. Designed by Miami-based Arquitectonica, renderings show a ski-slope shaped building with cantilevered fins at the eastern end.

MSC plans to move in 2022, around the same time Carnival moves into its new Terminal F. MSC didn’t specify what ships will be using the terminal by then.

This year, MSC is homeporting four ships across four different classes out of PortMiami — the MSC Seaside, MSC Armonia, MSC Divina and MSC Meraviglia. The Meraviglia will arrive in November.

Symphony Arrives in PortMiami

Posted on 11 November, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas has arrived in PortMiami.

Fresh from her inaugural Europe season, the world’s largest cruise ship sailed into her permanent, year-round home at Royal Caribbean’s new Terminal A at PortMiami, the largest cruise terminal in the U.S., according to a press release.

“Symphony takes family vacationing to a whole new level with energy and options never before found in one place. This ship is the perfect blend of our greatest hits we know guests love and a lineup of vibrant, new restaurants, activities and unparalleled entertainment – all purposefully designed around vacationers’ preferences,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “With her U.S. homecoming this week, Symphony is changing the game for how travellers of all ages vacation on our biggest and boldest adventure yet.”

The Symphony of the Seas will sail seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami beginning Saturday, Nov. 17, and will add visits to the cruise line’s private island destination in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, opening May 2019.

The official naming ceremony for Symphony of the Seas will take place on Thursday, Nov. 15, hosted by a Godfamily – actors and avid Royal Caribbean fans Alexa and Carlos PenaVega, along with their toddler son Ocean.

Record Year for PortMiami

Posted on 24 October, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

PortMiami has announced a record cruise and cargo year.

The port experienced an increase of 5.8 per cent in containerized cargo movements for its 2018 Fiscal Year with a total of 1,084,000 (twenty-foot equivalent units) and an increase of 4.7 per cent in cruise visitors with a total of 5,592,000 passengers during the 12 month period ending September 30, 2018, according to a press release.

On the cruise side, PortMiami officials attribute the growth to expanded business opportunities, according to a statement. n 2018, Royal Caribbean International added sailings to the Empress of the Seas and welcomed the newly renovated Mariner of the Seas. Oceania Cruises and Disney Cruise Line extended their winter seasons.

The port also welcomed three new cruise lines: Viking Ocean Cruises, Victory Cruise Lines, and Seabourn. Additionally, it welcomed Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Magic and the new Carnival Horizon. MSC also introduced its new-build, the MSC Seaside, to the port’s line-up.

“I am proud to say that today PortMiami is a full-service global hub handling some of the largest vessels in the industry,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “We’re starting to see the results of more than $1 billion of completed infrastructure and a port team that gets the job done. I would like to thank the entire PortMiami team for their hard work and dedication. The Port’s continued growth would not be possible without them.”

“I want to thank all of PortMiami’s dedicated partners including the cruise and cargo lines, the International Longshoremen’s Associations’ Locals 1416 and 1922, Miami-Dade Police and Fire Departments, the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Miami, U.S. Coast Guard, the Biscayne Bay Pilots among so many others,” said Chairwoman of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee Rebeca Sosa. “New facilities, berths and terminals are in the works to accommodate the industry’s new generation of vessels. The future is only getting brighter at our seaport.”