By
Rebecca Gibson |
New cruise ship visitors and longer homeporting seasons from operators who regularly call at PortMiami helped the Florida port break passenger records in 2018.
Almost 5.6 million cruise passengers passed through PortMiami this year – a 4.7% rise from 2017. The growth has been largely attributed to the fact that Oceania Cruises and Disney Cruise Line both extended their winter seasons, while Royal Caribbean International added extra sailings Empress of the Seas’ schedule and also began offering Miami departures on Mariner of the Seas.
Three operators – Viking Ocean Cruises, Victory Cruise Lines and Seabourn – also called at the port for the first time. Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Magic, latest newbuild Carnival Horizon, and MSC Cruises’ new MSC Seaside joined 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 Carlos Gimenez, Mayor of Miami-Dade County. “We’re starting to see the results of more than US$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.”