PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — The future of Port Canaveral is bright, despite some rocky waters brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic the past two years, Chief Executive Officer Capt. John Murray said Wednesday at his State of the Port address.


What You Need To Know

  • Cruise ships can sail again so Port Canaveral expects a revenue jump

  • Port officials expect a record $109 million in revenue in 2022

  • Eleven cruise ships call Canaveral their home port

  • Cruise revenue had plunged to $10 million in 2021 due to COVID-19

Eleven cruise ships now call Canaveral their home port. That includes the Carnival Mardi Gras, which made its inaugural sail from the port in July.

As a result, Port officials are expecting a revenue jump in 2022 and are budgeting for 4.1 million multiday passengers next year.

“We budgeted $109 million as our target number for the year, which would be higher than any year that we have had in history,” Murray said.

The Port also is planning other upgrades, including modifications to Cruise Terminal 5 that would allow 1,100-foot ships to dock. Currently, it only can accept ships less than 1,000 feet.

Cruises resumed departures from the port this summer after no ships could sail for 17 months because of federal travel restrictions established to try to limit the spread of COVID-19.

As a result, Port cruising revenue dropped from $90 million in 2019 to $10 million in 2021, Murray said.

“It immediately put us in a position where we were running through cash every month,” he said. “Cruising is about 80% of revenue at the Port.”