Cruise: Miami, Port Everglades

PortMiami experienced an especially busy cruise day on January 4 with the processing of nine ships and nearly 42,000 passengers.

That Sunday’s ship line-up included the Celebrity Eclipse, Disney Wonder, Carnival Splendor, Carnival Conquest, Norwegian Epic, Oceania Riviera, Aida Vita, Crystal Serenity, and the Resorts World Bimini Superfast.

Later this year, Miami will welcome Norwegian Cruise Line’s brand new Norwegian Escape. The 4,300 passenger Escape will sail year-round to the Caribbean beginning in November. Additionally, Costa Cruise will deploy a second seasonal vessel, the 2,114-passenger Costa Mediterranea, for sailings from Miami to the Caribbean.

In total, PortMiami this year will be hosting 34 ships and 15 different cruise brands, including: Aida Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, P&O Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Resorts World Bimini, and Royal Caribbean International.

Port Everglades’ remodeled Cruise Terminal 4

Port Everglades’ remodeled Cruise Terminal 4.

Photo/Port Everglades

Port Everglades has completely remodeled its sixth cruise terminal in five years. Cruise Terminal 4 officially opened January 8 with $24 million worth of renovations and upgrades designed for greater efficiency and passenger guest convenience. The ribbon-cutting ceremony also celebrated Broward 100, the county’s centennial year and commitment to the arts.

Terminal 4 guest check-in area. The curved structure in front with the window is a security desk.

Photo/Port Everglades

Improvements to the 140,000-square-foot Cruise Terminal 4 include:

Moving passenger drop-off from the east to the west side to separate the traffic from neighboring Cruise Terminal 2 and thus reduce traffic congestion.
Covered loading/drop-off ground transportation areas.
172 additional ground-level surface parking spaces.
Replacing the single escalator and older elevators with two new escalators and two new elevators for improved passenger flow.
Improving lighting and acoustics and a high-efficiency air conditioning system.
50 new check-in counters to meet the demands of larger capacity cruise vessels.
New restrooms.
A new loading bridge to expedite embark and debark processes.
"Pelican Path," a 4-foot by 40-foot ceramic mural South Florida artist Xavier Cortada that will guide cruise guests from the arrival area to their ship.
Energy-efficient improvements that qualify the terminal to become Port Everglades’ first LEED certified facility.

Port Everglades’ next project for this terminal will be to lengthen the adjacent slip by 250 feet to 1,150 feet to accommodate larger cruise ships. The $18 million slip extension is slated to be completed by the end of 2016.

"We continuously re-invest in our facilities to keep pace with the today’s customer-service driven cruise industry, to provide our guests with a seamless boarding experience," said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Steven Cernak, PPM®. "Our goal when we reconfigured Cruise Terminal 4’s traffic pattern and updated the interior, was to make it easier for the cruise lines to process passengers while providing guests with a bright, comfortable experience."

Cruise Terminal 4 ribbon-cutting ceremony. From left: Florida Department of Transportation’s Assistant Secretary Richard Biter, Broward County Vice Mayor Martin David Kiar, Port Everglades Chief Executive Steven Cernak, Broward County Commissioners Stacy Ritter and Chip LaMarca, and Division Director John Foglesong and Assistant Director Israel Rozental from the Broward County Public Works Department’s Seaport Engineering & Construction Division at Port Everglades.