NEWS: Cruise Business on the Rise at Popular Florida Port

It’s no secret that the cruise industry was impacted by the global pandemic.

Disney Cruise Line

Among other cruise lines, Disney Cruise Line has recently resumed sailings with health and safety guidelines, and the cruise industry is moving forward. Port Canaveral in Florida is seeing business growing for the first time since the pandemic began, and here’s what that could mean for the cruise industry.

After the cruise industry experienced major impacts due to the global pandemic in 2020, it seems that things might be turning around. Port Canaveral CEO John Murray has just received a 36% raise to earn $510,000 per year after activity in Port Canaveral continues to be on the rise.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Murray noted, “We’re trending in the correct direction.” During the month of October, Port Canaveral received $5.4 million in cruise revenue, which was $712,000 above budget.

©Orlando Sentinel/Canaveral Port Authority

So far, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, and Disney Cruise Line have returned to Port Canaveral. After seeing 94,000 passengers in August, followed by 139,000 in September, numbers increased further to 206,000 passengers in October and 251,000 in November. While the 2021 fiscal year saw the lowest revenue for Port Canaveral in 20 years, 2022 is on track to beat the record for 2019, which saw $106 million in total revenue.

Disney Cruise Line Terminal

CEO John Murray remarked that they already have strong booking numbers for the holidays, and they’re “expecting a very active cruise season this year,” according to the Orlando Sentinel. In fact, on December 26th, Port Canaveral will have one of the busiest days since the pandemic began, with six cruise ships at port that day.

Screenshot of video ©Port Canaveral on Facebook

If you’re setting sail with a cruise line soon, remember to check their current health and safety requirements before your trip. And keep checking back with DFB as we learn more about changes in the cruise industry and about the future of Disney Cruise Line.