Carnival Re-Ups In Port Everglades
by Daniel McCarthy /Port Everglades. Photo: Prayitno.
Carnival Corp. and Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades have reached an agreement to expand the cruise company’s presence in the Florida port for years to come.
The deal extends Carnival Corp.’s previous 15-year deal, signed in October 2010, through 2030, with an option to add another five years. It also gives Carnival brands preferential rights for terminals 2, 3, 21 and 26, plus one unnamed terminal at the port.
Carnival’s presence in the Caribbean is now guaranteed for the next 15 or so years, even as more and more lines are focusing on a growing Asian market.
“Florida is the largest cruise market in the world, and we are thrilled to extend our agreement with Port Everglades,” said Carnival’s senior vice president of global port and destination development Giora Israel. She said the port’s location near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and the Caribbean makes it “an extremely convenient and popular location” for Carnival guests.
Passengers sailing on a Carnival Corp. brand from Port Everglades will enjoy enhanced arrivals and departures when traveling through its terminals. The agreement also gives Carnival Corp. preferred use of the newest terminal in the port, Terminal 4, which is expected to reopen next year after a $13.6 million upgrade that will enable it to accommodate larger cruise ships.
One of Carnival Corp.’s newest ships, Holland America Line’s ms Koningsdam, is set to debut out of Port Everglades in November and Carnival has a number of ships set to homeport there, including Carnival Splendor next year.