Port Canaveral Back at Full Capacity

With the sailing of the Norwegian Cruise Lines Escape this afternoon, Port Canaveral, Fla., is back to running at full capacity for the first time in more than a year.

The Escape means Port Canaveral will have all five of its pre-pandemic brands – Norwegian, Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, and MSC Cruises – back in port.

“The message here is: the future is bright. We’re excited, and we’re back,” Canaveral Port Authority director John Murray said, according to WESH Television in Orlando.

Cruises based out of the United States were given the clearance to sail again earlier this year. Port Canaveral, situated between Daytona and Fort Lauderdale on Florida’s east coast, and about an hour east of Orlando, is one of major ports in the U.S.

A little more than three months ago, Carnival christened the Mardi Gras at Port Canaveral in the first ship-naming ceremony held in the U.S. since the cruise industry’s restart.

Retired NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal attended the festivities and cut the ribbon on his first Big Chicken restaurant at sea at the July 31 event.

Later this month, the MSC Meraviglia will move to her new homeport of Port Canaveral.