Carnival Officially Starts Work on New PortMiami Cruise Terminal15.02.2021
NEWSCarnival Officially Starts Work on New PortMiami Cruise Terminal29 January, 2021 With an eye toward the future, Carnival Cruise Line broke ground on the space which will eventually be home to its newest ship, Carnival Celebration. How the New Facility Ties Into Carnival’s 50th BirthdayWith Carnival execs and local dignitaries on hand, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to kick off the expansion of PortMiami’s Terminal F. As is traditional, ceremonial shovels were used to move around a bit of dirt symbolizing the official commencement of the massive project.
Once completed, the expansion of Terminal F will be ready to help thousands of guests kick off their sailings aboard the Carnival Celebration. Sister ship to the Mardi Gras, Celebration is currently under construction in Finland. When the newest member of the Carnival fleet begins sailing in 2022, she — and the new terminal — will pay a crucial role in the cruise line’s 50th birthday celebration PortMiami has been an important player in the Carnival Cruise Line story right from the start. It was from there that the original Fun Ship, the TSS Mardi Gras, set sail on her inaugural voyage back in 1972. For context, the original Mardi Gras — which was bought by Carnival as opposed to being a new build — was 650 feet long and carried around 1,120 passengers. Her soon-to-debut namesake, on the other hand, comes in at 1,130 feet long and, at maximum capacity, can carry 6,500 guests. Thanks at least in part to their long and storied partnership, Carnival has grown to become the world’s largest cruise line, while PortMiami has been dubbed the “cruise capital of the world." The new facility will be approximately 471,000 square feet, making it the largest of Carnival’s South Florida ports. It will also become the third Carnival terminal at PortMiami. 
Carnival’s snazzy new port will light up the sky at night and serve as the home for their currently-under-construction ship, Carnival Celebration. (Rendering courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line) “We are proud of Carnival’s role in making Miami the cruise capital of the world,” said Christine Duffy during the ceremony. “My most sincere thanks to Mayor Levine Cava and all of the Miami-Date officials who made this day possible.” Mayor Cava remarked, “Ten months ago, the future of the industry was uncertain, and these leaders have looked beyond the crisis and planned, and built, recognizing this industry would come back stronger than ever.” “The appetite for cruising is huge, and we all know we are the cruise capital of the world. So this is the great time to build and get ready for that full, full recovery… and this groundbreaking represents an investment of Carnival towards supporting thousands of local jobs driving our tourism industry here when we need it most.” Something to CelebrateDespite the industry-wide shutdown which has stretched on far longer than anyone could have imagined, the groundbreaking ceremony serves as a reminder that cruising will soon return. It also gave Carnival a chance to remind everyone that the cruise line is fully invested in the future, whether it be through terminal expansions or moving forward with the construction of Carnival Celebration. Both will also play important roles in shaping the future of Carnival Cruise Line by incorporating new, constantly-evolving technology.
Where the terminal is concerned, this will allow for a smoother embarkation and boarding process. Once on board the ship, technology will continue to make every aspect of the passenger’s voyage as stress-free as possible. |
