Port Canaveral Welcomes Newest Homeport Ship, Utopia of the Seas

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July 12, 2024 – Port Canaveral welcomed the highly anticipated Utopia of the Seas, as the Royal Caribbean ship arrived stateside at the port on Thursday.

Fans and well-wishers joined 2,000 crew members for the celebration of the world’s second largest cruise ship. The ship is scheduled to make its official debut on July 19 with three-night weekend and four-night weekday getaways to the Bahamas. The ship will homeport at Port Canaveral as the sixth Oasis-class ship and the first in the series to enter service on short cruises.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]”Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas is one of the most anticipated new cruise vessels in the industry.  We are thrilled to have her join us and looking forward to her arrival next year,” stated Capt. John Murray, CEO of Port Canaveral. “Homeporting this first LNG-powered Oasis-class ship at Port Canaveral to sail these very popular shorter itineraries exemplifies the trust and commitment our valued cruise partners have in our Port and this community to deliver a high-quality guest experience. We are tremendously proud.”

Murray also said 2024 is on pace for a record year for travel at Port Canaveral.

In 2023, which was a record year for Port Canaveral, 6.8 million passengers arrived. This year the port is on pace for 7.5 million, and in 2025 they are projecting another new record of more than 8 million passengers.

Aside from the now Utopia of the Seas in the port, the Celebrity cruise ship Equinox will be in port come December. Also, the Disney cruise ship Treasure will be arriving at the end of the year, and next year the Star of the Seas, a second Icon Class ship from Royal Caribbean will also be in.

According to the Cruise Lines International Association’s 2023 State of the Industry report, Port Canaveral was the second-busiest U.S. port for cruises, and third in the world, in 2022.

Only PortMiami and Barcelona Cruise Port in Barcelona, Spain, were busier, the report says.

Travel agents and port officials say the demand is strong enough to close the gap.

According to Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray, Port Canaveral trailed Miami by about 400,000 passengers in 2023 — which would be down significantly from the approximate 800,000 difference for 2022 noted in the CLIA 2023 report.

Sources: Port Canaveral ; Seatrade Cruise News ; Spectrum News 13[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]