Florida homeports continue to grow as the largest single Port Canaveral construction project in the history of the port begins.  This week, Central Florida’s oldest cruise terminal was torn down to make way for a new state-of-the-art terminal with upgraded berth and a new parking garage. Deconstruction of the existing Cruise Terminal 3 (CT-3) facility is expected to be completed by July this year.

“This is a moment we have been waiting for. The new hi-tech, fully modernized cruise terminal will enhance our ability to welcome some of the largest and most advanced cruise ships in the world,” -Captain John Murray, Port CEO

The entire Port Canaveral construction project will be completed in phases over the next 20 months.  Demolition of the existing terminal building began in mid-April. Upcoming phases of the project include:

• Ship berth demolition, dredging and waterside construction
• Constructing passenger boarding bridges
• Terminal construction with related site work.
• The adjacent parking facility.

Good news for Florida cruise travelers: The planned elevated parking structure will have the capacity to accommodate approximately 1,800 vehicles in secure, covered parking.

Canaveral Port Authority and its cruise partner will spend $150 million building the new two-story 188,000 square foot terminal and parking building. Once the Port Canaveral construction project is completed, the new terminal, berth and adjacent parking facilities will accommodate up to 6,500 cruise guests. The terminal’s design and planned technology features include fully functional, modernized systems to facilitate U.S. Customs and Border Protection screenings of arriving passengers, and integrated mobile passenger check-in to expedite the passenger ship boarding process.

“Port Canaveral continues to experience growth in all sectors, and particularly in our cruise business,” said Captain John Murray. “It’s important that we continuously invest in our capabilities and grow our capacity to ensure we support the needs of our cruise partners today and remain well positioned to meet their demands of tomorrow.”

Port Canaveral’s new Terminal 3 is targeted for completion in late 2019 or early 2020, and will support an estimated nearly 4,000 permanent jobs in combination with the Port’s overall modernization and improvement plans, including the Port’s channel widening and deepening, repairs and improvements to cargo piers. Deconstruction and demolition of the existing CT-3 structures is the first step in a two-year work plan launched by the Port last fall to build a state-of-the-art facility capable of serving larger cruise vessels calling on the Port. The new terminal will replace one of Port’s oldest cruise terminals previously used for single-day port-of-call vessels.