The world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, is already set to sail out of PortMiami this year, but it’s not the only new ship to call the Sunshine State home in 2024.
Royal Caribbean’s sixth and last Oasis-class ship, Utopia of the Seas, will also debut in July, offering sailings out of Port Canaveral.
Over the next couple months at least 75 different cruise ships will be departing from ports in Florida.
Fast forward to the last two months in 2024 and that number jumps to 94 cruise ships.
As cruise demand continues to thrive, Florida cruise ports will be homeporting more cruise ships than ever before.
In addition to new ships debuting in Miami, Port Canaveral, and Port Everglades, other ships are being repositioned to Florida, giving passengers even more vacation options heading into the new year.
New Ships Coming to Florida Ports
- Icon of the Seas – PortMiami, January 27th, 2024
- Utopia of the Seas – Port Canaveral, July 22nd, 2024
- Disney Treasure – Port Canaveral, December of 2024
- Sun Princess – Port Everglades, October of 2024
Some Rebranded Ships Homeporting in Florida
A couple revitalized cruise ships that are being or have been transferred to new cruise lines will be offering sailings out of the state as well.
Carnival Venezia, original sailing for another Carnival Corp. brand, Costa Cruises, is now part of the Carnival Cruise Line fleet. The “Carnival Fun Italian Style” ship will move from New York to Port Canaveral in December of 2024.
Additionally, Margaritaville at Sea is adding a newly acquired ship to Port Tampa Bay. The cruise line’s second ship, Margaritaville at Sea Islander, is set to debut in June of 2024 and offer 4- and 5-night sailings to the Caribbean.
Other Ships Debuting in Florida Cruise Ports
Port Canaveral will also be welcoming cruise ships from other ports, two being the first from their respective cruise lines.
Celebrity Equinox, which will offer sailings out of the Space Coast port beginning on December 3rd, 2024, will be Celebrity Cruises’ first ship to homeport there.
Princess Cruises will also send their first ship to homeport from the busiest cruise port in the world, when Caribbean Princess sets sail in November of 2024.
Change of plans
Ongoing geopolitical conflicts have caused some cruise lines to rearrange ships and homeports for the season as well. Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas was originally planning to offer itineraries in the Middle East and in Haifa. Instead, the oldest ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet will continue to offer cruises to the Caribbean and will reposition from Miami to Tampa in April of this year.
Additionally, Norwegian Epic will remain in Port Canaveral instead of following the previous plan of offering sailings in Europe for the winter.
Read more: Cruise Ports in Florida: Everything You Need to Know