Busiest Day Ever

[3Sisters]

Port Miami has officially had its "busiest day ever" as it hosted over 67,000 cruise passengers on April 9, 2023. Known as the cruise capital of the world, Port Miami has seen some serious competition lately from Port Canaveral. Port Canaveral has recently begun overshadowing PortMiami, as it became the world's busiest passenger cruise port in February of this year. For those of you who have cruised out of either of these ports, which is your favorite and why? 

[FJB]

Not part of the Question, but I prefer the port of Baltimore- 2 hour drive from home and only one ship at a time! 

[kefthecruiser]

@3Sisters Oh, the congestion of it all! Traffic to/from the Port had to be a nightmare. I would not like to be at any port when it has a 'busiest day ever' day, whether Miami, Port Canaveral, Nassau, Cozumel, etc... Tourists, tourists, everywhere; all in a hurry and many unsure where to go!

To answer your question - my fav Florida port is actually Port Everglades as it seems to have a wider variety of itineraries (my brand loyalty spreads across 4 brands).  Then Tampa (30 minutes from the house) - for a quick booze cruise, or if I need a Cozumel fix (LOL). I then prefer Port Canaveral over Miami, simply due to traffic issues in Miami, always. Though, in the past, Miami cruises have been cheaper for comparable itineraries than the other ports. 

[3Sisters]

@FJB I haven't cruised out of the port of Baltimore before! I'm curious to hear about cruise line options, airline and parking accessibility, and standard ports of call for Baltimore departing itineraries. 

@kefthecruiser I agree that the traffic in these areas can be wild, particularly in Port Miami. When traveling to Miami, particularly the port, give yourself an extra hour. The traffic is absolutely horrid almost all of the time, even in the middle of the night it can be trafficky. I agree, I prefer to cruise out of Port Canaveral than Miami, but Port Everglades is really great too because of the diversity in itinerary options. Port Everglades can be more congested than Port Canaveral. They are all close together so sometimes cruising out of the port with the best price and itinerary you are looking for is the way to go!