Port Canaveral’s “Elephant in the Room” Is the Result of a Booming Cruise Industry

Nobody likes traffic. It’s universally annoying, and it’s especially frustrating when it’s getting in the way of your cruise vacation.

At a recent Port Canaveral Board of Commissioners meeting, this topic was front and center, with a commissioner stating that the traffic situation is “almost like the elephant in the room here that we kind of gloss over.”

The Numbers

The numbers provide a clear picture of Port Canaveral’s success and growth.  But with all that growth comes a few growing pains as well.

For the upcoming fiscal year, the port estimates a record-breaking 9 million cruise passengers.

That’s a 7% increase from the previous year, and all of these passengers, whether they’ve driven in or flown from across the country, need to get to the ships somehow.  Eventually they all come by the roadways.

The traffic gets particularly bad on what the port calls “five- and six-ship days”—when multiple cruise ships are in port at once.

The number of these busy days is projected to jump from 88 to 93 days a year, with six-ship days alone more than doubling.

This isn’t just about the volume of cars, either. The port is in the middle of major construction projects, including the demolition of a large parking garage to make way for a new, bigger one.

These projects, while they are necessary, can make the traffic jams even worse.

A Few Solutions

Port Canaveral is not ignoring the issue. They have committed “millions of dollars in our budget to address those issues.”

Here are a few of the port’s solutions to these growing pains:

• Infrastructure Investment: The port is in the process of demolishing an existing parking garage to build a new 3,000-space garage near Cruise Terminal 6 and another large garage at Cruise Terminal 3. The port is proposing an increase in daily parking fees from $17 to $20 to help fund this project. They are also improving terminals and roadways to create better drop-off and pickup areas.

• Increased Traffic Control: Money has been allocated to hire more off-duty sheriff’s deputies to direct traffic during peak hours.
• Data Gathering: The port is actively conducting studies to find more efficient ways to manage vehicle flow and parking.
• Long-Term Regional Issues: The port is working with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to find a long-term fix for State Road 528 and the replacement of the drawbridges on State Road 401.

For the residents of Cape Canaveral, who regularly experience this congestion, these solutions can’t come soon enough. The port’s chairman has requested a full report be presented to the community at the next meeting which is set for September 24.

Ships in Port Canaveral

Port Canaveral has become home for some of the world’s newest and largest cruise ships. Carnival’s Mardi Gras, with its on-board rollercoaster, has made its home here, and Royal Caribbean has recently brought its brand-new Star of the Seas to the port to sail along with Utopia of the Seas.

Other newcomers to the port include Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Aqua and Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Treasure.

Carnival’s new Carnival Festivale is set to homeport in 2027 and MSC Cruises committed to a fourth World-class ship based at the port for the 2027-2028 season.

These new ships are a major draw, attracting millions of new passengers and making the port one of the busiest cruise ports in the world.