Port
Everglades is reopening four fully reconstructed, expanded and
modernized cruise terminals in time for the first eight-ship cruise
day this season, Saturday, November 17, 2012.
Cruise
Terminals 2, 19, 21 and 26 are part of a $54 million renovation
project that transformed existing facilities into modern,
world-class, guest-friendly cruise terminals, capable of processing
both debarking and embarking cruise passengers simultaneously.
“Our
goal in the design and reconstruction of these terminals was to
deliver a seamless curbside to ship guest experience,” said Steven
Cernak, Port Everglades Chief Executive & Port Director. “We
fully expect our returning cruise guests to be wowed when they enter
the new terminals and experience seamless boarding in first-class
facilities.”
November
17, 2012 is the first of six days during Port Everglades’ cruise
season, November through April, where eightcruise
ships will be berthed at the same time
requiring the use of all cruise terminal facilities in the Port. The
other dates are: December 1, 2012; December 22, 2012; January 6,
2013; March 17, 2013; and, April 6, 2013.
The
renovated cruise terminals, which were completed well ahead of
schedule and under budget, can accommodate ships of various sizes and
capacities. All terminals allow embarking and debarking guests to be
processed simultaneously, and have separate and larger baggage halls,
improved ground transportation areas, covered waiting areas outdoors
and colorful Florida-inspired artwork.
“Port
Everglades has made a significant investment that will be readily
apparent to our guests who have sailed out of the Port on Carnival
Cruise Lines,
Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, Princess
Cruises and
Seabourn,” said Giora Israel, Carnival Corporation Senior Vice
President of Global Ports Development, who was one of a group of
Carnival Corporation executives who recently toured the newly
renovated cruise terminals. “The new terminals are also appreciated
by our shore staff. They are looking forward to working in an
environment that is designed to expedite check in and traffic flow.”
Port
Everglades committed to modernizing the terminals as part of an
agreement, finalized in April 2010, between Carnival Corporation and
the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, the governing body
for Port Everglades. The landmark agreement, one of the largest in
Carnival's history, calls for a minimum of 25.5 million cruise guests
from multiple Carnival Corporation brands to sail to and from Port
Everglades over the initial 15-year term, which will potentially
produce almost half-a-billion dollars in Port revenue.
Broward
County's Public Works Department, Seaport Engineering &
Construction Division is overseeing the renovations. Moss &
Associates is the general contractor, and Bermello Ajamil &
Partners, Inc. is the terminal architect and project construction
administrator.
Construction
work for the cruise terminal created an
estimated 1,000 construction
jobs, equating to $40.7 million in personal income
and $3.7 million in state and local taxes, according to
an economic impact
study by nationally recognized maritime research firm Martin
Associates.
Port
Everglades is the second busiest cruise port in the world with more
than 3.6 million passengers each year and homeporting more cruise
ships than any other cruise port worldwide. Twelve cruise
lines and
42 cruise ships sail from the South Florida seaport
including: Balearia's Bahamas Express, Carnival Cruise
Lines, Celebrity
Cruises,
Cunard, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Holland America Line, MSC
Cruises,
P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal
Caribbean International, Silversea
Cruises and
Seabourn. The Port's wide-ranging fleet of cruise ships provides
guests with an array of cruise vacation choices from the sunny
Greater Fort Lauderdale area. Port Everglades, where the best cruise
ships launch and the greatest getaways begin.
Details on the latest cruise offerings are available on the Internet
at porteverglades.net.
