The coronation in London of King Charles III isn’t the only royal news this week. Princess Cruises has announced it will make Port Canaveral a home port for the first time ever beginning in late 2024.
Starting Nov. 27, 2024, the 3,140-passenger ship Caribbean Princess will sail four to 14-day cruises out of the Central Florida port. Port Canaveral was recently named the largest cruise port in Florida, finally passing the Port of Miami.
“The combination of a vibrant Central Florida community, exceptional flight options into Orlando International Airport and great pre-cruise and post-cruise experience options make Port Canaveral an easy choice,” John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises, said in prepared remarks.
Caribbean Princess offers 1,571 staterooms and a capacity of 3,140 guests and 1,200 crew. It has 19 decks, including 15 passenger decks, and was launched in 2004. It has previously made homeport in Fort Lauderdale and New York. It went through refurbishment and renovations in 2019. Some dry dock work was also completed in 2022.
Cruise Critic gives the Caribbean Princess a 4 out of 5 editor ranking and lauds it for having “a laid-back ambiance, allowing for laugh-out-loud fun that’s never too boisterous.”
“From baby boomers on the dance floor doing the hand jive to middle-aged cruisers competing with gusto in a paper plane competition and families guessing which silly law is real or not, people are on the 3,140-passenger ship to have some old-fashioned fun,” according to the website’s review.
Making Port Canaveral a homeport for Caribbean Princess is part of the expansion plans of Princess Cruises in North America.
“The fleet of ships homeported at Port Canaveral continues to grow with next year’s arrival of Caribbean Princess, Capt. John Murray, Port CEO, said in written remarks. “We’re looking forward to providing a high-quality experience for our new cruise partners and their cruise guests.”
Among the itineraries expected for the ship once it anchors in Port Canaveral in November 2024:
- One departure of a 4-day Turks and Caicos voyage over the Thanksgiving holiday.
- 8-day Eastern Caribbean trips with St. Thomas sailing to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, San Juan and Grand Turk
- 8-day Western Caribbean trips with Mexico sailing to Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize City and Roatan (Mahogany Bay)
- 6-day Eastern Caribbean trips with Turks and Caicos including Nassau, Grand Turk and either Amber Cove or San Juan.
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