Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) almost looked like its pre-COVID self on Saturday, November 6, with 6 cruise ships sailing with passengers onboard.
Port Everglades' CEO and Director Jonathan Daniels said that 6 of the 8 cruise terminals would be in use, so it was not the Port’s record and the vessels would not be filled to capacity, but it would be a sight to behold and was "a solid sign of recovery.” He added they had gone from 3 cruise ships starting up in June & July, to 20+ ships that would be sailing in November.
The cruise liners sailing on Saturday, November 6, include Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Edge, Princess Cruises’ Emerald Princess, Viking OCEAN’ Viking Star, Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam.
Port Everglades was the first homeport in the USA to restart cruise shipping services - on June 26 (with Celebrity Edge), after the industry was paused due to the COVID crisis.
The cruise industry traditionally accounts for ~40% of Port Everglades’ revenue.