For the first time in its history, more than 3 million multi-day cruise passengers sailed from Port Canaveral, contributing $40 million in cruise revenue during the fiscal year ending September 30, also a record as newer and larger cruise ships and 66 additional ship calls helped boost passenger totals. Cruise traffic rose 16.08 per percent with 3,100,199 passengers.
Overall, Port Canaveral’s total revenues surged dramatically to nearly $57.8 million, eclipsing the previous Port record of $51.2 in 2006 by 13 percent. “We emerged from dismal economic times financially strong and focused on the future, fully accepting our role and responsibility as one of the primary economic engines for the Space Coast,” said J. Stanley “Stan” Payne, CEO, Port Canaveral. “With a pipeline full of infrastructure projects, a strong balance sheet, a business strategy focusing on our strengths, we want this to be just the first in a string of record years.”
Focusing on cruise, Payne continued, “We began this year welcoming the new Disney Dream and we’ll end this year with Carnival’s expanded presence and the addition of the Carnival Ecstasy in November. The momentum will continue into 2012 with new ship arrivals and the opening of new Port facilities.” “As one of Brevard and Central Florida’s crucial economic engines, the success of the Port represents success for the community with business opportunities reaching beyond our cruise and cargo operations,” says Joe Matheny, Chairman of the Canaveral Port Authority.