Port Tampa Bay surpassed the million cruise passenger mark for the first time ever this past weekend when three ships were in port.

“This is fantastic moment for Port Tampa Bay and our cruise line partners,” said Port Tampa Bay President/CEO Paul Anderson. “This milestone shows that Tampa is truly a world class destination for cruise passengers.”

As the year winds down, Port Tampa Bay announced it is celebrating several cruise records and cruise business developments.

Earlier this year, Port Tampa Bay saw two all-time record cruise passenger weekends, the highest traffic weekend being Easter weekend: March 31 – April 1 when 29,167 passengers were in and out of the port on multiple cruise calls 

Additionally, Carnival Cruise Line added 20 more cruises to Cuba on the Carnival Paradise. The company is doubling its capacity in Tampa with the addition of the Carnival Miracle’s year-long program of seven-day cruises. 

Royal Caribbean also put a larger ship in Tampa, the Majesty of the Seas, with cruises to Cuba to accommodate a strong customer demand, the port said.