Carnival Cruise Line is progressing on the project of transforming PortMiami’s Cruise Terminal F in its largest cruise terminal in North America.
Set to open in November, the facility is being redesigned and expanded in order to serve as the homeport of Carnival’s second Excel-class ship, the Carnival Celebration.
According to Christine Duff, Carnival Cruise Line’s President, the new terminal will be ready in time for the ship’s inaugural festivities.
“We are very excited that we’ll be opening the redesigned Terminal F for Carnival Celebration’s naming ceremony,” she said during a press conference in Miami in late April.
“It’s a great way to celebrate Carnival,” Duffy added, mentioning the cruise line’s 50th anniversary festivities.
According to her, like the new Carnival Celebration, the redesigned terminal will also get memorabilia from past Carnival ships.
Also celebrating the company’s milestone anniversary, the newbuild will feature the Golden Jubilee, a lounge and entertainment area equipped with items and art pieces retrieved from the line’s retired ships, including the recently recycled Fantasy-class vessels.
When completed, Terminal F will become the third cruise terminal dedicated to Carnival operations at PortMiami.
As part of the renovations, the facility is receiving facial recognition technology and other elements which will be used to move guests through the embarkation process.
Originally signed in September 2019, the expansion agreement includes a commitment by Carnival to keep ships at Terminal F for 20 years, with the option of two additional seven-year extensions.
The LNG-powered Carnival Celebration is currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.
After being delivered later this year, the 183,900-ton cruise ship will become Carnival’s largest vessel, along with its sister ship, the 2020-built Mardi Gras.
Following a transatlantic crossing, the 5,200-guest ship is set to launch service from Miami on Nov. 21, kicking off a year-round program of weeklong Caribbean itineraries.
