Port Canaveral is pushing ahead with a plan to have another cruise facility in place, Cruise Terminal 4, in time for the 2026-27 season.

“It’s going to be different than any other terminal we’ve ever done,” said Captain John Murray, CEO.

“It’s going to be a Port Canaveral terminal as opposed to a terminal dedicated to any particular cruise line.

“The reason for that is that we don’t necessarily get the highest utilization out of a cruise line dominated terminal. If we control it ourselves, we get the highest utilization for that facility.”

Murray said if the terminal existed today, the port could fill it with business immediately.

“We’re at a point where we are turning away business,” he said, “and I don’t like turning away business.

“In the future we’ll be able to accommodate everyone with a new terminal. With six terminals now we’re running pretty tight.”

Terminal designs will be simplified in the future, Murray said, with guests spending less time than ever in the facilities. He also expects new technology developments for cruise line branding opportunities.

“If we have three or four different brands, we can make it their day,” he explained.

Port Canaveral is also adding 3,000 new parking spaces, which will be ready this coming October.

“We will have 16 homeported ships next season, with the addition of two new cruise lines: Princess and Celebrity,” Murray said.

“The reason we’re building 3,000 more spaces is that we’re in a drive-in market,” he continued. “Quite frequently we get a lot of cars from Texas, all the way to the east coast and up to Canada.”