Thread: Expansion still planned

From a stsory in Florida Today, the local paper for the area that includes Port Canaveral:

The cruise industry is going in two different directions: big ships for the masses and small ships for the wealthy.

Port Canaveral -- already one of the world's busiest cruise ports -- is mainly setting its sights on the big ships, with a $40 million-plus plan to widen the port's western turning basin and shipping channel to make room for the behemoths of the future.

The Canaveral Port Authority hopes to get federal money to pay for most of the project, which may not start for three or four years.

Brevard County's seaport could serve both ends of the spectrum.

"We have been exploring the possibility of accommodating the mega-cruise ships for some time now," Canaveral Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Stan Payne said. "We continue to make inquiries about the Genesis-class."

In addition, "we continue to market Port Canaveral in support of broadening the cruise product in Port Canaveral," Payne said. "Our south side cruise terminals" -- the port's small passenger terminals near Jetty Park -- "are suited to catering to smaller, high-end cruise ships."

Last May, we pointed out the following, which STILL appears on the port's website (emphasis mine):


Port Canaveral is home to some of the finest cruise terminals in the world. Six cruise terminals are in operation, and two more are on the drawing board.