New Terminals Approved for Carnival and Virgin at PortMiami

Cruise terminal developments continue at PortMiami with Carnival Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages gaining approvals.

Carnival Cruise Line received approval for the complete renovation and major expansion of Cruise Terminal F this week. The terminal expansion is expected to be complete for Carnival's 50th anniversary in 2022.

The project will enable the yet-to-be-named LNG-fuelled sister ship of Mardi Gras to be homeported in Miami when she is delivered in 2022. Mardi Gras, the first Carnival Excel class ship for the line, will be delivered in August 2020 and be homeported at Port Canaveral after inaugural sailings from Europe and New York.

The terminal will have a simple and open design, created by Berenblum Busch Architects, and will maximize the use of facial recognition technology to move guests efficiently through the embarkation process.

Terminal F will become Carnival's largest terminal in North America and its third dedicated terminal at PortMiami. The agreement includes a commitment by Carnival to keep ships at Terminal F for 20 years, with the option of two additional seven-year extensions.

Carnival Cruise Line is the largest cruise operator in Miami with more year-round ships sailing from PortMiami than any other cruise line. The line currently has three new ships scheduled for delivery – Carnival Panorama in 2019, Mardi Gras in 2020 and an as-yet-unnamed ship in 2022. 

Meanwhile, Virgin Voyages will rename Terminal H to Terminal V as part of a $150 million development that received final approval this week. The line’s first ship Scarlet Lady will sail from PortMiami in April 2020.

The passenger terminal's design is inspired by the form of the royal palm tree, and it was created by Miami-based architecture firm Arquitectonica. The two-story terminal’s rooftop is designed to resemble a palm tree grove, with pockets that allow natural light to flow into the building by day. It will have spotlight beams to light up the Virgin Voyages logo and the Miami sky at night. 

MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line also have terminal developments underway at the port.