New Cruise Terminals Coming Your Way in 2019 and Beyond

The future looks bright for cruisers, with plenty of new and interesting cruise ports in the works.

Magic in Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is expecting a new cruise terminal to open this summer. Puerto Mágico will be located on Pier 1 and is hoping to make Puerto Vallarta more competitive worldwide as a port destination. The terminal is coming at a time when the Puerto Vallarta Cruise Port recognizes their need to strengthen the identity of their ports and focus on the experience they can create for travelers. Their plans include a 30,000-foot welcome center, shops selling local products and a new aquarium.

Royal Caribbean is making moves in Galveston

Royal Caribbean’s new terminal won’t debut until 2021, but the plans are already pretty solid. The cruise lines says in the last 15 years, they’ve brought more than 2.4 million travelers to Galveston that drove an economic impact of $65 million per year, so their plans for investment in the area is most likely seen as a great commitment to the community.

The new terminal will be located in Pier 10, the southeast section of the port, take up 10 acres of land and cover approximately 200,000 square feet.

Norwegian expands in Alaska

Expected in summer 2020, Norwegian Cruise Line’s second cruise pier in Icy Strait Point in Alaska will bring even more cruise passengers to experience Hoonah, Alaska’s largest Native Tlingit village. The destination is only open when there’s a ship in port, and there’s plenty to do when it is, including visit restaurants, shop at one of the 100% Alaska-owned retail shops, tour the restored Alaska salmon cannery and book an authentic Alaska excursion. An exciting development in an already-exciting destination.

Carnival in Canaveral

Also debuting in 2020 is Carnival Cruise Line’s state-of-the-art terminal in Port Canaveral. The port will be built especially to accommodate Carnival’s 180,000 ship (the line’s largest and still unnamed), which will be the first North American-based cruise ship to be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Port Canaveral is one of Carnival’s most popular homeports, so their plans will definitely make the Carnival cruise experience even better.

PortMiami welcomes Virgin Voyages

The world’s busiest cruise port is about to welcome a new tenant. Virgin Voyages will be building a new cruise terminal in PortMiami, with an expected completion date of November 2021. The terminal will be just as modern and fun as the Virgin brand, inspired by Miami Beach’s palm trees with lush landscaping and an open, natural feel.

New port in Puerto Plata

The director of the Dominican Port Authority, Víctor Gómez Casanova recently announced a $125 million investment to build a cruise port in the Puerto Plata port. He said the port is expected to be ready in 2020 and will be able to handle 280,000 cruise passengers. He also said that five cruise lines have already confirmed operations at the new port. This will be a welcome addition to the destination, since there is only one cruise port there right now: Carnival’s Amber Cove, located just outside of Puerto Plata.

Obviously we can’t cover every cruise port that’s opening – do you know of any? Share them in the comments below.