Departure ports, measured on the ground
The questions people search the night before a cruise: where to park, how early to arrive, which terminal, which hotel has a shuttle. Every timing below was walked by our ports writer rather than copied from a cruise line FAQ.
Miami, Florida
PortMiami
PortMiami is the busiest cruise port in the world, handling more than seven million passengers a year across seven terminals on Dodge Island.
- Airport transfer
- 15 minutes from MIA
- Lines based here
- 9
Cape Canaveral, Florida
Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral is Florida's second-busiest cruise port, on the Space Coast 50 minutes east of Orlando, and the main departure point for short Bahamas sailings.
- Airport transfer
- 50 minutes from MCO
- Lines based here
- 5
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Port Everglades
Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale is one of the world's three busiest cruise ports and has the shortest airport-to-terminal transfer of any major cruise port.
- Airport transfer
- 10 minutes from FLL
- Lines based here
- 8
Galveston, Texas
Port of Galveston
The Port of Galveston is the fourth-busiest US cruise port and the main departure point for the Western Caribbean from Texas, an hour southeast of Houston.
- Airport transfer
- 70 minutes from HOU
- Lines based here
- 5
Seattle, Washington
Port of Seattle
Seattle is the busiest Alaska cruise home port, operating two terminals at Pier 66 and Pier 91 between late April and late September.
- Airport transfer
- 30 minutes from SEA
- Lines based here
- 7
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada Place
Canada Place in downtown Vancouver is the main departure point for one-way northbound Alaska cruises and the gateway for Denali cruisetours.
- Airport transfer
- 35 minutes from YVR
- Lines based here
- 8
San Pedro, California
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles at San Pedro is the main West Coast cruise terminal, serving Mexican Riviera, Hawaii and Panama Canal itineraries, alongside the separate Carnival terminal at Long Beach.
- Airport transfer
- 45 minutes from LAX
- Lines based here
- 7
New York, New York
New York Cruise Terminals
New York cruises depart from three separate terminals: Manhattan Cruise Terminal, Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey.
- Airport transfer
- 30 minutes from EWR
- Lines based here
- 9
San Diego, California
Port of San Diego
The Port of San Diego's B Street Pier sits in downtown San Diego, ten minutes from the airport, serving Mexican Riviera, Baja and repositioning itineraries.
- Airport transfer
- 10 minutes from SAN
- Lines based here
- 7
New Orleans, Louisiana
Port of New Orleans
The Port of New Orleans operates two Mississippi River cruise terminals within walking distance of the Warehouse District, serving Western Caribbean itineraries.
- Airport transfer
- 30 minutes from MSY
- Lines based here
- 4
Port questions, answered
Which US cruise port is the easiest to use?
Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades, whose airport sits ten minutes from the terminals, the shortest transfer of any major cruise port in the world. San Diego is the West Coast equivalent, with a downtown terminal ten minutes from its airport. Miami is the busiest and the most demanding of planning.
Which cruise port has the cheapest parking?
Galveston, at $12 to $20 per day across official and offsite lots, the lowest of any major US cruise port. Port Canaveral follows at $17 to $20 official. Seattle is the most expensive at $32 to $45 per day, where flying in and using rideshare usually beats driving.
How early should you arrive at a cruise terminal?
Within the boarding window assigned at online check-in, ideally about 15 minutes into it. Arriving hours early means queueing outside, since major ports enforce staggered arrival. The lever that boards you early is completing online check-in the day it opens, which allocates the first windows.