Learn everything about PortMiami
Also known as ‘the cruise capital of the world’, PortMiami is where most cruises to the Caribbean depart. The main cruise companies have their own terminals and daily traffic is intense. In total, more than 20 companies and more than 80 ships travel to different tropical destinations in the region.
The Port of Miami is one of the most modern and largest in the world, receiving around 4 million passengers per year, in addition to being widely used for importing and exporting cargo.
In 2021, still under the influence of the pandemic, only 252 thousand cruise passengers passed through the Port of Miami, very little close to its capacity. To get an idea of the number of people that pass through the place, a ship like the Seashore, from MSC Cruises, has the capacity for more than 5,600 people in a single trip.
Where is the Port of Miami
PortMiami is located 7.5 miles from Miami Airport and 2 miles from Downtown Miami. Many people who are going on a cruise end up arriving in the city a day earlier and staying in the central region where there are several hotels and attractions, such as the Museum of Science, the American Airlines Arena, or the Bayside Marketplace, a pleasant open-air mall with a 175-feet-high ferris wheel.
Port of Miami Address: 1015 North America Way, Miami, Fl 33132.
How to get to the Port of Miami
Although there is on-site parking, with around 7,000 spaces, the best (and fastest) way to get to PortMiami, whether from the airport, Downtown, or elsewhere, is by booking a car service.
PortMiami Terminals
Many cruise lines have their own terminal at the Port of Miami. MSC Cruises, for example, is building a terminal that promises to be the largest in America, with the capacity to receive up to 36,000 passengers per day – delivery is scheduled for December 2023.
Anyone arriving by car or bus to the Port of Miami will stop directly at their departure terminal – there are 10 in total. And the whole process that follows is very similar to traveling by plane.
Return trip – disembark at the Port of Miami
If arriving at the ship requires a few hours and some processes, the departure is much easier and faster.
The guideline is for guests who have purchased the ship to register their credit card, linking it to the cruise card so that the accounts are automatically debited. Thus, when leaving the ship, it is usually only necessary to present the cruise card and the release would be automatic, without having to go through a check-out process similar to that of hotels.