PortMiami has set a record no other cruise port has touched: it welcomed its 10 millionth cruise passenger on September 14, with two weeks still left in its 2026 fiscal year. That smashes the previous annual record of 8,564,225 passengers, set just the year before, and cements Miami's status as the world's busiest cruise departure point.
The numbers behind the milestone are huge. Port officials say cruise activity contributes roughly $61 billion a year to the Miami-Dade County economy and supports more than 340,000 jobs across hotels, restaurants, transport and tour operators. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called the 10 million mark proof of the port's role as a global gateway, while Port Director and CEO Jonathan Daniels pointed to ongoing modernisation as the engine behind the growth.
And that growth isn't slowing. In January, the county and Royal Caribbean Group broke ground on a new Cruise Terminal G, a $345 million project due to open in late 2027. It's designed for up to 7,000 passengers and the largest ships at sea — including Royal Caribbean's Icon-class vessels — with a multilevel parking garage, an intermodal facility, faster passenger processing, and LEED-certified, energy-efficient design. The port has also been upgrading existing terminals to handle mega-ships and smoother embarkation.
For anyone booking a cruise, the record matters because Miami is the launch pad for some of the most popular itineraries in the business: eastern and western Caribbean routes plus quick Bahamas getaways, calling at Nassau, CocoCay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Jamaica, St. Thomas, St. Maarten and various cruise-line private islands. Ten new ships joined the port for the 2025–2026 season, so there's more choice than ever.
The other half of the appeal is what you do before or after sailing. Miami rewards a few extra days: the Art Deco buildings along Ocean Drive, the murals and galleries of Wynwood and the Design District, the waterfront Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, and the Latin American food scene that runs through the whole city. Families have the Frost Museum of Science and the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables — a century-old public swimming pool carved from a former limestone quarry. For culture, wander Calle Ocho in Little Havana with its cafes, music and famous domino park, or explore Little Haiti and the Venezuelan food scene in Doral. Neighbourhoods like South Beach, Mid Beach, MiMo and Coconut Grove all make easy pre-cruise bases near the port.
Who's this for? Pretty much anyone eyeing a Caribbean or Bahamas cruise — Miami offers the widest range of sailings, ships and price points of any port, and the city itself is now firmly part of the holiday rather than just a departure lounge. Expect busier terminals as volumes climb, but also faster check-in as the new infrastructure comes online. If you've been putting off a cruise holiday, there's never been a bigger, better-equipped gateway to start from.
