Cruises from Fort Lauderdale: The Port Everglades Guide

Sailing from Fort Lauderdale: what to know

Port Everglades is Miami's quieter, slightly more grown-up sibling. The premium lines concentrate here, Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America run their Caribbean and Panama Canal programs from Fort Lauderdale, which tilts the port's passenger mix toward couples, retirees, and week-plus itineraries rather than the 3-night party runs. If your picture of cruising involves a balcony, a good book, and a specialty-dining reservation, this is your Florida port.

The logistics are the best in the industry: Fort Lauderdale's airport sits about ten minutes from the terminals, close enough that a 9 am landing comfortably makes a 4 pm sailing (still, don't tempt it in winter). The beach hotel strip along A1A makes the fly-in-early night easy, and cruise parking is simpler and cheaper than Miami's garages. For drive-market Floridians, I-95 practically ends at the gangway.

What sails from here is the deeper end of the itinerary pool: 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean staples, 10-plus-night Southern Caribbean loops that reach Aruba and Curacao, full Panama Canal transits, and the spring and fall transatlantic repositioning crossings that are cruising's best-kept value secret. Courtney matches travelers to the right line culture, Princess and Celebrity feel nothing alike, and stacks the onboard-credit promotions these lines rotate monthly. Free to you, paid by the lines.