Port of Palm Beach Plans $43 Million Cruise Terminal Upgrade

The Port of Palm Beach is in discussions with several cruise companies as it seeks additional business and upgrades its terminal to accommodate more vessels, Executive Director Michael Meekins said. The port in Riviera Beach, Florida, is pursuing a proposed $43 million improvement program covering its cruise terminal and berth.

The expansion follows priorities established in the port’s 2023 master plan, including facilities capable of handling longer ships and more passengers. Cruise operations currently use a single berth and a 40,000-square-foot passenger terminal.

Port commissioners have authorized competitive bidding for the capital project. No construction contract has yet been awarded.

Meekins told Cruise Industry News that the port is working with engineers and other specialists to determine the design. “The one thing you don’t want to do is take a good thing that you’ve worked very hard on making good and make a mistake,” he said.

What the $43 million would buy

The proposed marine work includes mooring dolphins to accommodate longer vessels and a replacement passenger boarding bridge. Meekins said the new bridge would offer a greater range of vertical movement, allowing the terminal to connect with different ships.

On the landside, the capital proposal calls for a parking garage, increased passenger-screening capacity and additional space for baggage handling. The improvements would make greater use of the port’s existing property, a roughly 165-acre site shared by cruise and cargo operations and more than 30 tenants and users.

Meekins also identified facial recognition technology, canopies, additional baggage drop-off points and parking improvements among the port’s priorities for this year. He said the berth and terminal changes are intended to keep Palm Beach able to participate in future cruise growth.

“Our goal is to bring more cruise passengers to Palm Beach County and the city of Riviera Beach, creating greater economic benefits to our community,” said Port Commission Chair Blair Ciklin.

Ciklin said expanded cruise offerings could encourage visitors to spend longer in the area and support restaurants and other businesses. Meekins also pointed to potential benefits for airport traffic, hotel stays and employment if the port can accommodate larger ships.

One ship, one berth

Margaritaville at Sea, the port’s largest client, operates Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, the only cruise ship homeported at Palm Beach. The vessel, which carries up to 1,680 passengers, has sailed year-round from Palm Beach since April 2022.

The line added four- and five-night Caribbean cruises to the ship’s program for 2026. Meekins said changes to the sailing schedule have affected passenger volumes; the port now handles more than a quarter of a million passengers annually.

Meekins said the port judges each cruise call on passenger service, including time spent in queues, congestion and the speed of arrival and departure. He cited the single-berth operation as helping limit crowding.

“The first thing you remember is your experience getting onto the ship and your last experience is leaving the ship,” he said, adding that problems at either stage can undermine the experience offered by the cruise line.

The expansion effort comes during the centenary of passenger service at Palm Beach. Mary Weems became the port’s first passenger ship on January 3, 1926, and made 13 voyages to New York during 1926 and 1927.