Port Tampa Bay Starts Work on Fourth Cruise Terminal for 2029

Updated August 6, 2026

Port Tampa Bay has begun restoring more than five acres at the former Metroport site for a new cruise terminal scheduled to open in 2029. The project will give the port a fourth cruise terminal and add room for over 200 extra ship calls a year. Annual cruise operations are expected to exceed 2 million passengers.

It will be Tampa's first newly built cruise terminal in more than a quarter-century. The preparation work also begins converting a Ybor Channel site into additional cruise capacity alongside Terminals 2, 3 and 6 in the Channel District.

"This project is about much more than adding another cruise terminal. It's an investment in the future of Port Tampa Bay and the economy of West Central Florida," said Paul Anderson, Port Tampa Bay president and CEO.

Anderson said the terminal is intended to support current cruise partners, draw new business and add jobs and tourism spending. The port estimates the project will generate about $100 million in additional annual economic impact once operating.

Port officials say requests for additional ship calls have been turned away because the three existing terminals are at capacity. The fourth terminal is meant to open room for more calls by ships that can already reach Tampa.

Site work begins at former Metroport

Kimmins Contracting Corporation is leading the initial preparation, which includes placing fill at the former Metroport area and moving stormwater systems that serve the site. That phase is expected to run through late 2026. A settlement period follows, allowing the filled land to stabilize before terminal and garage construction moves ahead.

The Metroport site sits at the north end of Ybor Channel and once handled banana shipments during the mid-20th century. The port has not released detailed design features for the terminal, including whether the site's history will be incorporated into the finished facility.

Expansion follows upgrades at existing terminals

Port Tampa Bay's current cruise business includes Caribbean itineraries from Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line, along with seasonal Celebrity Cruises sailings. Margaritaville at Sea and Oceania Cruises also sail from Tampa. Terminal 2 is used mainly by Carnival, Terminal 3 handles Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, and Terminal 6 serves Norwegian and Margaritaville at Sea.

The port recorded a record 1.66 million cruise passengers in 2025. It projects about 1.8 million passengers and 394 ship calls in 2026, which would set new records for both measures.

The port has installed three new enclosed boarding bridges: two at Cruise Terminal 2 and one at Cruise Terminal 6. The bridges replaced older equipment and include climate control, self-adjusting technology, stabilization systems, real-time monitoring and upgraded load-management capabilities. The cruise terminal is also part of broader port development plans that include additional cargo berths, warehouses and channel-deepening work.

Design work and tenant details are still pending

HDR, working with BEA Architects, has been selected to design the cruise terminal and the adjoining parking garage. BEA's previous cruise-terminal work includes projects in Miami, a Disney Cruise Line terminal at Port Canaveral and Barcelona's Cruise Terminal B.

Port Tampa Bay has not identified which cruise lines or ships will use the new terminal. The port's location behind the Sunshine Skyway Bridge keeps the newest mega-ships out, so the new facility will add capacity for existing ship sizes rather than accommodate larger vessels. Initial renderings are expected in the coming months.

See cruises departing Tampa on Cruise Lookup.