Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale), Florida Cruise Ship Port Guide

Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale is the fourth busiest cruise port in the world, with Caribbean and Bahamas sailings leaving from a handful of numbered terminals. It sits 1.8 miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport, so landing and boarding the same day works, and every terminal has free Wi-Fi, seating and snack machines.

Port Everglades sits roughly 23 miles north of Miami, covered in our PortMiami cruise ship port guide, and about 215 miles south of Orlando, which you’ll find in our Port Canaveral cruise ship port guide, with West Palm Beach another 48 miles up the coast.

Florida’s other departure points are all covered in our guide to Florida’s cruise ship ports. Carnival Corporation & plc, Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Group all sail from here, and in the most recent fiscal year the port handled 4,773,873 passengers, up 16 percent on the year before.

Add a cruise business worth around $48.3 billion to the wider economy and almost 300,000 jobs across Florida, and mornings with two or three ships docked together stop being unusual and start being just another day at the port.

With FLL this close, plenty of people sailing out of Fort Lauderdale build in a few hours to see a bit of the city before a flight home, rather than camping out in the departure lounge.

Port Everglades cruise terminal address

The Port Everglades Administration building is at 1850 Eller Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316, and that’s the address your sat nav or rideshare app will recognise for the port as a whole. Each terminal has its own entrance too: Terminal 2 is at 1801 SE 20th Street, Terminal 29 is at 2200 SE 35th Street, so check your terminal number on your boarding pass or e-ticket before you set off.

Which cruise terminal will you use at Port Everglades?

Which terminal you get depends on your cruise line, and it can shift from one season to the next as berthing deals get renegotiated, so don’t treat any of it as fixed until you’ve checked closer to your sailing date. The Port Everglades website or your own boarding documents will have the final word, since Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Carnival and the rest can all move terminal from one year to the next.

Terminal 19 is the one exception here, with different lists giving it to either Carnival or Holland America. Your booking confirmation or your cruise line’s app will confirm the exact terminal a few weeks before departure, and that beats anything printed anywhere else.

Cruises to and from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

Cruises from Port Everglades are run by some of the biggest names in the business, and Carnival Corporation, Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Group between them fill most of the terminals here. Royal Caribbean Group’s brands have preferential berthing rights at the refurbished Terminal 25 for several more years, the payoff from a multi-year renovation project.

Whichever line you’re sailing with, cruises from Fort Lauderdale mostly leave in the afternoon or early evening, so check-in around midday can get crowded when a few ships are all boarding at once.

Directions to Port Everglades cruise terminal

Port Everglades has three main entrances, and the one you want depends on which direction you’re driving in from.

• From the north or south on I-95 or Florida’s Turnpike, come off onto I-595 East, which turns into Eller Drive and runs straight to the terminals.
• From US 1 (Federal Highway), turn onto East State Road 84.
• Coming from the beach side or SE 17th Street, use the Eisenhower Boulevard entrance.

If you’re coming from the west, I-75 gets you in directly without threading through central Fort Lauderdale. Whichever entrance you use, everyone aged 18 or over needs a government-issued photo ID, a driving licence or passport will do, to get through the security checkpoint, and any weapons have to stay off site rather than locked in the car.

Best ways to reach Fort Lauderdale cruise port

Port Everglades is the only cruise port in the US built this close to a major airport, so flying in and sailing the same day actually works here, not just on paper.

• Fly in and cruise same day: Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is about 1.8 miles from the terminals, roughly a 10-minute drive, though give yourself at least 45 minutes between landing and your scheduled check-in time rather than cutting it fine.
• Taxi or rideshare: Taxis and rideshares wait at the airport and most hotels, and if you’ve got questions when you land, the ground transportation booth on the lower level of each terminal can help.
• Limousines, sedans and vans: Book one ahead and it’ll run straight to your terminal.
• Public transport: Broward County Transit (BCT) buses and Tri-Rail’s regional trains both serve the area, and Brightline’s faster rail connects in too.
• Rental car: Drive yourself down, drop off nearby before you sail, or arrange a one-way return once your cruise ends.

Car hire at Port Everglades

If you need a hire car around your cruise, you’ve got two real options: a rental desk at FLL airport, or one of the firms licensed to operate right at the port.

None of the firms at the port actually sit inside FLL airport, so if convenience matters more to you than a short extra drive, picking up at the airport the day before or after your cruise is usually simpler.

What to do in Fort Lauderdale after your cruise, before a flight

With FLL this close, you don’t have to sit in the airport for hours after you disembark. A few options work fine even if you’re still dragging your cases around.

• Fort Lauderdale Beach, about 2.5 miles from the port, for swimming, sunbathing or a walk along the sand.
• 15th Street Fisheries, a 2-mile drive away, for fresh seafood with marina views, including the chance to feed tarpon from the dock.
• Everglades Holiday Park, roughly 30 minutes from the port, for an airboat ride through the Everglades and a close look at alligators and native birdlife.
• Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, about 4 miles away, for mangrove canals, hiking trails and kayak, canoe or paddleboard rentals.
• A water taxi tour along Fort Lauderdale’s waterways, passing mansions, marinas and waterfront cafes such as Coconuts.

Pack a bottle of reef safe sunscreen if the beach’s on your list; Florida sun catches out plenty of UK travellers even under grey skies.

For the state park’s trails, a decent pair of walking shoes makes far more sense than sandals.

If your flight isn’t until evening, look at hotels with their own shuttle: Hyatt Place is less than a mile from the Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises terminals, and Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina on SE 17th Street runs its own transfers to and from the port.

Candlewood Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport/Cruise, about 2 miles away, charges for its shuttle, while the nearby Courtyard Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port throws in free transfers, so check before you book if that makes a difference to you.

Common Questions

Is Port Everglades the same as the Fort Lauderdale cruise port?

Port Everglades is the official name for Fort Lauderdale’s cruise complex, and cruise lines and travellers use both names for the same place.

How do I know which terminal my ship uses?

Your cruise line’s booking confirmation or e-ticket will confirm it closer to your sailing date, since Port Everglades’ terminal assignments can shift season to season.

Is Wi-Fi available at the cruise terminals?

Every terminal has free Wi-Fi, along with snack and drink machines, restrooms and comfortable seating, some of it next to artwork by local and internationally known artists.

What ID do I need to enter the port?

Anyone aged 18 or over needs a government-issued photo ID, a driving licence or passport both work, to get through the security checkpoint before you’re let in.

Can I bring a firearm to the port in my car?

Weapons of any kind need to be stored off site before you arrive, even if you’d normally just leave them locked in the car.

How far is Port Everglades from Miami?

It’s about 23 miles south to the Port of Miami, usually a 30 to 40 minute drive depending on traffic.

Is there help with transport if I need it on arrival?

Each terminal has a ground transportation booth on its lower level to help with taxi, shuttle and transfer questions.

Can I fly in and cruise the same day?

FLL is around 1.8 miles from the terminals, so it mostly works, but build in more of a buffer than the 45-minute minimum Broward County suggests, in case of delays.

Why Trust About2Cruise

The terminal, access and passenger numbers here come from Port Everglades’ own published information, checked against other reporting before anything went live. Terminal 19 is the one place that didn’t line up, with different lists giving it to either Carnival or Holland America, so we’ve flagged it rather than guess, because pinning your route to the wrong pier wastes real time on turnaround day. You can find out more about how we research and fact-check our port guides on our about us page.