By the Caribbean Journal staff

Carnival Cruise Line has received approval from the Miami-Dade Country Commission for what would be a significant expansion of its Cruise Terminal F at PortMiami.

The expanded (and renovated) cruise terminal would be capable of handling Carnival’s new “Excel-class” ship, which will be homeported in Miami in 2022. Another Carnival ship, the Mardi Gras, will also homeport in Miami at that terminal.

Carnival, which runs more cruises from Miami than any other cruise company, said the new terminal would also allow the line to bring its next LNG-fueled cruise ship to Miami.

Carnival’s network is focused on cruises to The Bahamas, the Caribbean and Mexico.

Terminal F will be Carnival’s third dedicated terminal at the port.

“We will move quickly on a plan to remodel and expand Terminal F so that it will accommodate the most innovative class of ship to join our fleet,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.  “Over the last several months, we have had very constructive discussions with PortMiami and Miami-Dade leaders about our plans for Miami and our goal to enhance and grow our capacity and operations in our hometown.”

Miami-based Berenblum Busch Architects has designed the project, which would include expedited embarkation in part through the use of facial recognition technology.

Carnival projects the renovated terminal to be completed by October 2022. The Excel ship will arrive later that year, according to the company.

It’s the latest in a wave of new terminal projects at PortMiami in the last year, from Virgin Voyages’ highly-anticipated terminal to expansions by Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and, most recently, a stunning design from MSC on its new terminal.

— CJ