Don't know which one is bigger but I have found that I like Port Canaveral the best. I don't know if it is because Disney is in the port also, but it is always clean & well kept looking. Jacksonville was small but very nice. Carnival is the only ship going out of it. Parking was right in front of the ship in a fenced in yard area. Miami was the worst, dirty & pushy porters wanting tips. Telling us how much a bag & if we didn't want to pay it that we might not see our luggage again.
I have to ask why it matters since one is only there for an hour or so on the front end and probably less than that on the back end, assuming no problems develop.
I've only been to Miami, Canaveral, and Port Everglades (Lauderdale). It can really depend on the specific pier at the port. Some piers have better terminals than others, even within the larger port facility. For instance, RCI has better facilities at Miami than does Carnival. Disney is better than RCI at Port Canaveral.
The only thing I did not like about Port Canaveral was when we sailed from there, we were not VIP yet (5 years ago...no Platinum) and there was not anyone telling folks when to stand up and board. Everyone just stood up at once and made a break for it. It was mass chaos. Now as I said that was 5 years ago, so hopefully it has improved.
We loved Miami's new terminal with the VIP Check In.
We have not experienced Port Everglade yet....but will correct that oversight in November.
We found Ft. Lauderdale to be super convenient & very accessible. The parking garage was right across the street from the terminal and they did an excellent job of directing traffic. Easy in and out, helpful porters, and the terminal itself was fine. But then again, I suppose it all depends on where your ship is docked. There were 7 departures the day we sailed and there were ships "everywhere"! Nice sail-away venue.
Originally posted by "P":
Which Cruise Terminal is bigger and nicer in Florida? Miami, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, Port Canaveral or Jacksonville?
I've sailed out of Miami, Ft Lauderdale and Canaveral. I liked Canaveral the best, very clean very polite easy parking and all that. The drawback is the closest airport is Orlando and that means a long expensive cab ride or a large add on to air and cruise package. Ft Lauderdale was hugh, with a lot of commercial shipping mixed in, the terminal was nice and air fare to Ft L is better than Miami. However the Taxi service was horrible. Drivers did not want to pick you up unless they got the long drive to Miami. It was viscous getting a cab from the terminal if you were just going to a hotel. Miami was OK but not much to say either way. It was my first cruise and I was in so much awe of the ship I didn't look at the termianl really at all.
We sailed out of Tampa on July 20-27/08 and found the facility small and cramped especially in the upper area just off of the escalator, took forever for the line to move - especially when you have 150 people standing in line with no air conditioning, once you got through the screening and into the main part of the terminal things seemed to go a little faster, but as usual when someone is not prepared it holds everyone else up.As for the Miami terminal it was back in 1993 the last time i was there and even back then it was a nightmare - long lines and stairs to climb lol
I noticed the same thing last October in Tampa. Once you got through the screening it went fast. My friends were checked in before us, and we did the VIP check-in. They need to improve the parking situation as well in Tampa in my humble opinion.
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