Work begins on new Royal Caribbean flagship cruise terminal at PortMiami

Royal Caribbean Group has begun development of a new state-of-the-art cruise terminal in PortMiami, designed to accommodate its largest vessels, including the 7,000-passenger Icon-class ships.

The project involves the full removal of the former Terminal G, which will be replaced by a significantly expanded terminal facility serving Royal Caribbean International and its affiliated brands, including Celebrity Cruises and Silversea.

Once complete, the new terminal will more than triple annual passenger capacity from 600,000 to 2.1 million in a significant expansion of the cruise line’s key operational base in North America.

Designed to support the operational demands of next-generation cruise vessels, the terminal will also feature a nine-level parking garage with capacity for 2,148 vehicles and a dedicated ground-level transportation zone.

The Royal Caribbean terminal development is part of a broader long-term partnership between Royal Caribbean and Miami-Dade County.

Royal Caribbean currently operates from multiple terminals at PortMiami, including the purpose-built Terminal A, which was completed in 2018 and serves as the homeport for several Oasis-class vessels.

The addition of the new Terminal G will significantly expand the line’s presence at what is already one of the busiest cruise ports in the world.

Construction of the new terminal comes as Royal Caribbean continues to scale up deployment of its Icon-class ships. Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, entered service in 2024, and Star of the Seas is due to follow in 2025.

The expansion at PortMiami further reinforces South Florida’s position as a global hub for cruise tourism and a critical gateway for Caribbean and transatlantic itineraries. With the new Terminal G expected to open in the coming years, Royal Caribbean is positioning itself to handle increasing demand and growing passenger volumes well into the next decade.

The Terminal G redevelopment forms part of a broader wave of cruise infrastructure investment across Florida, as lines position themselves for post-pandemic growth and the arrival of larger vessels.

Port Everglades and Port Canaveral have both undertaken recent terminal expansions, while Carnival, MSC, and Norwegian are also advancing new-build or renovation projects at Florida ports.

These developments reflect sustained demand for Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries, as well as increased competition among homeports to attract year-round deployments from major brands.