Broward County’s Port Everglades announced that negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to set a new long-term business agreement with Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL). The agreement will include customized renovations of the Port’s Cruise Terminal 25, targeted for completion by October 31, 2018.
“We value the company’s partnership and confidence to bring the newest ships from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises to Port Everglades” said Port Everglades Chief Executive, Steven Cernak.
RCL announced that its newest Celebrity Cruises ship Celebrity Edge will homeport in Port Everglades, beginning in the fall of 2018. Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, the newest Oasis class ship, began sailing from Port Everglades in November 2016.
The MOU will allow negotiations to move forward toward a final agreement, that must be approved by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners. RCL’s current agreement expires on December 31, 2017. The new agreement will be effective on January 2018, until September 2026, with options to extend the agreement for four years, followed by another five years.
Located in the second largest county in Florida, Broward County’s Port Everglades is ranked as one of the three busiest cruise ports in the world, with more than 3.8 million passengers in 2016. Ten cruise lines, one ferry service and more than 40 cruise ships sail from the South Florida seaport.
Recently, RCL, together with Miami-Dade County, broke ground for the new cutting edge cruise at PortMiami’s Terminal A, that will be an addition to PortMiami, serving as homeport to several Royal Caribbean International ships.
Source & Image credit: Port Everglades
