Getting ashore
Fort Lauderdale is usually a dock stop.
Most ships dock at Fort Lauderdale, which usually makes the day simpler: walk off the ship, meet your tour, and get back on board without tender queues.
United States
Cruises from Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale is a major embarkation gateway with substantial cruise traffic, typically mid-size ships, and departures throughout the year, but concentrated in December through March.
Usually docks
Often busy
Cruises start or end here
Mid-size ships
What to expect in Fort Lauderdale
How much time will you have?
About 9h is typical
Most cruises spend 5h to 9h in Fort Lauderdale, which makes it a solid port day compared with many stops.
How busy does Fort Lauderdale get?
Expect other ships to be in port.
Multiple ships overlap very often (70% of days), with around 15,442 cruise passengers on a typical day.
- Typical day: ~15,450 passengers
- Busy day: 44,300+ passengers
- Multiple ships on 70% of days
When to cruise from Fort Lauderdale
Cruises depart throughout the year, with the busiest season from December through March.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Departures
133
99
105
87
33
29
33
33
31
5
106
115
Price/night
$131
$136
$148
$147
$165
$190
$190
$164
$152
$92
$111
$123
↑
Priciest
↑
Cheapest
Check your date
October 2026
Jump
Better value
Pricier
Sailings
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Where Fort Lauderdale fits into a cruise
Cruises from Fort Lauderdale most commonly head into Bahamas itineraries, often starting with Nassau and Key West .
Commonly arrives from
Fort Lauderdale
Commonly continues to
Who sails here?
Ships visiting Fort Lauderdale typically carry around 3,046 guests, with Celebrity Reflection, Jewel of the Seas, and Disney Destiny calling most often.
Most frequently visiting ships
- 1 Celebrity Reflection 90 calls
- 2 Jewel of the Seas 78 calls
- 3 Disney Destiny 75 calls
- 4 Star Princess 67 calls
- 5 Regal Princess 64 calls
- 6 Sun Princess 57 calls
Next port calls
Oct 31 Regal Princess · Rotterdam · Eurodam · Star Princess
Nov 2 Celebrity Reflection · Disney Destiny · Disney Dream
Nov 3 Viking Mars
Nov 6 Celebrity Reflection · Sapphire Princess · Disney Dream
Nov 7 Legend of the Seas · Celebrity Silhouette · Star Princess · Disney Destiny