Special Report

RITA Bureau of Transportation Statistics

January 2010

U.S. Ocean Passenger Terminals: serving larger vessels 

closer to home and central transit connections

by Matthew Chambers

SR-019

The ocean passenger industry has undergone substantial changes in recent years. In response to market conditions, passenger vessel operators are deploying larger 

vessels, cutting fares, changing destinations, and embarking from seaports closer to travelers in major metropolitan 

areas. In the United States, many new and renovated 

ocean passenger terminals have opened in port cities along 

the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, as well as across the Gulf 

coast, to help accommodate these changes. 

Since 2004, the number of passenger vessel cruises have 

decreased (table 1), yet larger vessels helped maintain 

passenger levels—growing by about a half million (5.3 

percent) over the 2004 to 2008 5-year period. The 9.9 million passengers in 2008 was up from 9.4 million in 2004, 

but down from the record high of 10.3 million-passengers in 

2007. 

Larger Vessels

Regardless of whether measured in terms of staterooms, 

gross tonnage, or passengers, average vessel size has 

increased. Passenger vessel operators have opted to 

deploy their new, larger vessels in the U.S. market, while 

concurrently relocating smaller existing vessels overseas. 

During retrofits, lines have even lengthened the hulls of 

existing vessels serving the U.S. market, thus increasing 

the number of berths and passenger capacities. Table 2 

reveals how much the average nominal1 and maximum2

passenger capacity has increased between 2004 and 2008 

due to these changes.

Passenger vessel operators discount fares to fully book 

ships. From 2004 through 2008, prices for passenger water 

transportation remained about 20 percent below their 2000 

level, after a precipitous drop following 2000 (table 3). 

Today’s passenger vessels are the largest passenger 

vessels ever to sail. For example, Royal Caribbean Oasis 

of the Seas, launched in November 2009, can carry more 

than 6,000 passengers and grosses 220,000 tons.3 A sister 

ship is planned for completion in 2010. 

1

 Nominal capacity considers two passengers per stateroom. 

2

 Maximum capacity considers three or four people passengers per 

stateroom, which many double staterooms can accommodate.

3

 Jan M. Olsen, “Largest Cruise Ship Squeezes Under Danish Bridge”, 

The Washington Post, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009.

Table 1: Passenger Vessel Cruises and Passengers 

Departing From U.S. Departure Ports, 

2004–2008

Cruises 

Percent 

change* Passengers

Percent 

change*

2004 4,465 9,418,317

2005 4,463 0.00% 9,747,188 3.49%

2006 4,435 -0.60% 9,970,922 2.30%

2007 4,464 0.60% 10,288,583 3.19%

2008 4,212 -5.60% 9,914,755 -3.63%

* From previous year.

SOURCES: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

calculations derived from U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime 

Administration, Office of Policy and Plans, Cruise Detail Table (Updated 

07/07/09), available at http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/north_

america_cruise_detail_data.xls as of Sept. 1, 2009.

Table 2: Passenger Vessel Average Nominal 

and Maximum Capacity Departing From U.S. 

Departure Ports, 2004–2008 

Year

Average nominal 

capacity

Average maximum 

capacity

2004 1,939 2,428

2005 1,991 2,487

2006 2,049 2,559

2007 2,095 2,624

2008 2,131 2,672

SOURCES: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

calculations derived from U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime 

Administration, Office of Policy and Plans, Cruise Detail Table (Updated 

07/07/09), available at http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/north_

america_cruise_detail_data.xls as of Sept. 1, 2009.
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These larger passenger vessels have put substantial 

demands on critical infrastructure, ground transportation, 

passenger screening, and landside access at the ocean 

passenger terminals and surrounding seaports. Carrying 

thousands of crewmembers and passengers, ships require 

seaports to handle hundreds of buses, cars, trucks, and 

motorcycles as passengers arrive and depart, vendors 

bring in needed supplies, and haulers remove trash. 

Closer to Home

Passenger vessels have traditionally operated from U.S. 

departure ports4 located in warm climates because they are 

more conducive to year-round operations. Today, however, 

a number of operators have expanded their locations to include cooler climates. Figure 1 shows that departure ports 

are spread out along the Nation’s coastline. Cruise lines 

save vacationers transportation costs and travel times by 

serving additional departure ports located within or close to 

major metropolitan areas and their large population bases 

(e.g., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Norfolk, and 

Seattle). In those locations, ships sail during the summer 

months, although a few year-round operations from more 

northerly ports are available. In addition, during the cold 

winter months, passenger vessels relocate from the North 

American to the European market where fares are higher.5

4

 Departure ports are where ships take on passengers at the beginning 

(and disembark or discharge at the end) of voyages. 

5

 U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration; Cruise 

Statistical Snapshot: 2nd Quarter 2009; available at http://www.marad.dot.

gov/ as of Oct. 14, 2009.

Table 3: Passenger Water Transportation 

Services, 2004–2008 

Annual Percent 

Growth in Prices

Chain-Type Price Indexes

(Index: 2000=100)

2004 -1.5 80.2

2005 1.3 81.2

2006 0.3 81.4

2007 -0.1 81.3

2008 -1.9 79.8

SOURCE: Griffith, Eric S. and Steven L. Zemanek; U.S. Travel and 

Tourism Satellite Accounts for 2005-2008, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, available at http://www.bea.gov 

as of July 9, 2009.

Figure 1: U.S. Ocean Passenger Counts by Departure Port, 2008

Norfolk

Charleston

New Orleans

Houston

Galveston

Gulfport Mobile Jacksonville

Port Canaveral

West Palm

Beach

Port Everglades

Miami

Tampa

Boston

Norfolk

Baltimore

New York

Philadelphia

Long Beach

Los Angeles

San Francisco

Seattle

San Diego

Anchorage

Seward Whittier

Honolulu

St. Thomas

San Juan

NOTE: Departure Ports Anchorage, Gulfport, and West Palm Beach had a value of 0 passengers

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Office of Policy and Plans, Cruise Detail Table

(Updated 07/07/09), available at http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/north_america_cruise_detail_data.xls

as of September 1, 2009.

Passengers by Departure Port, 2008

±

500,001 - 2,115,119

380,001 - 500,000

85,001 - 380,000

20,001 - 85,000

1 - 20,000

0

NOTE: In 2008, the Anchorage, Gulfport, and West Palm Beach departure ports did not record any cruise ship departures. 

Maps are not to scale, but all legends are directly comparable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Office of Policy and Plans, Cruise Detail Table (Updated 07/07/09), available at http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/north_america_cruise_detail_data.xls as of Sept. 1, 2009.
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Florida is home to the Nation’s three largest and most 

popular departure ports.6 These top three U.S. departure 

ports (Miami, Port Canaveral, and Fort Lauderdale), which 

account for about 45 percent of ocean passengers.7 Many 

passenger vessel operators prefer to sail their cruise ships 

from departure ports in Florida, where the temperate climate supports year-round operations. 

Figure 2 shows scheduled passenger vessel destinations 

by departure port. Northerly departure ports also allow 

cruise lines to offer many different destinations while maintaining passenger-preferred cruise durations. More specifically, they allow operators to offer 2- to 5-day long cruises, 

which is the fastest growing cruise choice when measured 

by duration.8 The average cruise is 7.2 days.9

6

 U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration; Cruise 

Statistical Snapshot: 2nd Quarter 2009; available at http://www.marad.dot.

gov/ as of Oct. 14, 2009.

7

 Ibid.

8

 Cruise Line International Association, 2008 CLIA Cruise Market 

Overview: Statistical Cruise Industry Data Through 2007, available at 

http://www.cruising.org/ as of July 31, 2009. 

9

 Business Research and Economic Advisors Study prepared for 

the Cruise Lines International Association; Executive Summary: The 

Contribution of the North American Cruise Industry to the U.S Economy in 

Passenger Terminal Operations 

State and local governments, economic development 

corporations, and port authorities own and operate marine 

passenger terminals. These entities can manage anywhere 

from 1 to 11 passenger vessel terminals, each of which 

can process passengers from one or more vessels. Many 

of these entities have recently opened new terminals or 

revamped existing terminals to accommodate new larger 

vessels, additional security regulations, and other passenger and operators demands. 

In response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, the U.S. 

Coast Guard implemented the Maritime Transportation 

Security Act of 2002,10 which aligns federal regulations 

with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. 

These regulations require passenger vessel owners and/

or operators to screen all passengers and baggage. In 

turn, these requirements call for passenger terminals to 

house metal detectors and x-ray machines. Passenger 

vessel terminals must process thousands of embarking and 

2007; available at http://www.cruising.org as of Sept. 25, 2009.

10 U.S. Department of Homeland Security; U.S. Coast Guard; International 

Port Security Program, available at http://homeport.uscg.mil/ as of July 29, 

2009.

Figure 2: Passenger Vessel Destination by U.S. Departure Port, 2008

Tampa

Miami

Mobile

Norfolk

Houston

Gulfport

Galveston

Baltimore

Charleston

New Orleans

Jacksonville Port Canaveral

West Palm

Beach

Port Everglades

Boston

Norfolk

New York

Baltimore

Philadelphia

Seattle

San Diego

San Francisco

Long Beach

Los Angeles

Seward

Seattle

Whittier

Anchorage

Honolulu

San Juan St. Thomas

NOTE: In 2008, the Departure Ports Anchorage, Gulfport, and West Palm Beach had a value of 0 passengers.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Office of Policy and Plans, Cruise Detail Table

(Updated 07/07/09), available at http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/north_america_cruise_detail_data.xls

as of September 1, 2009.

Destinations (East Coast)

Destinations (West Coast)

±

Nowhere

South America/Trans-Panama Canal

Alaska

Hawaii/Pac Coast/Sou Pacific/Mexico

Transatlantic

Canada/New England

Caribbean

Bermuda/Bahamas

NOTE: In 2008, the Anchorage, Gulfport, and West Palm Beach departure ports did not record any cruise ship departures. 

Maps are not to scale, but all legends are directly comparable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Office of Policy and Plans, Cruise Detail Table (Updated 

07/07/09), available at http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/north_america_cruise_detail_data.xls as of Sept. 1, 2009.
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disembarking passengers in the span of a few short hours 

through customs, luggage handling, ticketing, and passenger screening. In addition, cruise terminals may accommodate eateries, retail shopping, travel services, and vending. 

A terminal building may serve several cruise lines or 

provide dedicated service to a single cruise line. Figure 3 

shows the market share of the passenger vessel operators 

sailing from the departure ports. Passenger vessel operators through public-private partnerships (PPPs) may help 

offset terminal development and operating costs. Otherwise, passenger terminal operators may collect cruise passenger fees and/or taxes, which range from $4 to $50.11

Connecting to Downtown

In many cities, passenger vessel terminals have been 

relocated from the cargo handling areas of the port to new 

terminals in or near the city center. This not only improves 

passengers’ access to the cruise ships, but these terminals 

return cargo handling facilities, which had been used for 

11 Ross A. Klein, Playing off the Ports: BC and the Cruise Tourism Industry, 

Vancouver: Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives, available at http://

www.policyalternatives.ca as of July 29, 2009.

passenger automobile parking and berth space for the passenger liners, to industrial use. 

Below are a few recent examples of this trend:

• In 2009 the Port of Seattle opened the Smith Cove 

Terminal, located at Pier 91 near the city’s central business district, in place of a temporary terminal at Pier 

3012. 

• A new passenger vessel terminal opened in the Red 

Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, in 2006.13

• Norfolk, Virginia opened a new downtown terminal in 

2007.14

12 Port of Seattle, Port of Seattle Kicks off 2009 Cruise Season, available 

at http://www.portseattle.org/ as of July 29, 2009.

13 New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). Mayor 

Bloomberg and Borough President Markowitz Open New York City’s 

Newest Cruise Terminal on the Brooklyn Waterfront. Available at http://

www.nycedc.com/ as of July 29, 2009. 

14 Cruise Norfolk, Norfolk’s Cruise Passenger Service Voted Best in the 

United States, available at http://www.cruisenorfolk.org as of July 29, 

2009.

Figure 3: U.S. Market Share by Departure Port: 2008

Tampa

Miami

Mobile

Norfolk

Houston

Gulfport

Galveston

Baltimore

Charleston

New Orleans

Jacksonville

Port Canaveral

West Palm

Beach

Port Everglades

Boston

Norfolk

New York

Baltimore

Seattle Philadelphia

San Diego Long Beach

Los Angeles

San Francisco

Anchorage

Seward

Whittier

Honolulu

San Juan

St. Thomas

NOTE: In 2008, the Departure Ports Anchorage, Gulfport, and West Palm Beach had a value of 0 passengers.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Office of Policy and Plans, Cruise Detail Table

(Updated 07/07/09), available at http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/north_america_cruise_detail_data.xls

as of September 1, 2009.

Cruise Lines

Royal Caribbean International

Celebrity Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Line

Costa Cruise Line

Cunard Line

Holland America Line

Princess Cruises

Seabourn Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line

MSC Italian Cruises

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Silversea Cruises

Crystal Cruises

Disney Cruise Line

Oceania Cruises

SeaDream Yacht Club

Windstar Cruises ±

NOTE: In 2008, the Anchorage, Gulfport, and West Palm Beach departure ports did not record any cruise ship departures. 

Maps are not to scale, but all legends are directly comparable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Office of Policy and Plans, Cruise Detail Table (Updated 

07/07/09), available at http://www.marad.dot.gov/documents/north_america_cruise_detail_data.xls as of Sept. 1, 2009.
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• The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore moved its 

terminal from the Dundalk Marine Terminal to the South 

Locust Point Marine Terminal in 200615, which is closer 

to the city’s Inner Harbor. 

Downtown terminals often put connecting modes of transportation (e.g., bus, rail, and ferries) within easy reach of 

cruise ship passengers. BTS examined the proximity of 

other modes to determine whether an intermodal connection existed with the cruise ships, and whether that connection was onsite, close-by (e.g., on the same block), or 

nearby (e.g., within walking distance). About two-thirds of 

the cruise terminals have a bus, rail, and/or ferry connection (table 4). In addition, about four-fifths of the terminals 

have dedicated transportation. 

Table 5 provides information on the specific modes connecting with each ocean passenger terminal. In addition to 

examining connections with transit bus intercity bus, transit/

light rail, intercity rail, transit water taxi, and interstate/international ferry, BTS also looked at the dedicated transporta15 The Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore. Smooth Sailing. Baltimore: 

April 2007, available at http://www.cruisemaryland.com/ as of July 29, 

2009.

tion to and from the terminal offered for cruise passengers 

by many cruise lines or private operators. 

These connections provide passengers with travel options 

that help quickly and efficiently move them to and from 

the terminal, which is essential for serving larger passenger vessels. Passengers may turn to public transportation instead of the private automobile at ports of calls and 

departure ports if public transportation is quick and easy to 

access. 

Table 4: U.S. Ocean Passenger Terminal 

Connectivity, 2009

Bus Rail Ferry Other

Terminals with 

connections 14 22 34 9

Close by/onsite 23 9 6 45

Nearby 16 20 15 1

SOURCES: Data derived from multiple public sources by the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology 

Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics as of Sept. 25, 2009.

Table 5: U.S. Ocean Passenger Terminal Connectivity, 2009

Terminal Bus Rail Ferry Other Terminal Bus Rail Ferry Other

Anchorage 2 2 0 1 Port Canaveral No. 8 0 0 0 1

Baltimore 1 2 2 1 Port Everglades No. 1 2 2 0 1

Boston 1 1 2 1 Port Everglades No. 18 2 2 0 1

Cape Liberty 2 2 0 1 Port Everglades No. 19 2 2 0 1

Charleston 1 0 1 0 Port Everglades No. 2 2 2 0 1

Galveston No. 1 OOS OOS 0 1 Port Everglades No. 21 2 0 0 1

Galveston No. 2 OOS OOS 0 1 Port Everglades No. 22 2 0 0 1

Gulfport 0 1 1 2 Port Everglades No. 24 2 0 0 1

Honolulu 1 0 1 1 Port Everglades No. 25 2 0 0 1

Houston (Barbour’s Cut) NS NS NS NS Port Everglades No. 26 2 0 0 1

Houston (Bayport) 0 0 0 1 Port Everglades No. 27 2 0 0 1

Jacksonville 0 0 0 1 Port Everglades No. 29 2 0 0 1

Long Beach 1 2 1 1 Port Everglades No. 4 2 2 0 1

Los Angeles 1 0 2 1 San Diego (B St) 1 2 1 0

Miami D 1 2 0 1 San Diego (Broadway) 1 2 1 0

Miami E 1 2 0 1 San Francisco (Pier 27) 1 2 2 0

Mobile 1 2 0 0 San Francisco (Pier 35) 1 2 2 0

New Orleans (Erato St) 1 1 2 1 San Juan (Pier 4) 1 0 0 1

New Orleans (Julia St) 1 1 2 1 Seattle (Pier 66) 0 1 2 0

New York (Brooklyn) 1 0 0 1 Seattle (Pier 91) 1 0 0 0

New York (Manhattan) 2 2 2 1 Seward 0 1 2 1

Norfolk 1 FS 2 0 St. Thomas (Crown Bay) 0 0 2 1

Philadelphia 1 2 2 1 St. Thomas (West Indian) 0 0 2 1

Port Canaveral No. 10 0 0 0 1 Tampa No. 2 1 2 0 1

Port Canaveral No. 2 0 0 0 1 Tampa No. 3 1 1 0 1

Port Canaveral No. 3 0 0 0 1 Tampa No. 6 1 1 0 1

Port Canaveral No. 4 0 0 0 1 West Palm Beach 1 2 0 1

Port Canaveral No. 5 0 0 0 1 Whittier 0 1 2 1

KEY: 0 - No Connection, 1 - Onsite or Close by, 2 - Nearby

FS - Future Service, NS - No Longer in Service, OOS - Temporarily Out of Service

SOURCES: Data derived from multiple public sources by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics as of Sept. 25, 2009.
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About This Report For related BTS data and publications: www.bts.gov

Matthew Chambers, a Senior Transportation Specialist in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 

(BTS) prepared this report. Dominic Menegus, a 

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analyst, provided special assistance creating the maps. BTS is 

a component of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration. Special thanks to Edwrena Brown, Russ 

Byington, and Gail Perkins of the U.S. Maritime 

Administration for their assistance.

For questions about this or other BTS reports, call 

1-800-853-1351, email answers@bts.gov or visit 

www.bts.gov.

Data –

• For the latest Maritime-related BTS data products, 

please visit the BTS Maritime Program website at 

http://www.bts.gov/programs/maritime_program/.

Publications –

• U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and 

Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics; Ocean Passenger Vessels: 

migrating south for the winter; available at 

http://www.bts.dot.gov/.