PortMiami crossed 10 million cruise passengers on Sept. 14, the first port in the world to reach that mark in a single fiscal year.

The milestone came with two weeks still remaining before the fiscal year closes Sept. 30, according to a Miami-Dade County press release. It reclaims the world's busiest cruise port title from Port Canaveral, which edged Miami by 37,822 passengers last year.

Cruise travelers starting or ending trips at PortMiami book pre- and post-cruise hotel stays in South Beach and other Miami neighborhoods, according to Porthole Cruise & Travel. Port officials estimate PortMiami's annual economic impact at about $61 billion, supporting more than 340,000 jobs across Miami-Dade.

How PortMiami's record compares with Port Canaveral

The 10 million figure represents a roughly 17% jump over PortMiami's fiscal 2025 record of 8,564,225 passengers, as Miami Wire first reported. Port Canaveral had projected about 9 million movements for fiscal 2026.

Because the port counts each passenger at departure and again on return, 10 million movements translates to roughly 5 million individual cruise trips.

Six ships docked on milestone day

Six ships were docked that day. Resilient Lady, Norwegian Getaway, Carnival Sunrise, Carnival Conquest, MSC Seaside and Wonder of the Seas were all in port when the milestone was reached.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called the milestone a sign of the port's role as a driver of tourism and local business growth. Port Director and CEO Jonathan Daniels pointed to infrastructure upgrades.

"Reaching 10 million passengers reflects our focus on innovation, efficiency and superior passenger experience, as we continue to modernize PortMiami's infrastructure and expand our capacity for future growth," Daniels said in the county's Sept. 21 announcement.

New terminals and ships fuel PortMiami's growth

MSC Cruises' Terminal AA, which opened in March 2025, spans 492,678 square feet and can process up to 36,000 embarking and disembarking passengers daily. Royal Caribbean Group broke ground in January on Terminal G, a $345 million single-berth facility that will accommodate up to 7,000 passengers and the largest ships now sailing. Terminal G is scheduled to open in late 2027.

Between October 2025 and May 2026, 10 additional vessels began homeporting at PortMiami, including Windstar Cruises' Star Seeker, Virgin Voyages' Brilliant Lady and Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Luna.

Final fiscal 2026 passenger totals will be released after Sept. 30.