World’s Busiest Cruise Port Welcomes Huge Oasis Class Ship

Port Canaveral has officially welcomed Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas as the ship has repositioned to the central Florida homeport to offer short Bahamas getaways for the next nine months.

This is a great option for travelers looking for a cruise vacation that may be combined with other Florida attractions, and is the first time Royal Caribbean has offered shorter sailings on one of its largest vessels.

Allure of the Seas Sets Sail From Port Canaveral

The world’s busiest cruise port has gotten busier still as Allure of the Seas – the fifth largest cruise ship in the world – is now homeported from Port Canaveral, Florida.

The Oasis-class ship set sail from the Space Coast for the first time on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 on a 5-night sailing that was to have visited Labadee, Haiti and Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas. Due to high winds in the Bahamas, however, the itinerary was adjusted to visit Cozumel, Mexico first, with the visit to CocoCay later in the sailing rather than the first day.

Nevertheless, the first sailing from Port Canaveral is still a momentous occasion for the vessel as it is the first of such large ships to be offering shorter cruise vacations.

“We’re proud to be Royal Caribbean’s partner in this industry first offering,” said Captain John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO. “Our partners see a strong demand in our market for shorter itineraries on an Oasis Class ship. We are thrilled to welcome home the Allure of the Seas and look forward to delivering exceptional customer service experiences to their cruise guests.”

To mark the occasion, Captain Murray presented Allure of the Seas‘ Captain Tobias Oster with a framed photo of Port Canaveral, which will likely be displayed aboard the ship with other mementos from the many ports Allure of the Seas has visited since joining the Royal Caribbean fleet in 2010.

The ship’s Hotel Director, Adriana Tibaudo, was also on hand representing all the nearly 2,200 international crew members aboard Allure of the Seas, who are ready to offer amazing service to everyone who sets sail.

With her new deployment to Port Canaveral, Allure of the Seas joins her fleet mates Mariner of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, and Wonder of the Seas – currently the largest cruise ship in the world.

Before sailing from Port Canaveral, the vessel was the largest ship homeported from Galveston, Texas, and the first Royal Caribbean ship to set sail from the new cruise terminal at the Texas homeport.

Short Cruises on Allure of the Seas

From Florida, Allure of the Seas will be offering 3- and 4-night Bahamas itineraries, all of which will visit the cruise line’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay (weather permitting). Depending on the sailing date, the ship will also call on Nassau or may include a day at sea.

Two special sailings are offering different itineraries. Over the New Year holiday, the ship will offer a single 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise, departing on December 26, 2023 and visiting CocoCay, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten before returning to Port Canaveral on January 2, 2024.

At the end of April, Allure of the Seas will offer a 4-night Western Caribbean sailing visiting Cozumel, Mexico. That cruise departs on April 29, 2024 and also features two days at sea.

Allure of the Seas‘ last sailing from Port Canaveral will be departing July 5, 2024 – a 3-night cruise that will visit both Nassau and CocoCay. After that cruise, the ship will leave Port Canaveral and reposition to PortMiami to continue offering the same short itineraries but from the south Florida homeport at least into February 2025.

Enjoy a Big Ship on a Short Cruise

With so much to enjoy on such a large ship, passengers might feel rushed to see and do everything. Allure of the Seas offers seven unique neighborhoods with more than 30 restaurants, bars, and lounges, as well as two FlowRider surf simulators, an aqua park, a 9-story zip line, twin rock-climbing walls, an ice rink, four production shows, and so much more.

To rest up from so much fun, the ship has a dedicated adults-only Solarium, or guests may want to take a stroll through the open Central Park neighborhood with its live trees and charming walking paths.

Allure of the Seas can welcome 5,484 guests at double occupancy or as many as 6,780 travelers when fully booked with all berths filled.