Broward port braces for record weekend

[Jason]

Broward port braces for record weekend

46,000 passengers expected to start, end holiday cruises

By Tom Stieghorst, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Posted December 23 2006

It's shoehorn time again at Port Everglades. A crush of travelers and more than a dozen cruise ships will crowd the port this weekend as travelers start holiday cruises to the Caribbean, Panama Canal and points beyond.

Port officials expect a record 46,000 cruise passengers will move through the port today, enough to fill 100 Boeing 747 jets.

Many of those passengers are flying into town, making it a busy weekend at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, too.

"We're trying to get all of our people here to get ready," said airport spokesman Greg Meyer, who said part-timers are getting extra hours this weekend and some full-time staff are working overtime.

Another five ships are departing the Port of Miami this weekend, Meyer said. "We get some of their overflow, too."

Some of the cruise ships coming and going this weekend are regulars, ships like SeaEscape's Island Adventure, which does day cruises, or Imperial Majesty Cruise Line's Regal Empress, which chugs every other day to the Bahamas.

But a big reason why there are so many people expected today is that Port Everglades has been attracting larger ships. The 2,974-passenger Carnival Liberty is scheduled to leave today on an eight-night western Caribbean cruise. It is full, a Carnival spokeswoman said.

Costa Cruises' 105,000-gross ton Costa Magica will be carrying more than 3,000 passengers when it sails tonight, spokeswoman Dana Dominici said. In all, six ships will be departing that carry more than 2,000 passengers each.

In addition, some ships that customarily leave on Sundays are sailing a day early to avoid departing on Christmas Eve.

"Holiday cruises to the Caribbean are always popular this time of year," said Port Director Phil Allen, "but this year is exceptional because Port Everglades will be hosting larger ships than ever before."

To drive home the point, port officials calculated that the 13 ships in port today would span the length of 32 football fields.

But the serious side of the influx of passengers is the number of workers needed to get people through the port safely and efficiently. A small army of 8,000 people will be employed, as ticket agents, shore staff, line handlers, dockworkers and ship suppliers accommodate the passengers leaving this weekend, according to Broward County Mayor Josephus Eggelletion Jr.

"This clearly illustrates the economic benefits that the cruise industry brings to Broward County," he said in a statement.

The record number of passengers includes both those getting off ships and those embarking. The previous record was set the Sunday before Christmas in 2003 when 15 ships disgorged and picked up more than 44,000 passengers.

Many cruise ships that typically spend the summer months sailing in Europe or Alaska return to Port Everglades in November or December and stay until March or April, making most winter weekends at the port similarly busy ones.

Last weekend, port officials said the 13 ships in port handled about 48,000 passengers over two days.

[sailingrose]

We did that last year and it was a zoo. We had at least 11 ships in port with us. This year we're leaving from Port Canaveral so it should be quite easy! Thanks Jason for the reminder!

[BROWIE]

All I know is that there were lines everywhere. It usually takes ecactly an hour from my driveway to the Welcome Aboard Buffet. Saturday we left the house at 12:30 and I didn't get to the buffet 'til almost 2:30... There was a long, long line at the security gate at the entrance to the port. Then, they moved the regal Empress from its usual pier 2 to 27, which wasn't equip[ped well for passengers....more lines....