Port Everglades Embarkation Guide: Fort Lauderdale Cruise Terminals Explained
Port Everglades is one of the easiest big cruise ports in the country to sail from, as long as you know which of its eight cruise terminals your ship uses before you leave the hotel. The airport sits about two miles away, both parking garages are on port property, and the whole thing runs on three security gates where every adult shows a photo ID.
The port expected more than 4.7 million cruise guests in fiscal year 2025, and the 2026 season adds Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas in November. This guide covers every Port Everglades cruise terminal, which lines use which, how the gates work, where to park, and how I would plan the morning of embarkation.
Port Everglades Cruise Terminal Key Facts
| Detail | Port Everglades |
| Main address | 1850 Eller Drive, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 |
| Cruise terminals | Terminals 2, 4, 18, 19, 21, 25, 26, and 29 |
| Security entrances | SE 17th Street at Eisenhower Blvd., State Road 84 at Spangler Blvd., and I-595 East at Eller Drive |
| ID at the gate | Government-issued photo ID for everyone 18 and older, plus cruise documents |
| Port parking | Heron Garage (Terminals 2 and 4) and Palm Garage (Terminals 19, 21, 25, 26, 29), $25 daily maximum |
| Fort Lauderdale airport (FLL) | About 1.8 miles |
| Miami airport (MIA) | About 27 miles south |
| Palm Beach airport (PBI) | About 50 miles north |
Which Cruise Lines Use Each Port Everglades Cruise Terminal
Terminal assignments at Port Everglades follow the parent companies more than the individual brands. Carnival Corporation brands (Princess, Holland America, Carnival, Cunard, and the rest) generally work out of Terminals 2, 19, 21, 26, and 29. Royal Caribbean Group brands (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Silversea) generally use Terminals 18, 25, and 29. Disney Cruise Line has Terminal 4 to itself.
| Terminal | Typical users | Closest parking |
| Terminal 2 | Carnival Corporation brands | Heron Garage |
| Terminal 4 | Disney Cruise Line | Heron Garage |
| Terminal 18 | Royal Caribbean Group | Surface Lots B and C |
| Terminal 19 | Carnival Corporation brands | Palm Garage |
| Terminal 21 | Carnival Corporation brands, Balearia ferry | Palm Garage |
| Terminal 25 | Royal Caribbean Group, Celebrity Cruises | Palm Garage |
| Terminal 26 | Carnival Corporation brands | Palm Garage |
| Terminal 29 | Royal Caribbean Group and Carnival Corporation | Palm Garage, with a shuttle |
The line can move a ship between terminals from one week to the next, so treat that table as the usual pattern and your boarding pass as the final word. The terminal number prints on the boarding documents the line issues after online check-in.
Terminal 4 at Port Everglades for Disney Cruise Line
Terminal 4 was reworked for Disney into a 104,000 square foot building with a Finding Nemo theme, and it began embarking Disney guests in November 2023. For the 2025 to 2026 season the port listed the Disney Destiny and Disney Dream sailing from Fort Lauderdale. If you are deciding between them, my Disney Dream review covers the older of the two ships in detail.
Terminal 25 at Port Everglades for Celebrity Cruises
Terminal 25 is the port's first brand-designed cruise terminal, built around Celebrity Cruises with a $120 million investment, the largest the port has made in any single cruise terminal. The port's 2025 to 2026 season list included Celebrity Xcel, the line's newest ship.
Terminal 18 at Port Everglades for Royal Caribbean
Terminal 18 is the largest building on the list at 259,370 square feet, with 90 check-in stations, six elevators, and seven escalators. Its address is different from the rest of the port (1901 SE 32nd Street), and it uses surface parking in Lot B (400 spaces) and Lot C (600 spaces) rather than a garage. Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas begins sailing from Port Everglades in November 2026. Royal Caribbean had not published her Fort Lauderdale terminal as of October 2026, so check the boarding pass.
Princess Cruises Terminals at Port Everglades
Princess listed two of its newest ships for the 2025 to 2026 Fort Lauderdale season, Star Princess and Sun Princess. Both sail from the Carnival Corporation side of the port. My Sun Princess review walks through the design both ships share, and you can compare fares against the current Princess Cruises offers before you pick a date.
Port Everglades Security Gates and ID Rules
Every car, taxi, and rideshare enters Port Everglades through one of three staffed security entrances: SE 17th Street at Eisenhower Boulevard, State Road 84 at Spangler Boulevard (just east of U.S. 1), or I-595 East at Eller Drive. Everyone in the vehicle who is 18 or older needs a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport, along with cruise documents.
That gate check happens before you ever see the terminal, so keep IDs and boarding passes in a bag at your feet, not packed in a suitcase in the trunk. The cruise line will check your documents again at the terminal. If you are unsure what the line wants for a closed-loop Caribbean sailing, my post on cruise documents lays out the rules.
The port also opened the elevated Convention Center Connector, a bypass road that links U.S. 1, State Road 84, and SE 17th Street more directly to the port. It should take some pressure off the 17th Street approach on busy mornings.
Port Everglades Parking and Drop-Off
The port runs two garages for cruise passengers. The Heron Garage has 1,818 spaces and serves Terminals 2 and 4 through an air-conditioned elevated walkway with moving sidewalks. The Palm Garage has 1,966 spaces and serves Terminals 19, 21, 25, 26, and 29, with a shuttle running to Terminal 29. Both have a 7-foot clearance, and both cap out at $25 per day as of October 2026.
The port does not take reservations or prepayment, so the garages are first come, first served. RVs and trailers up to 24 feet can use a limited oversized area at $18 for the first five hours or $35 for up to 24 hours. My full Fort Lauderdale cruise parking guide compares the port garages with the off-site lots.
For drop-off, have the driver follow the signs for your terminal number after the gate, unload at the curb, and hand checked bags to the porters. The port does not store luggage, so anything you do not want to carry has to go with the porters or stay with you.
Pro Tip: If two people are driving, drop the passengers and bags at the terminal curb first, then park. The walk back from the garage is far easier with only a carry-on.
Port Everglades Arrival Times and Boarding
Each line assigns arrival windows during online check-in, and the terminal staff do watch them. I tell travelers to pick the earliest window they can realistically make, since the first hour of boarding is when lunch venues are quiet and dining or show reservations still have open slots. My embarkation day tips cover what to do in that first hour onboard.
If you are flying in on sailing day, the port asks for at least 45 minutes between your flight landing at FLL and your check-in time, and that is a minimum. I would never book a same-day flight into Fort Lauderdale for a cruise, and the full transfer breakdown sits in my guide to getting from Fort Lauderdale airport to Port Everglades. If you are sailing out of Miami instead, start with my PortMiami embarkation guide and the companion post on getting from Miami airport to the cruise port.
Hotels Near Port Everglades the Night Before
Fort Lauderdale's pre-cruise hotels range from beach resorts to airport properties with shuttles. My roundup of hotels near the Fort Lauderdale cruise port sorts them by budget and distance. For something specific, I have reviewed the Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach and Le Meridien Dania Beach near the airport.
Things To Do Near Port Everglades With Extra Time
If your flight lands early or your ship sails late, Fort Lauderdale has the beach, Las Olas Boulevard, and water taxi and airboat tours within a short drive of the port. Since you cannot leave bags at the terminal, plan any sightseeing for the day before or after the cruise. You can browse Fort Lauderdale tours and airboat trips and book this on Viator, which works well for a pre-cruise day.
Port Everglades Cruise Terminal FAQ
How many cruise terminals does Port Everglades have? Eight: Terminals 2, 4, 18, 19, 21, 25, 26, and 29. Your terminal number appears on the boarding documents from your cruise line.
What ID do I need to enter Port Everglades? Everyone 18 and older needs a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license or passport, plus cruise documents at the security gate. Drivers dropping off need ID too.
How much is parking at Port Everglades? The Heron and Palm garages charge a $25 daily maximum as of October 2026, and the port does not take reservations.
Can I store luggage at Port Everglades before my cruise? No. The port's security rules do not allow luggage storage, so plan to check bags with the porters at your terminal.
How far is Port Everglades from Fort Lauderdale airport? About 1.8 miles. The port says to allow 45 minutes to an hour from landing to check-in.
Booking a Cruise From Port Everglades
My pricing is the same as booking direct. What you get on top of it is access to group rates and promotions that do not always show up on the cruise line's website, plus a person to call when a flight cancels or a terminal changes the week before you sail. Send me your dates, and I will price the cruise, the pre-cruise hotel, and parking as one trip.
