Port Everglades Ready to Hoist the One-Day Cruise Record

Saturday, Nov. 26, is one of two occasions this season when Port Everglades expects to break its own world record for the most cruise passengers departing a port in a single day.

A projected 55,000 passengers are expected to travel through the port to board eight cruise ships Saturday and on March 17, 2012, during the peak of spring break, the port reported.

Part of the reasons for the optismistic boarding numbers is that the cruise line Seabourn's new 450-guest luxury Seabourn Quest began using the port on Monday.

Royal Caribbean International's 3,634-guest Liberty of the Seas arrived on Nov. 12.

Port Everglades set the record for cruise passengers on March 20, 2010, with 53,365 boarding nine cruise ships. The mark topped the ports prior high of 49,234 set Jan. 3, 2009, which surpassed the previous benchmark of 44,108 set on Dec. 21, 2003. The port had 15 ships sailing for the 2003 record and 11 in 2009.

In the past fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, 2011, Port Everglades attracted 3.66 million multi-day cruise passengers.

"This year, we anticipate matching our record 3.6 million multi-day passengers, which we reached for the first time during the 2011 cruise season, on fewer yet larger ships," Port Everglades Director Phil Allen stated in a release. "A weekend with Allure and Oasis of the Seas is like five ships from three years ago in terms of passenger numbers."

Twelve cruise lines and 45 cruise ships sail from the South Florida seaport this year, including: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, ISE (Semester at Sea), MSC Cruises, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Silversea Cruises and Seabourn.