Carnival expanding and upgrading Miami terminal

Carnival Cruise Line won approval for plans to greatly expand Terminal F at PortMiami, which will be first used in 2022 to accommodate its second Excel-class ship. 

Carnival was the last major cruise line operating at PortMiami that had not unveiled a terminal upgrade in recent years.

Terminal F was itself upgraded in 2016 in a $37.5 million makeover for MSC Cruises. That line will now move to a new double terminal at the far eastern end of Miami's cruise ship row.

Plans for both Terminal F and MSC's new terminals AA and AAA were approved on Sept. 19 by the Miami-Dade County Commission. PortMiami is owned and operated by Miami-Dade County.

Carnival operates at three terminals at PortMiami. It said the expanded Terminal F will be its largest in North America.

The line released renderings that show a long, low-slung structure outlined at night in neon in Carnival's red and blue brand colors.

Carnival’s 5,000-passenger Excel-class ships are designed to run on liquefied natural gas, and the new berth and terminal will accommodate that atypical fuel requirement. The first in the class, the Mardi Gras, will debut next year at Port Canaveral.

Carnival's Terminal F berth agreement with the port is for 20 years, with two 7-year extension options.

Carnival president Christine Duffy praised port and county officials for expediting approvals so that the expanded terminal can open in October 2022, in time for Carnival's 50th anniversary celebrations.