PHOTO: Port Everglades' completely renovated Cruise Terminal 4 will be ready for the 2014-15 cruise season. (Courtesy of Port Everglades)
Two major U.S. homeports are opening new facilities over the next few months. The Port of San Francisco is opening the new Pier 27, while Port Everglades soon will unveil the completely renovated Cruise Terminal 4.
San Francisco's Pier 27 will welcome its first ship, Princess Cruises' Crown Princess, on Sept. 18, although the official grand opening ceremony isn't scheduled until noon Sept. 25.
The new Pier 27 replaces the former facility at Pier 35, which the port says couldn't accommodate the bigger and longer cruise ships so common today, although it might still be used as a back-up.
The new James R. Herman Cruise Terminal at Pier 27 is named for a former port commissioner and president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, according to the port's website.
The 88,000-square-foot, two-level cruise terminal houses ticketing, baggage, a Customs and Border Protection Area, and security operations. The facility also will offer shoreside power to cruise ships, allowing those that are equipped to use it to turn off their engines while berthed.
The cruise terminal is environmentally friendly and was certified by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). It boasts views of the entire bay, Coit Tower, Alcatraz, and the Bay Bridge. It has an open floor plan, with over 70,000 square feet of space, so it can be used for corporate and private events.
The Port of San Francisco hosts 60 to 80 cruise ship calls and about 200,000 passengers annually. Itineraries include round-trip cruises to Alaska and Mexico, as well as repositioning calls in the spring and fall.
On the opposite coast, Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale in early December plans to celebrate the grand opening of Cruise Terminal 4, which underwent a $24 million renovation. A much busier cruise homeport than San Francisco, Port Everglades expects 3.9 million cruise passengers to board, debark and visit from 42 cruise ships during the 2014-15 winter season.
The terminal was completely gutted and renovated with a revamped transportation area, 172 surface parking spaces, improved lighting and acoustics, a high-efficiency air-conditioning system, 50 check-in counters and two new passenger loading bridges to expedite the embark and debark process. Port Everglades will apply for LEED certification for its energy-efficient terminal improvements.
"We look forward to a busy cruise season again this year, especially once our newly renovated Cruise Terminal 4 opens and our guests experience improved access and a much more efficient transportation flow," said Steven Cernak, Port Everglades chief executive and port director.
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