The Canaveral Port Authority and its partner Carnival Cruise Line held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for the Cruise Terminal 3 complex in Florida.
The space-themed ceremony had the motto “Go for Launch,” and an actor in a NASA spacesuit planted a Carnival Cruise Line flag on a simulated lunar landscape.
The $163 million terminal will include a two-story, 187,000-square-foot building and a six-story, 692,000-square-foot parking garage that will accommodate 1,800 vehicles.
The building will include a high-tech check-in and security area and baggage processing facility.
The estimated completion date is May 2020.
In October 2020, it will become the homeport for Carnival’s Mardi Gras, the cruise line’s newest ship. The ship’s features include a roller coaster, dining and entertainment. It will have 20 passenger decks.
The new terminal’s design was inspired by the Kennedy Space Center, and the terminal has been nicknamed the “Launch Pad.”
“…We’re proud, honored and excited that our newest and most innovative ship, Mardi Gras, will sail from the new Terminal 3,” Carnival President Christine Duffy said. “We are pleased to be the port’s number one cruise line and Mardi Gras promises to be a spectacular addition to the Space Coast.”
The existing pier structures were removed last year.