Port Canaveral is finishing two big guest-facing projects: a Cruise Terminal 5 expansion that nearly doubles the building to about 170,000 square feet, and a new 13-story garage beside Cruise Terminal 6 with roughly 3,700 spaces.
In a July 14, 2026, update, the Canaveral Port Authority put the combined investment near $175 million and said Terminal 5 is targeted for December 2026 completion while the garage brings total port parking toward about 17,500 spaces.
- Terminal 5: Expansion from about 90,000 to 170,000 square feet for ships up to about 5,600 passengers.
- Terminal 5 cost and target: About $78 million, with completion targeted for December 2026.
- Garage: A 13-story Cruise Terminal 6 East garage with about 3,700 spaces and a pedestrian bridge to Terminal 5.
- Garage cost: About $93 million inside a nearly $175 million two-project package.
- Who is affected: Drive-up cruise guests, especially those parking for Terminals 5 and 6.
What Terminal 5 is becoming
Port Canaveral is renovating and expanding Cruise Terminal 5 while the building stays open for multiple weekly sailings.
When finished, the reimagined terminal is designed for some of the largest ships in the market, with expanded luggage laydown, passenger seating, and security screening space plus a modern entrance and refreshed interiors.
The authority lists 750 tons of steel, 650,000 linear feet of electrical wire, and hundreds of thousands of feet of communications cable and conduit in the Terminal 5 build.
Designed by BEA Architects of Miami and built with Merritt Island-based Ivey’s Construction, the project is one of the most ambitious terminal renovations in the port’s history.
Seatrade Cruise News reported the same July 14 package, including the Terminal 5 doubling and the 3,700-space Terminal 6 East garage.
For travelers, the practical change is a larger embarkation hall aimed at mega-ship turnarounds, not a new cruise line brand at the port.
Why the Terminal 6 East garage matters on sailing day
More than 80 percent of Port Canaveral guests drive to the port, so parking capacity is a traveler decision, not only a construction story.
The new 13-story garage is the largest and most complex parking project in port history, according to the authority’s July briefing and an earlier March construction milestone note that put opening in fall 2026 for the CT6 East facility. Officials say the garage will feature eight extra-large elevators sized for passengers and luggage, twin two-lane vehicle ramps, a vehicle connection to the existing CT6 West garage, and a pedestrian bridge to Cruise Terminal 5. That bridge is the detail that changes same-day logistics for Terminal 5 sailings once the garage opens. Families can park farther north and still walk into CT5 without a shuttle guess if the opening holds and the bridge is marked open on embarkation morning.
Deep Arrival’s hotels near Port Canaveral guide remains useful when garage or surface lots are full, or when an early embarkation makes an overnight stay cleaner than a dawn drive from Orlando.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Sail from Terminal 5 in late 2026 | Expect construction activity until December and recheck parking maps before you leave home. |
| Need guaranteed parking for a Terminal 5 or 6 embarkation | Book port parking early and watch for CT6 East inventory once the garage opens. |
| Drive from Orlando with kids and bags | Prefer hotel plus port parking over a same-morning scramble when lots approach capacity. |
| Use a mobility device | Plan elevator routes in the new garage and allow extra time for pedestrian bridge paths. |
| Still months from sailing | Do not assume today’s terminal map is final; recheck the port site two weeks before embarkation. |
- December 2026 CT5 target: Treat late-year Terminal 5 embarkations as active construction zones until the port marks completion.
- Fall garage window: Watch for CT6 East opening notices before you prepay parking for Terminal 5 or 6.
- Drive-to market: More than 80 percent of guests drive, so lot capacity is part of trip design, not an afterthought.
- Orlando buffer: Use the Orlando things to do guide if a hotel night is safer than a same-day highway push.
- Ship size: Terminal 5 is being sized for ships near 5,600 passengers, so arrival waves will stay dense even after the expansion opens.
How the projects fit Port Canaveral’s larger build
Together, Terminal 5 and the CT6 East garage form a nearly $175 million slice of the broader Port Canaveral Advantage capital program, which the port describes as a nearly $1 billion multi-year infrastructure plan. Ivey’s Construction and local subcontractors have already logged more than 2,000 jobs and more than 85,000 work hours on the pair of projects as of mid-July 2026, according to the authority. Port Canaveral currently homes seven cruise brands across more than 1,000 annual sailings and 18 homeported ships, which is why terminal floor area and parking decks are rising together. An earlier March 9, 2026, construction update documented the garage’s vertical start and the same roughly 3,700-space, fall 2026 schedule that the July media day reconfirmed with more Terminal 5 detail.
Travelers should separate confirmed square footage and parking counts from the exact week a gate or garage floor opens. Those dates can move without changing the project purpose.
If your sailing is still months out, the clean action is to recheck the port’s parking and terminal maps after Labor Day rather than locking a mental map from a June visit.
The materials list is a reminder that these are multi-year builds, not a weekend paint refresh. Terminal 5 alone uses 750 tons of steel and more than 100 miles of electrical wire, which is why the port can keep sailings online while still asking guests to watch for temporary traffic cones and construction fencing.
If you are comparing parking strategies, price the port garage against nearby hotel packages that include a shuttle. A $175 million port package does not automatically make same-day drive-up parking free or unlimited on peak Saturdays.
Guests on mega-ship embarkations should still arrive in the port’s recommended window rather than assuming a larger terminal means a shorter security line on the first sailing after opening.
What is confirmed versus still schedule-sensitive
Confirmed in the July 14 port update: Terminal 5 expanding to about 170,000 square feet at roughly $78 million with a December 2026 completion target, and a 13-story CT6 East garage of about 3,700 spaces at roughly $93 million inside a nearly $175 million package.
Also confirmed: pedestrian bridge access from the new garage to Terminal 5, eight oversize elevators, twin vehicle ramps, and the drive-to guest majority that makes parking capacity material.
Still schedule-sensitive: the exact week CT6 East opens to the public, temporary lot closures during final commissioning, and which sailings use Terminal 5 during the remaining construction months.
Still personal: whether prepaid port parking beats a hotel park-and-ride for your party size and embarkation time.
CEO Capt. John Murray framed the work as guest experience and operational efficiency for future business commitments, which is useful context but not a substitute for the parking confirmation number on your reservation.
The next useful step is simple. Note your terminal number, set a calendar reminder two weeks before sailing, and recheck Port Canaveral parking before you leave home.
When will Port Canaveral finish the Terminal 5 expansion?
The Canaveral Port Authority targets December 2026 for the reimagined Cruise Terminal 5 expansion to about 170,000 square feet.
How many parking spaces will the new garage add?
The 13-story Cruise Terminal 6 East garage is planned for about 3,700 spaces, lifting total port parking toward about 17,500 spaces.
Will Terminal 5 stay open during construction?
Yes. The port says Terminal 5 remains operational with multiple weekly sailings while the expansion is built.
Does the new garage connect to Terminal 5?
Yes. Officials describe a pedestrian bridge from the CT6 East garage to the Cruise Terminal 5 entrance.
Should I still book a hotel near the port?
If you have an early embarkation or a long drive, a nearby hotel can still be smarter than same-morning parking risk while construction finishes.
