Over the last year, Disney Cruise Line’s terminal, Cruise Terminal 8 (CT8), at Port Canaveral has undergone a major refurbishment ahead of the new chapter in the cruise line’s history with the arrival of the Disney Wish next summer. One bright side of the shutdown has been the ability of the contractors to work full steam ahead on the renovations. However, due to the shutdown, there were some planned enhancements deferred, one of those being the expanded Concierge waiting area within the terminal.

As the restart looms on the horizon and phase 1 of the project under wraps, the decision to move forward with additional enhancements has been green lit. The Phase II improvements include U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) improvements due to a security assessment inspection done area earlier this year, deferred items from phase I such as the concierge waiting area, and additional items requested by Disney Cruise Line.

During the June 30th Commission meeting, the board approved the agenda items specific to phase 2 contracts.

Additionally over the last few months, Port Canaveral staff spruced up the existing CT8 facilities using in house staff, elbow grease, and supplies saving a decent amount of money. For example, instead of replacing items such as the stainless steel cable on the railings, a team went out and meticulously cleaned the cables to Disney’s satisfaction. Another substantial savings was in the baggage area where instead of disassembling the luggage area tables, shipping them off for sandblasting and powder coating then reinstalling in the luggage area, the port’s team got to work prepared and repainted them.

Port Canaveral estimates substantial completion of Phase II by the end of the calendar year with final completion by March 1, 2022 well before the Disney Wish arrives next summer.