If you’ve set sail with Disney Cruise Line (DCL) out of Florida, then there’s a good chance that you’ve probably boarded the ship via Port Canaveral.
This has been the primary port in Florida for as long as DCL has been sailing, but now, a new year-round port has been added. DCL entered an agreement with Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale in 2021 to serve as a port for the next 15 years, starting in October 2023. This is the FIRST time a port has been added for year-round use rather than seasonally, so it’s a pretty big deal! We’re taking you along with us today for a TOUR of Port Everglades as we embark on the Disney Dream.
Come along with us for our journey through Port Everglades! When we arrived, we headed down a passageway to the check-in area. The lines are split for those headed toward the DCL transportation away from the port, as well as the line we were in — to head to check in. If you drive, you’ll park in the Heron Garage in Terminal 4. You have to arrive at your EXACT appointed time or you’ll be forced to enter a waiting corral.
We’re finally here!
When we headed inside, the check-in area was incredibly busy, of course, but that is to be expected for a cruise. We were in awe of the decor inside! Look at all of those hidden Mickeys in the ceiling!
One of our favorite things about the Port is that there is Joey Chou artwork throughout it. Check it out! There’s this Steamboat Willie art…
There’s also Donald and Daisy!
And, of course, there’s Mickey and Minnie.
Once you’re checked in, you can head to a waiting area to wait for your boarding group to be called! It’s basically like a larger scale version of airplane boarding.
While you wait, you can also head over and take a look at the ship through the glass!
There are also screens everywhere so that you know exactly when you should jump in line to board the ship.
Once our boarding number was called, we jumped in line to board the Dream. This line was a lot more manageable.
We can’t wait to share our adventures aboard the Disney Dream with you all. Make sure to follow along for more so that you never miss a thing and are always in the loop. OH, and if you need help planning your own Disney Cruise, make sure to visit our friends at Small World Vacations. They’ll be beside you every step of the way to answer whatever questions you may have, as well as helping you pick the cruise itinerary and price point that’s right for YOU!
Looking for more on Disney Cruise Line? Click here!
What You Need to Know About Disney Cruise Line

Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox! Click here to Subscribe
What do you think of Port Everglades? Let us know in the comments!
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of the Port Everglades Cruise Terminal. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
TRENDING NOW
Disney and Starbucks have once again joined forces to launch new mugs to their Discovery...
Check out this brand-new Bluey collection at H&M!
A favorite Disney World perk is returning to Disney's Animal Kingdom soon and we're bringing...
A NEW entertainment offering is coming to Disney Springs soon!
If you break this rule, you could be temporarily BANNED from Disneyland.
How to join Indy on stage!
Disney revealed the name and story details of the new pirates-themed lounge coming to Adventureland...
A new Disney Loungefly collection inspired by Sleeping Beauty just debuted online, and you're NOT gonna...
Disney adults -- you have to see these items on sale on Amazon!
Looking for a great spot to eat in Magic Kingdom? These are the three restaurants...
A recent project was just completed on Interstate 4 in Orlando that could make getting...
Fans of the Disney Dining Plan will want to sit down for this EPCOT news...
We tried TWO new items at Everything POP at Disney's Pop Century Resort, and while...
If you've been eying a new Loungefly bag, this sale is perfect for you!
Watch out, these Minnie ears may disappear faster than the speed of light!
Mother's Day is quickly approaching! Need a last-minute gift? We've got you covered!
Make sure you follow these rules if you ever visit Disneyland's Club 33!
These perks make staying at a Disney Hotel extra worth it.
Some of the popular styles of up to 1/2 OFF!
New Aldi stores are coming to the Central Florida area this year!