CLIA estimates that in 2017 the number of cruise passengers grew again, reaching a new record of around 25 million people, a growth of 60% in just 10 years.
Article from CruisesNews magazine
Shipowners are increasingly convinced of the benefits of selling an experience, rather than just a vacation, and that experience begins at the cruise terminal.
Modern cruise terminals come in a wide variety of shapes and styles: classic and ultramodern; multifunctional and exclusive, and so on. The differences depend primarily on the importance of cruises to the local community, the availability of waterfront land, and, of course, funding.
In contrast to the architectural extravaganzas of publicly funded terminals like Leixões, Hong Kong, and Yokohama, terminals developed by the cruise lines themselves or by private cruise terminal operators tend to be more functional and simple.
The distribution of the new, monumental terminals is also significant; almost all of them are located in the Pacific Rim, while major North American and European cruise ports have opted for more functional designs.
Another interesting aspect is that ports with more seasonal cruise traffic tend to prioritize multifunctional terminals, as is the case in Vancouver, British Columbia. Vancouver's Canada Place was the first multifunctional terminal, utilizing a central urban space to house hotels, shops, public event facilities, and parking that could be used by locals year-round. It also provides cruise ship facilities during the cruise season, which in Vancouver lasts only a few months. Ports with year-round cruise service, however, move away from this model and focus their design on maximizing efficiency in passenger and baggage handling. Tampa is another port that offers a multifunctional terminal with a public park, an IMAX theater, the Florida Aquarium, and a shopping mall.
The Spanish company ADELTE has supplied boarding bridges in several of the most emblematic cruise terminals.
Shanghai International Cruise Terminal, China.
The 263,448 m² Shanghai International Cruise Terminal, designed by Spark Architects and completed in 2011, is situated on the north bank of a bend in the Huangpu River. It combines a row of office buildings and extensive underground facilities within a new one-kilometer-long public park. Cultural and social spaces form the centerpiece of the development: a striking composition of suspended enclosures called the “Shanghai Chandelier.” The project also utilizes state-of-the-art renewable energy systems, including river water cooling, making this Spark design the first building in Shanghai to employ this technology.
This combination of office buildings, retail spaces, and other amenities offers 1,197 meters of berthing line with a 10-meter draft and provides an annual capacity of one million passengers. However, it has the limitation of only being able to accommodate three ships of up to 87,000 gross tons, a relatively small size by today's standards. This makes its main users luxury and premium cruise lines, including Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea, Regent, and others. The Shanghai International Cruise Terminal serves many of the river cruises that cross the Yangtze River.
Shanghai's largest, but less picturesque, terminal facility, where most cruise ships dock, is the Wusongkou Terminal, located about 24 miles from the city center. With a modern, even futuristic, design, it opened in 2011 and initially had two berths: one for 100,000 GT cruise ships and another for ships the size of the Oasis of the Seas. In 2015, the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal began construction to double its capacity with two new berths for 220,000 GT ships, as well as a new terminal and a gangway. After its delivery in 2017, Wusongkou went from offering 774 meters to 1,600 meters of berthing line, with the capacity to accommodate four large megaships.
Shanghai has two monumental terminals, which are among the most modern in the world.
Leixões Terminal: A Luxury in Porto.
The cruise terminal at the port of Leixões is undoubtedly the architectural landmark of the Porto region. This unique building was designed by the Portuguese architect Luís Pedro Silva, who conceived a singular, avant-garde piece, thanks above all to its concrete structure. Its location, on the edge of the port's southern breakwater, also presented serious foundation challenges due to its proximity to the shoreline, just 800 meters away.
The building's unique geometry is based on thin concrete walls that act as deep beams, wrapping around the entire structure and reaching each of the three piers. These concrete walls have a double curvature and support the structural slabs, but their primary purpose is aesthetic. The structure of this building, with approximately 20,000 square meters of floor space, consists of inclined pillars and the concrete stairwells and elevator shafts. The 30-meter-high terminal houses a basement and four floors above ground, all built as flat slabs.
The Spanish company Adelte supplied the finger pier for the Leixões cruise terminal.
The cruise terminal occupies part of the basement, the ground floor, and the first floor, while the University of Porto occupies 6,000 m² in the basement and on the third floor. The fourth floor houses a restaurant, a 600 m² exhibition hall, and additional teaching and research facilities. The rooftop is a 2,472 m² open-air amphitheater that can be used for all kinds of events and celebrations.
The terminal serves a 360-meter-long pier with a 10-meter draft, capable of accommodating vessels up to 300 meters in length. The Spanish company Adelte supplied the ship access pier, a HYDRA MZ 13 model. This pier provides a berth for river vessels that can travel up the Douro River to Porto or even to its valley filled with centuries-old vines.
The building makes a striking visual impact, reminiscent of the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia or the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
The Leixões cruise terminal building also houses laboratories of the University of Porto.
Canada Place Terminal, Vancouver.
Canada Place, a project by Zeidler Partnership Architects, was built on a 335-meter-long pier. This 165,000-square-meter mixed-use development initially served as the Canadian pavilion for Expo 86. It was later modified to house the Vancouver Convention & Trade Centre, spanning over 35,000 square meters, and, similar to Barcelona's Moll de Barcelona, the 22,575-square-meter World Trade Center offices. It also features the 505-room Pan Pacific Hotel, 4,000 square meters of retail space, the cruise terminal, a 480-seat IMAX 3D theater, a bus station, and 770 parking spaces. Public walkways, located on both sides of the building and at various levels, offer spectacular views of the mountains and Stanley Park, and lead to an urban plaza at the end of the pier that includes a 1,000-seat amphitheater.
Vancouver's Canada Place cruise terminal opened in 2001. As Vancouver is the homeport for Alaska, a viable destination only during the summer season, Canada Place was one of the first cruise terminals integrated with local attractions designed to operate year-round. Thus, the facility caters to cruise ships only in the summer but hosts other public events throughout the year. Its pier had to be significantly expanded between 2001 and 2003 to accommodate the growth in traffic and the number of cruise ships. In 2009, shore power was installed, allowing cruise ships to shut down their generators and connect to the electrical grid while docked. This environmentally friendly initiative was the first of its kind in Canada and the third in the world. In 2017, Vancouver welcomed 843,000 passengers on 236 ships, a 2% increase over the previous season.
Its design again features a nautical theme, with five sails resembling tents. Each night they transform into a kind of "Candlelight," where the "candles" serve as screens for themed light shows and video collages coordinated with local and national celebrations, such as the Olympic Games, national holidays, or other anniversaries.
This is an excellent example of the multi-use potential of cruise terminals. Its architect, Eberhard Zeidler, repeated the experience in 2010 in Toronto, albeit on a smaller scale, converting a former port warehouse into a magnificent multi-purpose building, the Queen's Quay Terminal.
Canada Place. It was the first cruise terminal integrated with local attractions.
Royal Caribbean's new Terminal A in Miami.
This building served as the model for Royal Caribbean's new terminal in Miami, which will cost $274 million. The 15,800-square-meter Terminal A will be located at the end of the existing terminals and near the cargo area, and is scheduled to be completed in October 2018. Its model showcases a futuristic architectural design and a structure with sharp angles, and Richard Fain, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean, called it "the jewel of Miami."
It will feature the latest technology and will be able to accommodate cruise ships up to 400 meters in length. As a result, the number of passengers sailing on Royal Caribbean from Miami annually will increase from 750,000 to 1.8 million, representing 30% of all cruise passengers at that port. The world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas, still under construction, will be based in Miami and will dock at the mega-terminal for its debut in November 2018. Another Royal Caribbean mega-ship, the Allure of the Seas, a sister ship to the Symphony of the Seas, will also begin sailing from Miami at the end of next year.
Miami-Dade County will benefit from $7.5 million annually in port fees, as well as the creation of approximately 4,000 new jobs. The economic impact of the new terminal on Miami will be around $500 million.
Royal Caribbean is going to build its own terminal, with futuristic architecture, in Miami.
Kai Tak Terminal, Hong Kong.
Hong Kong's new cruise terminal, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, opened in June 2013, with the second phase opening a year later. Built in Victoria Harbor on the site of Hong Kong's former airport runway,
this futuristic building, a true city icon, features a rooftop park. Costing approximately $500 million, it was designed by Norman Foster & Partners, the renowned architect behind landmarks such as the Reichstag, the Collserola Tower, and Beijing Airport.
This terminal has established Hong Kong as the leading regional homeport for cruise ships, offering space for two state-of-the-art mega-ships.
To accommodate the former runway, the passenger areas are arranged in a linear fashion, filled with natural light, and characterized by their clarity and ease of use. The terminal has a rectangular footprint and is distributed across three main levels, surrounded by a lattice of large white fins that allow daylight to filter into the passenger waiting areas. The services are integrated with the structure, and the different levels merge seamlessly with the surrounding pedestrian walkways. The baggage handling area, customs hall, administration area, and passenger arrival area are at street level, while the disembarkation area is on the upper level. The second level incorporates the check-in and waiting areas, as well as a public colonnade, shops, and cafes. A pedestrian promenade, beginning at the city's waterfront, extends through the building and opens onto a large public rooftop garden, with open spaces that contrast with the stunning backdrop of Hong Kong and Kowloon.
The design is highly flexible, incorporating spaces suitable for alternative uses and allowing the building to be utilized year-round, making the most of the low cruise season. The spacious interior of the building is 42 meters wide, and the waiting areas can be converted for performances, events, and exhibitions, supported by a wide variety of restaurants and shops. Its sustainable design also incorporates a number of energy-saving measures.
Royal Caribbean holds a 20% stake in the concessionaire, in partnership with local operators, to manage the terminal.
In 2011, the Hong Kong government contracted ADELTE to design, manufacture, and deliver five HYDRA passenger boarding bridges for the new Kai Tak cruise terminal. These were the largest and most modern port gangways ever built, weighing 170 tons.
Kai Tak is, today, the paradigm of cruise terminals.
Marina Bay Cruise Centre.
Singapore's Marina Bay Cruise Centre terminal was completed in May 2012 at an approximate cost of $500 million. The collaboration between RSP Architects, Planners & Engineers (RSP) and Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc. (BA) resulted in this iconic design for the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS). RSP led the conceptual design of the architectural form, interiors, and terminal details, while BA, with its experience in cruise terminal design, was responsible for the logistics and functional layout of the facilities, as well as passenger and baggage flow. The main design challenge for MBCCS was to achieve a large, low, and flat form to create a distinctive profile visible from a distance. This was achieved by alluding to a nautical theme. The deck responds to the aquatic theme with a Cubist interpretation of waves, with its undulating forms. Natural light has been strategically introduced to brighten the entire terminal lobby.
The Marina Bay Cruise Center was conceived as a complement to other developments in Singapore's financial district, becoming another iconic feature of the Singapore skyline, alongside the Business Financial Centre, the Marina Bay Integrated Resort, the Singapore Flyer, Esplanade, and Gardens by the Bay. Together, they present Singapore as a world-class destination with outstanding attractions, infrastructure, and leisure facilities. However, this terminal has received some criticism for its lack of functionality and the cost of its operation.
Its piers are capable of accommodating ships of the Oasis of the Seas class, currently the largest in the world. It boasts a distinctive geometric shape, offering a variety of views from different vantage points. It has a surface area of 29,873.9 square meters. The boarding bridges at this terminal were built in Spain by Adelte.
Singapore's Marina Bay Cruise Centre is one of the most impressive monumental terminals delivered in recent years.
Osanbashi Terminal in Yokohama, Japan.
Asia is home to many of the world's most architecturally remarkable cruise terminals. Perhaps one of them is the Osanbashi International Terminal in Yokohama, which is Japan's main homeport due to its proximity to Tokyo. Yokohama held an international competition in 1995 to design the terminal. A total of 660 proposals were received from 41 countries, and the winner was the firm of Spaniards Alejandro Zaera-Polo and Farshid Moussavi.
The terminal doesn't resemble a traditional building. It's an undulating pier without facades that juts out into the sea, conceived as an extension of the neighboring Yamashita Municipal Park. Inside, the terminal resembles a whale, giving the sensation of being inside a prehistoric animal.
It's a pier-building 70 meters wide and 430 meters long. The total height is approximately 15 meters.
The terminal's upper level is a wooden terrace, perfect for strolling and enjoying the sea views amidst the lawns. The building's main activity takes place below the terrace, housing the departure and arrival areas, meeting and waiting spaces, restaurants, and shops. The parking garage and mechanical room are tucked away on a lower level. A total of 10 ramps connect the three levels.
The space is remarkably dynamic, flowing in all directions. Design details also contribute to the building's dynamism, such as the wooden decking, handrails, and the constant sea views.
The design of terminals involves great architects of international renown, such as Norman Foster.
Fort Lauderdale Terminal 18:
When Royal Caribbean introduced the Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas and its sister ship, the Allure of the Seas, in 2009 and 2010 respectively, with a capacity of over 6,000 passengers, it needed a terminal specifically designed for these ships, the largest cruise ships ever built. Although it had traditionally based its ships in Miami, this time it opted for its rival, Fort Lauderdale, the second largest cruise port in the world, which invested in building a terminal capable of handling more than 12,000 passengers and their luggage in a matter of hours. Thus, Terminal 18 was born, an architecturally unassuming building, designed by Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc., but incredibly functional, which has been the home port for Royal Caribbean's behemoths for the past eight years. One of its fundamental design criteria was that it should allow simultaneous boarding and disembarking, so it has a clear transverse division to prevent the flow of passengers from crossing paths. Simplicity and efficiency, as well as cost control, were paramount in its design. For example, its facade is prefabricated.
Terminal 18 in Fort Lauderdale was designed to accommodate Oasis-class ships.
The building has two floors: the lower level has 90 check-in counters set on an ocean-themed mosaic floor. It features 157 flat-screen monitors that assist passengers during the check-in process, which typically takes only 15 minutes.
Construction of the 24,096 m² building began in 2007 and was completed in 2009, with a budget of $75 million. It is a terminal used only two days a week, when Oasis-class ships call, and has no other alternative use.
- Built area: 24,096m2
- Baggage claim: 6,640m2
- Boarding waiting room: 7,079m2
- Length/draft of the berthing dock: 502.4m / 11.6m
- 6 elevators
- 7 escalators
- Check-In Stations: 90
- Children's playroom
- VIP Lounge – Free Wi-Fi
- 600 parking spaces
- Plus another 400 additional neighbors
