New Facility Welcomes First Guests For the first time in more than 15 years, a brand new cruise terminal has opened for operations at Port Canaveral. Cruise Terminal 6 (CT6) met its 11-month fast-track goal for completion. It was officially toured by Florida Governor Rick Scott on August 9, 6 days before the official start of operations on August 13, when the terminal's first resident cruise ship, Carnival Ecstasy, put the facility through its paces with a sold-out voyage for more than 2,600 passengers.   Carnival was enthusiastic about basing Carnival Dream, Carnival Ecstasy and the Carnival Sensation at the state-of-the-art terminal. The facility provides much-needed additional berth space for today's mega-ships, with two mobile adjustable passenger gangways that accommodate ships of many sizes and configurations. The building's large processing capacity works efficiently for high passenger counts and its spacious waiting area, carefully considered traffic patterns and stunning views cater to guest comfort and enjoyment.    In addition, a recently completed parking garage offers climate-protected, close-to-the-ship parking to guests of CT5 and CT6. Retail spaces within this garage, a first for Port Canaveral, will be occupied over the next few months, providing additional conveniences for cruise guests. Bigger Cruise Ships? Harbor Will Be Ready When Florida Governor Rick Scott toured the new Cruise Terminal 6, he made an announcement that ensures Port Canaveral's readiness to accommodate the largest cruise ships now on designers' drawing boards. The Port will receive $24.4 million in state funding to complete its important harbor widening and deepening project. The money from the Florida Department of Transportation will enable the project to be completed four years earlier than expected. The Port's 400-foot channel will be widened by 100 feet and the man-made harbor will be deepened two feet along the entire length of the channel, which has a current depth of 35 to 44 feet. Completion is expected by fall 2014. Coupled with the opening of Cruise Terminal 6, this funding accelerates Port Canaveral's preparedness to house the biggest and best of the next generation of cruise vessel. Take Another Look  The newest version of our popular online interactive Cruise Guide is ready and waiting for you. If you're familiar with this information-packed publication, you'll need no extra encouragement to link up and see what's new. If you're new to the Guide, be prepared to find everything you and your clients need to plan a great cruise vacation all in one handy place, plus embedded videos to bring the experience of a "truly delectable cruise vacation" to life.   This great sales tool receives nearly 10,000 hits per month, mainly from agents and their clients, so read and recommend the Port Canaveral 2012-2013 Cruise Guide today. You also can register on our website to receive our new printed cruise guide and Space Coast Vacation Planner. Get Better Connected... FREE Subscription Get more details and even more Port news automatically with a FREE subscription to our bi-monthly magazine (emailed or printed). Subscribe  Trendsetting video makes the interactive digital edition a particularly great 'read' with interesting stories plus entertaining videos of events, interviews, etc. to get you closer to the action and give you more information about the issues. Review the interactive digital version now.