The Offshore Cruise SHIP Terminal for Qld's GOLD Coast PAGE. in Southport, Queensland | Travel and transport

The Offshore Cruise SHIP Terminal for Qld's GOLD Coast PAGE.

Locality: Southport, Queensland

Phone: +61 401 736 909

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24.01.2022 https://www.cruising.org.au/ccms.r?PageID=10192&tenid=CLIA

23.01.2022 THAT'S THE WAY YOU BUILD AN EFFECTIVE CAISSON WALL... http://www.putzmeisteramerica.com//Worlds-Largest-Offshore

23.01.2022 WE'RE BACK IN THE NEWS AGAIN! This time the Premier has announced that the new Luggage Poijnt home port will mean no need for a CST on the Gold Coast... But that's only for now.... ... http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//37f7e18adbd57159a4c8a

23.01.2022 A THINKING OUTSIDE THE SQUARE IDEA.... The caisson wall stands in at least 20m of water. The bottom in the preferred area is plain, fine sand, with very little natural habitat or environment... Fine sand does no readily transfer water (or oxygen) beneath its surface, so 'life' under the sand is tiny, and rare. I have often thought of creating an artificial habitat to the immediate east of the wall, within easy diving distance of the promenade, and to attract fish close to th...e wall for fishing... Taking this idea one step further, here's a replica 'ancient shipwreck' that's been created underwater off the Dominican Coast as a 'living' museum. There's plenty of old marine artifacts around the place, so assembling a decent display wouldn't be an issue. Replica cannon and anchors, maybe the skeleton of a genuine old ship, and heaps of concrete blocks and broken brick walls would complete the display. Now, while we're at it, we could place the main displays immediately in front of the caissons with the underwater windows in them, so land based tourists could view the 'museum' and the people diving on them. We could even floodlight it at night... https://www.newswise.com//researchers-open-underwater-livi

23.01.2022 IT'S TIME TO PUT SOME PERSPECTIVE BACK INTO THIS CONCEPT.... I've sat back, pretty much since Tom decided this was 'his' idea, and watched as they fiddled around the edges, taking what they thought was good from this page, and pretending they knew what they were doing as they 'adapted' it to suit their own needs, generally failing miserably along the way. Apart from the location and the general layout of my concept, which they've copied exactly, every other aspect of their p...lan is an abject failure. This is a MAJOR project for the Gold Coast, a legacy item of infrastructure that should stand for the next 100 years at least, and provide the Gold Coast with another powerful string in its tourism bow. It's never meant to be some slap together, el-cheapo hatchet job plagued by 'that'll do' attitudes. It can also never be a 'modest' plan to start with, what are they going to do, just pick up 3/4 million tons of concrete and steel and move it? Today it was announced that the concept had passed the environmental test, which is was destined to do anyway, there's plenty of research notes here to back that up. Where it still fails utterly is in the design and size of the entire project. I recently commented on the 'bureaucrat, desktop designed' drawings that apparently accompanied the submission to the federal government, and I was pleased too see the latest articles are now showing a design much more like what it should be, and therefore much more like the ones on this page. If nothing else what I'm saying is being taken notice of, and used. Details when I get a chance, but here's today's article in the Bulletin, and if you read the comments you'll find a lot of what I'm saying in them... http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//a795d67721e7be4a16632

22.01.2022 IT REALLY IS A SIMPLE CONCEPT... HOW CAN ANYONE GET SO MUCH OF IT WRONG? This is apparently the 'plan' attached to the submission for the CST to the federal government. There are so many basic errors, where do I start? 1. The breakwall cannot be a 'rubble mound' in 20m of water. It has to be caissons, end of story. Storm swells will destroy a rubble wall almost immediately, and the size of the base for a rubble wall in 20m of water would be prohibitively large. ... 2. The straight wall offers NO protection whatsoever to the terminal from our predominantly Southeast swell,and NO protection from cyclonic or tropical low Northeasterly swell. Our biggest swells come from the SE and even the biggest cruise ship would be bounced around by our moderate swells. 3. Why a straight wall anyway? A curved wall of the same length is much stronger, provides a much larger area of calm water immediately behind it, and is far more aesthetically pleasing. 4. 360m cruise ships draw between 10.5 and 12m of water under their hulls, and cruise ship companies usually require a minimum of 2m of clearance under the hull, even at low tide. The sterns of the pictured ships are in 11m of water. 5. Why do they have swing basins? Even the oldest ships have 'astern' settings on their propulsion systems. So it's hopefully back to the drawing board... At least now we've got the location right, the distance from the shore is now 1200m, and the breakwall is now 800m long. So far so good, now we need a curved wall with a double berth behind it and parallel to the wall. The breakwall also needs to have a southerly 'hook' on it to protect the berthing area from the strong SE swells we experience here. We also need to revisit the passenger lounge offshore on the wharf. This will reduce any exclusion zone for immigration or military visits to the terminal itself, and will also provide 'value added' to the terminal in the form of a spectacular venue to be used when no cruise ship is in port... We live in hope!

22.01.2022 SOME BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 'OFFSHORE' AND 'OCEANSIDE' TERMINALS.... Offshore, day port. Oceanside, home port. Offshore cost $120-$140m. Oceanside cost $450-$600m ... Public land. Offshore, nil. Oceanside. 25ha. Moorings, offshore up to 4, oceanside, 2.

20.01.2022 SITTING ON THE BEACH IN FRONT OF CAVILL AVENUE YESTERDAY WITH MY GRANDCHILDREN... There was a small boat slowly passing along the coast, heading north, and everybody on and around the beach area stopped to watch it go by... Then I looked back at the imposing skyline behind me, and thought 'YES'... Why hide the terminal and its magnificent ships away on the Spit, when we can showcase them to everyone by locating the terminal offshore right in front of our greatest physical f...eature, and on the other hand, what a magnificent view from the decks of a docking cruise ship could you ask for? And on another positive, I strolled for quite a distance along the edge of the waves, and the bottom appears to slope steadily and regularly out to deeper water right along the beach front. So building a terminal in 20m of open water offshore along that section of beach would be quite viable.

20.01.2022 Yep, says it all really...

20.01.2022 AN 'EXPERT' SAYS WE NEED A CRUISE SHIP TERMINAL...AGREED... He says we could do with just a 'modest' one... DISAGREE!! We get one crack at this, just one. We build the wrong size terminal in the wrong location, too small, too shallow, too far from services... And that';s it, end of story. We'll never get a 2nd chance at this, it has to be done RIGHT the first time..... http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//99621ecb995374b0fa8d3

20.01.2022 A PRETTY SUBSTANTIALSHORTFALL ON THE ESTIMATE... TO DO IT 'PROPERLY' WILL BE MORE LIKE $120 million... The breakwall needs to be moved into deeper water, less than half a boatlength from running aground simply isn't safe, and nor is trying to load and unload passengers directly onto the top of the breakwall which will be subjected to anything from salt spray and moisture to full-on green swells slopping over it. This project needs to be done properly the first time, there w...ill be no second chances at it... http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//318e4ab85f97da53ec2c0

19.01.2022 OK, HERE WE GO AGAIN.... The article in today's Bulletin puts up the premise that an offshore terminal is a risky concept... And so it is, unless of course it's done properly, and not some penny-ante el-cheapo slap together job. The 'secret' to building a successful offshore terminal is in the breakwater, the entire terminal function will depend on it being able to provide the essential... "Safe, guaranteed access to the mooring in all weather and swell conditions." as requ...ired by the cruise ship companues. I've given up trying to post on their uselsss website comments, it keeps losing everything I type, then won't let me back to find it. The simple solution is the 700m long caisson wall as this page has constanthy proposed, built in 20m of open water, with enough calm water behind it to dock at least 2 ships. If the wall is built as I've suggested, and the jetty behind it is built within the swell shadow zone, there will be no problems with access, swell or sand movement. End of story... http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//ec835ad5e06bbd6b65c7c

19.01.2022 I BELIEVE I HEARD THE BEST DESCRIPTION EVER FOR THE MAYOR'S 'OCEANSIDE TERMINAL' DESIGN TODAY... "It looks like it was drawn on a desktop by a bureaucrat"

17.01.2022 THE OFFSHORE CST STILL HAS POTENTIAL... Especially if the mayor accepts the full concept design I've been working on for 11 years, and not just pick bits and pieces out of it to suit his own agenda. http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//5a4096f39f8117abfa895

17.01.2022 BACK TO BASICS... THE STRUCTURE... The offshore terminal concept contains a series of structures that all work together to make it functional, and viable. They are.. 1. THE CAISSON BREAKWATER WALL. ... 2. THE WHARF AND ARRIVALS-CUSTOMS LOUNGE. 3. THE ELEVATED LINK TO SHORE. 4. THE BROADWATER FERRY TERMINAL. I'll cover these one at a time in more detail, starting with the caisson wall.

17.01.2022 BACK TO BASICS... THE CAISSON WALL... Reinforced concrete caissons are now the accepted method of building large, permanent structures in deep water. They are essentially huge empty concrete boxes, built onshore then floated to their final destination, where they are sunk, and filled with saturated sand for ballast. When full of saturated sand they are around 90% of the weight they would be if made of solid concrete, just vastly easier to move into place prior to filling. Th...Continue reading

16.01.2022 A LITTLE LIGHT READING.... 'Overtopping' the breakwall on an offshore CST is inevitable. I have always suggested the wall in this concept should stand around 5-5.5m above high water, and the top of the wall face should feature a 'recurve' to throw water back from the top edge of the wall rather than simply allow it to slop over. This is a highly technical article, but it explains how a wall in deeper water will be over-topped by 'green' water rather than having breaking wav...es of water mixed with air quite literally exploding over the top of it, and provides some good images of the process. http://www.vandermeerconsulting.nl//2010_bruce_vandermeer.

16.01.2022 BACK TO BASICS.... This page has sat idle for some time now, but it's time to dust it off and get the concept back out there in the correct format. My original thoughts for an offshore terminal for the Gold Coast came some 12 years ago, when in the course of just a couple of weeks, someone in council commented that they were looking at creating a berth inside the Broadwater for 'boutique' cruise ships, while ignoring the growing number of ever larger ships that were cruisin...g past our front door, then someone in the cruise industry announced the end of the 'boutique' liner as a viable business, and that future cruise ships would continue to grow larger and larger. It was pretty obvious that the Gold Coast would be an ideal location for a terminal. As Australia's premier tourist destination, we could and should become Australia's premier cruise tourism destination, all we needed was somewhere with 'safe, guaranteed access' (Carnival CEO) to a terminal berth. And so the thought processes began. If inside the Broadwater or Seaway was impossible, (it most surely is) then the obvious alternative was outside in the open ocean somewhere. At this time there were no previous examples of offshore terminals, but since my research began, at least one example has been built and is a complete success. I've been constantly communicating with Royal Caribbean and Carnival for several years regarding this concept, and they both like, and agree with my thinking. They are not in a position to comment on the concept as they are focused on building their essential 'home' port at Luggage Point in Brisbane. But once that's completed and functioning, they're going to be able to bring far more cruise ships down from the northern hemisphere, and they'll be eagerly seeking new ports for them to visit. And that's what this concept is all about...

16.01.2022 "You'll never build a jetty capable of handling a large storm swell on the Gold Coast... Really?

14.01.2022 IT'S TIME TO RESURRECT THE 'OFFSHORE' CRUISE SHIP TERMINAL CONCEPT.... This concept is the result of some 15 years of careful, crosschecked and verified research, that is still ongoing, despite an extended silence on this page. It began about 2005, when someone announced they were looking at bringing 'boutique' cruise ships into the Broadwater. I thought that was a great idea, but very quickly realised bringing anything even remotely that large in through the Seaway was goi...ng to be physically and economically impossible. I started researching an offshore concept, and despite being a 'voice in the wilderness' and then having it 'killed off' several years ago by a mayoral candidate who was flogging his clearly impossible '$35 million' Broadwater terminal, the concept continued to develop. Royal Caribbean and Carnival leant their support and advice to the offshore concept, but wouldn't go public due to negotiations at the time on their Brisbane home port. and then when the Broadwater option was finally put t well deserved end, it was suddenly, and I'm sure quite coincidentally, usurped by the 'oceanside' terminal idea. I made some (unacknowledged but acted upon) suggestions as to where the oceanside concept was going seriously wrong, then left things alone as it spiralled out of the realms of reality. Enough is enough, the offshore concept is back!

13.01.2022 AND THEN THERE'S THIS BLOKE... MEANS WELL I GUESS, OR IS HE JUST A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE MAYOR?

13.01.2022 JUST STOP AND CONSIDER FOR A MINUTE WHAT THIS THRUSTER WASH WOULD HAVE DONE TO OUR SEAWAY WALLS IF THEY'D BEEN SILLY ENOUGHT TO TRY TO BRING A CRUISE SHIP INTO THE BROADWATER BETWEEN THEM... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmjuR-BhCug

12.01.2022 AND SO WE MOVE FORWARD.... My comments on the following article may or may not be published, so here they are! "Events of the last 24 hours have been interesting to say the least. ... Firstly and undoubtedly most importantly, both major cruise ship companies have emphatically rejected the idea of a home port on the Gold Coast. They don't want it, don't need it and won't use it even if it was built. They have clearly stated their only interest in the Gold Coast is for a day port, and their prime focus is on their own 'home' port at Luggage Point in Brisbane. With that $450 million 'home port' thought bubble out of the way, we can now focus on what's actually needed here, a state of the art, 2 berth (at least) offshore terminal capable of safely hosting at least 2 of the world's largest cruise ships in calm water, for one or perhaps even 2 day stopovers. As the instigator and promoter of the offshore CST concept for the last 12 years, this is very encouraging to me indeed. Now we can have some serious discussion about what's actually needed to bring cruise ships to the Gold Coast. There are 5 basic elements that need to be provided for a viable offshore terminal. 1. A curved breakwall in at least 20m of water. The curved breakwall needs to protect a large enough area of calm water from swells coming from NE to SSE to safely dock at least 2 ships. If the breakwall is built correctly it will become a tourist and local attraction in its own right for fishing, diving and whale watching. 2. A dual sided wharf with a spectacular arrivals lounge on it. It only needs to be 2 storeys tall,so it won't impact on anyone's views, but it needs to be big enough to cater for thousands of cruise passengers, or exhibitions and major social events when no ship is in port. 3 A high speed, efficient method of moving large numbers of passengers along a 1500m long wharf to shore. A dual light rail system, or possibly even a monorail would be suitable, nothing less. 4. A wharf that extends not only to shore, but right across the Spit to the Broadwater side... 5. A Broadwater ferry service to move passengers to their final destinations, eliminating the need for coaches on Seaworld Drive, and for massive carparks on the Spit. That will do for starters!" http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//f7200569b32809c887a83

09.01.2022 THIS IS GOOD FOR THE SUNSHINE COAST, AND THE SEQ CRUISE INDUSTRY TOO... They can only moor off Mooloolaba in small swell, so I wonder how they'll go next week considering the big swell we've had in the last couple of weeks is still hanging around. The bay at Mooloolaba is well protected from the SE, and partially from due E, which are the predominant swell directions along the SEQ coast. I know the first attempt to do this had to be cancelled as the almost 1m swell on the day was considered 'too rough' for tenders to operate. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au//multimillion-dollar-cruis

08.01.2022 AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE! So I spend the better part of 11 years researching and refining a concept for an offshore terminal that will be safe in anything but the most extreme weather conditions, and the mayor decides he can 'improve' the design on what looks like a table napkin to me... Well guess what? The 'new improved' design doesn't work, can't work and will never be built because of those simple facts. The massive infrastructure for a 'home' port will also nev...er be used, and is a complete waste of both money and valuable public open space. http://www.9news.com.au//gold-coast-cruise-terminal-flaws-

07.01.2022 WE'RE ACTUALLY GETTING SOMEWHERE! This is the GCCC submission to the Federal Government for approval to continue with the planning process for the offshore terminal, (or oceanside as they have to call it) and the proposed design is much more in line with my concept, so the massive number of 'visits' to this page over the last few months has been explained and justified... The 'caisson breakwall' is now 800m long and in 18m of water, in line with this concept, although i...t probably still needs to be moved to the 20m mark to be really safe. The proposal now includes a wharf as well as the breakwall, let's hope they put it far enough away from the breakwall to allow 2 ships to berth side by side, a single berth terminal would be almost as uselss as none at all... But where did the idea to make it a 'home' port come from, that's the last thing we want! http://epbcnotices.environment.gov.au//a71d58ad-4cba-48b6-

07.01.2022 This is critical! Please sign this petition. It will not in any way effect the proposal for a future offshore CST but will protect the natural environment of the Spit. We have to have some green space in the city, there are more than enough properly zoned developnent areas along the rest of the coast.

07.01.2022 BRISBANE CRUISE PASSENGERS USUALLY DON’T TRAVEL TO THE GOLD COAST Working with major cruise companies gives me access to lots of really interesting information. These numbers were given to me after a couple of ‘mega’ ships visited Brisbane in 2018 1. About 60% of all passengers on ships that berth in Brisbane don’t even bother disembarking at all. The reason is simple, there is nothing they want to see or do within reasonable distance of the Brisbane terminals. This is par...ticularly evident when ships berth at the grain wharf, as there is no public transport available. 2. Of the 40% who do disembark, some 75% of them actually do travel to the Gold Coast, despite the travel distance and time involved. The average travel time to and from the Coast is around 4 hours, more if traffic is involved. As a result many of the passengers choose to visit theme parks at the northern end of the Coast, travelling further simply takes too much extra time. 3. By the time the ship docks in Brisbane, people are allowed to disembark, transport is reached and the trip to the Coast is made, there are only a few spare hours available on the Coast before the return journey has to begin, or they risk missing their departing ship. 4. This situation is not going to change. The new ‘home’ port at Luggage Point is still on the opposite side of the Gateway Bridge, and there is nothing anyone can do to reduce that travel time.

07.01.2022 THIS HAS NOW DESCENDED INTO FARCE... There are so many reasons we do not want, or need to be a 'home' port, maybe the mayor of Fort Lauderdale should phone Tom and tell him some cold hard facts about the huge downside to being a port where people come to just to get on a ship, and return to, broke and exhausted after spending all their time and money at way ports on their cruise, and simply get off the ship and on the first plane home... The $450 million is a joke, a proper..., state of the art, dual bay offshore terminal can be built for around $140-150 million. http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//e28f42795bcf4023ce53d

07.01.2022 WHY THE SEAWAY COULD NEVER HAVE HANDLED A CRUISE SHIP... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbw2f9ieU8Y

05.01.2022 AND NOW WE'RE BACK TO ANOTHER PART OF PHILIP PARK.... AND PRESICELY WHERE I SAID IT SHOULD BE LOCATED.... Tom's proposed 'oceanside' terminal in this latest article is exacly where I've been saying it should be for a couple of years now... Same location, same layout, same design, same style, he's getting there at last! All he needs to do now if move it about 200m further offshore into deeper water so no dredging of any sort wil ever be required and it will be safe for ship...s in all weather conditions, and extend the SSE facing wall so it will protect more than one ship at a time, and he'll have it! http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//d697ea23957d108c4c94a

04.01.2022 HERE'S AN IDEA.... HOW ABOUT THE 'PRICE' OF A CASINO LICENCE IS.... ONE OFFSHORE CRUISE SHIP TERMINAL, CAPABLE OF SAFELY MOORING AT LEAST TWO OF THE LARGEST SHIPS, DIRECTLY OUT TO SEA OFF THE SHERATON.... http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//b1fabcc174aa39d1c2650

04.01.2022 BACK TO BASICS... THE WHARF AND ARRIVALS LOUNGE... There is no way a cruise ship can be moored directly to the inside of the caisson wall. Even a small swell and a bit of wind will send spray over the top of the wall, making access to the ship uncomfortable if not impossible from the ocean side. This concept calls for a central wharf, capable of mooring a cruise ship on either or both sides. The drawings also indicate a smaller 'public wharf' inside the double wharf, which ...could be used to moor a 3rd ship, and if extended a 4th. The lowest level of the wharf is about 5m above sea level, at the level of the loading doors on cruise ships. This is also the widest point in the structure, so ships can be moored directly against the wharf for loading of fresh food supplies etc. The building at this lower level would contain cold and bulk storerooms for food, all the maintenance and fire fighting equipment and their staff rooms, and at the northern end a rescue boat and slipway. Construction of the wharf is all basic tidal estuarine pier wharf construction as the wharf and all buildings are all fully within the primary swell shadow created by the caisson wall. The proposed building is 2 storey, so it complies with all current height restrictions on The Spit. The upper level of the building is a large open space, with lots of glass and stainless steel, a very welcoming space for cruise passengers to arrive into. It is narrower than the lower wharf so the gangways have a small amount of vertical movement to allow for any small swell inside the harbour. The northern end of the upper floor would be offices for terminal management, pilots and cruise company staff. The bulk of the upper space can also be used when no cruise ship is in port, for weddings, formals, exhibitions etc. At the southern end of the building it forms a 'T' shape with the light rail or other transport station and retail space for coffee shops, souvenirs etc. The roof of the building is al solar panels for power, and a helicopter landing pad can be included if safe to do so. The lower level of the wharf continues right around the inside of the caisson wall, with an 8m wide promenade set about 1.2m above sea level. This is for smaller passenger, business and pleasure craft to tie up to, and should include steps and ramps for access to smaller boats. this promenade also serves as a buffer for the caisson wall, ensuring a cruise ship cannot impact directly with the concrete caissons. This promenade sits on piers that stand on the caisson foot 20m below the surface. The only other factor worth building into the wharf structure is spaces to ensure that any whale that might stray into the mooring area can easily swim through and out the other side.

03.01.2022 THEY SAID ON THE NEWS LAST NIGHT THAT THE JETTY WOULD NOW BE 1000M LONG.... YOU'RE GETTING CLOSER TO THIS CONCEPT EVERY DAY TOM! And about time too.... http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au//7b0a737bca0992d20882b

03.01.2022 NDW, WE'RE BACK IN THE NEWS AGAIN TODAY... TWICE! Here's the first one, council has actually 'discovered' after spending almost $1 million, that options 2 and 3 in their CST proposal aren't viable, something I told them within 24 hours of them announcing the research. I'll attach one of the ebb delta pictures that were sent to every councilor, several of whom acknowledged receipt of the pictures, but they blew the money anyway...

02.01.2022 BACK TO BASICS... MOVING PASSENGERS TO AND FROM THE SHORE. In order to be a safe distance from shallow water and to eliminate any need for dredging, the terminal will have to be some 1000m offshore, in 20m of open water. Cruise companies will not even consider a 'tender' type operation to move passengers, so a rail type link will have to be provided for the fast, comfortable transporting of passengers from the terminal to the shore and their transport to their tourist destin...ation of choice. The moist effective way to move people efficiently would be for them to be called in stages to the rail station. People travelling the furthest or needing to be on land earlier would go first, people who are only going a short distance would be last. Getting everyone onshore as soon as possible would be a priority, while passengers returning will tend to do so throughout the entire day. A 'light rail' type system or a monorail would be best suited to the task. Carriages can be air conditioned for comfort and to protect passengers from the weather. They would not need to be full size light rail carriages, and as the distance is relatively short and a straight line, standing room could be suitable for most people, with seats for those who require or want them, It would probably be possible to run the rail on a single line, with a Y junction at each end, and 2 sets of carriages. That way a carriage could be being loaded while one was already on the way, the first one could be emptied and ready to return the moment the 2nd one arrived.

01.01.2022 A HOME PORT? SERIOUSLY? ONE QUESTION... WHY? There is no real way the Gold Coast can ever be an effective 'home port' and no logical reason why we'd even consider becoming one. Yes we can supply fresh produce and water to visiting cruise ships, any competent day port should have that facility. But supplying fuel is not viable on the Gold Coast... ... Cruise ships use 'bunker oil' which is a highly toxic sludge from low down in the refraction column, second only to road base tar I believe. It is virtually sludge, and can't even be pumped unless it's heated. At room temperature it's almost solid. I know I've mentioned this previously on this page, and even raised the possibility of shipping fuel down from Brisbane in tankers, but only when individual circumstances may require it, certainly not on a regular basis. The other major problem with being a home port, especially one trying to compete with another dedicated and specially built home port just up the coast at Luggage Point, is that passengers starting and finishing their cruises simply don't spend any money. Fort Lauderdale is the largest home port in the world, yet its tourism industry barely gets a cent from the cruise passengers who flock to and from there every year. Passengers arrive by plane, travel straight to the ship, board and leave that day. They return several days later, exhausted and usually broke, and catch the next flight home with their bags full of souvenirs and gifts purchased at the day stops along the way of their cruise. The home port doesn't get a bean out of them. HOME PORT? TELL EM THEY'RE DREAMING!