Cruise destination Fort Lauderdale Welcome to the Fort Lauderdale cruise port guide. Fort Lauderdale’s port Port Everglade is the 2nd largest in the state. This is because Fort Lauderdale is the perfect start and end point for cruises going to Caribbean. In the weekends the port is often accommodating 8 cruise ships or more per day. Busses, airplanes and taxis come and go to make sure thousands of people embark and disembark their vessel in just a few hours time. It is quite a phenomenal operation. Most people will only not stay in Fort Lauderdale long before they continue their journey. If you have a few hours to spare you might want to consider arriving a day or two earlier to visit Miami or the famous Everglades.