Port Everglades - the gateway to Florida for many cruise ship passengers- is giving four existing terminals a $54 million facelift to modernize them to better handle arrivals and departures.

Terminals 2, 19, 21 and 26 -- used mainly by Carnival Corp., cruise ships -- will be gutted and upgraded with additional loading bridges, separate and larger baggage halls, revamped ground transportation areas and new or restored Florida-inspired artwork, port officials said.

"Cruise ships are getting larger, so homeports such as Port Everglades must reconfigure and modernize its cruise terminals to accommodate arriving and debarking passengers simultaneously to keep ships on schedule," Port Director Steven Cernak said in a statement.

Other improvements will include new or upgraded escalators, elevators and air conditioning, where needed; additional seating, updated restrooms and energy-efficient technology. Security screening areas for U.S. Customs and Border Protection also will be expanded in each terminal to meet federal requirements.

Terminal 26 "could use a little freshening up, it looks a little warehousey," Otstott said.

The renovations are part of a public/private agreement brokered in April 2010 between Miami-based Carnival and the port's operator, the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.

The deal calls for a minimum of 25.5 million Carnival-brand cruise passengers to sail to and from the port during the initial 15-year term, port officials said. About $500 million in port revenue is expected from the increased cruise passenger traffic.

Seven of Carnival's brands now sail from there, including Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Seabourn.

Construction on terminal 2 began Monday and work on terminals 19, 21 and 26 will start April, 9, 16 and 30 respectively.

Some work has started in Terminal 21, for example, where a piece of artwork is being restored and moved to an area where it will be more visible to cruise ship passengers.

Travelers can expect to see "Pardon Our Dust" and "A Better Cruise Terminal is on the Horizon" signs throughout the terminals.