Two Cruise Ships Now Sailing from JAXPORT

Cruise passengers have been crusing out of JAXPORT since 2003 when the terminal first opened.  For a lot of the time since only one Carnival cruise ship has provided cruises to Florida residence. 

However at the moment, a second cruise ship has arrived from Boston, giving close by residents some additional choices.  In spite of everything, in line with the port, greater than 98 million individuals stay inside driving distance to Jacksonville.

Norwegian Gem has arrived in Jacksonville, becoming a member of Carnival Elation in providing 4-, 5-, 6-, and even 12-night itineraries to The Bahamas and Caribbean.

New Itineraries from Jacksonville Port

Norwegian Gem will homeport seasonally in Jacksonville from November 2025 by way of April, providing quite a lot of cruise durations and locations.

Brief 3- to 5-day cruises to the Bahamas embrace stops at Nice Stirrup Cay (Norwegian’s non-public island), Freeport, and Nassau.

For these wanting one thing a little bit bit longer, Norwegian Gem sails 11- to 12-day Japanese Caribbean cruises visiting ports like Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), St. Thomas and St. John’s, Antigua, St. Kitts, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

In regards to the Ship

Norwegian Gem was inbuilt 2007 because the fourth and closing ship of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Jewel-class. It was most lately overhauled in 2022 to replace its services.

The ship has a gross tonnage of 93,530 and may carry 2,394 passengers at double occupancy.   Carnival Elation, which additionally sails out of Jacksonville, has a double capability of two,190, so the addition of the NCL ship will greater than double the ports capability.

What This Means for Jacksonville

With two main cruise ships now homeported, Jacksonville provides cruisers extra flexibility in reserving journeys and provides longer itineraries. This growth helps the native financial system too, and positions Jacksonville as a rising cruise hub within the Southeast.

It was again in February of 2024 that the Jacksonville Port Authority accredited the addition of the cruise ship to the port, and now native residents can begin benefiting from the additional possibility.

JaxPort CEO, Eric Inexperienced, welcomed Norwegian Cruise Line to the port and talked about the extra jobs the transfer would deliver.

“Increasing our well-liked cruise program additionally gives passengers all through the Southeast U.S. and past with much more causes to decide on Jacksonville for his or her subsequent trip,” Inexperienced acknowledged.