The Carnival Elation sails year-round from Jacksonville to the Bahamas. l Jaxport
Published on March 25, 2024 at 4:01 pm
Carnival Cruise Line will keep sailing from Jacksonville over the next few years under an agreement extended Monday.
Jaxport’s board of directors approved the extension to keep Carnival at the port’s terminal near Zoo Parkway through at least May 31, 2026, with yearly options to extend the agreement through May 31, 2030.
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Jaxport’s chief of regulatory compliance, Nick Primrose, said during a board of directors meeting Monday that Carnival has been happy with what it’s seen from Jacksonville’s cruise industry.
“Our cruise, the Elation, sailed out almost 2,900 passengers this weekend. It was like 1,700 first-time passengers, so the market is still very hot,” Primrose said.
The Elation sails from Jacksonville to the Bahamas year-round and has the capacity to hold 2,697 passengers.
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The company has been sailing out of the city for 20 years and, according to Jaxport, more than 3 million people have taken a cruise from the area.
Starting in 2025, Norwegian Cruise Line will join Carnival in Jacksonville. In February, the Jaxport board of directors approved an agreement to have the Norwegian Gem offer seasonal cruises — from November to April — to the Bahamas and the eastern Caribbean.
The deal with Norwegian will run through 2028.
Jaxport said the Carnival extension does not change the financial terms of the agreement it already had. According to those terms:
- Carnival guarantees to pay Jaxport a minimum of at least $3.2 million annually regardless of how many passengers sail from Jacksonville.
- The port shares a portion of its cruise parking revenue with Carnival, up to a total of $1.6 million annually.
- Jaxport pays the cruise line a passenger incentive of $2.80 per passenger for each time someone gets on and off the ship.
Carnival did not respond to a request for comment.
Jaxport CEO Eric Green said the agreement will help to bring even more tourists to the First Coast.
“The continued growth of our cruise program is another way we create jobs and economic impact for our region and state,” Green said.
According to Jaxport, the cruise industry locally supports nearly 800 jobs and more than $187 million in annual economic impact.
