JAXPORT welcomes first cruise in two years

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For the first time in two years, a major cruise ship will take off from JAXPORT, welcoming hundreds of passengers as it sails off to the Bahamas.

Since the pandemic started, we have not seen a cruise sail out of JAXPORT. Carnival Cruise Lines is leading that effort with its Spirit cruise ship.

It has a capacity of 2124 passengers with 930 crew members, and it’s set to take off at 5 p.m.

Action News Jax was there as passengers lined up and went through the screening process.

It’s also a special occasion because the Carnival Spirit had been sailing in Australia since 2013, and this marks its first voyage from the U.S.

Plus, it will kick off Carnival’s 50th birthday celebration as it sails to the Bahamas for five days.

Inside, there was a pre-celebration going on, with passengers hearing from Carnival Cruise Line Vice President of Guest Operations Sarah Beth Reno and JAXPORT Chair Wendy Hamilton.

Hamilton said cruises are a huge part of operations, creating 800 local jobs, and also creating an economic impact of $187 million for Northeast Florida.

PHOTOS: Carnival Spirit sails from JAXPORT to the Bahamas

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Carnival Spirit Carnival Spirit is the first cruise ship to depart from JAXPORT in nearly two years. (JAXPORT)

After some remarks, they turned the spotlight on travelers Tammy and Michael Norin, a couple who got ribbon-cutting honors. They are loyal customers who say they have been on 73 cruises with Carnival. They shared their excitement to take a break from the road trips they’ve been on for the past couple of years, and finally get back out on the ocean again.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be able to cruise again, go to the islands again and just go back to normal a little bit,” Tammy said. “Cruising is everything to us,” she added. “We missed it a lot. We like to have, like to do things, just sitting in an RV is not doing that.”

Per Carnival’s safety and health protocols, everyone on board must have their COVID vaccine. Masks are optional for travelers, but employees are required to wear them.

By May, Reno says all of Carnival’s ships will be back to sailing throughout the Caribbean.

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