Here is some good hometown news for us here in Jacksonville, and for you southeast cruisers. Carnival Cruise Lines has signed a new two-year lease with the Port of Jacksonville til May 12, 2011. The extension of the lease was made possible because construction has stalled on a new cargo shipping terminal.
Jacksonville has approx 180,000 cruise passengers go through its port a year. In return for leasing the terminal, Jaxport gets a $7.49 per passenger fee and also gets parking revenue of $15 per space, which generates just over 3 million a year for Jacksonville.
Carnival Cruise lines has the Fascination ship in port and brags that Jacksonville is a money saving destination, it currently offers four and five day cruises to the Bahamas and Key West. The ship carries 2,052 passnegers and was put into service in 1994 with renovations in 2006.
Progress for a new cruise line terminal in Mayport, Fl which is a couple miles from the mouth of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, FL has been put on hold for now.
Photo courtesy of www.Jacksonville.com
