A new cruise ship will set sail from Jacksonville beginning in November 2025 under an agreement approved by the Jacksonville Port Authority board during a special meeting Feb. 6.
Norwegian Cruise Line will offer cruises from Jacksonville to the Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean aboard the Norwegian Gem. The cruise ship, which holds 2,394 guests, will sail from Jacksonville from November to April through 2028 under the agreement.
The board approved the contract on a 7-0 vote. It calls for Norwegian to pay an annual guarantee of $1.61 million, for a total of $4.85 million over the course of the contract term. In return, JaxPort committed to prepaying a $2.74 million trademark licensing fee to Norwegian by the end of this year.