Carnival Cruise Line and JAXPORT, the port of Jacksonville, Florida, have reached an agreement to extend Carnival’s service from the port through at least May 2021, and potentially through 2027.
Carnival Elation will continue offering year-round sailing to the Bahamas from JAXPORT’s North Jacksonville Cruise Terminal. The contract extends the cruise line’s service from Jacksonville for three years, with three additional two-year renewal options. The agreement also calls for enhancements to the terminal building and passenger experience.
Reports that an extended agreement between Carnival and port officials was close had been circulating since early March. The cruise line’s current contract to sail from Jacksonville had been set to expire May 1.
“With Carnival Elation sailing year-round from Jacksonville, we’ve seen great demand from the area,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, in a written statement announcing the new contract.
Beginning May 2019, the recently upgraded 2,056-passenger Carnival Ecstasy will assume Carnival Elation’s year-round four- and five-day cruise program. The Carnival Ecstasy wrapped a big renovation project early last year that added many “Fun Ship 2.0” features to the vessel. These include a number of new food and beverage venues, including the Guy Fieri-developed Guy’s Burger Joint, as well as the BlueIguana Cantina; Alchemy Bar; and Cherry on Top. Carnival offers year-round departures from Jacksonville, carrying approximately 170,000 passengers a year.
More than 2.2 million passengers have sailed from Jacksonville during 15 years of cruise service at JAXPORT.
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